Women In Leadership Summit Sydney 2026

Pre-Conference Workshops

09:00 Your Balance Blueprint: Achieving Sustainable Success and Life Balance in Leadership

In an era of relentless ambition and unprecedented challenges, the quest for leadership success has never been more demanding. The journey to the top is fraught with obstacles, not least of which is maintaining a harmonious balance between professional achievements and personal fulfillment. As we navigate through the complexities of the modern world, the significance of sustaining equilibrium in our lives and careers cannot be overstated.

Your Balance Blueprint is an innovative half-day masterclass designed to empower women with the strategies, tools, and insights necessary to achieve a sustainable blend of professional success and personal well-being. This workshop is more than a learning experience; it’s a transformational journey tailored to help you craft a life of equilibrium, where leadership excellence and personal satisfaction coexist harmoniously.

Key Course Takeaways:

• Master the Art of Equilibrium: Learn how to seamlessly integrate career aspirations with personal well-being to foster a fulfilling life of leadership.
• Strategies for Sustainable Success: Uncover the secrets to long-lasting achievement in your career, without sacrificing your health, relationships, or personal goals.
• Overcoming the Obstacles to Balance: Identify the common pitfalls that disrupt life balance and discover practical steps to navigate around them.
• The Blueprint to Your Best Self: Craft a personalized plan that harmonizes your professional ambitions with your personal life, ensuring you thrive in both realms.
• Mindset for Mastery: Shift your perspective to embrace a holistic approach to success, equipping you with the mindset needed to excel as a leader and individual.
• Building Resilience and Adaptability: Strengthen your capacity to handle stress, adapt to change, and recover from setbacks, all while keeping your sights set on your goals.
• Network of Empowerment: Engage in a supportive, collaborative environment with fellow women leaders, fostering connections that inspire growth and resilience.

By the conclusion of this workshop, you will leave with a comprehensive blueprint for achieving leadership success that does not compromise your personal happiness or well-being. This session promises to be a dynamic and interactive experience, providing a safe space for women to explore, learn, and grow together, free from the constraints of judgement or organizational politics.

Join us on this enlightening journey to redefine what success looks like for women in leadership. Together, we will discover how to create a life of impact and fulfillment, proving that it is indeed possible to have it all.

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Pre-Conference Workshop 2. Communicate with confidence and get your voice heard

No matter your role, it’s important that you speak your truth and learn how to communicate so that your voice is heard.

All too often we find ourselves leaving conversations frustrated that we haven’t been heard or understood clearly. There are times when we haven’t been able to find the space in a meeting to share our perspectives at all! This half day masterclass will give you the opportunity to build your gravitas in all contexts, communicate with confidence and clarity, and make the practical mindset changes needed to remove roadblocks to expressing yourself.

You will Learn:

• Limit inner conflicts which might limit workplace performance
• Project more authority and communicate with gravity
• Master sustainable control of stress and stressors in the work environment
• Improve positive-attitude maintenance in challenging situations
• Assess and adjust personal leadership style quickly, accurately and privately

By the end of the workshop you will have:

• Uncovered what is in the way of you finding and expressing your voice with confidence and clarity
• Understood how to build capacity in your communication style and how to listen for and respond to other people’s styles of communication
• Built the confidence and know how to show up and have your voice heard

Conference Day 1

9:00 AM: Welcome to Country 

9:05 Opening remarks from the Chair

She is a staunch advocate of equality for women in business and believes women should be helping other women every chance they get. 

Dana established Konnect Learning in 2013 and the Leadership Institute in 2017. Since then she has advocated for equality for women in all aspects of her entrepreneurial and professional life – 
in particular by chairing and assisting the production team in the development of TLI’s Women in Leadership line of events.

SESSION 1
9:20 AM: Opening Keynote: Leading Without Permission in Complex Environments

Leadership today is not defined by titles or timing. It is defined by the ability to step forward, make decisions, and create impact in environments that are often unclear and demanding.

In this opening keynote, explore what it means to lead without waiting for certainty, endorsement, or the “right moment”. Drawing on real world leadership experience, this session will examine how to build credibility, take ownership, and move from hesitation into action.
You will gain practical insight into navigating complexity, stepping into visibility, and leading with intent, even when the path is not fully mapped out.

10:10 AM: Leadership Networking

10:30 MORNING TEA

SESSION 2
11:10  AM: INTERACTIVE KEYNOTE: Leading Before You Feel Ready 

Stepping into leadership rarely comes with certainty. For many women, growth brings self doubt, heightened visibility, and pressure to prove credibility in environments that often demand perfection. In this candid and empowering session, Dana Lightbody explores what it really takes to lead before you feel ready. 

Drawing on real world experience, practical insight, and the patterns she has observed across thousands of women leaders, Dana unpacks why confidence is not a prerequisite for leadership, but a result of action. She challenges common myths around readiness, authority, and self belief, and examines how women can build influence, presence, and trust without waiting for permission. 

This session is designed to help women reframe imposter syndrome, recognise their existing capability, and step forward with greater clarity and conviction. You will leave with practical ways to own your voice, lead authentically, and back yourself even when it feels uncomfortable. Because leadership does not begin with certainty. It begins with choosing to step forward. 

