Leadership & Wellness Summit: UnleashedWhere your greatness comes alive.
Scholarships Available
Scholarships for the Leadership and Wellness Summit are available.
Scholarship applications are closed. New applications will be accepted next year.
Leadership & Wellness Summit: Unleashed
Description:
A focused multi-day leadership experience designed to help women step away from daily demands, strengthen leadership capacity, and return to their organizations with renewed clarity, energy, and perspective. The Summit combines professional development, peer learning, and intentional space to reset, allowing participants to re-engage in their roles more effectively.
Best For:
Women seeking to strengthen their leadership effectiveness, gain new insights, and return to their roles more focused, motivated, and equipped to lead.
Event Details:
Dates: September 28–30, 2026
Location: Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms, SC
Cost: $695 on July 1 – September 8
Payment options: Registrants can choose to pay in full when they register or to pay 50% when they register and 50% by Aug. 31.
**When you register you will have the chance to choose if you’d like to also register for our Women’s Leadership Academy.**
Scholarships Available
Scholarships for the Leadership and Wellness Summit are available.
Scholarship applications are closed. New applications will be accepted next year.
Wild Dunes Resort
You’ve earned this.
Nestled on Charleston’s Isle of Palms, Wild Dunes Resort is a 1,600-acre coastal sanctuary where the Atlantic sets a peaceful, relaxing pace.
With sweeping ocean views, direct beach access, and the kind of quiet that only comes with wide-open water, this is where you will finally exhale.
Room rates start at $262 with options to extend three days before and three days after the event at the discounted room block rate. Once you register for the Summit you will receive the link to register for the hotel. View Resort Map
Guest rooms are thoughtfully appointed and balance coastal charm with modern luxury featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, private balconies, soft neutrals and natural light.
The property features The Spa at Sweetgrass, which Unleashed participants can choose to experience to help hasten much-needed relaxation.
Inspired by the healing power of the ocean, it’s a serene space designed to restore balance, recharge energy, and reconnect you with yourself, away from your inbox. When you’re ready to move, take a walk on the beach, or enjoy a world-class fitness center, tennis courts, award-winning golf, and seasonal island adventures.
And when the day winds down, Coastal Provisions delivers Lowcountry-inspired dining that feels like a reward in itself. Just a short drive from downtown Charleston, Wild Dunes will give Unleashed everything we need to reset, focus and reconnect to your power.
Employers, why should you send your team?
Investing in the development of women on your team is an investment in the long-term strength, stability, and growth of your organization.
Funeral Women Lead programs are designed to deliver meaningful, applicable leadership development that participants can immediately bring back to their roles. These experiences go beyond inspiration and focus on building practical skills, stronger communication, and increased confidence in leadership.
Participants return with a clearer sense of ownership in their work, improved decision-making, and a stronger ability to lead teams, support families, and contribute to organizational success.
Scholarships Available
Scholarships for the Leadership and Wellness Summit are available.
Scholarship applications are closed. New applications will be accepted next year.
Jen Coken
Executive Leadership Coach | Speaker | Author
Thirty years of coaching nearly 10,000 leaders has taught Jen Coken one thing above all else: the most powerful obstacle standing between a woman and the life she deserves lives inside her own mind.
Known as the “Velvet Sledgehammer,” Jen is the author of Make Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower and has been featured on ABC, MSNBC, and TEDx. She blends neuroscience, experiential learning, and stand-up comedy to help accomplished women stop shrinking, start asking for what they deserve, and turn their biggest internal obstacle into their most powerful differentiator. Her clients include Fortune 1000 executives and leaders across industries who describe her sessions as equal parts transformational and unforgettable.
She brings that same energy to the Funeral Women Lead Leadership and Wellness Summit, with one powerful session and a one-of-a-kind beach experience designed specifically for the women of this profession.
Jen’s Sessions at Unleashed
The Neuroscience of Self-Sabotage: Making Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower
In her signature keynote, executive coach, comedian, and Make Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower author Jen Coken reveals why the most accomplished leaders are often the most prone to self-sabotage — and how to flip that script for good. Audiences leave with concrete tools to stop shrinking, start leading, and turn their biggest internal obstacle into their most powerful differentiator.
The Power of the Ask: Turning Confidence Into Action
If The Neuroscience of Self-Sabotage showed you why you’ve been playing small, The Power of the Ask gives you the exact skill to stop. Through live practice, real-time coaching, and Jen’s signature blend of humor and candor, participants work through the internal and external barriers that keep accomplished women from asking for what they deserve whether it’s the raise, the referral, the resource, the respect.
