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The Conference
by Empowering Women in Real Estate®
October 7, 2025 in Ashburn, VA
The Conference
Back for our 5th year, The Conference is the can’t-miss event for women in real estate who are ready to grow their business, strengthen their community, and take their success to the next level — without sacrificing their quality of life.
Join us for a full day of real talk, real strategies, and real connections designed specifically for women like you: leaders, achievers, and business owners who are building something meaningful.
Whether you’re a new agent looking for direction or an experienced professional ready for your next level, you’ll leave with tangible tools and renewed inspiration to move your business forward — in a way that aligns with your life.
Agenda | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
- 9:30 am: Coffee Chat, Check In
- 10 am: Opening Remarks
- 10:15-11 am: How to Stay Motivated – Julie Voris
- 11 am-11:45 am: The Intangibles – Karen Cooper
- 12-1 pm: Lunch (provided)
- 1-1:45pm: The Heart of Midlife Real Estate
- 1:45-2:45pm: Five Star Client Service – Jerrica Kontos
- 2:45-3pm: Break
- 3-3:45 pm: The AI Advantage: How Real Estate Professionals Are Using AI in Real Life — A Panel Moderated by Karen Cooper, featuring Liz Mcdonald, Shante Lambert and Sierra Struble
- 3:45 pm: Closing Remarks
- 4pm: Ending
“How to Stay Motivated” with Julie Voris
Energy is everything — and no one brings it like Julie. Learn how to cultivate lasting motivation, stay in forward motion, and protect your energy like the business asset it is. You’ll leave with real-world strategies for showing up with purpose — even on the hard days.
“The Intangibles” with Karen Cooper
You’ve built the systems, the schedule, the strategy — but what separates good agents from great ones is what you can’t always measure. In this session, Karen pulls back the curtain on the intangibles that lead to sustained success — including boundaries, confidence, personal integrity, and what it really means to lead with intention.
Meet the Panelists
Debbie Meighan
Debbie Meighan is a top-producing Realtor with Washington Fine Properties, proudly serving clients from the firm’s Middleburg, Virginia office. She launched her real estate career at 48, proving that it’s never too late to chase a new passion — and build a powerhouse business along the way.
Over the past 12 years, Debbie has earned a place on Washingtonian Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, and America’s Best Real Trends Top Producer lists. Her standout sales include Newstead Farm ($9.5M in 2020) and Bolinvar ($15.5M in 2024). Most recently, she closed a record-breaking year in 2024 with $52 million in solo production, earning the title of DAAR’s #1 Top Producer.
Debbie’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, hard work, and believing in your potential — at any stage of life.
Michele Bellisari
Michele Bellisari is a Boca Raton-based Realtor with Real Broker and the Platinum Group Real Estate Team. She reinvented her real estate business at 50 and launched her personal brand journey with #SoooBoca® Lifestyle & Media at 55.
Michele is the creator of The Probate Real Estate Boot Camp and host of the Real Estate Reinvention podcast. Known as the “queen bee of real estate niches,” she’s sold millions of dollars in probate properties and works with relocation buyers, seniors, and empty nesters. She helps agents find their niche and create life cycle lead pipelines. Michele is mom to Kylie and Alle, dog mom to Brody and Bennie, and wife to Captain Andy of Belli-Sea Sportfishing Charters.
Shawn Jardine
Shawn Jardine is the founder of Southwest 55 Plus, a top-performing real estate brand specializing exclusively in 55+ communities across Arizona, and a proud agent with Real Broker. A senior-aged agent with over three decades in the industry, Shawn has been licensed since 1990 and has rebuilt her career in mid-life based on understanding—and connecting with—the active adult market.
At the age of 59, Shawn boldly pivoted her sales strategy to YouTube, proving it’s never too late to reinvent your business. By mastering video marketing, she transformed her channel, Southwest 55 Plus, into a trusted go-to resource for retirees researching Arizona’s best active adult communities, amenities, and lifestyle. That pivot paid off: over $100 million in closed sales have come directly from her YouTube content, making video her number-one lead source and an indispensable part of her brand.
As a panelist, Shawn will share proven, actionable strategies for creating impactful video content, building an engaged audience, and turning views into closings— empowering mid-life women agents to embrace change, leverage modern marketing tools, and grow their businesses at any stage of their careers.
Tracy Kable
I’m Tracy Kable, Associate Broker of The Kable Team at Real Broker, and a proud lifelong resident of Jefferson County, West Virginia. With over 2,500 homes sold and more than $600 million in career sales, I’ve spent the last two decades helping families across the Eastern Panhandle and Northern Virginia find their place to call home.
Real estate has changed a lot over the years—and so have I. At this stage in my career, I’ve found that success isn’t just about numbers; it’s about relationships, consistency, and showing up with integrity every single day. I lead a team of exceptional agents who share those values, and together, we’ve built a business that puts people first.
