The GROW Conference 2026
FORT WAYNE
Cycles of Success
CONFERENCE AGENDA
*scroll to the bottom of the page for conference and breakout session evaluation forms
7:45am - Registration Begins
8am-9am - Vendor Booths Open
8:15am - Prize Giveaways
9am-9:30am - Welcome and Networking Activity
9:30am-10:15am - Keynote
10:30am-11:20pm - First Breakout Session
11:30pm-1pm - Lunch and Vendor Booths Open
1:15-2:05pm - Second Breakout Session
2:20pm-3:10pm - Third Breakout Session
3:15-3:30 - Closing and Final Giveaways
3:30-4:30 - "BONUS" Networking Extravaganza!
BREAKOUT 1 - 10:30-11:20
Jamie Nau (Rm A): The Power of Emotions: Break Default Cycles & Create Your Future by Design
Franklin Electric Panel featuring Amanda Wilt, Jennifer Sandman, Rachel Batdorff, Erin Small, & Elizabeth Hoffman (Rm C): The Power of Women’s Communities at Work
Christie Browning (Rm E): Heart & Hustle: How to work with passion while keeping your head in the game and focused
Maddison Knafel (Rm B): Meaningful Money Conversations
BREAKOUT 2 - 1:15-2:05
Dr. Cheri Hampton-Farmer (Rm A): Improving Your Negotiation Power at Any Cycle of Life
Jen Hosler (Rm C): Movement as a Compass: How Your Body Guides You
Chelby Husidic (Rm E): Beyond Small Talk: Networking That Actually Works
Kori Rae Kovacs (Rm B): Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster of Business
BREAKOUT 3 - 2:20-3:10
Sarah Schreiber (Rm A): Legal Rules and Acts Impacting Women in the Workforce
Sarah Jane Slusser (Rm B): The Emotion Code: What is it and what can it do for me?
Ronni Morgan (Rm C): Different Is Not a Deficit: Designing Work That Works for Neurodivergent and Disabled People
Tishamarie Strasser (Rm E): The Tuck & Roll Mindset: "Turning Life's Knockdowns into Comebacks"
Breakout Session Breakdowns
BREAKOUT 1 - 10:30-11:20
Jamie Nau (Rm A): The Power of Emotions: Break Default Cycles & Create Your Future by Design
What if the cycles holding you back—overwhelm, people-pleasing, self-doubt, saying yes when you mean no—aren't personality flaws but simply unconscious patterns you never learned to manage? In this transformational session, you'll discover how your emotional world shapes your professional reality and learn practical tools to create your future proactively instead of reactively.
Franklin Electric Panel featuring Amanda Wilt, Jennifer Sandman, Rachel Batdorff, Erin Small, & Elizabeth Hoffman (Rm C):
The Power of Women’s Communities at Work
Christie Browning (Rm E): Heart & Hustle: How to work with passion while keeping your head in the game and focused
What’s the difference between those that succeed and those that don’t? The dollars are found in the daily discipline. From practical approaches to task management to knowing how to cast a vision, set a goal and work with focus toward what you want most, this talk packs a punch. Christie gets real about her personal routines for success and the daily, weekly and monthly practices that get her across the finish line.
Maddison Knafel (Rm B): Meaningful Money Conversations
Budget sheet and strategies for following
60/20/20 mindset
Tax efficient changes
Knowing that women deserve a seat in the conversations and a say in what happens
BREAKOUT 2 - 1:15-2:05
Dr. Cheri Hampton-Farmer (Rm A): Improving Your Negotiation Power at Any Cycle of Life
Women negotiate every day, often without realizing it. This session reframes self-advocacy as a practical negotiation skill and equips participants with language, timing, and strategies to advocate for themselves across the cycles of success. Attendees will leave with tools they can use immediately to negotiate workload, visibility, boundaries, and opportunity without apology or burnout.
Jen Hosler (Rm C): Movement as a Compass: How Your Body Guides You
We often forget to check in with our bodies or we're told to listen to our bodies but not shown how. In this interactive session, participants will learn a simple CARs-based movement practice to not only keep their joints healthy and mobile, but also to create a baseline for how their bodies feel, helping them notice areas of tension or areas that warrant more attention, so they can shift from forcing movement as just another thing to check off to using movement as a practice of having a conversation with their bodies.
Chelby Husidic (Rm E): Beyond Small Talk: Networking That Actually Works
Networking doesn’t have to feel awkward, transactional, or exhausting. In this breakout session, Chelby will teach a refreshing approach to networking, one rooted in authenticity, clarity, and confidence.
Kori Rae Kovacs (Rm B): Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster of Business
In this creative, reflective session, participants will learn why the emotional ups and downs of business growth are normal — not a sign of failure. Through guided discussion and a mandala-based activity, women will gain clarity around the emotional cycle of growth and leave better equipped to navigate challenges with confidence, self-trust, and perspective.
BREAKOUT 3 - 2:20-3:10
Sarah Schreiber (Rm A): Legal Rules and Acts Impacting Women in the Workforce
This session provides a practical overview of the key federal laws and regulations that shape and protect the experiences of women in today’s workplace. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) operates, explore the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and its impact on reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions and gain an understanding of breastfeeding and lactation accommodations in the workplace, among other issues affecting female professionals.
Sarah Jane Slusser (Rm B): The Emotion Code: What is it and what can it do for me?
During sessions, I spend quality time with each client taking out negative energy/ emotions that is causing harm to the mind, body, and soul to bring comfort, peace and ease to physical discomfort.
Ronni Morgan (Rm C): Different Is Not a Deficit: Designing Work That Works for Neurodivergent and Disabled People
In this talk, Veronica Morgan draws from lived experience as a neurodivergent and disabled professional and entrepreneur to explore how work systems shape outcomes for both employees and business owners. Rather than focusing on individual resilience or “working harder,” this session reframes the conversation toward designing work that supports different ways of thinking, processing, and functioning.
Tishamarie Strasser (Rm E): The Tuck & Roll Mindset: "Turning Life's Knockdowns into Comebacks"
Learning to take on life like a game of dodgeball all while not trying to dodge all the hits.
HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE?
We build these conferences for YOU! We want to know what you loved and want to see again. We value you your thoughts and feedback and hope to continue to provide meaningful events, opportunities, and resources for you and your community here in Anderson as you grow your business and develop as a business professional. It would mean the world to us to hear your thoughts and feedback.
