JWN X 2026

Forget the traditional luncheon format. JWNx is a fresh, TED-style experience designed to elevate the voices within our own network through bold ideas, personal stories, and thought-provoking perspectives. In just one dynamic lunch hour, five JWN members will take the stage to share lessons learned, professional insights, and powerful experiences with the potential to spark something bigger within our community, our city, and ourselves.  Five women. Five very different journeys. Five big ideas worth hearing. Meet the JWN members who stepped forward to raise their voices and take the JWNx stage:

💡 Michelle Guglielmo Gilliam (JWN 2023) • MAKE AI YOUR SUPERPOWER
 She is a former television news professional turned strategic communications leader who helps organizations strengthen their visibility, credibility, and connection in a rapidly changing media landscape. Her work has earned national media recognition in outlets including USA Today, Forbes, Newsweek, and People. As a trusted voice in artificial intelligence, Michelle helps businesses understand how tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are reshaping the way people search, discover, and make decisions. Expect to learn how to make AI your own professional superpower, reclaiming time for the higher-value thinking, strategy, creativity, and connection that we humans still do best!

💡 Heather Gardner (JWN 2024) • NAVIGATING LIFE'S STORMS
She is a Certified Financial Transitionist® (CeFT®) who works with individuals navigating divorce, widowhood, retirement, caregiving, inheritance, and other major life transitions. After watching her own parents divorce after 50 years of marriage, she gained a deeply personal understanding that life does not always unfold according to plan. Whether there’s a storm brewing in your personal or professional life, or you simply want to be better prepared for whatever comes next, Heather will walk us through the emotional realities of transition, normalize the often-chaotic feelings that accompany major change, and equip us with practical tools to prepare for, navigate, and recover from life’s storms.

💡 Dale Beaman (JWN 2019) • WHAT THE CAMINO CAN TEACH US
She is an executive/team coach, facilitator, and architect of leadership learning experiences who has spent more than 25 years partnering with individuals and organizations to strengthen alignment, navigate change, and build healthy leadership cultures. In 2025, she stepped away from the familiar to walk the Camino de Santiago, the historic pilgrimage route through Spain and Portugal known for reflection, healing, and renewal. What began as a physical challenge became a deeply personal journey of perspective, resilience, and unexpected insight. Through stories and insights gathered one step at a time, Dale will share the wisdom she discovered along the way and how stepping outside our routines, comfort zones, and carefully crafted plans can sometimes lead us exactly where we need to go.

💡 Marilyn Feldstein (JWN 2023) • THE COST OF NOT ASKING
She knows firsthand that failing to negotiate can come at a significant cost. Early in her own career, not having the confidence or knowledge to negotiate compensation cost her about $150,000 in lost wages, along with likely losses in retirement savings, Social Security benefits, and other long-term implications. As an experienced career coach, leadership consultant, and former corporate executive, Marilyn has made it her mission to help others advocate for themselves. Her message is simple: Negotiate like your life depends on it, because in many ways, it does. Gain renewed confidence and a fresh perspective on how to approach salary offers, promotions, resources, and even time.

💡 Mary Daniel (JWN 2026) • FROM CAREGIVER TO CHANGEMAKER
She never expected to become a national advocate, but when her husband, Steve, an Alzheimer’s patient, was isolated in long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic, she refused to accept the status quo. In order to be near him, Mary took a job as a dishwasher in his memory care facility, a decision that sparked a grassroots movement for essential caregiver rights. Her determination helped change Florida regulations, inspired families across the country, and contributed to ongoing national policy conversations. Expect a remarkable story of love, persistence, and courage, along with powerful insight into what it really takes for one determined voice to create meaningful change.

SEATING IS LIMITED - MAKE YOUR RESERVATION NOW

Event Details

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Schedule

11:30 AM – Registration & Networking
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – Program & Lunch

Location

Florida State College at Jacksonville Administrative Offices
4th Floor Board Room
501 W. State Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202

Additional parking, building access, and security information will be sent directly to registered attendees prior to the event.

Registration

$35 per person

Please note that seating is intentionally limited to just 50 attendees, and we expect this event to fill quickly.

As a special feature of this year’s event, we are delighted to welcome JWN alumnae — women previously tapped into JWN who are not currently active members — to reconnect with the Network and join us for this special experience.