"Onward" and Calm Spotlighted at the 2025 Massachusetts Conference for Women

Simone Biles, Mel Robbins, Martha Stewart and More Spoke at Sold-Out Event

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BOSTON, Dec. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- From a trumpet-toting Diana Nyad leading 11,000 women in a chant of "onward" to Jesse Israel leading them in a meditative sound healing, the dual themes of strength and calm took center stage today at the 2025 Massachusetts Conference for Women.

Simone Biles spoke about strength and the Olympics. Martha Stewart addressed perseverance and perfectionism. And Mel Robbins talked to the sold-out crowd about leaving the Conference "in action."

Asked if she would compete in the 2028 Olympics, Biles said she is giving her body the rest it needs and staying in shape–through horseback riding and Pilates–before she makes the big decision.

Recalling her trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain, Stewart said if you make a decision to climb a mountain, you climb a mountain. Stewart also famously managed to help cook a meal for her fellow climbers.

Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history and widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time. Jesse Israel is a social entrepreneur, meditation leader and former record label executive known for founding the mass meditation movement The Big Quiet. Diana Nyad is a world champion athlete and celebrated sports journalist. Mel Robbins is the creator and host of the award-winning Mel Robbins Podcast and #1 New York Times best-selling author. Martha Stewart is an author, entrepreneur, and Emmy Award-winning television host.

This longstanding Boston-based conference–held at the Thomas Michael Menino Convention & Exhibition Center–is part of Conferences for Women (CFW), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing and empowering the nation's leading employers, teams, and individuals to reach their full potential at work and in life.

Delivering on the MA CFW tradition of curating the most relevant, timely, and cutting-edge content, more than 40 top professional and personal development experts were also on hand to address topics ranging from forging connection and closing generational divides to cultivating focus, building resilient relationships, and finding purpose in uncertain times.

Among them: David Brooks, New York Times columnist and best-selling author of How to Know a Person; Dr. Alison Fragale, author of Likeable Badass; Dr. Romie Mushtaq, physician and best-selling author of The Busy Brain Cure; Vivian Tu, founder of Your Rich BFF and author of Rich AF; and Dr. Alison Wood Brooks, Harvard Business School associate professor and author of Talk.

Serving thousands of companies, CFW helps strengthen retention, build organizational capacity, and foster workplace cultures where everyone can contribute fully. More than a million professionals have benefited from CFW's programs—gaining the skills, insights, and connections needed to grow and lead at every career stage.

Learn more here.
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SOURCE Massachusetts Conference for Women