Hello From the Women in Retail Leadership Summit!

Hello from the final day of the 2026 Women in Retail Leadership Summit! It’s been a great few days here in Florida at the stunning JW Marriott Turnberry. We’ve listened to insightful content, come away with so many learnings and, of course, made great connections. We couldn’t be more proud of our community and the journey that’s transformed the Summit from an event into a powerful movement!

A few standout sessions included David’s Bridal CEO Kelly Cook, who helped us take a hard look into the role leadership must play in shaping the future of retail. Outgoing Best Buy CEO Corie Barry shared some incredible insights into her journey to becoming one of the only female leaders at a Fortune 500 company. A panel of senior retail executives discussed how their organizations are using artificial intelligence to drive growth and efficiency. In addition, attendees ventured into smaller leadership masterclasses being led by career coaches.

These are examples of just some of the powerful conversations that took place on the Summit stage over the past few days. Industry leaders shared leadership, life and career lessons packed with actionable advice for attendees.

Some of my personal favorite activities included the poolside meetup for first-year attendees; a modern, tarot-inspired leadership reading with our diamond sponsor, Synchrony; shopping for elegant, sweat-wicking PJs at Piper & Mint’s pop-up shop; and creating my own custom perfume with Insider One, to name a few.

Today, we’re putting a bow on our 12th annual Summit with a morning focused on how to lead with both competence and warmth, what we can learn from the next-generation of retail leaders, and what perimenopause and menopause can teach us about leadership and longevity.