Stay after for a book signing. Jen will be signing Make Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower and Embrace the Ridiculousness.
Angela Ippolito-Cottam
Licensed Funeral Director | Somatic and NeuroIdentity Evolution Practitioner | Founder, AIC Wellness and Behind the Black Suit
For over 30 years, Angela Ippolito-Cottam has walked alongside families through life’s most sacred and sorrowful moments.
She knows the weight this profession asks you to carry and she also knows what it takes to put it down.
After decades in funeral service, Angela turned to somatic healing, breathwork, nervous system regulation, and NeuroIdentity Evolution to find her way back to herself. Now, through AIC Wellness and Behind the Black Suit, she brings those practices directly to the women of this profession. She leads two sessions at this summit, each building on the other.
Angela’s Session at Unleashed
Somatic Breathwork and Energy Center Awareness A body-centered introduction to breath as a tool for self-regulation. Learn practices to release accumulated tension, restore grounded presence, and reconnect with yourself from the inside out.
Nervous System Regulation: Body, Spirit, and Community Angela introduces the science of the vagus nerve and simple micro-practices you can carry into your daily work. Walk away with a personalized, sustainable self-care framework built for the real demands of funeral service.
Monday, September 28, 2026
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ease into the Summit with an evening of connection and community under the Charleston sky. Meet fellow participants, exchange stories, and prepare for two days of inspiration and wellness. Attendance is included for all Wellness Summit attendees.
*Leadership Academy participants are invited to join us for the Women’s Wellness Summit Welcome Reception but will need to purchase a separate ticket to attend. The ticket can be purchased when you register online.
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
UNLEASHED! Leadership + Wellness Summit
Come as you are in comfortable, resort-casual attire that makes you feel confident and ready for the day. Think easy dresses, relaxed separates, or your favorite polished look. Bring a light layer for meeting rooms and wear shoes comfortable enough for a full day of learning, connection, and movement.
7:15 – 8:00 AM
Registration & UNLEASHED Breakfast Club
Location: Osprey Outdoor Terrace
Registration
Stop by to check in, grab your badge & swag bag, and get everything you need to start the day ready to go.
The Unleashed Breakfast Club
Fuel up for the day with breakfast, coffee, and easy conversation before we jump into the Unleashed Summit. Come hungry, connect with someone new, and start the morning feeling energized.
8:15 – 8:30 AM
Welcome + Kick-Off
Location: Osprey Ballroom 1-4
We’ll open the Summit by reconnecting with its purpose: creating space to invest in ourselves, strengthen our leadership, prioritize our well-being, and build meaningful relationships with women across the profession. We’ll preview what’s ahead, cover a few important details, and encourage everyone to step away from the demands of daily life and be fully present. These next two days are yours to learn, recharge, grow, and leave feeling UNLEASHED.
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Hear Her: The Pulse Survey Reveal
Funeral Women Lead 2026 Pulse Survey Results
The 2026 Funeral Women Lead Pulse Survey invited women across funeral service and deathcare to share what they are experiencing, what they need, and where they believe change is needed most. In this session, we’ll move beyond the preliminary findings and take a closer look at the stories behind the data—revealing the key themes, challenges, and opportunities shaping women’s experiences today. Together, we’ll explore what these findings mean for the profession and how they can inform meaningful action moving forward.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Leadership Retreat Session with Jen Coken
Location: Osprey Ballroom 1-4
The Neuroscience of Self-Sabotage: Making Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower
In her signature keynote, executive coach, comedian, and Make Imposter Syndrome
Your Superpower author Jen Coken delivers what one global speaker professional called “a solar system out of five stars.” Blending neuroscience, experiential learning, and her
signature humor, Jen reveals why the most accomplished leaders are often the most prone to self-sabotage — and how to flip that script for good. Audiences leave with concrete tools to stop shrinking, start leading, and turn their biggest internal obstacle into their most powerful differentiator.
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Recharge + Refuel Refreshment Break & Leadership Stations
Locations: Osprey Terrace Foyer | Osprey Ballroom
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Interactive Session – The Power of the Ask: Turning Confidence Into Action
In this hands-on follow-up to the morning keynote, Jen brings the neuroscience off the stage and into the room. If The Neuroscience of Self-Sabotage showed you why you’ve been playing small, The Power of the Ask gives you the exact skill to stop. Through live practice, real-time coaching, and Jen’s signature blend of humor and candor, participants work through the internal and external barriers that keep accomplished women from asking for what they deserve whether it’s the raise, the referral, the resource, the respect. Using her proprietary
coaching framework, Jen guides attendees through the anatomy of a powerful ask and helps
them build the muscle in real time. Participants leave with a personalized ask plan and access to Jen’s AI-powered coaching app to keep the momentum going long after the conference
ends.
