What does it actually look like to rebuild after everything falls apart? At our October 2025 Women of Influence Luncheon at Terrain Devon, three local women got on stage and answered that question — honestly, vulnerably, and with the kind of hard-won wisdom you can only earn by living it.

2025’s theme was The Power of Rising: Resilience Stories of Women of Influence, and the talks delivered exactly that across three events — on the Main Line, in Bucks County, and in Philadelphia (visit our linked sister sites to watch them all). The Main Line Women of Influence Luncheon hosted more than 100 local women business, nonprofit, and community leaders. No polished highlight reels. No LinkedIn-ready origin stories. Just real women sharing the moments that broke them open — and what they built from the pieces.

Watch all three talks below, and scroll down for the key insights each speaker shared.

Feature photo by AMC Photography Studios.

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Resilience Story #1: Successful Women of Influence Reconstruct

Watch Coral Edwards’ talk, Rise Through Authentic Transformation:

When life pulls you apart, Coral Edwards says, don’t rush to rebuild the old version of yourself. That’s the trap. Her talk at Terrain Devon challenged the audience to sit with the discomfort of not-knowing long enough to hear what their intuition is actually saying — because that whisper often knows more than your resume does.

Coral’s framework for rising authentically:

• Listen to your intuition—that whisper often knows more than your resume.
• Make space to realign with your values and honor what truly matters.
• Resilience isn’t about bouncing back. It’s about becoming who you were always meant to be.

Coral is a member of our class of 2024 Women of Influence Award Winners alumni. Read her profile here.

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Resilience Story #2: Successful Women of Influence Pivot

Watch Dr. Seema Bonney’ talk, Changw Direction Before Crisis Forces Your Hand.

Dr. Seema Bonney knows what it looks like to be successful on paper while quietly running on empty. Her talk was a wake-up call for anyone who has ever told themselves “I’ll slow down when things calm down” — because as she’ll tell you, that moment rarely comes on its own.

The good news? You don’t need a crisis to choose a different path. You just need the courage to pivot before one finds you.

Dr. Bonney’s takeaways for intentional reinvention:

• Recognize when reactive living is stealing your vitality and purpose, even when you’re “successful.”
• Use wake-up moments—whether gentle whispers or dramatic stops—as catalysts for
  intentional change.
• Transform your expertise into purpose-driven work that prevents others from needing
  the crisis you survived.

Anti-Aging & Longevity Center of Philadelphia supports the Women of Influence Network as a sponsor.

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Resilience Story #3: Successful Women of Infuence Cultivate

Watch Lara Mattey’s talk, Build the Inclusive Environment You Wish Existed.

Lara Aman Mattey built a business — and then rebuilt the culture around it. Her talk explored what it takes to lead in a way that creates real flexibility and inclusion from the inside out, not as a policy, but as a practice.

As a photographer who has built a team she’s deeply proud of, Lara spoke to the leaders in the room: your role isn’t just to open doors. It’s to design a workplace where people can define what success looks like for themselves.

Lara’s principles for cultivating an inclusive environment:

• Design flexibility and inclusion as core principles, celebrating that all families look unique.
• Define work-life balance on your own terms and allow others to do the same.
• Provide tools for your team which can include education, seminars, equipment, budget, and networking at events like Women of Influence that can expand their perspectives and creativity.  We aren’t the experts on everything so expand their resources.
• Use your leadership to build the culture you wished existed when you needed it most.

Lara is a member of our class of 2023 Women of Influence Award Winners alumni. Read her profile here. Ivory Tree Portraits supports the Women of Influence Network as a sponsor. Read their story — Ivory Tree Portraits: Building Kids’ Confidence Through Natural Photography.

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The Full 2025 Women of Influence Speaker Series

These three talks were presented across three Women of Influence Luncheons in a series spanning the Greater Philadelphia region. Explore the full lineup:

• Resilience Stories from Main Line Women of Influence — you’re here
• Resilience Stories from Bucks County Women of Influence — featuring Dr. Melissa Lee-Agawa, Corina Jenkins, and Sarah Bond
• Resilience Stories from Philadelphia Women of Influence — featuring Dr. Michelle El Khoury, Dr. Brooke Goodspeed, and Perri Shaw Borish

Nominations for the 2026 Women of Influence Awards open March 8, 2026 and close Mother’s Day, May 10, 2026. Submit your nomination and get your tickets to join us May 7th for Mom’s Night Out for Mother’s Day for some Speed Networking with the Women of Influence Network.

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