Elise Woodworth is President of Woodworth Enterprises, best-selling author of “Business Not Battle for Nonprofit Boards” and a seasoned speaker known for talks on leadership development, storytelling for impact and the social sector. She is an Innovation Women Content Creator member who frequently uses her speaker profile, attends Innovation Women events and participates in our online community.
What challenges led you to us?
I c
ame to Innovation Women because I didn’t have an easy, reliable way to find and track calls for speakers. I needed a centralized place to discover opportunities, stay organized and stay visible—and the platform delivers exactly that.
Tell us about your best speaking success story! How have you used the Innovation Women educational resources, network, database and/or services to help you drive business, book talks, make key connections, or land new opportunities?
Innovation Women has been a catalyst for my speaking work. The education, community and Speaker Friend Friday meetings have helped me sharpen my message and stay visible, and the database of opportunities make it easy to consistently put myself in front of the right audiences.
Through the platform, I have booked additional talks, strengthened relationships in the nonprofit leadership space and connected with organizers who were specifically looking for speakers with practical, mission‑focused content. Every time I engage with the community, I walk away with new ideas, new connections and new momentum.
Has Innovation Women helped you find speaking engagements, talks, events, conferences or networking opportunities?
Innovation Women has helped me in several meaningful ways. The community gave me confidence and clarity as I refined my message, the opportunity database made it easy to consistently find talks and events that aligned with my work and growing my network through the platform has been both fun and genuinely educational. I’ve been booked for several engagements through the platform. Now, I recommend IW to all my speaker friends!
Has your business grown through your affiliation with Innovation Women, our online community, Lioness Magazine events and services, Speaker Friend Fridays, BrightTALK webinars or any other resources shared by our community?
Yes—my speaking business has grown through Innovation Women and the connected community. The combination of resources has helped me expand my visibility, sharpen my message, and stay consistently in motion. The biggest impacts have come from the weekly engagement and the steady stream of opportunities that keep me plugged into the right rooms.
I’ve grown through:
- Consistent community touchpoints: Speaker Friend Fridays and the online community give me a rhythm of connection, accountability and encouragement that strengthened my confidence and kept my speaking goals front‑of‑mind.
- Visibility and opportunity flow: The Innovation Women platform and shared resources regularly surface talks, conferences, and events that align with my work in nonprofit leadership.
- Professional development: The webinars and educational sessions help me refine my signature talk, clarify my value and position myself more effectively with event planners.
- Network expansion: The community introduced me to organizers, speakers and leaders who have become collaborators, referral partners, and sources of new opportunities.
The cumulative effect has been steady growth—more inquiries, more aligned speaking engagements and a stronger presence in the nonprofit leadership space.
What is the most significant impact that Innovation Women has had on your career or business?
The most significant impact has been the relationships I’ve built through the Innovation Women community. One connection in particular has grown into an ongoing partnership that continues to bring me repeat business. The platform expanded my visibility and helped me form meaningful, lasting professional relationships that directly support the growth of my speaking work.
What is one thing you learned from Innovation Women that you will carry forward?
I learned not to be afraid of my own voice. The Innovation Women community helped me trust my perspective, speak with more confidence and show up more fully in the rooms where my work can make a difference.
What specific results or achievements are you most proud of?
The achievement I’m most proud of is building a relationship that turned into repeat business. It showed me that when I show up consistently, deliver value and stay connected to the right communities, the work compounds into long‑term partnerships rather than one‑off engagements.
What do you like best about our approach/support?
The extent of the database and the engaging community both exceeded my expectations.
What would you tell someone considering our services, but on the fence about joining?
Just do it!
