Tomorrow Talk: Giving Voice to the Unspoken - Courageous Conversations That Change Everything
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Tue, Mar. 24
6:30 - 8:00 pm
Tom Tom Foundation, 100 W. South St
As we prepare for the 14th Annual Tom Tom Festival (April 22–26, 2026), whose theme is COURAGE, the Tomorrow Talk series invites us to explore what courage looks like—in our personal lives, our neighborhoods, our communities, and our society.
Silence keeps systems intact. Courage changes them. Some of the most important conversations are the ones we’ve been taught not to have about power, gender, grief, money, identity, health, ambition, or the quiet tensions that shape our lives and institutions. And yet, progress almost always begins the same way: someone decides to speak.
In this Tomorrow Talk, Kate Byrne of Women Advancing leads a discussion with Gail Burrell Gerry, author of Here to Stay: The Story of the Class of Women Who Coeducated the University of Virginia, Natasha White, of Broken Crayons Can Still Color, and Jenny Lynn Walding, the founder of milkmade Innovations, Inc., come together for a candid, intergenerational conversation about courage, the kind required to name what’s been hidden, challenge what’s been normalized, and give voice to experiences that don’t always fit polite narratives.
Drawing from their personal journeys and leadership paths that resulted in the coeducation of the University of Virginia, the protection of an innocent person on death row, and bringing to light health issues faced by mothers and women considered taboo, they’ll explore what it takes to start the conversations others avoid, and how those moments of truth can ripple outward into culture, community, and change.
This event marks the opening of the Women Advancing 2026 All Women Summit: Speak. Lead. Thrive.—a three-part journey that continues at Tom Tom and culminates in the October Women Advancing Summit: Whole Women Across Generations. Because the future doesn’t just need better strategies. It needs braver voices.
Registration is required. Tickets are offered at GA ($30) or Scholarship ($15) prices.
FACILITATORS
Gail Burrell Gerry, Author of Here to Stay
After graduating from the College, Gail Burrell Gerry worked in publishing before starting a 20-year career in public education that included stints as a high school principal, literacy director, and state-department leader of professional learning. She then founded Research, Planning and Evaluation, Inc. As president, she provided organizational development and research services to numerous foundations, school districts and universities across the country. She also had long-term international projects in Jordan and Thailand.Gail’s book, HERE TO STAY: THE STORY OF THE CLASS OF WOMEN WHO EDUCATED THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA was published by University ofVirginia Press in Spring 2025. Gail was an English major at UVA and has finished her first novel. She enjoys swimming, reading, grandparenting, and advocating for children's rights and social justice.
Natasha White, Founder of Broken Crayons Can Still Color
Natasha White is a formerly incarcerated survivor of solitary confinement and a leading advocate for decarceration and human rights, whose work includes leadership with the Close Rikers Movement and major reform efforts such as the Less Is More Campaign and the HALT Solitary Campaign, which secured landmark legislation in 2021. After relocating to Virginia, she became Coordinator for the Virginia Coalition on Solitary Confinement and has led the Solitary No More VA since 2021, expanding public engagement with legislators, universities, and impacted families. Her leadership has been recognized by the National Association of Social Workers, and she serves on the board of OAR of Richmond while working as Director of Community Engagement at Interfaith Action for Human Rights. Natasha is also the Virginia and Maryland state representative for Unlock the Box Campaign, the CEO and founder of Broken Crayons Can Still Color, and a graduate of the Columbia University Center for Justice Women Transcending Leadership Institute.
Jenny Lynn Walding, Founder of milkmade
Inspired by her own breastfeeding challenges abroad, Jenny Lynn Walding is the founder of milkmade—a connected, sensor-enabled medical device designed to measure milk transfer and latch quality after her daughter experienced malnourishment caused by undiagnosed tongue-tie. Having navigated birth and infant-feeding care in both Australia and the United States, Jenny Lynn brings deep, lived insight into the isolation many parents face and advocates for a full spectrum of support that improves outcomes for families. A Certified Lactation Counselor and HealthTech marketing strategist, she is also a leader with LACT-ion, combining entrepreneurial drive with clinical validation to help bring milkmade—now patent pending—to families worldwide.
Kate Byrne, Founder, Women Advancing
Kate is a seasoned C-suite executive and advisor who has built and led with globally recognized brands including Katapult X, SOCAP Global, Bloomberg Businessweek, Inc., Fast Company, Tides, and the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Her work spans funding and impact investing, intentional leadership under pressure, intergenerational team leadership, and trust as a strategic asset; she also hosts the podcasts Women Advancing and Rebels with a Purpose, contributes to Impact Entrepreneur, and has been named to the Folio Most Influential Media Leaders list. Kate currently serves as Co-Facilitator Lead for the University of Virginia Karsh Institute of Democracy Civic Cornerstone Fellowship Dialogue Program and as Senior Thought Leadership Strategy Advisor to the Batten Institute for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology at Darden School of Business, and is co-founder of CARE360, a global initiative advancing intentional leadership and human-AI fluency across generations.
Women Advancing is a real-talk leadership platform hosted by Kate Byrne, featuring candid, unfiltered conversations with founders, executives, artists, authors, investors, and changemakers navigating business, technology, capital, culture, and systems change—without the buzzwords. Each episode goes beyond surface-level success stories to explore the real decisions, tradeoffs, failures, and values that shape meaningful leadership, creating space for honest dialogue about power, progress, and purpose—from ethical AI and impact investing to coalition-building, intergenerational teams, and redefining ambition.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Tomorrow Talks are a year-long series that picks up critical themes from our April Festival and continues the conversations to create impact in Charlottesville. Each session is facilitated with an emphasis on participation, connection, and new collaborations. Tomorrow Talks begin with a connection exercise or meditation, and proceed into a presentation and breakout activities. They aim to impart knowledge that is practical and relevant to people's lived experience; combining academic or theoretical insights, alongside pragmatic tools, and experiential and somatic learnings.
