Innovation Women Newsletter #565

May 29, 2026

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I'M READY! ARE YOU?

Hi ala,

I have snacks, a pillow, Baby Yoda and my Dunkin' jug ready to go.

When I said, "Yeah! Let's hang out on Zoom for 11 hours," I don't know what I was thinking...but I'm ready for it. As ready as I can be. It's going to be a blast!

I'm kicking off the Innovation Women Speaker Friend-a-thon at 8:00 am ET and going straight through to 7:00 pm ET. That's why you are getting this newsletter a little early. (Don't click on your regular Speaker Friends link - use the special link below.)

My desk can be turned into a standing desk so I'll probably alternate sitting and standing. But also, I have a big fluffy pillow.

Baby Yoda is the large insulated cup for iced coffee. The Dunkin' jug is for water. (Can you tell I've spent the last 40 years in Boston?) The coffee delivery service (my husband) is on stand-by. I have a plethora of snacks.

Every hour we'll have at least one 11-minute lesson from an Innovation Women member. We'll have special guests and cohosts. Other members of the Innovation Women team will be joining me in shifts and doing breakout rooms to give tours, answer questions, offer tech support or whatever.

And almost 400 people have already signed up to drop in some time over the course of the day. I hope you'll consider dropping in too, especially if you are curious about how speaking can help drive your business or your career.

There will be networking breaks, special offers, SECRET SALES, giveaways and more!

Bobbie and the entire Innovation Women team

MAY 29 SPEAKER FRIEND-A-THON

Join us for a special 11th Anniversary event - 11 hours of Speaker Friends! We're hitting all the time zones we can!

TODAY, May 29th, 2026, we'll be holding our first-ever Speaker Friend-a-thon, an 11-hour live Zoom experience from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM ET.

It’s designed to bring our global community together for connection, collaboration and a whole lot of speaker support. (Bobbie’s note: And FUN! Don’t forget fun!) 

We’ll be talking about things like speaker compensation, building a speaking business, pricing, sizzle reels, authorship and more.  Everything related to public speaking! RSVP now!

EVENT MANAGER OR EXPERT?

MY SPEAKER LEADS IS OPEN!

My Speaker Leads is open for business again! (It has been running a waiting list for the last two years.) What is My Speaker Leads? My Speaker Leads saves professional speakers time and effort by providing a weekly list of leads most likely to convert to paid public speaking opportunities. Sign up today for 200-400 speaking leads every month. 

GET MORE SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES

We’re here to help you find EVEN MORE speaking opportunities.

Join Innovation Women founder and Speaker Friend Fridays host Bobbie Carlton, an industry veteran who has spent decades getting executives and experts onto high-visibility stages. You’ll get insider secrets and insights you can use immediately.

You know how speaking can drive business growth and dramatically boost your professional visibility, but do you know:

• What event managers, podcast hosts, and media are really looking for in speakers?
• How Innovation Women connects women and other underrepresented voices with speaking opportunities of all kinds?
• Ways you can uncover opportunities most others miss?

Plus, you’ll get a live tour of the Innovation Women speaking opportunity database, a look at our educational resources, and an introduction to our supportive online community. Where other organizations stop short of delivering the real goods, Innovation Women always gives you the inside scoop.

Please join us: Thursday June 18 at 12:00 pm ET

UPCOMING INNOVATION WOMEN WEBINAR

Align Your Voice 

Featuring Brienne Hennessy

June 3, 2026

12:00 - 1:00 pm ET

Voice is an integral asset as a speaker, yet most don’t know ways to keep it healthy & vibrant long-term. Brienne Hennessy, M.A., will provide evidence- & experienced based voice health and wellness strategies, plus playful exercises so that attendees learn key concepts about protecting their voice function, reducing strain, tune into embodied presence so their sound resonates with more speaking prowess, all of which benefits their communication and livelihood. The intention is to bring high-value interactivity with tangible takeaways for all attendees.

LIONESS MAGAZINE FEATURES

Lioness for the Female Entrepreneur is our digital magazine for women who are starting (or thinking about starting) companies. Get the latest news, tools and resources to launch and scale startups. This week you can read great articles like:

• What is a ‘Digital Detox’ and Will It Make Me Healthier?
• Strong Workplaces Also Prove to Be More Profitable

LIONESS ROUNDTABLE

Lioness Roundtable: The Author Journey, Continued

📅 Date: Thursday, June 11th

🕒 Time: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET

In a previous session, female entrepreneurs shared their experiences navigating the author journey: landing publishers, weighing self-publishing and marketing a book while running a business. The conversation wasn't finished, so we're picking it back up! Join us for part two of our author and publishing discussion.

SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES

Every week our speakers get brand new opportunities and there are even more on our website. There are hundreds of open opportunities on the site right now and we added more than 90 new ones this week! Below are some of the NEW opportunities:

1. Citrus Events 2026 09/15/26 Edinburgh, Scotland, UK Deadline 06/15/26 - Information Technology and Services
2. NIBRT 2027 Beyond Safety Conference 02/02/27 Merrillville, IN Deadline 06/15/26 - Public Safety
3. The Main Street Summit 2026 09/15/26 Columbia, MO Deadline 06/15/26 - Small Business
4. 2027 SCMEA Conference 02/04/27 Columbia, SC Deadline 06/15/26 - Music
5. 2026 Oklahoma Municipal League Annual Conference 09/15/26 Tulsa, OK Deadline 06/15/26 - Government Administration



Get hundreds of opportunities like these, a profile on our site, education and more for only $159/year!