SESSION 3
12:00 AM: Speaking Up in Rooms Where It Matters

Many leaders know what needs to be said, but hesitate in the moments that matter most. Whether due to hierarchy, pressure, or self doubt, holding back can limit both influence and impact.

This session explores how to communicate with clarity and confidence in high stakes environments. Learn how to articulate your perspective, contribute meaningfully in senior discussions, and ensure your voice is heard without overexplaining or second guessing.
You will walk away with practical strategies to strengthen your presence, influence decisions, and speak with authority in any room.

12:50 PM Lunch

1:50 PM: Turning Awareness into Action

Pause, reflect, and reset. This guided session is designed to help you consolidate key insights from the morning and identify where you need to step forward in your own leadership.

Through structured reflection, you will clarify your priorities, challenge areas where you may be holding back, and commit to practical actions that will strengthen your impact.

SESSION 4
2:20 PM COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS: Saying What Needs to Be Said

Avoiding difficult conversations often comes at the cost of performance, trust, and progress. Yet stepping into these moments requires clarity, confidence, and emotional control.

This session focuses on how to approach challenging conversations with intention. From addressing performance issues to managing conflict and competing expectations, you will learn how to communicate directly while maintaining strong relationships.

Gain practical tools to navigate difficult situations, hold your ground, and lead conversations that drive outcomes.

3:10 PM Afternoon Tea

SESSION 6
3:30 PM:  The Confidence to Be Seen and Heard

Visibility is often one of the most uncomfortable parts of leadership, yet it is critical for influence and progression. Many leaders continue to deliver strong work while remaining under recognised.

This session explores how to step into visibility with confidence and purpose. Learn how to build presence, communicate your value, and position yourself for greater impact without feeling inauthentic.

You will leave with a clearer understanding of how to show up, be recognised, and lead with confidence in environments that demand both performance and presence.

4:30 PM Closing Reflections and Insights to Action

4:40 PM Close of Day one & Networking Drinks

Conference Day 2

9:00 AM Opening Remarks from Emcee

Dana Lightbody is the CEO of The Leadership Institute. She is a staunch advocate of equality for women in business and believes women should be helping other women every chance they get. Dana established Konnect Learning in 2013 and The Leadership Institute in 2017. Since then she has advocated for equality for women in all aspects of her entrepreneurial and professional life - in particular by chairing and assisting the production team in the development of TLI's Women in Leadership line of events.

SESSION 1
9:10 AM: Leading Change When You Are Not in Control

Change rarely happens in a straight line, and leadership does not always come with authority. Many leaders are required to influence outcomes across teams, stakeholders, and systems without direct control.

This session explores how to lead effectively in complex environments where priorities shift and control is limited. Learn how to build alignment, influence decision making, and maintain momentum even when challenges arise.

SESSION 2
10:00 AM:  Building Influence Across Stakeholders

Delivering outcomes often depends on your ability to influence people with different priorities, perspectives, and expectations.

In this practical session, explore how to build trust, communicate strategically, and align stakeholders in complex environments. Learn how to navigate competing agendas, strengthen relationships, and position yourself as a credible and influential leader.

10:50 AM MORNING TEA

10:50 AM: From Insights to Action: What lessons have we learned so far?

11:10 AM: From Insights to Action

Take time to reflect on the key insights from the morning sessions and identify how they apply to your current challenges.

SESSION 3
11:30 AM: Staying True When the Pressure is On

Leadership in high visibility environments comes with constant scrutiny, expectation, and pressure to perform. Whether in the public eye or within an organisation, the challenge is not just delivering results, but staying grounded in who you are while everything around you is shifting.

In this powerful keynote, Amy Shark reflects on her journey from uncertainty to global success, sharing what it really takes to back yourself when the stakes are high. From navigating rejection and criticism to finding her voice and owning it, Amy offers an honest perspective on confidence, vulnerability, and resilience.

This session will explore how to stay authentic under pressure, trust your instincts, and continue to step forward even when self doubt is present. Because leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about having the courage to keep showing up.

12:30 PM Lunch

SESSION 4
1:30PM: Making Decisions Without All the Answers

2:40 PM: From Insights to Action: Bringing It All Together

Over the past two days, you have explored what it means to lead without waiting, step into visibility, and make decisions with confidence in complex environments.

This final reflection session is designed to help you consolidate your learning and turn insight into clear, practical action. Rather than leaving inspired but unsure where to start, you will be guided to identify your next steps and commit to the changes that will strengthen your leadership.
Through structured reflection, you will clarify what needs to shift, where you need to step forward, and how you will apply what you have learned in your role.

You will leave with a clear plan, stronger direction, and the confidence to act. Not later. Now.

2:40 PM Afternoon Tea

CLOSING KEYNOTE
3:00 PM: Leading with Clarity, Confidence, and Impact

As the summit draws to a close, this session brings together the key themes of the two days. Leadership is not about waiting for the right conditions. It is about acting with intent, backing your decisions, and creating impact in the environments you operate in.

This closing keynote will help you consolidate your learning, reinforce your direction, and commit to the actions that will define your leadership moving forward.

You will leave with a renewed sense of clarity, confidence, and purpose, ready to step forward without waiting for permission.

3:50 PM BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: CONFERENCE CLOSE

Post-Conference Workshop