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The short email came in from a friend just over a week ago. "Check this out."

I clicked on the LinkedIn link and it led me to an event post. In the post were two pictures. The first picture was obviously a roundtable discussion with more than 20 speakers. I enlarged the image as much as I could on my big screen and, maybe, just maybe, there might have been one woman in the room. The second picture was a MANel, three men on stage discussing "managed money."

We frequently hear that financial services is an industry where women are woefully underrepresented. According to last year's World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, while women make up more than half of the entry-level finance workforce in the United States, only about 6 percent of the top public financial institutions have women in senior positions. Many women cite the lack of female role models and mentors.

But lack of women in the industry shouldn't prevent events from fielding balanced and diverse speaker slates. Most membership organizations can look to their own rolls for women speakers or people of color or people with disabilities or...or...or... Ask for introductions or referrals if you don't know any personally. Or, come to resources like Innovation Women. We're here to help.

But here's one thing you shouldn't do. Don't post those pictures with the message, "When the right people are in the room, the conversation leads itself!" The lack of self-awareness on this statement simply astonished me. That caption was 100 percent tone deaf. 

This is where I say, "Can you believe we're seeing this in this day and age?" Seeing is believing.

Join us today (and every Friday) our Speaker Friend Fridays on Zoom. We host discussions with speakers, authors, event managers, podcasters and others.

Too early for you? Doesn't work with your schedule? Join us March 3 for First Friday Speaker Friends noon Eastern/9:00 am Pacific. It's the first Friday of every month.

These 7 steps determine whether you’ll be considered a top authority in your field, an expert commentator tapped by the media to consistently appear on national news, print, and podcasts to share your unique POV on the important issues of our days. Register here!

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:

The Remote Work Handbook - Mari Anne Snow

“The Remote Work Handbook: The Definitive Guide for Operationalizing Remote Work as a Competitive Business Strategy” is for readers seeking to leverage the business benefits of a flexible, remote workforce. It’s a practical guide for building and implementing remote work at any size organization. The workplace is changing—re-tool your operations for a strategic business advantage. Mari Anne Snow, CEO and Founder of The Remote Nation Institute, is a recognized remote work expert with over 20 years of experience leading remote teams and has rewritten the rules of leadership to unlock the potential in remote and distributed teams. Read the feature on Lioness!

Become a Speaker - get opportunities like these, a profile on our site and more for only $120/year!

Do you know your worth? Have you recently raised your rates -- for speaking, consulting, and other work you do? Innovation Women is excited to continue our partnership with IndeCollective, a modern “MBA-style” program that empowers seasoned independent consultants and top speakers with the practical education, expert mentorship, and supportive peer group to translate their specialized skills into six, and even seven-figure, independent businesses, while saving valuable time!

Through our partnership, we can offer Innovation Women Members access to this one hour, on-demand workshop on “Value-Based Pricing: Know Your Worth & Confidently Raise Your Rates.” The average IndeCollective member raises her rates by 25-50% -- so this free workshop is one you won’t want to miss.

And for those who are intrigued to learn more about IndeCollective and how their practical playbooks, far-ahead mentors, and community of peer practitioners can help you to supercharge your business and life, take ten minutes and apply by TODAY, FEBRUARY 17 to receive access to the Innovation Women Scholarship Fund, which will cover $1,000 of your tuition.

Through our partnership with IndeCollective, Innovation Women is covering $1,000 of your membership dues -- reducing the cost of participating from $4,995K to $3,995K.

Mentoring Monday brings together women in the business community for a full afternoon of networking, mentoring and fun in a fast-paced coaching atmosphere.

Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) is a premier training program in entrepreneurship and small business management. V-WISE helps women veterans and female military spouses/partners find their passion and learn the business savvy skills necessary to turn an idea or start-up into a growing venture. More information.

Technovation Girls mentors guide the next generation of global problem-solvers. As a mentor you will support one or more teams as they learn about coding, AI, and real-world problem-solving, and develop skills while inspiring girls to lead and make changes. More information here.

My Speaker Leads delivers an easy-to-use and sort spreadsheet containing 100+ leads for speaking opportunities direct to your inbox every week. Use this service ($19.99/month) to supplement your own research or speed it up. Professional speakers often work with a virtual assistant or a sales person to follow up on leads like these. My Speaker Leads is all about helping you gain momentum in your speaking career!

AnswerStage: Get speakers, exhibitors & attendees to promote your events with video:

Find out more about our new & renewing members on our blog!

Event managers can invite these speakers (and others) to speak at their events by signing up for a free account on the Innovation Women website. Watch for regular "Our Speakers in Action" feature emails.

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