She Owns It
The She Owns It program offers business training, coaching, mentoring, and education fro women in business, through motivation and collaboration.
Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference
The Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland (BECN)’s annual women’s entrepreneurship conference is returning! This annual conference highlights and celebrates women in business, and aims to inspire women in their entrepreneurship journey.
Event registration
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Registration, coffee & networking: Opens at 9:15 a.m.
Conference hours: 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Location: Best Western Plus Cobourg Inn & Convention Centre, 930 Burnham Street, Cobourg
Tickets: $52 + HST
Your ticket includes full access to the conference, refreshments throughout the day, pastries and fruit, a delicious lunch, and all keynote sessions, panels, and workshops.
Get ready for an unforgettable day!
This year, we’re shaking things up to make the experience more inspiring, interactive, and impactful than ever! Get ready for a day packed with motivation, insights, and connections you won’t want to miss:
- Keynote Speaker: Leisse Wilcox:
“Own the Room: How to Leverage Your Voice, Impact, and Presence in a World That Needs Your Leadership.” - Panel Discussion Q&A: She Said, She Did
Candid stories, real strategies, and lessons learned from inspiring women in our community. - Solve Sprint: She Asked, She Answered.
Interactive networking designed to spark collaboration, tackle business challenges, and create meaningful connections. - Interactive Workshops:
- The Human-First AI Sales Playbook: 5 Steps to Win More Customers in Just 15 Minutes with Claire Bouvier
- Key Ingredients to Transform Your Business, Income & Impact with Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse
This event is brought to you by the Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland and Northumberland County, and supported by TD Bank Cobourg and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).
Get inspired, feel empowered and grow your network!
Meet our keynote speaker
Leisse Wilcox, Chief People Officer, Author & Speaker
Leisse Wilcox doesn’t just coach leaders—she is one.As Chief People Officer of a multi–seven–figure infrastructure business with over 20 years of experience speaking and coaching executives around the world, Leisse transforms leadership by helping you become the leader everyone wants to work with.Known as “the Secret Weapon of the C-Suite” and“the Marie Kondo of Your Unconscious,” she helps ambitious leaders cut through the mental clutter, lead with courage, and create workplaces people are excited to be part of.An expert in behavioural change, resilience, and high-performance leadership and certified Leadership, Executive, and Organizational Development Coach, Leisse is an award-winning speaker, twice bestselling author, and Forbes contributor trusted by brands like TD, AGF, and Aviva, championing confident communication, resilience, and human-centred leadership that drives results and culture at the same time.When she’s not building the future of work or coaching leaders to own the room, she’s road-tripping for tacos, listening to Taylor Swift with her three daughters, or binge-watching HBO with her dog.
Presenting ‘Own the Room: How to Leverage Your Voice, Impact, and Presence in a World That Needs Your Leadership’
In male-dominated industries and entrepreneurial spaces alike, it’s not just what you do that sets you apart—it’s how you show up. Own the Room is a story-led, data-driven keynote backed by neuroscience, designed to give women the clarity, confidence, and courage they need to future-proof their leadership.
With equal parts humour, hard truths, and practical strategies, award-winning speaker, bestselling author, and regular Forbes contributor Leisse Wilcox shares her VIP framework—Voice, Impact, Presence—to help ambitious women claim their seat at the table, communicate with confidence, and inspire trust in every room they enter.
This high-energy, transformational session leaves audiences not just inspired but equipped to take action now with tools to elevate their leadership in real time.
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She Said, She Did: Panel Discussion and Q&A
Moderated by Leisse Wilcox, hear from inspiring local women entrepreneurs as they share their real stories, challenges, and successes in this candid, interactive Q&A session.
Tash Cook, Influencer
Tash Cook is a passionate content creator and influencer focused on lifestyle and travel. A natural storyteller and community cheerleader, she shines a spotlight from cozy Airbnb escapes to the local shops and restaurants that give small towns their unique character. With a background in photography and videography, she blends authenticity, humour, and heart into everything she creates.
What sets Tash apart is her genuine love for small businesses and her commitment to helping them thrive. Through her platform, she celebrates entrepreneurs, makers, and dreamers, inspiring others to shop local, explore new places, and connect with their communities. Tash’s mission is to help people find purpose and belonging.
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Dawn (“Dee”) Fryer, D’s Modern Caribbean
It all started with this statement, “I am on a personal mission to elevate and modernize Caribbean food.”
Dawn Fryer is the chef, owner and creative force behind D’s Modern Caribbean, a one-of-a-kind dining experience that blends the bold flavours of Trinidadian cuisine with an elegant, fine-dining atmosphere. What began as a food truck venture during the height of COVID (D’s Island Shack) quickly gained a loyal following, inspiring Dee to open a brick-and-mortar takeout spot. After recognizing a need for a true dine-in Caribbean experience, she reimagined the space, creating a moody, upscale restaurant with top-notch service and plating—an ambience rarely seen in Caribbean dining. Dee has created a menu that features her interpretations of timeless Trinidadian flavours that change the way people perceive and experience Caribbean cuisine.
