Baldie Con is back in Atlanta this year, marking its fifth annual gathering built around a simple but powerful idea: bald is beautiful, and nobody navigating hair loss should have to figure it out alone. The nonprofit event brings together women and youth dealing with medical hair loss, along with people who choose to be bald, for days of programming meant to educate, uplift and connect.
The conference was founded by Felicia Flores, an Atlanta-based flight attendant who was diagnosed with alopecia in 2001 and, according to yourcentralvalley.com, had lost all her hair within six years. Rather than hide from the diagnosis, Flores turned it into a platform, launching Baldie Con as an annual conference to uplift and inspire women facing the same journey she once did. Flores is described as an alopecia warrior whose personal experience became the foundation for the entire event.
Last year's fourth Baldie Con pulled in more than 200 attendees to Atlanta for a fashion show, guest speakers, a jazz brunch and a black-tie gala, the outlet reported. Those numbers give a sense of how far the gathering has grown since Flores first started it, and they set the bar for this year's return.
What the Conference Actually Offers
Baldie Con is a nonprofit that brings together people navigating hair loss and people who choose to be bald. Its flagship annual event is a four-day conference.
The conference brings together young people navigating hair loss. Separately, last year's fourth gathering included a black-tie gala and a fashion show.
New Faces on the 2026 Stage
This year's lineup includes new additions announced through the organization's own channels. Alexis “Lex” Warnick was announced as a Baldie Con 2026 participant, with the organization writing on LinkedIn, “We're excited to welcome Alexis 'Lex' Warnick to Baldie Con 2026!” Dr. Obioma Martin was also announced as a speaker for the 2026 stage, with the group stating it was “honored to welcome Dr. Obioma Martin to the Baldie Con 2026 stage.”
Baldie Con centers community and confidence, reflected in the fashion show and gala.
A Growing National Footprint
According to comments Flores made on the Mompreneurs podcast, Baldie Con is entering its fifth year and expanding to multiple cities, growing its impact nationwide beyond its Atlanta roots. The event is described there as an annual bald empowerment conference that brings bald women together to celebrate confidence, resilience and community, according to Mompreneurs.
Baldie Con's story has received attention beyond Atlanta. A separate Hair & Healing Forum was scheduled for September 12, 2026, according to an Eventbrite listing.
As Atlanta News First reported, Flores herself joined the station's ATL Live segment to talk about the conference's return, a fitting stop given the show's format of live and taped segments with guests spotlighting local stories. For Flores, the throughline from her own 2001 diagnosis to a nonprofit drawing hundreds of attendees each year is the point: what started as one woman's search for confidence has become a communal celebration of resilience for anyone learning to embrace baldness on their own terms.
