Here’s What You Missed at the 2025 Ladies Who Launch

This year, Biz 417 took the eighth annual Ladies Who Launch to the next level, extending the women’s leadership conference into a two-day event at the Branson Convention Center. Presented by Forviz Mazars with sponsors Central Bank, Mercy, Husch Blackwell and Reliable Lexus, this year’s Ladies Who Launch offered more experiences, networking opportunities and live talks than ever before.

Day one kicked off on Wednesday, July 23, for Fully Loaded ticket holders with a welcome reception, packing over 1,000 feminine hygiene kits for Convoy of Hope and a surprise dance party. Day two started bright and early with gentle movement yoga, coffee and networking. Attendees then joined a Rise & Shine Workshop, choosing between Alison Fragale or Angie Wiley as their host. From there, the event opened up to all ticket holders, with a full day of inspiring panels, Q&As and connection.

With so much going on, even those who did make it could probably use a refresher, so we’ve put together a list of our biggest takeaways.

You Need a Clarity Break to Own Your Orbit

Publisher Logan Aguirre kicked off the second day of the event, sharing the importance of a clarity break. For her, that looks like two days every couple of months just for herself. Time to listen to herself, listen to the wind, practice yoga, swim, hike. “What I found surprised me,” she said. “I felt light. I felt clear-headed, like someone had opened a window and let the air back in.” For many attendees, Ladies Who Launch itself was their clarity break. “It doesn’t have to be two days out of town, it just has to be yours.”

Why Your Network Needs to See Your Value

Author, psychologist and professor Alison Fragale’s keynote speech at Ladies Who Launch tackled a key question: How do you get someone to talk you up when you’re not in the room? Her answer boils down to three intentional actions. First, meet more people—you never know who your next “other promoter” could be. Second, offer value in ways that feel natural to you. Fragale encouraged turning what you already enjoy into service for others. Being a connector, she said, is one of the simplest ways to stand out. Third, give people a reason to grab the mic. That could mean talking them up first or even asking directly—if you know they respect you. “Be an evangelical other promoter for the great work people are doing around you,” she said. “People want to help other people.”

Fragale left attendees with a challenge—the 10-10-10 challenge. Meet 10 new people. Make 10 small deposits—use your strengths to help others in ways that come naturally to you. And talk up 10 people to others, or ask 10 people to talk you up. The goal? Give people a reason to pick up the mic on your behalf.

True Development is Not Defined by a Job Title

President of Mercy Washington and Lincoln Communities Marie Moore taught us that true development is not defined by a job title, but rather it’s about the connections built and the growth that we spark in one another. She said it takes courage to be supportive, to be open and honest, to put yourself out there and be vulnerable. “I urge us to continue to be courageous, brave and light the way for all of us in this room to continue to build on the community we have today,” she said.

Travis Kelce is Technically Lara Krug’s Coworker

So many great tidbits came out of Aguirre’s fireside chat with Lara Krug, chief marketing officer for the Kansas City Chiefs. Here are some of our favorite takeaways:

• Through experience, Krug prioritized being liked; later, she learned to balance empathy with accountability. “I realized that was on me to change myself,” she said. “I was no longer just one of the leadership. I was the leader.”
• You might find mentorship in unexpected places and in unexpected people. “Sometimes finding mentors is less around needing advice at that time and more around ‘what’s the mutual exchange you could give each other?’” Krug said.
• Krug helped launch a new entertainment studio, Foolish Club Studios. Their first project, The Kingdom, debuts on Disney+ on August 14. “It’s a story about the culture of greatness,” she said. “A sense of ambition and dreaming bigger than your mind can imagine.”
• The “Taylor Swift effect” boosted the Kansas City Chiefs’ female fan base and national relevance, raising the female fan base from 50% to 57% (you knew we had to throw that fact in there—it’s Ladies Who Launch, after all). 

Decision Distress is Normal

Paige Oxendine, director of consulting services at Habitat Communication & Culture, reminded us that leaders don’t just make decisions—they build systems for making them well. Did you know ​​the average person makes over 35,000 decisions a day? Oxendine broke each decision into four components: context, setting, process and outcome—emphasizing that outcome is only one piece of the puzzle.

For moments of feeling stuck, she encouraged asking whether a decision is a “one-way door” (irreversible) or “two-way door” (reversible), trimming down options, inverting your perspective and developing a bias toward action. “We’re up against a lot every time we try to make a thoughtful decision,” she said.

Women Who Mean Business Panel

One of our favorite panels each year is the Women Who Mean Business panel, featuring the five honorees from our annual cover story. This year’s group—Amanda Hedgpeth, Judith Martinez, Ph.D., Pamela Yancey, Tiffani Claussen and Halley Fleming—shared their perspectives on one of the most-asked questions at the event: How do you balance work and life?

Pamela Yancey: “Be intentional... You won’t get to the end of your career and say, ‘Gosh, I wish I would have spent more time at work.”
Amanda Hedgpeth: “We don’t always get to do everything we want to do. We have to sit down and weigh those out and do the best we can, but we can’t do everything.”
Judith Martinez: “I love what I do… I try to combine a lot of things in my life instead of saying ‘This is my work, this is my life, these are my friends.’ I see it as a whole thing.”
Tiffani Claussen: “Think of your life as you’re painting a big, long mural. It’s not a snapshot, it’s a long path, and your ambition will ebb and flow with the phase of life that you’re in. Be realistic with yourself and give yourself grace. You don’t have to accomplish everything right now.”
Halley Fleming: “Now, I live every day to its fullest. When I lay my head down at night, I know that I have done everything that I could possibly do to have fun in life.”