A special thank-you to Carriage for sponsoring both of Jen Coken’s presentations and providing every participant with a copy of her book, Make Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch & Book signing with Jen Coken, Make Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower
Location: Osprey Outdoor Terrace
Enjoy a delicious buffet lunch, and be sure to visit the book-signing table to receive your complimentary copy of Jen Coken’s Make Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower and have it personally signed.
Afternoon Breakouts
1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: The Beach. Group will be directed to a central meeting location before the session begins
It keeps the energy of Jen’s work while still feeling grounded and intentional. Step away from the noise and onto the shoreline for a guided, reflective walk designed to put Jen Coken’s powerful keynote into motion.
You’ll leave with:
- A new perspective on failure as a tool for growth
- Practical ways to interrupt limiting beliefs in real time
- A deeper sense of confidence rooted in action, not perfection
Because the path to leadership isn’t about avoiding failure – it’s about learning to fail forward, boldly and unapologetically.
1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
(Option 2)
Location: South Lawn
This immersive session offers a deep dive into the body’s subtle energy systems and the profound role of breath in self-regulation. Participants will engage in guided somatic breathwork and an introduction to the body’s energy centers, learning practices to release accumulated tension and cultivate a more regulated and intuitively connected state. This session provides a foundational, body-centered approach to resilience.
Please note: This activity will take place seated on the ground. Bring the towel provided in your swag bag, or a beach towel, to sit on.
A special thank you to Homesteaders for sponsoring Angela Ippolito-Cottam’s presentation.
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Free Time
5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Reception & Dinner
Location: North Lawn or Osprey Ballroom (weather backup)
Unleash Your Playfulness!
Wellness is not always quiet reflection and deep breathing. Sometimes, it looks like laughing until your face hurts, getting a little competitive, and remembering how good it feels to simply have fun. Enjoy dinner, yard games, and time with the women who make this experience so special. Let go of the day’s stress, reconnect with your playful side, and give yourself permission to enjoy the moment.
Come dressed casually and comfortably in jeans, shorts, sundresses, or relaxed resort wear. Choose shoes you can move in, bring a light layer for the evening, and get ready to play!
A special thank-you to Forever LT for helping make this experience even more memorable. 
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 UNLEASHED!
7:15 AM – 8:00 AM
Breakfast
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Checkout & Luggage Drop-off
If you are checking out today, use this time to gather your belongings and leave your luggage with the concierge at the front desk before the day’s sessions begin.
8:30 AM – 9:45 AM
Location: Osprey Ballroom 2 + 3
Session Title: The Regulated Responder: Cultivating Resilience in Body, Spirit, and Community Format: 90-Minute Interactive Workshop
Building on Day 1’s somatic foundations, this session equips attendees with advanced nervous system regulation strategies, integrates spiritual well-being, and explores the vital role of community support. We will delve into the science of the Vagus Nerve and practice “micro-practices” that activate the body’s natural restorative capabilities. This workshop focuses on translating theoretical knowledge into a personalized, sustainable self-care framework for the unique demands of funeral service.
A special thank you to Homesteaders for sponsoring Angela Ippolito-Cottam’s presentation.
9:45 AM – 10:00 AM
Refuel + Recharge Refreshment Break
Reflect and recharge while enjoying refreshments.
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
A Seat at the Table for Everyone
Join us for an engaging and energizing interactive experience designed to spark meaningful conversations, authentic connection, and shared learning. During this special table-top discussion session, each table will focus on a unique topic impacting women in funeral service and deathcare today – from leadership and confidence to boundaries, burnout, wellness, workplace culture, career growth, and more.
Participants will have the opportunity to connect with peers, share experiences, ask questions, exchange ideas, and gain practical insights in an open and supportive environment. These conversations are designed to be real, honest, collaborative, and empowering — because some of the most impactful learning happens when women gather around a table and learn from one another.
Whether you’re navigating leadership challenges, striving for better balance, building confidence, or simply looking for connection within the profession, these conversations are intended to leave you feeling inspired, supported, and re-energized.
Come ready to engage, contribute, listen, and grow.
11:15 AM
Before you leave, please complete the event evaluation and share your feedback. We’ll close with heartfelt gratitude for the time, energy, and wisdom shared throughout the Summit – sending you home renewed, recharged, and ready to lead.
