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BRILLIANT WOMEN MASTERMINDÂ
 There is something that happens when the right women come together in a space that is truly safe — where nothing has to be performed, nothing has to be proved, and the work can be real.
That's what this is.
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CHICAGO 27-28 MAY 2026
ONLY 8 WOMEN. TWO DAYS. ONE ROOM THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
 27-28 May 2026
A carefully held space where you can step back from everything you're carrying, reconnect with who you are and where you're going, and move forward with clarity, strategy, and a community of women who will have your back long after you leave the room.
 How long have you been carrying — your ambitions, your responsibilities, your questions about what's next — largely on your own?
Because I've spent over thirty years working with women leaders. And one of the things I see most consistently is this:
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the most capable, brilliant women in any room are often the ones working the hardest — and the most alone.
That's why I created Brilliant Women Mastermind.
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This May, in Chicago, I'm bringing together a small group of women for two days of deep, real, transformational work. Not a conference. Not a course. A space that is intimate, safe, and carefully held, where you can put down what you've been carrying, get honest about where you are and where you want to go, and do that work in the company of women who truly get it.
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Women leave with clarity, a concrete plan, and with a community that doesn't end when the two days do.
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There are only eight seats. And I'm filling them personally — with women I believe are ready for this.
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If something in you is saying yes — even quietly — I'd love for you to be in the room.
Come and find out more. I'll be right here.
Is This For You?
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You are good at what you do. You show up, you deliver, you hold a lot — for your team, your organisation, your family, often all at once.Â
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And yet...
There are questions you haven't had the space to sit with.
Goals that keep getting pushed to the back.
A version of yourself you can feel but haven't quite stepped into yet.
Maybe you're navigating an environment that doesn't always see you clearly. Maybe you're wondering whether to stay or go, to push forward or pivot. Maybe you're simply running on less than you should be, and you know it.
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You don't lack ability. You don't lack drive. What might be missing is a space that is genuinely yours — where you can think out loud, be honest, be supported, and be reminded of exactly how much is possible.
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If any of this resonates — even a little — keep reading. This was made for you.
What these two days actually are.
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This is not a conference. It is not a course. There are no strangers in the audience, no one performing for the room.
It is two full days in a stunning private townhouse in Chicago's Gold Coast — just eight women and thirty years of carefully honed expertise — designed to create the kind of breakthroughs that only happen when the space is safe and the work is truly deep.
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We work across three areas that shape everything:
Career. Community. Identity.
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Not in isolation — but as the interconnected, living parts of a whole woman's life that they actually are.
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The methodology draws on systemic theory, emotional intelligence, and Shirley's proprietary coaching frameworks — but you won't feel like you're in a methodology. You'll feel like something is shifting.
Are you ready to be brilliant together at Brilliant Woman Mastermind?
When brilliant women connect, the alchemy is palpable, and the wisdom is in the room.
How the Two Days Flow:
Day 1Â
Arrive. Exhale. Begin.
We ease in with connection and light refreshments before moving into deep, high-impact work. This is where you start to put down what you've been carrying and get honest about where you are and where you want to go.
Breakfast from 7:30am. Session runs 8:30am–5:30pm.
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Day 2
Get Strategic. Get Bold.
This is where individual insight becomes collective wisdom. You'll bring your real challenges to the room and watch the group's intelligence go to work on them.
By the afternoon, everything we've explored becomes your personal action plan — a clear, written roadmap for the next three to six months of your life and leadership.
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After the 2 days:
Be in ActionÂ
The community doesn't end when you leave the room. Two follow-up cohort calls with Shirley are built into the program to keep you connected, accountable, and moving forward.
YOUR GUIDE:Â SHIRLEY MCALPINE
I've spent over thirty years sitting across from women leaders — in boardrooms, in coaching sessions, in rooms where they finally said the thing they'd never said out loud before.
And what I've learned, more than anything, is this: the most brilliant women are rarely held back by lack of ability or ambition. They are held back by the absence of a space where they can be fully themselves — seen, supported, and challenged by people who genuinely understand the terrain they're navigating.
Brilliant Women Mastermind exists because I wanted to build that space. Deliberately. With everything I know.
I bring to these two days thirty years of executive coaching and leadership development in 15 countries across the UK, US, Europe, and Africa. I hold a PCC accreditation from the International Coaching Federation and draw on systemic theory, emotional intelligence, Gestalt, and the Intercultural Development Inventory in my work. I've partnered with Fortune 100 companies, the UN Foundation, national midwifery, and organizations working at the leading edge of sustainable energy and climate. I chaired the inaugural Inspiring Black and Asian Leader Windsor Leadership Programme at Windsor Castle. I founded the She's Got Drive podcast to elevate the voices of Black women. I have spent my career at the intersection of leadership, equity, and human potential.
