Empowering Leaders Conference
October 29, 2026, 9am - 2pm, The Pines Event Center
Great leaders don’t just manage teams - they inspire people, strengthen workplaces, and help shape stronger communities. The Empowering Leaders Conference is designed to bring together current and emerging leaders from across the Northwoods for a day of learning, connection, and inspiration.
Hosted by the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce, this conference will feature an engaging keynote and speakers, practical leadership insights, collaborative discussions, and opportunities to connect with professionals from a variety of industries and backgrounds.
Whether you lead a business, manage a team, volunteer in the community, or are simply looking to grow personally and professionally, this event is built to equip and encourage leaders at every stage.
Join us for a day dedicated to growing stronger leaders, stronger organizations, and a stronger community.
Conference Tickets
Conference tickets will be $50 per person and include access to all speaker sessions, networking opportunities, and lunch during the event.
Our Speakers
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- Natalie Clark
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- Lloyd Gauthier
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- Ellen Mathein
Get ready to learn, connect, and be inspired! We're excited to introduce the exceptional lineup of speakers joining us for the inaugural Empowering Leaders Conference!
Keynote Speaker: Natalie Clark, Life + Business Transformation Coach
"You're Not Stuck - You're at Capacity"
What feels like procrastination, indecision, or burnout may not be a lack of discipline—it may be a sign you’ve reached your current capacity for growth. As leaders expand, they often encounter invisible limits that strategy alone can’t break.
This keynote explores how the brain and body are wired to prioritize safety over growth—creating resistance just as leaders approach their next level. Blending leadership insight with practical neuroscience, this session reveals why growth can feel challenging at higher levels and why pushing harder often backfires.
Instead, leaders are invited into a more effective approach: expanding their capacity through greater awareness, intentional focus, and practices like strategic pauses that improve clarity, decision-making, and performance.
Participants will leave with a powerful new understanding of what it takes to break through leadership ceilings and step into their next level of impact.
Speaker: Lloyd Gauthier, Independent Certified John Maxwell Leadership Coach, Gauthier Consulting
"Leading From Anywhere in an Organization"
During this session, Lloyd will share practical ways you can lead from anywhere in an organization. You don’t need to have an official leadership title or positon to increase your influence. Leadership is influence. Lloyd will cover leading up, leading across, and leading down.
Interactive Workshop: Ellen Mathein, Dean of the School of Business & Entrepreneurship, Nicolet College
"The Leadership Exchange"
Real Challenges. Collective Wisdom. Practical Solutions.
Leadership rarely comes with a playbook. Difficult conversations, competing priorities, team dynamics, tough decisions, and change are part of leading—no matter where you sit in an organization.
In this highly interactive session, we'll put the collective experience in the room to work on real leadership challenges submitted by conference participants. Together, we'll dig beneath the obvious problem, consider what the leader owns, explore possible responses, and make the call: What would you do?
Come ready to think, move, connect, and learn from other leaders. You'll leave with fresh perspectives, practical ideas, and questions you can use when you step out of the conference.
Presenting Sponsor
Event Sponsors
