MetroWest Conference Speakers and Emcee

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Here’s what happened in September 2021

Comedian

Kelly MacFarland
Emcee

Kim Miles
Keynote Speaker

Bevin Mugford
Keynote Speaker

Jill Dixon
2021 Goddess Award Recipient

Deborah Sweet

Comedian

Kelly MacFarland

Kelly MacFarland is a stand-up comedian, writer and actress. She has an extensive and well-rounded resume including comedy clubs, theaters, colleges, festivals, television appearances and entertaining US troops overseas. Kelly has appeared on the Today Show, Comedy Central, NBC’s Last Comic Standing, AXS Gotham Comedy LIVE and Comics Come Home (to name a few}.  She can be heard on SiriusXM radio! For all things Kelly, visit www.kellymacfarland.com!

Emcee

Kim Miles

What do you call a successful businesswoman with a vibrant financial advisory practice, more than 25 years of sales experience, a background in performing, and a serious shoe habit? Kim Miles! Through her company, Miles in Heels Productions, Kim is a highly sought-after emcee, panel moderator, creative collaborator and event strategist who partners with her clients to deliver critical messaging to their key audiences in fresh, unexpected and entertaining ways. No matter the format, live or virtual, from ideation to execution, Miles in Heels Productions is the answer. When you need to think outside of the box and laugh while you’re learning, look no further: if Oprah and Ellen had a love-child, it would be Kim Miles.

As a proud TEDx speaker, Kim’s clients include The Massachusetts Conference for Women, Babson College, Worcester Women’s Leadership Conference, Wellesley College, Winchester Hospital/Lahey Health, Women’s Bar Foundation of Massachusetts, Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, Yankee Dental Congress, Foundation for Business Equity, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, Goulston & Storrs Counsellors at Law, College of The Holy Cross, MassChallenge, Women in Technology International, Colwen Hotels, Regis College, Bryant University Women’s Summit, MetroWest Conference for Women and many more. She’s a member of The WIN Lab Coaching Circle at Babson College, the Innovation Women Speakers Bureau, and the GDA Speakers Bureau. With over 17 years of experience producing programs for as few as 30 people and as many as 1000, Kim makes every event feel as intimate as hanging with your closest pals over a glass of wine. 

Kim is widely known as a powerhouse problem solver, kick-a** content creator, and a hilarious humorist. When she’s not working, Kim has been known to take off her signature heels only to hit the slopes or the golf course…that is when she’s not singing with her band!

Be sure to check out all things Miles in Heels at: www.milesinheels.com 

And get social with Kim at:

Email: info@milesinheels.com

Facebook: Miles in Heels Productions

LinkedIn: Miles in Heels Productions

Instagram:@kimmilesinheelsTwitter: @KimMilesinHeels


Be sure to check out all things Miles in Heels at: www.milesinheels.com

Keynote Speaker

Bevin Mugford

In a talk that will bring equal parts tears, goosebumps and laughter, Bevin shares the story of how the tragic drowning death of her child led her on a soulful journey of self-discovery, and how she learned that even in moments of the most unimaginable pain, there is an opportunity to thrive.  Bevin’s talk is all at once deeply personal and completely universal.  She shares her story in a way that makes you feel as if it was anyone’s, and she helps everyone to see how they can create meaning out of loss.  https://www.instagram.com/bevin.mugford/ 

Bevin is a dynamic executive with over 15 years of experience in leading people, building high performance teams and developing innovative sales/learning solutions. Known for her creativity, curiosity, high-energy and unwavering optimism, she is passionate about investing in others to facilitate human breakthroughs that drive high-performance business results. For the last three years, she has walked a personal growth journey after losing one of her children to a traumatic drowning incident. Learning how to address and talk about this painful aspect of her personal life has led her to discover the powerful impact of connecting with others from a place of authenticity and vulnerability. Bevin is Chief Growth Officer for a mission-driven, culture-first, Waltham-based women’s lifestyle clothing brand, Peach. She is host of a weekly podcast-style chat called Thursday Thrive based upon the tenants of Positive Psychology and author of a weekly “Saturday Meditation” blog chronicling her journey through child-loss. A dynamic and engaging public speaker, Bevin presents powerful personal and professional development workshops and mainstage presentations, averaging over 150 live engagements annually. Described as a “zesty badass with a flair for the dramatic”, Bevin believes men and women can do anything when they play to their strengths. Bevin is a Mom of 4, a former competitive swimmer and current CrossFit junkie.

