Leading Ladies — where encouragement happens
Local group lifts up Fort Dodge women
-Submitted photo <BR> Local business women take part in a panel discussion at a recent Leading Ladies meeting. From left are Astra Ferris, CEO of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance; Baileigh Ashbrook, co-founder, COO, and licensed financial advisor at Full Swing Financial Planning; Andrea Oswald, owner of Rejuvenate Health and Wellnesss and advanced registered nurse practitioner specializing in functional, preventive, and longevity medicine; Abby Stromberg, owner of Stella’s Coffee Shop, and Dr. Jesseka Kaldenberg-Leppert, co-owner of Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa, reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon, and director of the Fit Feet Program for Special Olympics Iowa.
-Submitted photo <BR> Dr. Jesseka Kaldenberg-Leppert, far right, co-owner of Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa, speaks during a Leading Ladies panel discussion.
-Submitted photo <BR> Local business women take part in a panel discussion at a recent Leading Ladies meeting. From left are Astra Ferris, CEO of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance; Baileigh Ashbrook, co-founder, COO, and licensed financial advisor at Full Swing Financial Planning; Andrea Oswald, owner of Rejuvenate Health and Wellnesss and advanced registered nurse practitioner specializing in functional, preventive, and longevity medicine; Abby Stromberg, owner of Stella’s Coffee Shop, and Dr. Jesseka Kaldenberg-Leppert, co-owner of Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa, reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon, and director of the Fit Feet Program for Special Olympics Iowa.
-Submitted photo <BR> Dr. Jesseka Kaldenberg-Leppert, far right, co-owner of Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa, speaks during a Leading Ladies panel discussion.
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Once a quarter, women from across the Fort Dodge area are provided the opportunity to sit down together for lunch with one goal in mind: encouraging one another.
That is the heart of the Leading Ladies, a women-centered professional development program hosted by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance. The event is open to the public, and the next session is set for Dec. 3, at the Laramar Ballroom, 710 First Ave. N.
"It's all women, and they are there to uplift other women in their life," said Katy Grobe, marketing specialist at the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.
Grobe said the program has been running for an estimated three to four years. The idea came from Leah Glasgo, Fort Dodge market president of UnityPoint Health.
Leading Ladies is typically held over the lunch hour, though dates change each quarter and start times depend on the speaker. Lunch for the event is also included. Tickets cost $25 for Growth Alliance members, or $35 for nonmembers and can be purchased at the door or online through the Growth Alliance website.
The format changes from event to event. Past programs have featured Brenda Clark Hamilton, of Algona, who speaks to audiences across the country. The most recent sessions brought together four panelists of local businesswomen for a question-and-answer discussion.
Attendees asked the panelists about the hardest parts of running their businesses, and what got them through tough stretches. Grobe described it as real advice for the women in the room.
Past speakers have also included Afton Holt, owner of Corner Post Marketing; and Julie Thorson, president and chief executive officer of Friendship Haven.
Grobe said the experience is hard to put into words.
"It's hard to explain, but it really does give you a sense of the warm and fuzzies," she said.
The Dec. 3 program will feature the House of Color Fort Dodge Heartland, which offers color analysis services. Grobe said details of the event are still being finalized, but will be made available with other upcoming events on the community calendar on the Growth Alliance website.
The Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance expects to continue planning the 2027 Leading Ladies lineup later this month.