But what matters most in that room is not my rĂ©sumĂ©.Â
What matters is that I know how to hold a space where real transformation can happen, a space where healing can happen — and I care deeply about every woman who walks through the door.
"She never rests in service of her clients. As a result, extraordinary, life-shifting experiences happen. She is easily among the top 1% of coaches I know."
— Fran Johnston, Founder, Teleos Leadership Institute
You can read more about Shirley and her work here.Â
WHAT PARTICIPANTS WOMEN SAY
"In inimitable fashion, Shirley created and led a unique program for a group of accomplished, committed women to come together to form community and to explore, learn, and support each other in manifesting our highest selves and aspirations — in our lives and in our work. We had the unusual opportunity to share about ourselves, to receive perspective and support, and to develop specific plans for moving our work and our lives forward. I recommend Brilliant Women Mastermind for anyone who craves the community of women and the unique and brilliant wisdom of Shirley McAlpine on her life's journey."
- Mary Lawlor, Founding Executive Director, Policy Institute for Community Birth and Midwifery
“From a D&I perspective, as we think about the sense of belonging that we’re trying to create, we know that it’s about the whole person and the whole person feeling satisfied. Offering a program that addresses participants lives as a whole, not just their work is key to the success of our goals.”
- Cecilia Nelson-Hunt, former Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion, L'Oréal (Program Sponsor)
"I think overall I felt, in the best way possible, overwhelmed with gratitude. There was so much community and healing that happened in that space, intentionally and unintentionally. And what allowed me to show up as my best self is seeing everyone else show up, and be courageous and be brave, and uplift each other, even without knowing each other, or just knowing each other for just a few minutes. There was still so much support that we were able to offer. I couldn't have asked for anything better."Â Â
- Kezena Brown, Former Principal, School in the Square Public Charter School
"I'm a very solutions-oriented person — all about logically solving the problem. So what I didn't expect to get was a level of confidence in moving forward. I didn't realize there was a level of fear and some things holding me back from actually getting to where it is that I say I want to go. I walked away with confidence I didn't even know I needed. And I also walked away with relief, grace, and compassion for myself that I didn't realize I wasn't giving to myself. Those are the two biggest gifts that I got that I didn't expect."
— Nikki Stanley, Brilliant Women Mastermind participant
Kemoy's story
I want to share something with you — because it might be exactly where you are right now.
Kemoy came to the Mastermind at a crossroads. She had the knowledge, the ambition, the drive. But something wasn't quite clicking. She felt stuck in a way she couldn't fully name.Â
She told me afterwards that she came expecting to learn some new information to help her. What happened instead was something she didn't see coming — a complete shift in how she saw herself and what was possible. She left with clarity she hadn't had before. And just weeks later, she landed a new role she hadn't believed was even within reach.
In her words:
"This experience was the catalyst, the fire, the match. Without it, I wouldn't have had the clarity to move forward. This was one of the most transformative experiences of my life."
That's what two days in the right room can do.
YOUR INVESTMENT
Brilliant Women Mastermind - Chicago
 27–28 May 2026
· Gold Coast · Only 8 spaces
$1,499
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This includes both full days, all materials, breakfast, lunch and refreshments, and two follow-up group cohort calls with Shirley after the event.
I know this is a meaningful investment — particularly right now, when so many of us are navigating real uncertainty.
If you'd like to talk it through before you commit, I'm here. That conversation costs nothing and comes with no pressure.
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A payment plan of two instalments of $750 is also available — just reach out and we'll arrange it.
If your organisation is sponsoring your place, we're happy to provide an invoice for reimbursement.
Not ready for the Mastermind right now? There's another way in!
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The Brilliant Women CollectiveÂ
is an intimate, virtual community for women who want ongoing support, connection, and growth — not just for two days, but as a sustained and living part of their professional lives.
Right now there are six women in this community. When you join, you don't enter an empty room — you step into something that already has warmth, history, and real relationships in it. A small, intimate, ongoing space where the work continues.
$1,000 per year paid in full orÂ
$1,200 per year paid monthly at $100 per month
If the Mastermind is calling you but the timing isn't right, the Collective is a meaningful place to begin. And when you complete the Mastermind — this is also how you stay connected.
Find out more about the Brilliant Women Collective here
Our methodology blends Shirley McAlpine’s proprietary approaches with research based strategies rooted in the theory of change and systemic theory, resulting in profound transformations. This, combined with practical and grounded plans, and the unique alchemy that happens when women come together to support one another, creates a powerful and impactful experience for every participant.
BE
BRILLIANTÂ
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TOGETHER
Brilliant Women Mastermind invites women to be BOLD & AUDACIOUS and DARE TO BE THEMSELVES.
This is a full two day experience with an intimate group of 8 women in a space curated to ensure safety, confidentiality and compassion.Â