Keynote Speaker

Jill Dixon

Jill Dixon is a firestarter and change agent with a passion for thinking outside of the box and disrupting the system — whether it be in tech or in a preschool classroom. To feed Jill’s philanthropic soul, she & her husband, Phil, are the Founders of Taly, a nonprofit created to tackle the toughest challenges plaguing the early education field and infuse the system with innovation. 

Jill is the mother of two curious and hilarious children who are the inspiration for Taly.  Jill combines the relationship-building skills she has honed throughout her 25 year career as a successful multimillion dollar tech sales professional with her desire to find solutions for accessible, affordable, relevant, quality education for all kids.

Buckle up and hang on! Jill tells it like it is. She talks fast, she’s loud, she gets her energy from other humans, and above all else… wants everyone to be the best version of themselves by overcoming obstacles with humility, humor and chutzpah.  

2021 Goddess Award Recipient

Deborah Sweet

Deborah Sweet is a writer, activist, and advocate who focuses her work on lending her heart and her voice to vulnerable children, while coexisting within the hard spaces of childhood trauma. As a Foster Parent Ambassador for the Department of Children and Families, Deborah works tirelessly at raising community awareness for kids who come from difficult places, but works even harder as a foster/adoptive/biological parent to children with complex medical and behavioral health needs. Deborah and her husband have won the prestigious Massachusetts Foster Parents of the Year Award, and have been recognized for their work by the Massachusetts Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children at their annual Gala. Deborah is a teacher by trade, with a Masters Degree in Education and over a decade of classroom experience, but now spends her time advocating for school districts to practice from a trauma informed lens, and to provide wrap-around services for children who are challenged by developmental trauma. Deborah is the founder of WE’VE GOT YOUR BACKpack, a backpack and school supply drive that provides much needed lifelines of support for hundreds of at-risk children throughout the Commonwealth. Deborah’s writing has been featured on national and international websites and can be found on her blog, Because I Stay. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and six(ish) kids, plus a couple of amazing animals that add to the calm of the house, not the chaos.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

At the MetroWest Conference for Women, we are committed to highlighting the local women who work, live and thrive in the cities and towns in MetroWest, MA. Each year we reach out to the community to hear from women in our region who are experts, ready to share their passion and hard work with women, close to home.

Our conference follows 5 tracks (topic areas):

  • Personal Prosperity
  • Professional Success
  • Entrepreneurship/Leadership
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Family

 

PANELS

Being a Community Leader in a Crisis

As women we have the skills and tools to take on more than we think we can. Our panelists will discuss what they found in themselves to be a leader during a time of crisis. They will also share how they put aside their fears and harnessed their natural abilities and instincts to lead their organization/community.

Key Takeaways:

  • Be brave and use your passion to step up and get yourself and others through a crisis
  • Explore new skills learned in a crisis that we all can continue to use
  • Find your tribe and support as you work to address a crisis big or small

Take the Leap from Brilliance to Your Own Business

 Every person who makes the leap from brilliance to their own business has their own reasons including wanting to leave corporate America, looking to create a work/life balance that supports the life they want to live and wanting to enjoy their third act. Regardless of your reason, taking the leap can propel you from your comfort zone to your zone of excellence, allowing you to craft the life and livelihood you want and need. This panel of experts will help you understand how to combine the ingredients for success that you already have — your experiences, interests, and skills — to map out your path, inspiring you and assuaging your fears to help get you on your way.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Defining your assets – both past professional experiences and skillset – to help create the picture of what you want to do
  • Learn how to pivot from where you are to combine your assets, skills, interests and more to get where you want to go
  • Understand the world around you to stay focused in your zone of strength, to map out your path and to take action

Identifying and Overcoming Your Hurdles to Prosperity

Prosperity means something different to each of us and there are different paths to achieving it. No matter what your idea of prosperity looks like, self-awareness, self-acceptance and the ability to make choices are key to achieving it. This panel of experts will explore accepting and understanding your value and learning how to be your most authentic self in order to find your strength and discover success.

