Why the Most Powerful Thing I Saw at EO Women Summit Was Not on Stage

The 2026 EO Women Summit, which took place 8-11 June in Lisbon, Portugal, attracted 77 attendees and speakers from 38 EO chapters across the world. Featuring discussion circles, immersive cultural learn arounds, and three socials, the event inspired a powerful journey of growth and belonging. In case you missed it, the next annual EO Women gathering will be in Bali in June 2027; look for more details in coming months.

Sara Batalha, EO Portugal, served as Emcee for the 2026 EO Women Summit. We asked Sara what she learned and observed from her unique vantage point. Here’s what she shared:

As Emcee of the EO Women Summit 2026, I spent three days holding a microphone. But what stayed with me had very little to do with what happened on stage. 

From my position, I had a unique view. I saw the speakers, the audience and their reactions, the learning sessions, the celebrations, the standing ovations.

And I also saw something else.

I saw women arriving carrying invisible weight: The weight of responsibility, the weight of success and the weight of expectations. As so many entrepreneurs know, it can be challenging to carry the weight of being the person everyone else depends on.

And then I watched something remarkable happen.

Little by little, that weight became lighter. And it didn’t happen because anyone solved each other's problems. It happened because nobody had to carry them alone. We started to share, truly share; and as you know, sharing is caring—and so that is how I really met EO Women.

Let’s Talk About the Power Within

Entrepreneurship often rewards certainty. Yet some of the most powerful conversations I witnessed in Lisbon were not about confidence. They were about candid honesty. We shared bare, unvarnished, naked truths about the challenges we experience as women entrepreneurs. We held nothing back.

"Women spoke openly about burnout, identity, family, ambition, health, aging, purpose, and reinvention—not as weaknesses, but as realities."

— Sara Batalha, EO Portugal

And I absolutely loved it.

Women spoke openly about burnout, identity, family, ambition, health, aging, purpose, and reinvention—not as weaknesses, but as realities.

Recently, I have been thinking about how for years, leadership was associated with having all the answers. And what I saw in Lisbon reminded me that great leadership begins somewhere else:

With the courage to ask better questions.

I still feel in me the visual memory of the strongest women in the room. For me, they were the ones willing to be fully seen. Just as they were. Raw and beautiful, inside and out.

The Power Amplified

As founder of a company built around learning and human potential, I have always believed that transformation happens when knowledge becomes action and solves business problems. Otherwise, it is entertainment.

And what struck me throughout the Women Summit was how quickly ideas became possibilities.

One conversation sparked a collaboration. One insight reshaped a business strategy. One story gave someone permission to think bigger.

Maybe we underestimate the impact of sharing our experiences—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Well, I do, and I just confessed it here.

Nevertheless, every single breakthrough starts as a story someone is willing to tell, right? When women amplify one another, confidence spreads faster than competition ever could.

The Power Beyond

The final lesson was the one I did not expect.

The most important conversations were not about scaling companies; they were actually about scaling impact.

Legacy appeared again and again throughout the Summit. Not legacy as something we leave behind. Legacy as something we build every day through the people we influence, the opportunities we create, and the example we set.

Success matters and yes, growth matters. But what ultimately endures is the positive effect we have on others. This is a core value for me.

The Real Power of Us

Maybe I’m biased, but I believe Lisbon was a fitting host for this year's Summit.

“When ambitious women stop trying to prove their value and start sharing their strength, everyone rises.”

— Sara Batalha, EO Portugal

Portugal has always been a place where journeys begin. For centuries, people left these shores searching for new worlds.

The EO Women Summit reminded me that the most important discoveries are often not geographical; they are human.
As I looked across a room filled with extraordinary women from around the world, I realized that the greatest resource available to any entrepreneur is much more than capital, technology, or even strategy: It is community.

The kind of community that challenges you, supports you, and celebrates you. And yes, the ones that remind you who you are when you forget.

If I had to summarize the emotional heartbeat of the EO Women Summit 2026 in one sentence, it would be this:

“When ambitious women stop trying to prove their value and start sharing their strength, everyone rises.”

And this is how I met EO Women.

This post contributed to EO by Sara Batalha, an EO Portugal member who is the founder and CEO of MTW Portugal — Communication as Solution, which offers strategic communication consulting services for leaders. Sara served as emcee for the 2026 EO Women Summit in Lisbon, Portugal. Mark your calendars for June 2027 in Bali for the next global EO Women gathering.

Additional posts of interest:

• 5 Lessons Learned Chairing the EO Women Global Summit 2025
• How EO Women Are Reshaping Modern Leadership
• How One EO Leader is Pioneering a New Community for Women Entrepreneurs in Japan
• 5 Must-Listen EO Wonder Podcasts Featuring Trailblazing Women
• By Women, For Women: How One Entrepreneur Built a Business Where Women Can Thrive