Empower Her – Women In Business Forum
A dynamic program designed to uplift, educate, and inspire female business professionals at every stage of their journey. Through engaging conversations, educational workshops, and meaningful networking opportunities, Empower HER creates a supportive space where women can build confidence, expand their skills, and learn from both established and emerging leaders.
The forum focuses on professional growth, leadership development, and real-world strategies that help women navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and shape their own paths to success. By honoring the experiences of past and present women leaders while investing in the next generation, Empower HER fosters a strong community rooted in collaboration, encouragement, and forward-thinking innovation.
Empower HER is more than a program—it is a movement to connect, inspire, and empower women to lead with purpose, amplify their voices, and grow personally and professionally together
The Book that Started it all:
In Hype Women, CEO, founder, and entrepreneur Erin Gallagher, delivers a provocative and practical playbook of transformation. She shares simple shifts to take you from passively existing as a person who accepts what you “get” into actively living as one who demands—and receives—what you deserve. You’ll explore the depths of your unlimited potential, equipped with actions to take back your power and realize your collective personal and professional goals.
The author guides you through the process of deconditioning from the false narratives you’ve been told about yourself—and women everywhere—at your own pace, meeting you in this moment. You will learn how to stop pouring your energy and effort into building others’ social and financial capital and how to start investing in building and healing your own generational health and wealth. She also shows you how to forgive yourself for doing what you needed to in order to survive; how to break free from the people, places, and programming holding you back; and how to stand in the power of knowing who you truly are and what you really want.
Perfect for women everywhere who are done being good girls, kowtowing to mean girls—following rules in a game rigged against them—Hype Women is a transformative and transformational anthem for a rising tide of women who are ready to become who they were always meant to be.
Concept Inspired By This Moment:
Hype. Other. Women.
When she wins, fight the urge to question…
“For me, it comes down to this: as female professionals, many of us have been conditioned to fight for a seat at someone else’s table. We’ve been led to believe there isn’t enough room for all of us — not enough space for our voices, our ambitions, or our talents — and that scarcity mindset fuels competition, sometimes even turning us against one another.My lightbulb moment was realizing: why am I fighting for a seat at a table that was never designed to fit me — or even welcome me? What if, instead of competing for limited space, we chose to build our own table?My hope is that this begins as an event series but grows into something much larger — a movement, a collective, and a true community for women across our county.”
Victoria Bowman, Avery Chamber Executive DirectorMarch 25th, 2026
11:00 – 11:15 AM: Check-in
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM: Welcome & Panel Discussion
12:15 PM – 12:45 PM: Lunch
12:45 PM – 1:20 PM: Guided Roundtable Discussions
1:20 PM – 1:30 PM: Wrap Up & Call to Action
Speakers
Women’s Basketball at Lees-McRae College
Boone Area Chamber of Commerce
Reid’s Café & Catering,
Betty’s Biscuits,
The Beacon,
and Pearl’s Kitchen
Women’s Soccer at Lees-McRae College
