INDIANAPOLIS — More than 1,000 people gathered at the Indiana Convention Center Tuesday for the largest one-day professional development conference in the Midwest.

The Indiana Conference for Women aims to help inspire women to build careers and experience fulfilling lives. In an exclusive interview, FOX59 sat down with one of the conference’s special guests — Klutch Sports President Nicole Lynn.

“Visibility is important,” Lynn said, “for women to see other women doing things at the top.”

As a woman who rose through the ranks of a male-dominated field, Lynn has a lot to share with other women dreaming big.

“In the NFL, there’s 900 sports agents, and only around 1% are women,” Lynn said. “I would definitely say it can be very intimidating. But for me, I decided early on I would show up as my authentic self. If I wanted to wear heels or lipstick and just be feminine, that’s OK because I was going to be excellent in all I did.”

Lynn spent several years working as both an attorney and agent — though she ultimately chose to pursue sports full-time. Lynn now represents 31 NFL players, including Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

“In April, I had the privilege of negotiating his deal, which made him the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time,” Lynn said. “Definitely was an honor to be the person to do that deal.”

Hurts will reportedly be paid $255 million over the course of the five-year deal Lynn brokered for him.

“The big key takeaway for me is finding a way to turn your ‘NOs’ into a deeper ‘yes.’ Getting comfortable with losing,” Lynn said. “Anytime you’re chasing success, you’re going to be told no.”

Lynn is one of many well-known speakers that have attended the Indiana Conference for Women over the years. Actresses, physicians and other high-profile professionals have shared their stories, just as Lynn did Tuesday.

“We’ve really hit it out of the ballpark, I feel, this year,” Indiana Conference for Women Executive Director Deb Hallberg said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many women began participating less in the work force during the COVID-19 pandemic. Low wages, tenure uncertainty and the high cost of daycare contributed to those trends.

Hallberg said that trend has made it especially important to inspire women, encourage innovation and ignite passions.

“I hope they leave with a positive feeling about themselves, that they too can achieve success,” Hallberg added.

Actress Minka Kelly also led a session Tuesday, discussing how she overcame her struggles in a troubled home to succeed in Hollywood.