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Drop The Mic Night is BACK!
Drop The Mic Night is back this June with a brand new theme:
June 18, 2026
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
CoCreate Stamford
47 John Street
Stamford, CT 06902
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Ten aspiring speakers will take the stage and share their take on this June's theme: BECOMING. Five minutes each. Raw, real and unforgettable. These are people from your community, maybe your neighbor, your colleague, your friend, who have worked hard to craft and deliver a talk that will move you. Come ready to laugh, feel something and leave inspired.
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And here's the thing about Drop The Mic Night — you're not just an audience member. You're a cheerleader. Literally. We hand out pom poms at the door because that energy in the room? That's what carries our speakers through. The more people we pack into that room, the louder the cheers, and the more powerful the experience becomes for everyone on that stage.
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Your ticket also includes food, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and the kind of genuine, warm community-building that keeps people coming back event after event. This isn't a stuffy fundraiser. It's a party with a purpose.
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And that purpose is real. Every dollar raised goes directly to Next Girl Up, empowering the next generation of girls to lead with confidence, creativity and courage. By showing up, you're doing two things at once: giving an aspiring speaker the moment they've been working toward, and investing in a girl right here in your community who is just getting started.
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That's a pretty great reason to buy two (or more) tickets and bring someone with you.
Every Speaker Starts Somewhere
There's no shortage of stages for experienced speakers. But for someone who's newer to this, finding a real stage with a real audience is harder than it sounds. Drop The Mic Night exists to close that gap.
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Our stage welcomes everyone — men, women and non-binary individuals — no matter your background or where you're from in life. High schoolers stepping up for the first time. Professionals who have always had something to say but never had the right place to say it. If you have a voice and something to share, there's a place for you on the Drop The Mic Night stage.
Every speaker selected to participate receives complimentary coaching and feedback to help them prepare, so when they step up to that mic, they're ready to own it. This is a space built on encouragement, not judgment, and every single person in that room is rooting for them. Whether you're dreaming of a TEDx stage someday or you just want to finally find out what you're made of in front of a crowd, this is where that journey starts.
Experience Mic-Dropping Moments
Four events in and the magic hasn't worn off. Speakers from across the country have stepped onto our stage nervous and walked off transformed. Audiences have laughed, gotten chills and left talking about what they heard for months and even years.
Visit our DTMN Library to watch past performances and see for yourself what a night like this looks like.
A Cause Worth Championing
This June, we have the pleasure of supporting:
Next Girl Up’s mission is to empower the next generation of girls to lead with confidence, creativity, and courage. Through their curriculum, students learn foundational marketing concepts, explore financial literacy, and learn how to start a business. Their program is offered in two formats: a 10-week series consisting of one-hour sessions each week, and a two-day immersive experience. Both formats use guided discussions and real-world, relatable case studies to deepen students’ understanding.
However, the true magic of the program extends far beyond the curriculum and structure. Students find their voice, build lasting confidence, form meaningful connections, and push beyond their comfort zones. The result is not only stronger business knowledge, but stronger, more self-assured leaders!
Programs are hosted by Next Girl Up or delivered in partnership with schools, libraries, and community organizations, and can be in-person, virtual, or hybrid. Students receive welcome kits, completion certificates, and access to a national network of women. If needed, programs are offered at no cost to students to ensure financial barriers never limit participation.
Learn more about Next Girl Up by visiting them online.
There's a word we don't use lightly: CHAMPION
At Drop The Mic Night, we don't call our sponsors "sponsors." We call them Champions. Because that's exactly what they are: people and businesses who show up for something bigger than a logo placement. People who believe that when a voice gets amplified, lives change.
This June 18th, Drop The Mic Night is back. And this time, every dollar raised goes directly to Next Girl Up, a free, 10-week program giving high school girls real-world skills in marketing, business, and leadership. Skills that most girls their age don't even know they're allowed to want yet.Here's what stopped me in my tracks when I dug into their work:
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Women run only 11% of Fortune 500 companies.
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Women of color hold just 7% of C-suite positions.
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Women receive less than 2% of venture capital funding.
Next Girl Up is going after those numbers. Not someday, but right now, by reaching girls before the world has a chance to tell them what they can't do.
One student, Sarah, used the program to land her first internship. Another, Lilly, rebranded her small Etsy shop after completing the program and has since crossed 200 sales. These aren't hypothetical outcomes. This is what happens when a girl gets the right tools and someone believes in her early enough. That's the mission your brand would be standing behind.
The Stage Is Waiting!
