When I started building EMpowered Live 2027, I made myself a promise.
I was not going to fill this event with sponsors who just wanted a logo on a banner. I was going to build partnerships with organisations whose values are so aligned with what this event stands for that their presence in the room makes the whole day more powerful.
Today I am incredibly proud to share the first of those partnerships.
EMpowered Live 2027 is presented by The Association of Child and Family Coaches, led by the extraordinary Dr Sam Ballington.
The Association of Child and Family Coaches (ACFC) is an organisation dedicated to improving outcomes for children, families, and the professionals who support them. Founded by Dr Sam Ballington, the ACFC develops accredited qualifications and professional standards that promote safe, ethical, and evidence-informed practice across the field of child and family coaching.
Dr Sam Ballington is an educator, researcher, and entrepreneur whose work spans academic expertise and lived experience. As Director of the National College for Care and Education and Founder of the ACFC, she champions play, co-regulation, and inclusive practice to break intergenerational cycles of adversity. Through teaching, research, writing, and public speaking, she empowers practitioners worldwide to create lasting, meaningful change for children and families.
And in her spare time, she rides rollercoasters with her family and rocks out at gigs and festivals. Which tells you everything you need to know about her energy.
When Sam confirmed the partnership, she wrote something that stopped me in my tracks. I want to share it in her own words because it captures exactly why this partnership feels so right.
"Throughout my work, I am passionate about empowering women to recognise their strengths, overcome barriers, and create meaningful change in their lives and the lives of others. Building supportive communities, championing collaboration over competition, and creating spaces where women can learn, grow, and thrive are all at the heart of what I do. I was also particularly inspired by the keynote speaker, whose work and message closely align with my own passion for supporting children and families. Partnering with EMpowered Live was an easy decision, and I am proud to support an event that is bringing together so many inspiring women."
Dr Sam Ballington, Founder, The Association of Child and Family Coaches
That is exactly what EMpowered Live is. And that is exactly who I wanted in the room.
I want to be honest about why this means so much beyond the professional alignment.
EMpowered Live 2027 includes Mini EMpowered Kids Club, free qualified DBS-checked childcare on site throughout the full conference day, because I believe that being a mum should never be the reason a woman cannot be in the room.
I was a teenage mum. I went to networking events with my baby because I could not afford childcare. I sat in rooms wondering if I was supposed to be there, backing myself anyway. That experience shaped everything about how I coach and everything about how I build events.
Mini EMpowered exists because of that experience. The Kids Club at EMpowered Live 2027 is sponsored by Kinder Coaching, led by Rebecca Woollam, a Specialist Child and Family Nurse Consultant with over 20 years of experience. And having the Association of Child and Family Coaches as our headline partner, an organisation genuinely dedicated to the wellbeing and development of children and the families around them, makes the whole child-friendly vision of this event even more meaningful than I could have imagined when I started building it.
Sam's values and mine are the same. Children matter. Families matter. Breaking cycles of adversity matters. Creating spaces where women can thrive without having to choose between their business and their children matters.
This is the right partner for this event.
The ACFC develops accredited qualifications and professional standards for practitioners working with children and families. Dr Ballington draws on both academic rigour and her own lived experience to build programmes that do not just train practitioners but genuinely transform how they show up for the families they serve.
Her commitment to evidence-informed practice, to breaking intergenerational cycles, and to championing inclusive approaches is exactly the kind of leadership that EMpowered Live 2027 is designed to celebrate.
You can find out more about the Association of Child and Family Coaches and the extraordinary work they do at childandfamilycoaching.org.
EMpowered Live 2027 is the biggest event I have ever built. But the values behind it are the same ones that have shaped every event I have run for 13 years. Here is what women have said after experiencing an EMpowered event:
"Warm, welcoming, and clearly very well thought through. The atmosphere feels genuine and supportive rather than sales-driven. A refreshing and enjoyable experience."
Fiona Earl, Google Review
"Emily encourages women to be confident. I was nervous coming but by the end I felt completely different. Would 100% recommend."
Ana Jenkins, Google Review
"I walked away feeling seen, supported, and much less alone in my professional journey. I went into my interviews that week feeling strong, fierce and determined."
Yasmin Younger, Google Review
The ACFC is our headline partner and we have a small number of additional partnership opportunities available for brands and organisations who want to get in front of a room full of ambitious, engaged women in business.
Over £127 million in business has been facilitated between attendees at my events. These women are buyers, decision-makers, and exactly the audience the right brands want to reach.
Get in touch at [email protected] or find out more at live.empoweredwithemily.com/sponsorship.
Dr Sam Ballington is an educator, researcher, and entrepreneur. She is the Director of the National College for Care and Education and the Founder of the Association of Child and Family Coaches. She develops accredited qualifications and professional standards that promote safe, ethical, and evidence-informed practice for practitioners working with children and families. Find out more at childandfamilycoaching.org.
The Association of Child and Family Coaches (ACFC) is the headline partner of EMpowered Live 2027. Founded by Dr Sam Ballington, the ACFC develops qualifications and professional standards for practitioners working with children and families, championing inclusive, evidence-informed approaches to breaking intergenerational cycles of adversity.
Yes. As our headline partner, the Association of Child and Family Coaches will have a presence at EMpowered Live 2027 on Friday 12th March at the OEC Sheffield. More details will be shared as the event approaches.
A small number of partnership opportunities remain available. Get in touch at [email protected] or visit live.empoweredwithemily.com/sponsorship to register your interest.
EMpowered Live 2027 takes place on Friday 12th March 2027 at the OEC Sheffield, S6 2DE. Conference from 8:30am, EMpire Gala from 7pm until 1am. One ticket covers both. Tickets from £150 including VAT with Klarna available at checkout.
Friday 12th March 2027. OEC Sheffield. 8:30am to 1am.
Claire Throssell MBE. Esther Ghey. Sam Teale. Emily Mallender. The Association of Child and Family Coaches as headline partner. The Glass Walk. The EMpire Gala. Free childcare. Free professional photography.
Tickets from £150 including VAT. Klarna available at checkout. Pay in 3.
