FIVE SPEAKERS. FIVE STORIES. FIVE MINUTES EACH. EWL's Annual Speaker Blitz is back! Five EWL members turn their hardest won lessons into five minutes you won't forget, plus takeaways you'll actually use.

If you haven't been before: five EWL members, five stories, five minutes each. It's our most personal event of the year, and it's also one of our favorites because of what happens when someone shares something real and watches a whole room lean in.

This year we’re centering the Blitz around one of them: VOICE. This theme has invited speakers to reflect on both the moments they found their voice and the moments they wish they had. 

Meet Our Speakers and Their Topics:

Jennifer Berry | Director of Talent Acquisition, Milwaukee Academy of Science | Who Said Your Path Would be a Straight One 
When I was a little girl, I had my entire life planned out; I was going to become a psychiatrist. But as a first-generation college student, I quickly realized that having a dream and knowing how to achieve it were two very different things. I didn't have a parent, mentor, or anyone in my immediate circle who could show me the way. I nearly failed out of college my first year and had to make one of my first major pivots. Years later, the 2008 recession forced me to pivot again. It was during that season that I made a promise to myself: I would become the owner of my experience. I stopped believing my career had to follow the path I originally imagined and started embracing the opportunities each unexpected turn presented. I want to share how those pivots shaped my journey and why I've learned that success isn't about following a straight path; it's about having the courage to create your own.

Lauren Greer | CFO, North Shore Health | Voice is an Inside Job: Finding Your Voice Starts with What You Tell Yourself 
For years, I thought finding my voice meant becoming more outspoken. Instead, I learned that confidence, and ultimately voice, starts with the conversation we have with ourselves. In this candid and practical talk, I share how simple tools like self-talk, preparation, and power posing helped me move from questioning whether I belonged at the table to confidently leading from it. Attendees will leave with actionable techniques they can use immediately before important meetings, presentations, and decisions.

Mary Hickey | Founder, Creative Ecology | Using Your Voice as a Mirror Back to Yourself 
In the midst of extreme burnout, the courage to initiate a major career shift began to emerge out of an initially unconscious and unexpected habit of naming out loud "I love..." about the smallest, and most ordinary things. My family, including my 9-year-old son, began noticing this pattern with increasing frequency as my courage became more salient and brought it to my awareness. This mirroring back of my voice startled me with the realization that making more space for and verbalizing what I loved was a reclamation of my identity and my agency to build a life that I truly love. My speech will explore how giving voice to what we genuinely love can become a surprising path back to our own authenticity, creativity, relationships, and genuine gratitude.

Dericka Owens | Human Resources Manager, Wisconsin Center District | Resilience: My Greatest Medicine 
A major health crisis and diagnoses could have defined my story—but they didn't. This is a journey of facing unimaginable challenges with courage, hope, and determination. Through every setback, I discovered that resilience isn't just about surviving—it's the strength to keep moving forward, one day at a time. This story is a testament to the power of the human spirit and finding hope even in life's darkest moments.

Emily Washcovick | Founder, Host & Showrunner, Success, Rewritten | Who Am I Without the Title? 
In 2018, a manic episode and bipolar disorder diagnosis showed me how much of my life I'd spent managing other people's comfort instead of prioritizing my own (and telling the truth). In 2025, a layoff from corporate took the title I'd built my professional voice around for 11 years. This is a five-minute story about the space between those two moments, and why the voice you're most afraid to use is usually the one that was yours all along.

Click Here to Register Now!

 Emerging Women Leaders | No Charge
TEMPO Members | $45
Guests | $45