Take The Lead Announces Power Up 2026 Speaker Lineup Featuring Margaret Atwood and More Than 40 National Leaders

Women’s Equality Day summit will bring together 1,000+ leaders to explore women’s leadership amid changes in AI, healthcare, workplace culture and the economy.

WASHINGTON DC, DC, UNITED STATES, July 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Take The Lead^® today announced the speaker lineup for Power Up 2026, its annual Women’s Equality Day summit bringing together more than 1,000 executives, entrepreneurs, policymakers, advocates and emerging leaders to address the challenges and opportunities shaping women’s leadership.

Taking place August 25-26 at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C., Power Up 2026 will feature internationally acclaimed author Margaret Atwood in a fireside chat with Take The Lead co-founder and president Gloria Feldt, hosted by prominent sports journalist Kelsey Nicole Nelson. Atwood, the award-winning author of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments and dozens of other books, will join more than 40 leaders across business, healthcare, technology, media, finance, education and advocacy for conversations focused on advancing women’s leadership.

Featured speakers include Cheyenne Hunt, Minda Harts, Sophia Yen MD, Joanna Strober, Rachel Rubin MD, Jamia Wilson, Eva Goicochea, Heather Florio, Stacey Engle, Wanjiku Kamau and other influential voices exploring the issues influencing women’s ability to lead, including artificial intelligence, women’s health, caregiving, workplace culture, economic opportunity and confidence.

Built around Take The Lead’s 9 Leadership Power Tools framework, Power Up 2026 will focus on practical solutions for accelerating gender parity in leadership and equipping women with the tools needed to navigate a rapidly changing world.

“Women today are building companies, transforming industries and reshaping culture, yet they continue to face significant barriers to leadership,” said Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead. “Power Up brings together leaders across sectors to have the honest conversations and develop the solutions needed to help more women lead with confidence, purpose and impact.”

Addressing the Issues Shaping Women’s Leadership

Power Up 2026 will feature conversations examining the challenges influencing women’s advancement and the solutions needed to create more equitable workplaces and opportunities.

Women’s Health Unfiltered: Sex & Leadership
Moderated by Heather Florio, CEO of Desert Harvest, healthcare, advocacy and entrepreneurship leaders will discuss how conversations around women’s health, confidence and identity impact leadership opportunities and professional advancement.

“Power Up creates space for conversations that have too often been overlooked in discussions about leadership,” said Florio. “By addressing these issues openly, we can help more women lead with confidence, authenticity and impact.”

The Human Advantage: AI Risks, Representation & Real Solutions
Technology leaders will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping hiring, productivity and career pathways while examining opportunities and challenges around representation, access and workforce transformation.

The Power of Care: Women Leading at Work and at Home
Workplace leaders and advocates will discuss the impact of caregiving responsibilities on women’s careers and explore solutions for creating more sustainable workplaces.

The Audacity to Thrive: Women Claiming Midlife Health & Power
Healthcare experts will examine how overlooked health experiences, including menopause, influence confidence, careers and leadership opportunities.

Invest in Herself: Women, Money & Long-Term Success
Entrepreneurs and financial leaders will discuss economic independence, wealth building and how financial power serves as a catalyst for leadership and long-term impact.

Additional programming will include networking and mentoring opportunities, the Mission Matters Podcast Stage, SHEposium exhibits featuring women-led companies, interactive leadership experiences and wellness programming.

Power Up 2026 speakers represent leaders across business, AI, healthcare, technology, media, education and advocacy, including voices from organizations such as Midi Health, Pandia Health, maude, Twin Protocol, Penguin Random House, UBS, NYU Law and Johns Hopkins University. The full speaker lineup and agenda are available at [Power Up 2026].

Event Details:
What: Take The Lead Power Up 2026
Theme: Audacity: Leadership in Action
When: August 25-26, 2026
Where: The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.
Expected Attendance: 1,000+ leaders in person and virtually

About Take The Lead:
Take The Lead is a nonprofit organization with the mission of preparing, developing, inspiring and propelling women to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors. Through research-based leadership development, mentoring and coaching rooted in the 9 Leadership Power Tools curriculum, the organization accelerates gender parity in leadership for everyone’s good.

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