Take The Lead unveils Power Up 2026 speaker lineup with Margaret Atwood

Take The Lead announced the speaker lineup for Power Up 2026, its Women’s Equality Day summit in Washington, D.C., set for Aug. 25-26 and expected to draw more than 1,000 leaders. The event will center on women’s leadership, AI, healthcare, caregiving, workplace culture and financial power.

Why it matters: - Power Up 2026 is designed to bring together executives, entrepreneurs, policymakers, advocates and emerging leaders around the future of women’s leadership. - The summit will focus on practical responses to barriers that affect women’s advancement in leadership, pay, health, and workplace opportunity. - The event lands as artificial intelligence, caregiving demands and shifts in workplace culture are reshaping how women build careers.

What happened: - Take The Lead announced the speaker lineup for Power Up 2026, its annual Women’s Equality Day summit. - The event takes place Aug. 25-26 at The Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. - Organizers expect more than 1,000 leaders to attend in person and virtually. - Margaret Atwood will headline a fireside chat with Take The Lead co-founder and president Gloria Feldt. - Kelsey Nicole Nelson will host the conversation. - More than 40 leaders from business, healthcare, technology, media, finance, education and advocacy are scheduled to speak.

The details: - Featured speakers include Cheyenne Hunt, Minda Harts, Sophia Yen, Joanna Strober, Rachel Rubin, Jamia Wilson, Eva Goicochea, Heather Florio, Stacey Engle and Wanjiku Kamau. - The summit theme is “Audacity: Leadership in Action.” - The program is built around Take The Lead’s 9 Leadership Power Tools framework. - The agenda includes sessions on artificial intelligence, women’s health, caregiving, workplace culture, economic opportunity and confidence. - “Women today are building companies, transforming industries and reshaping culture, yet they continue to face significant barriers to leadership,” Gloria Feldt said. - Take The Lead says the summit is aimed at accelerating gender parity in leadership and giving women tools to navigate a changing world. - “Women’s Health Unfiltered: Sex & Leadership” will be moderated by Heather Florio, CEO of Desert Harvest. - That session will examine how women’s health, confidence and identity affect leadership opportunities and professional advancement. - “The Human Advantage: AI Risks, Representation & Real Solutions” will look at how artificial intelligence is changing hiring, productivity and career pathways. - “The Power of Care: Women Leading at Work and at Home” will focus on caregiving responsibilities and sustainable workplace solutions. - “The Audacity to Thrive: Women Claiming Midlife Health & Power” will address menopause and other overlooked health experiences. - “Invest in Herself: Women, Money & Long-Term Success” will center on economic independence, wealth building and financial power. - Additional programming will include networking and mentoring opportunities, the Mission Matters Podcast Stage, SHEposium exhibits featuring women-led companies, interactive leadership experiences and wellness programming. - Speakers will come from organizations including Midi Health, Pandia Health, maude, Twin Protocol, Penguin Random House, UBS, NYU Law and Johns Hopkins University. - The full speaker lineup and agenda are available at Power Up 2026.

Between the lines: - The lineup mixes public figures, founders, clinicians and policy voices, which suggests Take The Lead is positioning the summit as both a leadership conference and an applied problem-solving forum. - The emphasis on AI, caregiving and women’s health reflects how leadership barriers are increasingly tied to technology shifts and life-stage issues, not only traditional workplace promotion gaps. - The inclusion of mentorship, wellness and women-led companies points to an event designed to connect ideas with peer support and business visibility.

What's next: - Take The Lead will release or continue promoting the full summit agenda ahead of the August event. - Speakers and attendees will gather in Washington, D.C., for two days of sessions, networking and leadership programming. - The nonprofit says the summit will continue its broader mission of preparing and propelling women into leadership roles across sectors.