The idea lingered in her brain for six years until it finally became reality when Molly Tomlinson, assistant principal of athletics, created the EmpowerHER conference, which first took place at Deerfield High School in 2025.
“I wanted [female] student-athletes to see how sports can be your springboard to something great once you graduate high school,” said Tomlinson. “That could be a CEO of a company, that could be an entrepreneur, that could be an athletic director, that could be a teacher, so it could be many things, but it’s like, ‘Okay, how [do] sports help set you up for that success?’”
The purpose of the event is to help everyone who attends build their knowledge on ways they can support female athletes and to inspire, empower and educate female athletes on how sports can help them succeed, Tomlinson said.
During the event, students attended breakout sessions that covered topics including leadership development, nutrition, strength and conditioning, mental performance, confidence building, career advancement in athletics and equity in sports.
“We have a strength and conditioning session in the weight room where [a speaker talks] about how to take care of your bodies and different exercises you can do both in the weight room and easy things you can do at home,” Tomlinson said.
The weight room breakout session specifically focused on the ACL and MCL because statistics show that female athletes, particularly teenagers, deal with more ACL tears than male athletes, Tomlinson said.
The second annual EmpowerHER conference took place on Feb. 16, 2026 at Glenbrook North. The scheduled keynote speaker at this year’s conference was Dr. Wendy Ellis Jones.
“I started researching her online and realized she actually is branded as the NIL doctor, so I just read more into her story,” said Tomlinson. “And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, she has a track background, [and] she’s a [Loras College Athletic] hall of famer.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I think this is almost perfect.’”
At the 2025 conference, Tomlinson’s favorite part came during the closing session, when participants came back together and volunteered to share takeaways, Tomlinson said.
“Hands just kept going up in the audience for people to share some takeaways and inspirations or connections they made with student athletes from other schools,” Tomlinson said.
According to senior Kate Nelson, when reflecting on the 2025 EmpowerHER conference, she thought knowing that everyone in the breakout rooms was interested in the same topics, was an athlete and had something in common with her was nice.
There were over 500 people registered and 30 high schools represented at this year’s conference as of Feb 2.
“If we could give teenage girls some more tools in their toolbox to succeed and maybe build their self confidence or give them a little bit more education towards mental resilience or strength and conditioning…I feel like then we would maybe increase the numbers [of female leaders],” Tomlinson said.