Burnout Stops Now: BOBE 2026 Symposium Shifts Focus to Power, Wellness, and Legacy-Building

At a time when Black-owned businesses are grappling with unprecedented economic hurdles, capital constraints, and a silent epidemic of burnout, the Black-Owned Business Excellence (BOBE) Symposium is returning for its seventh year with a decisive new agenda. The message is clear: success without sustainability is not success at all.

The 7th Annual Black-Owned Business Excellence (BOBE) Symposium is set to convene on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at the Seattle Public Library. This year's gathering will bring together founders, ecosystem builders, investors, and community leaders from across Washington State under the bold theme: Power Moves: Beyond Boundaries — From Vision to Legacy.

This shift marks a critical turning point, moving the conversation from hustle culture and simple inspiration toward intentional, legacy-driven leadership and robust infrastructure.-----Keynote Spotlight: Wellness as a Business Strategy

Headlining the 2026 symposium is Dr. Margaret Towolawi, MD, a double board-certified Family and Lifestyle Medicine physician and founder of Nurture Well Center. Her keynote, “Wellness as a Business Strategy: Building Sustainable Businesses Without Self-Sacrifice,” directly challenges the glorification of burnout that has long been synonymous with entrepreneurial success.

Dr. Towolawi reframes health not as a personal luxury, but as an executive strategy. She argues that chronic stress and neglect quietly undermine judgment, capacity, and the long-term viability of a business. As she notes, “Entrepreneurship celebrates grit and ambition, but rarely counts the cost of sustaining them. Wellness isn’t a pause in progress—it’s the foundation of power.”A Full-Day Experience Built for Impact

The BOBE Symposium is tightly curated around a single principle: Go up once. Stay engaged. Leave changed.

The morning program will anchor the event in the first-floor auditorium with a high-energy welcome, leadership video messages, and strategic partner spotlights. This will be followed by two signature panels designed for high-level insight:

• Entrepreneur Power Panel: Scaling Beyond Boundaries
  Moderated by Jenefeness Franke, MBA, this session features Olympia Edwards and Dei’Marlon Scisney. It will dive into healing-centered leadership, technological discernment, and building businesses rooted in protection—not simply endurance.

• Ecosystem Builders Panel: From Vision to Systems
  Featuring Zenovia Harris, Cedric Austin, Schanice Staples, and Business Impact NW, this discussion will examine the structural issues of how access to capital, contracts, and opportunity is distributed. It offers founders a guide on moving strategically within these systems without compromising their values.

Afternoon Breakouts: Strategy You Can Use Monday Morning

The afternoon shifts to the fourth floor for three rounds of intensive breakout sessions, all focused on practical implementation. Attendees can expect actionable tools and zero filler across topics including:

• Power Moves with AI: Contracts, Capacity & Protection

• From Vision to Fundable Business

• Heal While You Lead

• Ethical AI & Cultural Sovereignty

• Building Wealth Outside Your Business (wealth-building beyond business ownership)

Honoring Leadership in Action

A cornerstone of the event, the Seventh Annual Community and Business Leadership Awards will celebrate changemakers across Washington State. Award recipients in six categories—including rising leadership, ecosystem impact, allyship, and business excellence—will each receive a $1,000 grant. This year, the organizers received a record 239 award nominations, anticipating the largest gathering in the symposium’s history.-----Four Tracks, One Mission

All programming is aligned with BOBE’s mission to build businesses that last—not just launch. The content is organized around four core tracks:

• Scale & Sustain

• Capital & Capacity

• Innovation & Digital Evolution

• Leadership & Legacy

“For us, power moves mean refusing to let systems, circumstances, or burnout define what’s possible,” said Jenefeness Franke, Co-Founder and Executive Officer of BOBE. “Black entrepreneurs don’t lack vision—we lack rooms that match our ambition. This symposium isn’t about motivation. It’s about infrastructure. It’s about building something that lasts.”-----Event Details:

• Date: Sunday, February 1, 2026

• Location: Seattle Public Library

• Website: www.bobe-wa.org