Now entering her fourth year in business, Dee has built a destination restaurant that draws guests from Toronto to the Northumberland and Quinte regions, earning near five-star reviews and a reputation for excellence. With a background in interior design, Dee brings her eye for detail and passion for hospitality to every plate, elevating the flavours she learned to cook from a young age into a full-time passion and career.
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Sandra Dee Hicks, founder of Sandra Dee’s Consulting for Seniors and Family
With over 20 years of experience supporting older adults, Sandra began her entrepreneurial journey with her first successful business for 10 years. Building on this foundation, Sandra transitioned into the retirement living sector, working with Chartwell and Aspira Retirement Living Communities in consulting and sales roles. There, she became the first point of contact for families navigating housing and care options, helping them make informed, confident decisions.
Inspired by her personal experiences — supporting her parents through illness — she established Sandra Dee’s Consulting for Seniors and Families.
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Tiffany Jarvis, Founder & Director of The GoldenLine Spiritual Studio
Tiffany Jarvis isn’t just the founder of The GoldenLine Spiritual Studio in Warkworth, Ontario — she’s a visionary spiritual mentor, healer, and former professor turned metaphysical guide. With a Specialized Honours Degree in Religious Studies and a Master’s in Eastern Religious Traditions, Mysticism, and Metaphysical Philosophy from York University, she brings a profound academic foundation to her spiritual offerings. As an ordained Metaphysical Reverend, Tiffany infuses her energy healing sessions—ranging from intuitive and crystal healing to spiritual counseling—with both seasoned training and heartfelt intention.
Her transition from college professor to entrepreneur was sparked by following her soul’s calling to serve the spiritual needs of her community. That leap of faith birthed The GoldenLine—a tranquil sanctuary offering healing crystals, ritual tools, personal workshops, and group classes. Tiffany is driven to awaken, guide, and uplift souls through her presence, purpose, and community-rooted studio.
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Workshop: The Human-First AI Sales Playbook: 5 Steps to Win More Customers in Just 15 Minutes
AI can help small business owners save time, but the real question is: can it help you sell? In this live, interactive workshop, you’ll learn a 5-step playbook for creating authentic, human-first sales messaging powered by AI. You’ll see exactly how to generate the right words -what to say, when to say it, and how to say it, across posts, emails, ads, and conversations so that more customers buy. You’ll walk away with a plug-and-play sales playbook you can use immediately, and one lucky business will get their custom playbook built live on stage.
Claire Bouvier, Co-Founder of BriteLite
Claire Bouvier is a leading AI marketing strategist and co-founder of BriteLite, where she helps entrepreneurs and organizations harness human-first AI to grow with confidence. Known for her practical playbooks and dynamic teaching style, Claire has trained over 1,000 small business owners and professionals across Canada on how to turn marketing into measurable sales results. With experience spanning healthcare, professional services, and the nonprofit sector, Claire specializes in making complex technology simple, safe, and profitable for time-strapped leaders.
She is passionate about helping solopreneurs and small business owners hyper-personalize their messaging, preserve their authentic voice, and scale customer acquisition — without burning out or wasting budgets. Claire has been featured in national media, trusted by Fortune 500 companies, and celebrated by small business communities for her ability to bridge creativity with strategy. Whether on stage or in workshops, her mission is clear: empower business owners to protect their bottom line and own their AI advantage, while staying deeply human.
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Workshop: Entrepreneurial Mindset & Value
If you’ve tried everything to grow your business but still struggle to attract the money, clients, or results you want, chances are you’re missing one (or more) of these key ingredients. In this session, you’ll discover a proven framework designed to help you cut through the noise, grow with clarity, and finally create the income and impact you deserve.
Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse, Founder of My Empowered Living
Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse is an award-winning Business Strategist, International Speaker, Author, and Publisher who helps passion-driven entrepreneurs and professionals expand their wealth, confidence, impact, and freedom.
She’s been featured on Rogers TV, MarieTV, Hay House Radio, and The Huffington Post, and was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch. As the Founder of My Empowered Living and author of From Aspiration to Fulfillment, Uchechi empowers individuals to turn their dreams into tangible results.
She’s also the creator of the Dream Life Designer™ Planners, a strategic goal-setting system used by thousands worldwide, and supports aspiring authors in writing, publishing, and launching their books. Uchechi previously served on the Board of Directors for the Business Advisory Centre Durham and co-produced and hosted Empowered Living in Durham Region on Rogers TV.
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