We hope you can join us for a day grounded in purpose, growth, and connection. This is your space to reflect on where you’ve been, envision what’s next, and walk forward with clarity and conviction.
- Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
- Time: 9:30am-3:30pm
- Theme: Power Reclaimed: A gathering for women who are done asking for permission.
- Location: Robert H. & Katharine B. Garff Building, 4th Floor – Kahlert Hall
- Cost: $150
- Attire: Casual
- Click here to RSVP
- You will receive a confirmation email from Ellie Aggarwal once you register.
Retreat Schedule
8:30 – 9:15 AM | Optional Yoga Session
9:30 – 10:00 AM | Breakfast & Check-In
10:00 – 10:15 AM | Welcome & Grounding Practice
10:15 – 11:00 AM |
Fireside Chat: “From Renting to Owning Your Life” with Ruchi Watson & Lavanya Mahate
11:00 AM – 12 PM |
Brand New Me with Ruchi Watson
12:00 – 1:30 PM | Lunch & Service Activity
1:30 – 2:30 PM |
The Power to Shift with Lavanya Mahate
2:30 – 3:00 PM | Reflective Journaling
3:00 – 3:30 PM | Concluding Remarks
Featured Sessions & Speakers
Fireside Chat: “From Renting to Owning Your Life” with Ruchi Watson & Lavanya Mahate
We’ll begin the day with a fireside chat featuring our speakers, Ruchi Watson and Lavanya Mahate. They’ll share moments and experiences that have shaped who they are both personally and professionally. This conversation is meant to set the tone for the day and offer perspectives you can reflect on throughout the event and beyond.
Ruchi Watson, Ed.D.
CEO, Goff Strategic Leadership Institute
We’re also excited to welcome Ruchi Watson as a new member of the Women in Leadership faculty.
Brand New Me: Rewriting the Labels, Reclaiming the Narrative
In Ruchi’s session, you’ll be invited to move beyond job titles and the labels others have given you. This is a chance to take ownership of your identity, challenge limiting assumptions, and intentionally shape how you want to show up in the world. You’ll reflect on what you want to be known for and the story you’re telling—both to yourself and to others. By the end, you’ll have a clearer sense of the narratives you’re ready to let go of and the ones you’re ready to write next.
Lavanya Mahate, MMC
Founder & CEO, Saffron Valley Restaurants & RISE Culinary Institute
The Power to Shift: Reclaiming Your Life from the Inside Out
In Lavanya’s powerful session, Lavanya will guide you through the ACE Framework to help you:
- Identify where you’ve been playing small or feeling stuck
- Get clear on what you’re ready to reclaim in your life
- Learn simple practices to feel more grounded and in control
- Let go of the need for permission or perfection
- Write a personal declaration to own your power moving forward
This is your time to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the strongest version of yourself.
Our Service Project: Be Humanitarian
This year, we’re partnering with Be Humanitarian, a nonprofit founded by Tobie Spears, a Women in Leadership alum. Be Humanitarian supports women and families in Guatemala through early nutrition, education, and sustainability programs.
During lunch, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in this mission in one of two ways:
- Help prepare donations by sorting, bagging, and loading items into the Be Humanitarian truck
- Write personal notes of encouragement to accompany donated perfumes and body lotions—small gestures that carry a powerful message of care and solidarity
We’re collecting new or gently used:
- Body lotions and perfumes (most needed)
- Clothing for women, men, and children
- Shoes, scarves, handbags, and accessories
- Bedding, towels, and other soft household textiles
Donation bins will be located in the Garff Education Building lobby from August 18–27.
See the flyer for full details.
Boob Bus – Book a Mammogram!
We’re proud to once again partner with the Boob Bus, offering mammogram appointments onsite during the retreat. It’s one more way to reclaim your power—by taking care of your health.
Click here to schedule your mammogram.
More details available in the flyer attached.
This is more than a retreat—it’s a turning point. We hope you’ll be part of it.