Meet the speakers taking the stage on June 18th
They're already hard at work preparing to step on stage and share their stories of BECOMING. For some, this is their first time on stage. For others, the idea of speaking in front of a crowd is terrifying. And for a few, they're here to level up. Regardless of where they are in their journey, they need your support.
Come cheer on these brave speakers while raising funds for Next Girl Up, a nonprofit whose mission is to empower the next generation of girls to lead with confidence, creativity and courage.
Grab your tickets by May 15th to take advantage of early bird pricing. The more Cheerleaders in the audience, the louder we cheer, and the more funds we raise for Next Girl Up's mission!
Your Head Cheerleaders
Your Expert Evaluators
PAULINA LOPEZ
FOUNDER, THE BUSINESS OF WE​
Paulina Lopez is an International Speaker, Author, Business Consultant and Strategist, and Community Leader.
She is the CEO and Founder of The Business of WE (Women Entrepreneurs), a dynamic in-person Mastermind community for female founders, entrepreneurs, and businesswomen in New York City.
Launched in March of 2016, Paulina curates highly interactive masterclasses, conferences, roundtable dinners, summits, and the much-anticipated Wellness Retreat in the Caribbean.
Additionally, she is the co-founder of Women Construct, supporting the professional development of Women in the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction fields.
Darrell Johnson is a seasoned leader with 30 years of experience across the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, known for his strategic leadership, community impact, and marketing expertise.
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A graduate of Wesleyan University and Boston College, he began his career in fundraising with United Way of New York City and Brown University before transitioning into brand management roles at Sara Lee, PepsiCo, Heineken, and WWE, where he led marketing strategy, media execution, and product innovation.
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Darrell has also been deeply involved in community development, supporting organizations like Stamford Peace Youth Foundation and serving as Executive Director of Positive Coaching Alliance New York, overseeing programs across major U.S. markets.
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A Bronx native, he has lived in Stamford for 28 years and remains active in youth sports and volunteer work.
ISIS-RAE GOULBOURNE
FOUNDER, CITY EVENTS​
Isis-Rae Goulbourne is a strategy leader with nearly two decades of experience designing and leading complex initiatives at the intersection of growth, visibility, and execution. Her work focuses on building systems that perform under real-world conditions, where coordination is difficult, stakes are high, and scale matters.
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Across her career, Isis-Rae has led marketing teams, launched and scaled multi-stakeholder programs, and guided cross-sector initiatives spanning public, private, and nonprofit environments. She is known for translating vision into structure, aligning strategy, operations, and partnerships so organizations can move from momentum to durability.
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She is the founder of City Events Group, where she developed large-scale platforms that activated cities and strengthened local economies, and has held leadership roles guiding statewide initiatives and high-visibility programs requiring broad stakeholder alignment.
1st Place
TBD
$$$ VALUE
PRIZES
2nd Place
TBD
$$ VALUE
3rd Place
TBD
$ VALUE
Thank you Champions!
Drop The Mic Night wouldn't happen without the people and businesses who believe in what we're building. Help us thank them by showing them some love!
Venue Champion
Food & Beverage Champions
Donor Champions
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In-Kind Champions
If you're interested in championing this event, we'd love to have you in our corner!
At Drop The Mic Night, we put real people on a real stage with real coaching, a live audience, and a room full of cheerleaders (literal pom poms included) who are there for one reason: to lift people up. When you become a Champion of this event, your name is attached to every moment of that.
Every speaker who finds their voice.
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Every girl Next Girl Up reaches with the money we raise together.
We chose the word Champion on purpose. Because writing a check is easy. Choosing to stand behind something that matters is different. That's you saying: I believe girls deserve a seat at the table. I believe voices deserve a stage. I believe in what happens when we invest in people before the world tells them to play small.
If that sounds like your brand, we want you in the room with us.
Drop The Mic Night runs on community, and that includes the people and businesses who help make it possible. There are two ways to get involved:
In-Kind Champion
Got something to bring to the table? Literally. We welcome in-kind contributions of food, beverages and speaker prizes. Every donation offsets event costs, which means more of what we raise goes directly to Next Girl Up. If you have something to offer, we want to hear from you.
Donor Champion
Make a direct, tax-deductible donation to Next Girl Up, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Donor Champion packages start at $175 and go up to $5,000, each with its own recognition and visibility benefits. Download our Champion Deck to explore the full range of opportunities.
We welcome support from organizations and individuals alike. Not ready for a full package? Every dollar still makes a difference. Make a smaller donation to Next Girl Up directly here.
In Good Company
Meet some of our previous Champions
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