At the 2025 New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) Women Business Leaders Forum, Emily Lampkin, founder of the Women Leaders Series, delivered a keynote address focused on empowering women to strengthen their leadership skills and advance in their careers.
Lampkin addressed obstacles that often prevent women from pursuing important goals. “When I tell you what a dream slasher is we all know because we all have them: ‘I’m going to do – fill in the blank, thing that’s important to me – as soon as my children are older, my mom’s not sick, I lose 20 pounds, once I have the first $50,000 in investment …’’ she said.
She encouraged attendees to take immediate action. “That stops now,” Lampkin said. “What you need to do is create an individualized plan of action to get what you want. Every large corporation, every organization has a strategic plan to promote women. You need a strategic plan to promote just one woman.”
Lampkin emphasized personal responsibility for career advancement. “But the only person who can write it is you,” she said. “The only person who cannot overthink it is you. The only person who can implement it, and implement it effectively, is you. And the only way it does not happen, is you.”
More than 550 people attended NJBIA’s 11th Annual Women Business Leaders Forum (WBLF), which took place September 17-18 in Somerset. The two-day event featured TED-style talks, breakout sessions led by expert panelists and networking opportunities designed to support women’s professional growth and increase diversity in executive roles since its inception in 2015.
A video of Lampkin’s full keynote address is available online.
