Level Up 2026
Description
We are thrilled to announce that Level Up, our one-day professional development conference, is returning this September, in partnership with Genea Newcastle.
With a strong focus on self-development, Level Up is designed to give women the opportunity to step away from the demands of everyday life and immerse themselves in a day of learning, reflection, connection and growth.
This year, we'll be exploring five powerful themes: self-awareness, self-leadership, self-wealth, self-management and self-motivation.
Together, these themes form the foundation for personal and professional growth. Whether you're looking to lead with greater confidence, better understand yourself, build financial knowledge, create healthier habits, or reignite your motivation, Level Up will leave you with practical tools and fresh perspectives.
Here’s who’s taking the stage so far:
Emma Page – Founder and Financial Advisor of Lumaire Wealth
Janessa Douglass – Identity Coach and Entrepreneur
Storm Menzies – Founder of ByStorm Beauty and disability advocate
Sara & Maddy - Founders of Kate & Kole
Liz Svensk - CEO and Co Owner of Adept Engineering
Ilana Lawrence - Founder of The Sick Sense and the BCP Hub
Who is Level Up 2026 for?
If you're working in a corporate or professional role, Level Up is for team leaders and team members looking for a fresh perspective on professional development and personal growth. Through keynote presentations, practical workshops and inspiring conversations, you'll gain valuable insights that can be applied immediately in your career, leadership and everyday life. You'll also have the opportunity to connect with a diverse network of professionals from across the Hunter region.
If you're self-employed, Level Up provides the opportunity to step away from the day-to-day demands of running a business and focus on your own development. Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or leading a growing team, the conference offers practical insights, honest conversations and meaningful connections that will help you work on yourself, not just your business.
Join us for an incredible day of thought-provoking conversations, practical takeaways and inspiring speakers who will challenge you to think differently about what growth can look like.
In addition to hearing from influential and refreshingly honest speakers, you'll enjoy plenty of opportunities to strengthen existing connections, build new ones and celebrate the day with our much loved cocktail hour.
Because when you invest in yourself, everything else benefits too 💙
The Gen Collective Level Up Conference is proudly presented in partnership with Genea Newcastle, our Naming Rights Partner and a recognised leader in fertility and reproductive healthcare. Their support is instrumental in bringing together professionals, business leaders and industry experts from across the Hunter for a day of thought leadership, knowledge sharing and meaningful connection. We are also pleased to acknowledge Gold Sponsors, Fourth Wave Wine and Hunter Financial and Silver Sponsors, Ruppert Legal and First National Port Stephens, along with Novo Finance, our Coffee Cart Sponsor.
Meet Our Speakers
Storm Menzies
Storm Menzies was born with mild cerebral palsy affecting the right side of her body. She has spent her whole life engineering workarounds for things most people never think twice about, and that experience is what built her business and makes her different on stage. She founded ByStorm Beauty after realising that less than 4% of personal care products are accessible, no design guidelines exist, and an industry that spends billions on diversity has barely acknowledged the problem. Her response was not a campaign. It was a product: soft, beautifully designed grip attachments that snap onto the makeup people already own, co-designed with a Lived Experience Advisory Group and backed by original research involving 1,500+ occupational therapy students. ByStorm is now in L'Oreal ANZ's incubation program, with a pilot in development. Storm has won $30,000 equity-free through the Kickstarter Challenge Grand Final, sold 2,000+ units in her first three months on market, and launched a national collaboration with Celeste Barber's BOOIE brand. A sought-after speaker across beauty, startup, disability, and corporate sectors, Storm has delivered 70+ engagements and been featured in Vogue Australia, Marie Claire, ABC Radio, and Channel 9 News — all with zero paid PR spend.
Janessa Douglass
Janessa Douglass is a wife, mother, entrepreneur, speaker, Identity and Transformation Coach, and founder of Ignite By Janessa. For the past decade, Janessa has helped thousands of ambitious women around the world reconnect with who they truly are beneath the expectations, conditioning, roles and identities they have accumulated throughout life. Passionate about human potential, emotional mastery and lasting transformation, her work explores the powerful connection between identity, self-worth, self-trust and the way we show up in the world. Through a unique blend of evidence-based coaching, nervous system awareness, emotional integration and deep identity work, Janessa helps women break free from the pressure to constantly perform, please, push and prove themselves — and discover that their worth was never dependent on any of it. She is known for creating conversations that are equal parts insightful, practical and deeply transformative, helping women remember who they are beneath the noise and build self-trust from the inside out.
Emma Page
Emma Page is the Founder and Managing Director of Lumaire Wealth and a passionate advocate for using AI to transform financial advice. She helps professional women make confident financial decisions while leading innovation in advice delivery, compliance and business operations through practical, human-centred technology solutions.
Liz Svensk
Adept Engineering is Australia's largest independent pressure equipment inspection company, with now 40 years of experience delivering boiler and pressure vessel inspections, plant registration, and boiler training services to clients nationwide. Elizabeth (Liz) Svensk is the CEO and co-owner of Adept, having taken the helm of the family-founded business and driven a significant transformation - including a full rebrand, systems overhaul, and cultural renewal. Under her leadership, Adept has continued to grow its national footprint while maintaining its NATA ISO 17020 Type A accreditation, the highest standard for pressure vessel inspection in Australia.
Kate & Kole
Kate & Kole was founded in 2015 by two friends, Sara and Madalynne, with the goal of creating sustainable, quality, design-led fine jewellery. What started as a side-project from a home studio in Newcastle, has evolved into a fully-fledged Australian-born ring concierge and jewellery brand, with signature collections, engagement and wedding suites and a custom jewellery design service.
Ilana Lawrence
Ilana Lawrence is a paediatric nurse, educator, entrepreneur and mother of two with more than 14 years' experience in paediatric healthcare. Drawing on her frontline clinical experience and personal journey, she has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between healthcare and the community by improving health literacy, empowering families and creating greater access to collaborative care. As the founder of The Sick Sense and the BCP Hub, Ilana has created an interconnected ecosystem that supports families from pregnancy through parenthood. Through specialised baby and child first aid education, nationally accredited training, practical health resources and a multidisciplinary community of medical, allied health and complementary practitioners, her mission is to ensure families feel informed, confident and supported before they ever face a crisis. Passionate about prevention, education and community, Ilana is redefining what accessible, family centred healthcare looks like—one family, one place, one village, one connection at a time.
Our Sponsors & Annual Partners
The Gen Collective Level Up Conference is proudly presented in partnership with Genea Newcastle, our Naming Rights Partner and a recognised leader in fertility and reproductive healthcare. Their support is instrumental in bringing together professionals, business leaders and industry experts from across the Hunter for a day of thought leadership, knowledge sharing and meaningful connection. We are also pleased to acknowledge Gold Sponsors, Fourth Wave Wine and Hunter Financial and Silver Sponsors, Ruppert Legal and First National Port Stephens, along with Novo Finance, our Coffee Cart Sponsor.
We also proudly recognise our Annual Partners: LH Agenda, Myf Garven Creative, Alexandra Joy, Williams Accounting Concepts, Skintifix, and MOA & Co. Their ongoing support extends beyond a single event and plays an important role in helping Gen Collective deliver a year-round calendar of professional development, networking and community-focused initiatives. Together, our sponsors and annual partners contribute to a connected and thriving business community, helping create opportunities for collaboration, shared learning and meaningful professional relationships across the Hunter region.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
