WILMA Magazine

Four workshops. Four opportunities to invest in yourself. ✨

At this year's Leadership Accelerator, you'll choose one of four breakout sessions designed to help you grow:

✨ My Self: The Hive Effect with Kimberly McLaughlin-Smith, founder of Courage2Become Consulting. Build the confidence to speak up with clarity and authenticity.

🤝 My Team: From Manager to Coach with Jennifer Adams, Global Director of Learning & Enablement at nCino. Learn how a coaching mindset can strengthen teams and leadership.

🌐 My Network: Reaching Out with Amy Conway and Lisa Leath. Discover practical ways to build authentic, meaningful professional connections.

💙 Get on Board with Fletcher Daniels and local nonprofit leaders. Explore how board service can grow your leadership and community impact.

Which workshop will you choose? Register for Accelerator and invest in yourself, your team, and your network. Visit WILMAAccelerator.com

Long before Kate Eames founded Finding the Fire Within, a locally-based women’s leadership retreat series, she forged her career in industries where women were the exception, not the rule.

Read "Igniting a Spark" below!

Photo by Drewe and Kate

Igniting a Spark - WILMA magazine Finding the Fire Within leadership retreats

“Many women have been taught that their value is measured by how much they give. And we give, fully and consistently. But sustainable impact requires something more. It requires that we first pour into ourselves,” writes Kimberly McLaughlin-Smith.

Read "Courage to Choose" below!

Photo by Logan Burke

Courage to Choose - WILMA magazine Kimberly McLaughlin-Smith on reprioritizing

✨ Calling Local Bracelet Designers! ✨

We're looking for a talented local maker to create custom bracelets for our 2026 Women to Watch Award winners. This is an opportunity to have your work featured as part of one of the region's premier celebrations of women's leadership and achievement.

The selected designer will also be featured in the Fall issue of WILMA Magazine, showcasing their business and craftsmanship.

If you're a bracelet designer or artisan interested in collaborating, we'd love to hear from you! Please email [email protected] with a link to your work and a little about your business.

Know someone who'd be a great fit? Tag them below!👇

WILMA Magazine Leadership + Lifestyle Since 2003

Sheri Leavens, Constance Foreman, and Crystal Pellom created , or 3LW, in 2021 to create “meaningful opportunities for Black professionals to find each other and connect.”

Read "Throwback Networking" below!

Throwback Networking - WILMA magazine Party like it’s 1999

The Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association recently hosted its 2026 MAX! Awards Gala at Cape Fear Community College’s Union Station, and many local women took home honors.

Read "Homebuilding Honors" below!

Homebuilding Honors - WILMA magazine Industry nods to the MAX!

This year’s Coastal Entrepreneur Awards recognize high-growth companies and impactful nonprofits in the region. The locally-based skin care line Unwind Collection by Creatively Covered Co. by DAWN MCDOWELL earned the nod in the Minority/Woman-Owned Business category.

Read "CEA Corner" below!

Photo by Madeline Gray

CEA Corner - WILMA magazine This year’s Coastal Entrepreneur Awards winners

She’s here, she’s stunning, and she’s got stories to tell. ✨

Meet our latest cover star,

Flip inside the latest issue for EVONNE VARADY’s powerful journey—how a cancer diagnosis sparked a complete life pivot, leading her to Wilmington, where she and her husband would franchise a thriving Clean Eatz business, and launch her podcast, Rebel Rootz.

Read "Tuning In" below!

Tuning In - WILMA magazine Evonne Varady’s podcast speaks volumes

See you tonight, May 28, for Elevate & Celebrate at Leland Brewing!

It will be an evening that fills your cup and reminds you why showing up always matters. 💖

My Self. My Team. My Network. 🌟 This year's WILMA Leadership Accelerator theme is about growing in the areas that matter most — no matter where you are in your career. A half-day of real conversations, practical tools, and the reminder that you're not navigating this alone. 💖 Are you in?

Tickets on sale now at WILMAAccelerator.com