PowHERful Conversations on Reinvention, with the WIN Council
Updated: 4 days ago
Power of #Reinvention is the theme for the annual "PowHERful conversation" with the Women In Networking (WIN) Council. Given our focus on supporting the reinvention of one's professional potential following a career gap for caregiving it is a common topic for Untapped Potential!
The breakfast takes place on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. It is open to everyone!
When our Founder, Candace Freedenberg was invited to participate as a panelist for the 6th Annual PowHERful Conversations focused on reinvention, it felt like such a fit. The Networking Event put on by Greater Valley Chamber’s WIN Council brings together women business owners, community leaders, professionals, mentors, candidates, and allies for a morning centered on connection, shared wisdom, and the real stories behind building what comes next.
For Untapped Potential, this conversation connects directly to the heart of our mission. Reinvention is not a side note in a returner’s journey. It is often the journey itself.
A morning designed for conversation, connection, and community impact
PowHERful Conversations brings together women professionals in a space where lived experience becomes useful guidance, where local leaders share the turns in their own paths, and where attendees can see new possibilities for their own work.
Presented by the Chamber’s Women In Networking (WIN) Council, the 6th Annual PowHERful Conversations offers:
A lively, informal panel discussion with local women business and community leaders
A delicious breakfast
Meaningful networking with professionals, entrepreneurs, mentors, and community supporters
A direct way to support women-owned businesses in the valley
And, a chance at an amazing door prize!
One of the most meaningful parts of the event is its community impact. 100% of the proceeds benefit the Entrepreneurial Grant Program, which supports women-owned businesses in the six Greater Valley, CT communities: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton and the surrounding area.
Untapped Potential is grateful to the Greater Valley Chamber and the WIN Council for the invitation to participate and for creating a warm space where women can talk honestly about the hurdles, strengths, and choices that shape business life.
Sherry Konwerski will moderate a panel rooted in experience and reinvention
This year’s panel will be moderated by Sherry Konwerski, a leader from the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) and owner of Bonus Business Services.
Sherry brings both business knowledge and a strong commitment to women’s economic growth. Her work reflects the kind of practical support that helps entrepreneurs and professionals move from idea to action, from uncertainty to a clearer next step. Sherry will share her own reinvention story.
Her connection with Untapped Potential Founder Candace Freedenberg also brings added meaning to this event. Not only did their career pivots follow similar storylines, Sherry and Candace were both invited speakers at the Connecticut State Capitol and Governor’s Press Conference honoring both #equalityday and #IWD2026. Untapped Potential shared more about that moment in this article, Celebrating Equal Pay Day and International Women’s Day.
Meet the Panelists
Untapped Potential Founder Candace Freedenberg will join a distinguished group of women leaders for the panel discussion. Each brings a different perspective on purpose, business ownership, career change, visibility, and the courage to build something meaningful.
Get a sneak peek at each of their stories here (link).
Candace’s presence on the panel will bring the #Returners' lens to the broader conversation about reinvention. Pivoting from engineering careers in corporate America to stay-at-home Mom then to entrepreneur, she has her own reinvention story. Her work reminds the business community that talent does not disappear during a career break. In many cases, it grows.
Why women’s voices in business matter right now
Women shape businesses as founders, employees, customers, caregivers, investors, mentors, and community leaders. Still, many women have had to work harder to be heard, funded, hired, promoted, or taken seriously especially after a career pause.
Events like PowHERful Conversations help change that pattern by making women’s stories visible.
Not polished highlight reels. Real stories.
The story of starting again after a break.
The story of building a company while managing family responsibilities.
The story of leaving a role that no longer fits.
The story of turning a skill into a business.
The story of finding confidence after years away from a professional network.
The story of asking for support and discovering that the community is stronger than expected.
When women speak openly about these experiences, others gain language for their own. That matters for candidates returning to work, entrepreneurs seeking funding, mentors guiding others, and employers looking for talent in places they may have overlooked.
A panel discussion may seem simple on the surface. Yet the right conversation can give someone a new contact, a new idea, or the courage to take a next step.
Reinvention is a cornerstone of Untapped Potential’s mission
Untapped Potential works with professionals who have stepped away from the paid workforce and are ready to return at a level that honors their skills, experience, and ambition.
That often means helping candidates see themselves differently.
A career break can create doubt. It can also build strength. Caregiving requires planning, communication, problem solving, patience, negotiation, and persistence. Community work builds leadership. Volunteer projects build operating skill. Life transitions build judgment.
The challenge is helping returners translate those experiences back into the language of work and opportunity.
Reinvention at Untapped Potential is not about erasing the past. It is about carrying the full story forward with clarity.
That may include:
Rebuilding a professional network
Getting your jargon back by refreshing technical or industry knowledge
Practicing how to tell a career story with confidence
Exploring flexible, phased, project-based, or full-time return paths
Connecting with mentors who understand both career goals and life complexity
Meeting employers and business leaders who value experienced talent
For many returners, networking is the bridge between readiness and opportunity.
Networking is part of the returner journey
Networking can feel intimidating after time away from the workforce. Some returners wonder whether their contacts are too old, their experience looks dated, or their questions will sound uncertain.
Untapped Potential encourages networking because it helps break that isolation.
A conversation can remind a returner that her skills still matter. A mentor can help her see where her background fits now.
The WIN Council’s environment is especially well suited for this kind of connection. The Women In Networking Council was formed to share hurdles unique to women in business in a warm, friendly atmosphere that is supportive, educational, and dynamic.
Untapped Potential Mentors and Professional Candidates are warmly encouraged to attend PowHERful Conversations. For mentors, the event offers a chance to listen closely to what women entrepreneurs and returners are facing now. For candidates, it offers a low-pressure way to practice introductions, hear reinvention stories, and build connections in the business community.
The Greater Valley Chamber and WIN Council create space for shared growth
The Greater Valley Chamber plays an important role in connecting the business community across the Valley. Its work brings together employers, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and professionals who care about the economic health of the region.
Through the WIN Council, the Chamber also recognizes that women in business benefit from spaces where their specific hurdles can be named and addressed.
Event details to know
The 6th Annual PowHERful Conversations put on by Greater Valley Chamber and WIN Council is designed to be welcoming, useful, and energizing for a wide range of attendees.
Reinvention, PowHERful Conversations
Tuesday, October 6th, 2026
8am - 10:15am
Courtyard by Marriott, 780 Bridgeport Avenue, Shelton, CT
Fee $60 / $70 at door
Ticket sales at door too.
For Untapped Potential, this is an ideal setting for candidates and mentors to connect with the wider business community. It is also a reminder that reinvention does not happen in isolation. We encourage our stay-at-home Moms to get out of their comfort zone, which means putting themselves in professional settings outside their normal day-to-day activities. In these spaces, opportunity is created.
Thank you to the Greater Valley Chamber
Thank you fo the Greater Valley Chamber for hosting Women In Netwokring (WIN) as well as the "PowHERful Conversations". Hosting such conversations offers a chance to celebrate women’s voices in business, honor the courage of reinvention, and support women-owned businesses in the Valley.
This particular topic focused on Reinvention is especially valuable for Untapped Potential and the talent it serves. The value for attending and joining in the conversation as well as the networking is valuable for both our returners and mentors. For a returner, that conversation may lead to confidence. For a mentor, it may lead to a new way to support someone’s next step.
Come for the networking and breakfast. Stay for the stories, the connection, and the reminder that reinvention is not a detour. It is often the path to the work, leadership, and impact that come next.
Learn more about the event and all they do at the Chamber by going to greatervalleychamber.com
