By Giselle Lee | Staff Writer
Businesswomen in Waco united to inspire and empower one another at the inaugural Level Up conference on Friday.
Despite global efforts to make workplaces more gender-inclusive, a report by the International Labor Organization indicates that only 36% of women globally hold senior and middle management roles.
Scarce progress has made it hard for women to thrive in professional careers; however, Women of Waco is actively changing that narrative. Through its first-ever networking conference, Level Up 2026, the organization addressed participants with a message: one can be a good leader regardless of gender and ethnicity.
The event was kickstarted by keynote speaker and Baylor President Linda Livingstone, who encouraged women to take advantage of the seemingly insignificant things and to face hard challenges fearlessly.
“There’s actually some research that shows that women think they have to be fully prepared and able to do things before they will take them on,” Livingstone said. “I do think we have to be willing to step up and take some risks and try some hard things we might not feel fully ready for yet, but know that we’ve got to really develop and grow.”
In Livingstone’s speech, she described her journey prior to becoming Baylor’s first female president in 173 years during the aftermath of Baylor’s sexual assault scandal in 2016.
“[An alumna] said, ‘I never thought in my lifetime I would see a woman president at Baylor,’” Livingstone said. “And all of a sudden, I realized that I had to own this, to recognize that it actually matters for the whole campus, not just our female alums.”
Dr. Sandra Henry, associate of organization Especially For You by Joslin and member of Women of Waco, commended the event as an opportunity to network with fellow women. She noted that other women in their own businesses helped her better develop her own business.
“Look at all the women, all ages, all nationalities, all people of color,” Henry said. “You see all these women and have all of them fit into one space. This is an opportunity to meet them, to grow together, to learn together. I’m looking forward to learning more and taking that into my business so we can grow and do better in the world.”
Henry shared Livingstone’s aspiration for women to believe in themselves and have faith in knowing there’s a purpose for them.
“Don’t allow fear to hold you back from doing what you know God has allowed you to do grow into in your life,” Henry said.
Kennisha Thornton, owner of Create and Blossom and seminar speaker for a breakout session, applauded the diversity of backgrounds, expertise and industry in attendance, saying women’s power lies in collectiveness.
“[The conference] makes us so mixed, so powerful when we all come together because there’s so many stories that we can hear from one another, so many strategies and so many experiences that other women have had that we can take and apply to our own lives,” Thornton said.
Thornton said Level Up 2026 “puts you on fire” to continue your path, giving women reassurance and confirmation that they are doing what they should be doing. Thornton also said how the conference’s environment was beneficial for the younger generation to listen, learn and be open to opportunity.
“It’s such a great environment to be around older women that can pour into you with their own experiences personally and professionally,” Thornton said. “So sit and listen, absorb and learn from them, but when it is your time to do, don’t limit yourself. There is no box.”
Women of Waco will be hosting its next monthly meeting from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Baylor Club. The cost to attend is $27, and participants should RSVP by 4 p.m. Feb. 12.