Last Year...
What We Did in 2025
During our first Leadership and Wellness Summit, attendees participated in transformational leadership training with Cate Collins, explored holistic health strategies with Dr. Susan S. Wilder, and enjoyed restorative experiences ranging from shared meals to spa time, outdoor activities, and meaningful conversations.
Together, we discovered ways to overcome life and work obstacles with Marguerite Ham and bring out the best in ourselves and our teams!
Attendees learned strategies for approaching life and work with positive, forward-thinking.
We created a space where women could step away from daily demands, reflect on what matters most, and return home and to their work with clarity and energy for the year ahead.
Last Year's Sessions
Sessions that inspire
and motivate
Cate Collins
Leadership Speaker | Trainer | Customized Retreat Facilitator | Author | Coach
A professional speaker, coach and CEO
of Powerful Journey Consulting, Cate Collins has been serving the real-life needs of organizational leaders for almost 25 years.
With a background in behavioral science, and 17 years of experience as a counselor, Cate looks at leadership from the inside out.
“As a recovered burned out leader, I wanted to unite all leaders who want to be more resilient, courageous and confident, so they make better decisions, own their power and experience more optimum health. It can get lonely at the top and overwhelm, and the constant hustle has become normal resulting in more burned out leaders.”
We were privileged to be joined by Cate Collins, Resilient Leadership Speaker, and founder of Powerful Journey Consulting Inc., to share her expertise on:
- Leading with greater resilience, courage, and confidence using her “Four Room Framework”
- Owning your power and bringing your best self forward
- Transforming your inner critic to become your best inner coach
To learn more about Cate Collins, visit her website.
Dr. Susan S. Wilder, MD, IFMCP, DABFM
Susan Wilder, MD, IFMCP, DABFM is the founder and CEO of LifeScape.
She received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and her medical degree from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.
She completed her specialty training in Family Medicine as a commissioned Air Force officer at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland and then remained there as a faculty member and Assistant Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Wilder deployed to Africa during the Somali conflict as part of UN- sanctioned peacekeeping forces. Following her honorable discharge at the rank of major, Dr. Wilder relocated to Arizona where she joined the Mayo Clinic, founding its Family Medicine residency program and serving as its first Director of Clinical Genomics Education. In 2003, Dr. Wilder left the Mayo Clinic to launch LifeScape.
We were also honored to have Dr. Susan S. Wilder, Concierge Care Physician, founder of Lifescape Premier, who spoke on:
- Health, Nutrition & Wellness: Evidence-based strategies for health and longevity
- Mind, Body, and Spirit Integration: Achieving well-being through holistic approaches
To learn more about Susan Wilder, go here.
Marguerite Ham
Certified Business Coach | Trainer | Facilitator | Memory Expert | Author
Marguerite is the author of How to Remember Anything in 60 Minutes or Less, How toRemember What’s His Name, and the audio series “Total Recall.” Her latest book, The 5 Languages of Leadership, will be released soon.
Her training has improved the effectiveness and increased individual productivity for the last 30 years worldwide, in organizations and associations such as:
Selected Independent Funeral Homes, Lucent Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Bell Canada, and many more. This training is the result of many years of innovative research and refining the training program to supercharge your mind and effectiveness!
Marguerite led participants through a mindful moment to reflect on their time at the Funeral Women’s Lead Retreat. The way forward is through reflection and determining what you will take away and implement from what you learn. Participants created a self-care plan that included professional, personal, mental, physical and spiritual plans to improve their well being and create a more integrated life, personally and professionally.
Charting the Next Horizon: Growth, Wellness, and the Way Forward
In the closing session of the Women’s Summit, Marguerite wove together the key insights and inspirations from the event to help participants define what truly matters for their next chapters.
They identified the practices and commitments that align with their goals and designed personalized wellness plans that addressed their professional, personal, mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing-equipping them to build more integrated and fulfilling lives.
Outside of the sessions, participants took care of themselves with:
Messages, facials, swimming, yoga and Pilates classes, hiking to Camelback Mountain, and
shopping opportunities.
To learn more about Marguerite Ham, go here.
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Organizational Partners
Summit Partners
Keynote Speaker Partners
Scholarship Partner
Allyse R. Worland, CFSP
Hospitality Partners
In-Kind Sponsors
We are deeply grateful to all who attended and contributed to the experience!
If you couldn’t join us this year, we hope to welcome you at the next Summit!
Check back soon for updates!