Share Your Cinderella Story at the Live Cinderella Summit

Every woman carries a story inside her, a private narrative of survival, reinvention, and quiet courage. If you've walked through a meaningful challenge, a turning point, or a transformation and come out the other side with wisdom to share, we'd love for you to apply to speak at The Cinderella Summit.

This summit was inspired by the four book series, The Cinderella Monologues, a collection created to honor women whose lived experiences deserve to be celebrated, not buried. You don't need to be a professional speaker. If you have a heartfelt Cinderella story and you're willing to share it in a warm, inspiring conversation, this summit may be exactly where your voice belongs.

About the Summit

The Cinderella Summit is a live virtual gathering that celebrates women who have lived through struggle, transition, and reinvention, and who have emerged with something worth passing on. Hosted by Mila Johansen of Pen to Published, the summit features heartfelt conversations with Cinderella authors, storytellers, and featured guests whose experiences remind other women that their own stories matter too.

This is a story-driven, inspirational, and community-centered gathering. Some of our speakers are seasoned authors and coaches. Many are everyday women who have never called themselves a speaker or author, and whose value is the story itself.

• Dates: Thursday, September 17th through Saturday, September 19th (Thursday to Saturday)
• Daily start time: 11:00 AM ET / 10:00 AM CT / 8:00 AM PT
• Format: A live virtual summit hosted in a single, simple Zoom room, with no breakouts, no multiple tracks, and no complexity.
• Sessions run live at their scheduled times during the event.
• Audience: Primarily women who resonate with Cinderella-style stories of struggle, transformation, and reinvention, and who are inspired by hearing how other women turned hardship into meaning. Men are welcome to attend too.
• The heart of it: We celebrate the authors, honor their stories, and gently invite more women to consider whether their own story belongs in the next Cinderella anthology.

Who Should Apply

This summit is for women with real stories. You may be a published author, an emerging author, a coach, a leader, a survivor, a mother, a teacher, a business owner, or simply someone who has lived through something meaningful and wants her story to help others.

You may be a fit if:

• You have a story of struggle to success
• You've survived or overcome a significant challenge
• You've experienced a personal, professional, relationship, or life transformation
• You can speak honestly and warmly about what you learned
• You want to inspire other women
• You're willing to be interviewed live
• You're willing to help spread the word about the event
• You feel aligned with the uplifting spirit of the Cinderella anthology

Your story doesn't need to be dramatic or extraordinary to matter. If you've ever wondered whether what you've been through could encourage someone else, that quiet wondering is often the sign that it will.

Session Format

Most summit sessions are live, interview-style conversations. That means you don't have to prepare a formal presentation or slides. One of our warm interviewers will guide you through a conversation about your story, what you learned, and the message you most want other women to hear.

A limited number of solo presentation spots may be available for experienced speakers, authors, or featured guests, by approval.

Possible interview themes include:

• The moment everything changed for you
• The challenge or turning point you lived through
• What helped you survive and move forward
• The lesson you want other women to hear
• What sharing your story has meant to you
• What you want attendees to take away

Session Length and Schedule

Most speaker conversations will be approximately 20 minutes. We build the schedule to allow smooth transitions and keep the live audience engaged throughout the day.

Final session times will be assigned once the speaker roster is confirmed. The summit is live, and approved speakers will choose from the available time slots.

What We Ask of Speakers

• Complete the speaker application
• Provide a headshot and short bio
• Provide a short session or story title
• Attend live at your assigned time
• Be willing to have your session recorded
• Help promote the summit using the materials we provide
• Share your unique registration link
• Stay responsive to Mila's team and the EventRaptor support team

Speaker Gifts Are Optional

A speaker gift is entirely optional. If you have a free resource, PDF, checklist, chapter, consultation, or other gift you'd like to share with attendees, you're welcome to include it. If you do offer a gift, we'll need a working link so we can publish it, which can be a simple Google Drive link, a PDF link, an opt-in page, or a form. Gifts won't be published without a working link.

If you don't have a gift, that's perfectly fine. Your story is the gift.

Promotion Support

Approved speakers receive promotional materials, including a unique tracking link and speaker graphics you can share with your community. You don't need a large email list to take part. We simply ask that every speaker helps spread the word in the way that fits her best, whether that's email, social media, personal invitations, or sharing within a community.

We'll provide the graphics, the copy, and your personalized link, so the sharing is as easy as possible.

VIP Access and Replays

The summit is free to attend live. Attendees can upgrade to a VIP option that gives them access to replays and related summit materials, priced at $27 before the event, $37 during the event, and $47 afterward.

Speakers receive complimentary VIP access, and you'll be able to receive your own individual session recording after the summit.

Tracking and Revenue Share

Approved speakers receive a unique tracking link so registrations and VIP upgrades made through your link can be tracked. Mila will provide details separately about any applicable VIP revenue share.

Prizes and Audience Engagement

We'll use prizes and interactive moments throughout the event to keep attendees present, engaged, and excited, which means a warmer, more responsive audience for your session.

A Note on Eligibility

Some speaker opportunities are extended by invitation through the Cinderella anthology community. If you have questions about eligibility or how to take part, please reach out to Mila's team before applying.

Apply to Speak

Ready to share your story, be celebrated, and inspire other women who are standing where you once stood? Click the “Apply” button below to tell us a little about yourself and your story.

We'll review your application, and if it's a fit, we'll follow up by email with everything you need to know next.

Your story was never meant to stay locked away. We'd be honored to help you share it.