The Coulee Courage Collective | A Dare to Lead Cohort for Women Leaders
About this Event
Most women in leadership don't need another book to read or another framework to memorize. They need a place to think out loud, wrestle with real challenges, practice courageous leadership, and be surrounded by women who understand what it's actually like to lead.
That's what this Dare to Lead cohort is.
Over several months, you'll join a small community of women committed to becoming the kind of leaders they want to be... that the world needs them to be. Together, we'll explore Brené Brown's research on courage, vulnerability, trust, and resilience while applying it directly to the real conversations, decisions, and challenges you're navigating every day.
This isn't leadership training you attend.
It's leadership you practice. Together.
What Makes this Different?
You'll certainly learn practical leadership skills. But just as importantly, you'll gain something much harder to find: a trusted circle of women who will challenge you, encourage you, celebrate your growth, and remind you that you don't have to figure leadership out alone.
Why a cohort?
Lasting change doesn't happen in a single day. It happens when you have time to learn, practice, reflect, and return with new experiences.
Between sessions, you'll have opportnities to apply what you're learning in your everyday leadership, then come back to the group to celebrate what's working, troubleshoot what isn't, and continue growing together
Each session blends:
- Practical Dare to Lead learning
- Honest conversation
- Reflection and application
- Real leadership challenges
- Practice using the tools in a supportive environment
Learning doesn't happen in isolation. It happens in community.
What You'll Walk Away With
By the end of this cohort, you will:
- Navigate hard conversations with greater confidence and clarity.
- Be clear on your core values and know how to actually live them under pressure.
- Build trust more intentionally with your team, peers, and stake holders.
- Strengthen your resilience so setbacks don't derail your confidence or momentum.
- Lead with more grounded confidence, clarity, self-trust, and stronger leadership presence.
- Apply practical tools immediately in meetings, feedback conversations, and team dynamics.
- Stop carrying leadership alone and gain a network of trusted peers.
You'll leave with stronger relationships, greater self-trust, and a community of women continue cheering on long after the cohort ends.
What We'll Explore Together
Throughout the cohort we'll work through Brené Brown's four courage skill sets:
- Rumbling with Vulnerability: Practice staying present in difficult conversations, uncertainty, feedback, and conflict instead of avoiding, over-functioning, or armoring up.
- Living into Your Values: Clarify what truly matters to you and how to align your decisions, boundaries, and leadership behaviors with those values.
- BRAVING Trust: Discover the specific behaviors that build trust and learn how to strengthen trust within your team and relationships.
- Learning to Rise: Develop the resilience skills to recover from setbacks, mistakes, and failures without losing your confidence and courage.
This is highly interactive and experiential, not passive learning. Expect reflection, discussion, practical application, and meaningful connection with other leaders. This group will be your sounding board long after the final day.
Who This Cohort is For
This experience is designed for women who:
- Want to become more courageous, grounded leaders
- Are ready to move beyond people pleasing, perfectionism, or over-functioning
- Value meaningful conversation as much as meaningful learning
- Believe leadership is about people... not just performance
- Want tools they can apply immediately
- Long for a community of women who are committed to growing together
Cohort Details
Dates: 3 Days
- Thursday, October 22
- Thursday, November 12
- Wednesday, December 2
Time: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm (light breakfast, lunch, snacks, and beverages included)
Location: La Crosse Country Club
Capacity: Limited to 24 leaders - small enough that you'll know everyone's name by week two.
Registration closes October 8, 2026 (EARLY BIRD ends September 11)
What's Included
- Dare to Lead™ Workbook
- Daring Leader Assessment
- Dare to Lead™ Participant Certificate (upon completion)
- Dare to Lead™ badge on your LinkedIn profile (upon completion)
- Membership into Lisa's Dare to Lead Community (preview the community)
Meet Your Guides
Lisa Brouwer will serve as your lead facilitator, bringing Brené Brown's Dare to Lead™ curriculum to life through engaging conversations, practical application, and real-world leadership experience.
Throughout the cohort, Melissa Klein will join Lisa as a coach and thought partner, helping create a supportive learning environment where meaningful conversations and lasting connections can flourish.
Meet Lisa Brouwer
Lisa has been immersed in Brené Brown's research since 2013 and was part of the inaugural class of Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitators in 2019. She brings this work to life through executive coaching, leadership development, keynote speaking, and transformative retreats centered on grounded confidence, courageous leadership, and authentic growth.
More than a framework, Dare to Lead has shaped how Lisa leads her business, builds community, navigates relationships, and shows up in everyday life. She believes courageous leadership starts from the inside out and that when one person chooses courage, the impact reaches far beyond themselves.
Meet Melissa Klein
Melissa is a Harvard-certified leadership coach with more than 30 years of leadership, coaching, and organizational development experience. She has partnered with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, manufacturers, higher education, and small businesses to help leaders grow with greater confidence, clarity, and purpose.
As a trusted executive coach and leadership advisor, Melissa is known for asking thoughtful questions, building meaningful relationships, and helping people translate insight into action. Her local roots and passion for developing leaders make her a natural partner in bringing The Courage Collective to the La Crosse community.
Have questions about this Courage Collective?
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Interested in bringing Dare to Lead™ to your team or organization? Email [email protected].
This collective experience does not certify you to teach the Dare to Lead™ curriculum.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 321.96 to USD 959.01
