A powerful intersection of storytelling, visibility, and community-building

In  this keynote address April Adams Pertuis reveals how remarkable leaders don’t just speak to an audience… they activate one.

Drawing from her 30 years as a journalist and founder of the LIGHTbeamers storytelling movement, April reframes leadership visibility from performance to partnership. Leaders learn how to shift from being “the expert in the front of the room” to becoming the catalyst of belonging — the kind that transforms people (audience, consumers, employees, stakeholders) into a loyal, values-aligned community.

This keynote is inspiring, deeply connective, and immediately actionable — leaving participants with a clear framework to build belonging everywhere they lead.

Audience Takeaways

Participants will walk away with:

• A clear definition of Belonging as a leadership strategy — and the 3 essential elements every audience needs to feel safe, connected, and engaged.
  
  
• A storytelling framework they can use immediately to build trust quickly and authentically — in person, online, or on stage.
  
  
• A blueprint to shift their role from speaker to community builder, elevating loyalty, retention, referrals, and engagement.
  
  
• A repeatable relationship-building pathway they can apply across teams, clients, and audiences to strengthen connection and accelerate action.
  
  
• A personalized Belonging Action Plan to carry the message forward beyond the keynote.
  
  

Perfect For:

This keynote is ideal for:

✨ Women's Leadership Conferences
✨ Entrepreneur + Small Business Events
✨ Corporate Women’s ERGs & DEI Initiatives
✨ Coaching & Membership-Based Communities
✨ Faith-Based or Mission-Driven Organizations
✨ Retreats, Associations, and Professional Networks
✨ Summits focused on influence, connection, and visibility

If your audience is full of women leaders, visionaries, executives, founders, or community builders who know their message matters — but need a deeper level of connection to make their message move people — this keynote is the perfect fit.

What Makes This Talk Different

This isn’t another motivational talk about networking or engagement.

This keynote gives women:

✔ A psychological understanding of how belonging drives action
✔ A storytelling method built specifically for connection and visibility
✔ A human-first leadership model that feels natural, not forced
✔ A proven system April has used to build a thriving global community

Attendees won’t just hear a message — they will experience belonging in the room.

A dismantling of the silent, pervasive force holding women back. 

This isn's about clichés, mindset hacks, or surface-level confidence tips.

Instead, April shares the true antidote to imposter syndrome: stepping into NEWNESS — new rooms, new opportunities, new identity — even when (especially when) fear whispers you’re not ready.

Through her deeply personal Paris “red dress” story and powerful interactive moments, attendees will recognize how their desire to be visible is fighting against their fear of being seen. And they will walk away equipped with the tools, truth, and inner permission to stop shrinking and step boldly into the spotlight they were meant for.

This keynote is inspiring, emotional, empowering — and truly unforgettable.

Audiences have repeatedly reported embarking on their own "Red Dress Year" after hearing April deliver this talk. 

Audience Takeaways

Participants will learn:

• What Imposter Syndrome really is (and why high-achieving women struggle with it the most — especially those called to lead).
  
  
• How to identify their personal “visibility resistance pattern” — the subconscious habits that keep them small, silent, or “not ready.”
  
  
• A practical storytelling exercise to rewire fear-based self-talk and reclaim confidence rooted in truth, not performance.
  
  
• The NEWNESS Framework™ — a repeatable approach to choosing growth over retreat in personal, professional, and public-facing moments.
  
  
• Their customized “Red Dress Decision” — a personal commitment they can immediately apply when fear tries to keep them invisible.
  
  

Perfect For:

This keynote is a powerful fit for:

✨ Women’s Leadership & Empowerment Conferences
✨ Corporate Women’s ERGs and Professional Development Tracks
✨ Entrepreneurship & Small Business Events
✨ Coaching Communities & Membership Programs
✨ Personal Growth, Mindset, or Retreat Environments
✨ Events focused on visibility, confidence, speaking, storytelling, or influence

Ideal for audiences who are ready to step into a bigger chapter — professionally, personally, or publicly — but need the permission and pathway to do it without apology, perfection, or comparison.

What Makes This Talk Different

Many talks inspire confidence.
This one activates identity.

Attendees won’t just leave believing they can do hard things — they’ll leave having already made the internal identity shift required to do them.

They will walk out with:

✔ A new relationship with visibility
✔ A clear action commitment
✔ A story they will never forget — and will anchor into their next bold move

This keynote isn’t just motivational.
It’s catalytic.