Joining Real Broker in 2024 allowed me to bring the latest tools and training to my team while staying grounded in the same community values that have shaped my journey from day one. Outside of work, I’m a proud “Lollie” to my grandson Grayson, and I love cooking, traveling, giving back to the community, and sharing laughs with friends and family.
I’m honored to be part of this panel—and to represent the women who are navigating mid-life with purpose, grace, and grit.
“Five-Star Client Service” with Jerrica Kontos
Want more referrals and repeat business? It starts with five-star service. Jerrica shares how she built a standout brand by treating every client like a VIP — and how you can create consistent, elevated experiences that turn transactions into lifelong relationships.
The AI Advantage: How Real Estate Professionals Are Using AI in Real Life
Moderated by Karen W. Cooper
A practical, no-fluff panel featuring real estate pros who are using AI every day to work smarter, market better, and serve clients more efficiently. Get inspired with real tools, real results, and ideas you can implement right away.
Meet the Panelists
Sierra Strubble
I am Sierra Struble, military spouse, mom of three young children, associate broker, and team owner of The Magnolia Bloom Real Estate Team in Georgia & South Carolina. I started in the real estate industry at 19 years old in 2013 and have worked in many realms of real estate throughout my husband’s military career. Today, I use AI to help manage my team, help with marketing, CMAs, and roleplaying scenarios with complex situations. AI has become an “everyday” tool in our business.
Shante Lambert
Shante Lambert is the co-owner and Director of Growth & Operations at Lambert Home Inspections, a marriage-run company she leads alongside her husband, Randy. With a background in education, Shante brings a teacher’s heart and an operations mindset to everything she does—from building systems and brand strategy to creating standout client experiences.
She uses AI as her behind-the-scenes teammate to streamline workflows, automate communication, and turn ideas into action—freeing up space for both business growth and real life. Whether she’s building a custom GPT or hosting a community event, Shante is passionate about helping women in business work smarter and grow with confidence.
Liz McDonald
Liz McDonald is the Broker of Dandridge Realty Group, the #1 real estate team in West Virginia, serving clients across WV, VA, and MD. With a foundation in listing systems and agent development, she’s expanded her business to include cash buying and real estate investment. Liz uses AI to streamline operations, train agents, and scale both traditional and investment-side real estate—combining efficiency with a focus on results
I use ChatGPT pretty much like a digital Swiss Army knife. Listing descriptions? Done. Awkward client texts? Drafted. Instagram captions? Way less painful. I’ve used it to build out our agent onboarding, prep training sessions, and even roleplay tough conversations when I need to find the right words. It doesn’t replace me, but it absolutely helps me work faster, sound better, and show up more consistently in a business that never slows down.
Belmont Country Club, Ashburn, VA
Stay Tuned for More Announcements!
sponsorships are closed for the 2025 event.
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
If you are traveling to see us, our event venue is about 5 minutes from Dulles International Airport. If you require hotel accommodations, here are some great nearby options. A rental car or Uber transportation will be needed.
01.
Springhill Suites Ashburn Dulles North
20065 Lakeview Center Plaza, Ashburn, VA 20147
3 miles from Belmont Country Club and 9.5 miles from Dulles airport
02.
Tru by Hilton Ashburn One Loudoun
44732 Endicott Dr, Ashburn, VA 20147
3 miles from Belmont Country Club and 9.5 miles from Dulles airport
03.
Courtyard Dulles Town Center
45500 Majestic Dr, Dulles, VA 20166
5 miles from Belmont Country Club and 7.5 miles from Dulles airport
Save the Date … Our 3rd Annual Empowering Women in Real Estate® Conference will be October 4-5, 2023!
Empowering Women in Real Estate
We will also wrap up the event with a book signing by Karen Cooper, author of “Empowering Women in Real Estate”.
Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the book as well!
$49
Align 2023 Event Replay
Align 2023 was a huge success!! With nearly 200 women (and a few good men!) in the room and online, the energy was magnetic. Our speakers and panelists wowed us with their willingness to share, inspired us with their stories, and energized us with their knowledge and how tos.
If you missed the event this year, we do have a full event replay video available! For just $49 you will receive a professionally recorded video of the full event (available by October 25th), a copy of all presentation slides, and a pdf of the conference workbook.
PS: Save the date for our 4th Annual Empowering Women in Real Estate® Conference on October 3, 2024!
All tickets are now sold out.
Please email me if you would like to be added to our in-person waitlist for next year.
$79
virtual ticket
Can’t join us in person? Tickets sold out? You can purchase a virtual ticket for the livestream and receive a professional video recording of the event (to be delivered within a few weeks after the event to allow time for professional editing).
