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INSPIRE 2025: The Premiere Women in Business Empowerment Conference in North Carolina
Get Inspired Raleigh, NC
Imagine a gathering where women in business from all walks of life converge,
united by a shared goal:
to uplift, inspire, and empower one another. This is the essence of SBW Inspire, an annual women's empowerment event hosted by The Successful Business Women in central North Carolina focuses on breaking barriers and building boundaries.
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Experience the perfect blend of fine dining and empowerment building boundaries for a healthier you as a woman and business-woman and breaking new barriers with your confidence and poise.
Join us for an unforgettable day filled with our inspiring keynote speaker, engaging breakout sessions, hands-on workshops, and enriching connection opportunities. Indulge in sumptuous breakfast and lunch, as you discover how to break barriers and build boundaries that allows your career and life to flourish.
Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your business and connect with like-minded women in business professionals.​
This year's topics are focused on breaking barriers and building boundaries for flourishing careers and lives. The itinerary includes:
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Breakfast by Thorns and Ivory with grazing tables, coffee, and lemonade bar​
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Dynamic Keynotes & Speakers – Featuring Sherryl McLaughlin, PhD, SHRM-CP, and Litha Carpenter, LCMHCS
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Breakout Sessions/Workshops on Building Boundaries and Preventing Burnout
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Fine Dining Lunch experience from Thorns and Ivory including tea and lemonade bar, and cash bar
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Relax and Rejuvenate Room with Relax-Ability and ZytoScans including massage, scans, and warm towels service
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Panel Members including Annie Franceschi and Tabitha Strickland
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and Diving Deeper Dessert hour with ice cream bar
Stay tuned for our list of breakout sessions and exclusive workshops
Sherryl McLaughlin
Sherryl McLaughlin is a seasoned executive and Work Positive trained coach known for transforming and fostering high-performance cultures. With a background in education and a track record for hiring outstanding adjunct faculty as a certified human resource professional, she has successfully coached men and women through periods of significant professional and personal changes. Expanding upon her years as a costumer, avid quilter, and sewist, Sherryl has delved into Shakespearean acting by appearing in Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Now as a retired Assistant Dean for Faculty for Campbell University Adult & Online Education, Sherryl continues to coach individuals on cultivating a mindset of strength and adaptability, and her insight into what it means to get your house in order helps individuals thrive in all aspects of life.
Litha Carpenter
Litha is a North Carolina Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor. I received a Master’s degree in Counseling from Campbell University in 2006, and have worked as a counselor in public school, university, agency, and private practice settings. ​
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Litha believes that boundaries are needed to break the barriers you want to break in life. "Our plates are full, but we are climbing mountains."
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Annie Franceschi
Annie Franceschi is a former Disney storyteller, branding expert, and host of the Establish Yourself® podcast. For 11+ years, Annie has helped over 400 entrepreneurs clarify their brand message, package their offers, and grow businesses with confidence through her practice, Greatest Story Creative®. Along the way, she's spoken for thousands, been featured in Forbes, and written 3 bestselling books: Establish Yourself, Permission to Try, and Small Biz for Kids. A Duke University graduate and major Muppets fan, Annie lives with her husband, Gus, and her favorite superhero / son, Leo, nearby in Durham, NC.
Dr. Kristen Wynns
In this empowering and interactive session, Dr. Kristen Wynns will help you break through the barriers keeping you from prioritizing you. Through a mix of practical insights, mindset shifts, and experiential self-care activities, you’ll learn how to set healthy boundaries and create space for mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness—without guilt. You’ll leave with a customized “Breaking Barriers” self-care plan you can start using immediately to protect your peace, boost your energy, and reclaim your time.
Discover practical, guilt-free strategies to prioritize your own self-care—mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Learn how to set and maintain boundaries that protect your time, energy, and peace of mind.
Experience interactive self-care exercises you can use anytime to reset and recharge.
Walk away with a personalized “Breaking Barriers” self-care plan you can start using immediately.
Melissa Turner
Dr. Melissa Turner is a Holy Spirit-Led Rapid Transformation Coach for women and founder of Turnaround Wellness. She helps women break free from unworthiness, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm through Spirit‑filled, heart‑centered coaching that sparks rapid, lasting change. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she walks alongside women to heal their nervous system, renew their identity in Christ, and step into a life of beauty, purpose, and wholeness.
She's currently writing her second book—a devotional filled with powerful prayers for women, designed to deepen their connection with God in the everyday moments.
Melissa is also a proud wife, dog mom to three loving black labs, and a book lover who believes in quiet time, powerful words, and faith that moves mountains. Through every conversation, course, and prayer, her mission remains the same: to help women experience the deep, lasting transformation that only comes from Jesus.
Learn how to recognize and reframe 3 hidden thought traps that hold you back from making lasting change. Discover a simple mindset shift to help you break internal barriers and take action toward what’s good for you—personally and professionally. Walk away with a practical tool to help you set boundaries with confidence and overcome guilt when choosing what aligns with your values.
Attendees' Say
"One of the things I remember most from last year's Inspire was the energy and excitement I felt when I walked in. There were so many of us there supporting and investing in ourselves and our businesses!"
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"Inspire did not disappoint!!! Huge thank you to [the team] for all the behind the scenes to make not only this event but this group possible!"
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"The empowering stories shared by speakers and the camaraderie among women business owners truly ignited a sense of empowerment among us. Attending this event has consistently proven to be one of the highlights of my year, providing invaluable inspiration and connections that propel my business forward with ease."
Breaking Barriers &
Building Boundaries
Collaborative Art
from Inspire 2025
This piece is a celebration of women who refuse to shrink in the spaces they inhabit. It embodies the courage to break barriers; stepping beyond fear, stagnation, self-doubt, and the status quo. It honors the choice to speak boldly, to claim time for oneself, to pursue dreams outside of expectations, and to embrace growth with unapologetic confidence.
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Equally, it reflects the strength of building boundaries; protecting peace, creating balance between work and life, saying no without guilt, and honoring health, family, and personal time. It reminds us that boundaries are not walls, but doorways to a life of intention and empowerment.
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Layered in its meaning, this painting calls women to stand tall, to embrace their voice, and to live fully in every role they take on; not smaller, but stronger, braver, and free.