Key Takeaways:

• Figure out who you are and how to trust yourself

• Explore how to be decisive, make choices and learn from them

• Know the path is not straight

• Learn to how to let others help

Flipping the Internal Script for Personal Growth

Have you ever noticed your internal script? We all have stories we tell ourselves – some serve us, and some do not. Especially when we want to make big changes or pivots in our lives, our internal voice matters to the success of those efforts. What if, for example, when you listen to your own talk track you hear a harsh critic rather than a raving fan? That’s great news because the first step to changing that story is your awareness. With this one-of-a-kind panel we’ll teach you to flip your unhelpful scripts and become the best version of yourself, through a variety of powerful techniques.

Key Takeaways:

  • The power of finding your theme song. What song reminds you of who you are and where you want to go?
  • Explore the powerful tool of brain dumping your story and finding some pivotal moments
  • Examine where you are in your life. Are you drifting? Are you where you want to be? And if not, what can you do to pivot? Write it down!

Perseverance, Passion and Hitting Your Professional Stride

Connect your purpose and passion to your career success. Challenges over the past year have many of us questioning our professional path; whether it’s to finally pursue a new direction or continue on our current journey despite obstacles. This panel will help you navigate tangible steps to creating a career of your dreams, the changing business landscape and how to persevere when facing adversity. 

Takeaways:

  • Discern passions from hobbies and discover the building blocks of turning a passion into a profession
  • Create an authentic definition of what professional success means to YOU
  • Explore strategies and tools to persist despite challenges 

The Career Advice You Didn’t Know You Needed

Women are always stronger when they support each other. In that spirit, this panel of women will share their stories of breaking through barriers, pivoting along their journeys, and finding professional success and personal fulfillment. Through these stories you’ll find inspiration, tips & tricks, as well as strategies to make your next bold move.

 

  • Steps to take control of your career journey
  • Tools to face your fears and gain the confidence to pursue your professional passions
  • Strategies for managing the expectation on women to “do it all”

Choosing Your Happy Place: Tools To Get You Through Callenging Times

The events of 2020 have brought a unique set of challenges that have transformed the way we live. Women have been called upon to take on much of the burden in this strange new world. From home-schooling children, to starting businesses, to welcoming new children, to finding new ways to show up at work, the new normal has demanded the mastery of skills that many of us valiantly adopted only to find ourselves overwhelmed. This panel of experts will show you just how much support you already have and can create! 

Key Takeaways:

  • Women often think they need to “do it all” and the burden of taking on multiple roles in a new normal requires resources that we aren’t aware we have
  • Learn how even a slight change in perspective or a shift in the way you use/organize what you already have ca help you to masterfully navigate any new challenge
  • Explore how with the right tools you can get to, or get back to, your happy place! 

Finding Your Resiliency To Life’s Challenges

Adversity is part of life.  This panel will share their personal and professional stories of adversity. Attendees will leave with options for forgiveness, resiliency, and problem solving from women who have been dealt a hand that they never expected. 

 

  • Keep moving forward. 
  • Don’t let negativity in. 
  • Focus on mindfulness. 

Self Care is NOT Selfish

Self-care is essential. It’s essential to your hormone health, to your metabolism, and to modeling good habits for your children. Our expert panelists will discuss how and why it is important to combat daily stress, will provide tips for practicing self-care so you achieve a balanced life and how to avoid allowing bad habits to trickle down into your family. Don’t miss this opportunity to prioritize yourself! It just might make a difference in your business, your family, and your longevity. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Tips to help mid-life women master their metabolism
  • Facts about the hormonal impact of self-care
  • Strategies for how to model body positivity & body neutrality for your children

The Time is Now: Prioritize Your Health & Wellness

Our experts in the field of health and wellness will discuss key aspects of emotional, physical, and relational health. This panel will motivate you to prioritize your own physical and emotional wellness and provide practical strategies and skills you can implement in your daily life. It is critical to value your own health and make yourself a priority! 

Key Takeaways:

  • Mental Health matters, it is important to be aware of thoughts, feelings, and maladaptive patterns. It’s so important to build healthy coping styles and to prioritize overall mental health and wellness proactively.
  • Listen to your body when you are experiencing symptoms. If something doesn’t feel right, listen to your body and inner guidance system. Speak up, be honest and see yourself as a healthcare client rather than a passive patient.
  • Alternative therapies are available and effective. There are many options and alternatives when it comes to your health and wellness, and you have the power to make your own choices.