Tigrilla Gardenia, B.M. M.S., Nature-Inspired Mentor, Certified Life Coach (ICF PCC), and World Ambassador for Plant Advocacy, empowers creative multipotentialites and nature-inspired professionals to confidently live authentic, purpose-driven lives in collaboration with the plant world. Drawing from 25+ years of experience in the arts, technology, communication, and eco-social innovation, Tigrilla bridges the wisdom of Plant Neurobiology, EcoSystem Thinking, Community Dynamics, and Esoteric Teachings to help you evolve limiting beliefs, nurture your many passions, and thrive alongside plant collaborators.

Alan Lazaros is the Founder & CEO of Next Level University, a Global Top 100 Self-Improvement Podcast with listeners in more than 175 countries. His journey began with profound loss—his father passed away when Alan was just two years old—and a near-fatal car accident at 26 that changed everything. That moment became the wake-up call that forced him to question who he was, what he valued, and what true success really meant.

Through years of study, reflection, and personal growth, Alan discovered the power of holistic self-improvement—aligning external achievement with internal fulfillment. Today, he leads a global team of 17 and is devoted to helping others transform pain into purpose and reach their own unique potential.

As a coach, speaker, and podcaster, Alan brings a heart-driven, no-BS approach to life, love, health, and wealth—reminding audiences that real success starts from within.

Amy Adler is the president of Five Strengths Career Transition Experts, a firm specializing in resume writing for executives and their teams. Since launching her business in 2009, Amy has worked with hundreds of executives and their teams. She presents widely on resume writing and resume business practices to industry and corporate audiences and hosts The Job Search Podcast and Amy Adler's How I Hire Podcast.

Amy holds the Nationally Certified Online Profile Expert (NCOPE) certification, Certified Master Resume Writer (CMRW), and Certified Executive Resume Master (CERM) designations. She has been a judge in CDI’s Toast of the Resume Writing Industry (TORI) Awards, previously having won first and third places for Best Executive Resume. She is the author of Courageous Career Change: Fearlessly Earn the Executive Role You Deserve. Amy holds an MBA from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin & Marshall College.

Dr. Albert Bramante, a seasoned talent agent with more than two decades of experience in the entertainment industry, holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Walden University. Additionally, he is a certified Hypnotist and NLP Practitioner, bringing a unique blend of psychological insight and practical expertise to his work. Driven by a passion for both the performing arts and the human psyche, he embarked on a mission to empower actors to overcome self-sabotage and unlock their full potential.
Throughout his impressive career, Dr. Bramante has achieved remarkable success as a talent agent, securing roles for actors in a wide array of productions including TV shows, films, commercials, Broadway, and Off-Broadway performances

A highly-sought after speaker, trainer and coach known as “Jim Carrey with a Ph.D.,” Dr. Danny Brassell has spoken to over 3,500 audiences worldwide. He has authored 19 books, including "Leadership Begins with Motivation" and "Misfits and Crackpots." The co-founder of The WellCrafted Story Workshop, Danny helps entrepreneurs, individuals and organizations leverage speaking on stages as a major client lead source that converts.

Heinz holds advanced degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, with more than 35 years of global experience spanning industry and academia. A prolific innovator, he has authored around 35 publications, secured over 25 patents, and contributed to several monographs and textbooks.

After decades leading international teams and solving complex technical challenges, Heinz pivoted his focus to what he considers his true calling: helping others design lives fully lived. As the founder of Heinzsight.org, he coaches and mentors professionals at all stages, guiding them to uncover their passions and find fulfillment well beyond their work.

He is also a sought-after motivational speaker and workshop facilitator known for delivering tangible results. When he is not teaching leadership or career strategy, you will often find him sharing his love of jazz and music as another expression of a life well lived.

Jeff Kiplinger started his career in drug development as an analytical scientist at Pfizer in the 1990s.  He was part of the revolution in drug discovery and development, with much effort devoted to 'democratizing' analytical technologies so they could be used directly by chemists and biologists, without the intervention of 'experts' like spectroscopists and chromatographers.  After leaving Pfizer, Jeff started several companies.  In 2007 he developed a new contract research firm with an analytical chemistry focus, and sold the company in 2016.  Since then, he's written a bestselling book on scientific entrepreneurship called "Expert to Entrepreneur: How to Turn Your Hard-Won Expertise into a Thriving Business", and founded a consulting firm called "Selling Science".  Jeff lives in the Hudson River Valley in New York with his wife Katy, and together they've been re-wilding a 10 acre depleted farm with the goal of increasing biodiversity.  

Dr. Jessie And Omar Ferreira are the founders of A Soul’s Quest, a transformational platform that helps midlife individuals and professionals navigate life’s turning points—career shifts, identity crises, and personal awakenings—with clarity, resilience, and renewed purpose. 

They guide individuals through disorientation and inner chaos by offering a structured, accessible path that blends timeless wisdom and lived experiences with modern psychology, allowing them to turn endings into empowered new beginnings. A Soul’s Quest is not about manifesting desires—it’s about remembering the Self.

It is a psycho-spiritual guide for navigating the sacred tensions between our biological inheritance, cultural conditioning, and our spiritual identity. It’s not therapy. It’s not coaching. It’s initiation.

Julia Barzyk, Ph.D., is a research strategist, former federal program manager, and founder of Wise Investigator. During her 10+ years at the U.S. Army Research Office, she managed a high-impact portfolio in geoscience and civil engineering, shaping strategic priorities, crafting $6M topic calls, and evaluating outcomes. Her work influenced national science investments and supported countless academic researchers.

Now through Wise Investigator, Julia helps university researchers secure funding through a one-on-one training and support program rooted in her experience in federal funding. Her approach addresses the critical gap in strategic guidance and skill development many researchers face.

She earned degrees from the University of Rochester, the University of Florida, and the University of Chicago, and lives in Durham, NC, with her husband and two teenagers.

Lucinda Jackson is the author of two inspiring memoirs: Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious about succeeding in male-dominated organizations and Project Escape: Lessons for an Unscripted Life, a story of creating our best lives in and out of the workplace. Jackson, a global executive and PhD scientist, has worked for four Fortune 500 companies in over 30 countries. She is a featured public speaker, podcast guest, and author of articles, book chapters, magazine columns, and patents. The founder of LJ Ventures, Jackson speaks and consults on empowerment in our careers and in our Next Act. Connect with Jackson or find her books at: www.lucindajackson.com and connect with her on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucinda-jackson/

From crisis to triumph, Dr. Naeema doesn’t just inspire change—she builds it. After a decade as a chiropractor, a cycling accident led her to radically reinvent her life. She closed her practice, traveled solo to 13 countries, and founded Every Damn Thing, LLC to help women over 40 reclaim their power.

Now a reinvention coach, speaker, and author of Raised as a Lie, Dr. Naeema empowers high-achieving women to rise from burnout, break generational patterns, and thrive with purpose. Her upcoming book, Every Damn Thing: Your Disruption Manual, guides women to stop shrinking and start living fully expressed.

Whether in workshops, keynotes, or candid conversations, Dr. Naeema delivers soul-shifting truths and practical tools to help women rewrite what’s possible.

Tara S. Singer is president emerita of Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society, where she served as CEO from 2013–2023. During her tenure, O∆K launched its first multi-million-dollar campaign, grew to 55 campuses, and expanded its publications. Now a senior consultant with Academic Search, Tara previously built a 30-year career in higher education at institutions including the University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, the University of West Georgia, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Indiana State University. Her leadership roles have spanned alumni relations, development, communications, student affairs, and enrollment management. She holds three degrees from the University of Louisville, has authored research and publications, and is active in community and professional service, including on the Wayne Theatre board. Tara enjoys gardening, entertaining, and time with family.

Garrett Wood, NBC-HWC, is a clinical hypnotherapist, executive functioning specialist, and founder of Gnosis Therapy. He works with executives, founders, and entrepreneurs who want sustainable high performance without trading health or relationships. Over 18 years, he developed the A³ Framework—Assess, Accommodate, Align—which maps capacity across seven drivers of performance: sensory intelligence, bio-budgets, emotional regulation, core beliefs, attachment patterns, values, and executive functioning strengths. He applies outcome-based coaching, somatic regulation, and clinical hypnotherapy to end the boom-and-bust cycle of burnout, because sustainable success is built through your well-being, not at its expense.

John and his wife Julie have realized an abundant life. And they believe that all of our outcomes are rooted in our thinking. John’s career has been bi-vocational: fully engaged in building businesses and serving part time as a pastor and teacher. As a jail chaplain he saw people whose thinking led them way down the wrong path. And as an entrepreneur, he discovered the power of thinking about others first and seeking to create great value. John partnered to build a wealth management business that managed more than $1billion of client assets and “retired” at age 51. After a one year COVID sabbatical he served CEOs and business owners as a C12 chair, facilitating day-long business retreats. John’s focus is helping people think better so they can fulfill the purpose for which they were made. His book Thinking for Success: 52 Stories that Upgrade Your Thinking to Boost Productivity, Problem Solving, and Relationships will be released by Morgan James in January 2026.

Kristin Hiemstra, M.Ed., CPC, ELI-MP is the founder of The Art of Potential Coaching and an Adjunct Lecturer in Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at NC State’s Poole College of Management. With deep expertise in organizational culture, employee engagement, and emotional intelligence, Kristin brings both heart and strategy to the world of leadership and career growth.

She holds a BA from the University of North Carolina, an M.Ed. from George Mason University, a certificate in Human Resources from Duke University, and a professional coaching certification from iPEC (the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching).

In addition to her work as a TEDx speaker, coach, and educator, Kristin is passionate about helping people reconnect with their worth and live in alignment with who they truly are. Outside of work, she enjoys life with her husband Hans and their adult daughters, Haley and Zoe.

Natalie Siston is a keynote speaker, executive coach, and bestselling author of Let Her Out: Reclaim Who You Have Always Been. 

Through her powerful blend of personal storytelling, leadership expertise, and practical mental fitness tools, Natalie helps high-performing professionals slow down, reflect deeply, and lead with more presence, clarity, and confidence.

With experience spanning Silicon Valley, the Fortune 100, and entrepreneurship, Natalie has coached and trained leaders from rising executives to established changemakers. She served as Head of Client Success at Positive Intelligence, and today, she continues as the company’s Lead Presenter, where she introduces teams and individuals to the tools that strengthen resilience and performance from the inside out.

She lives in Plain City, Ohio, with her husband and two teenage daughters. 

Neena Perez is a transformational coach, author, and motivational speaker passionate about helping women step boldly into entrepreneurship and create impactful coaching businesses using their wisdom, skills, and God-given talents. With a deeply personal journey marked by overcoming abuse, teen pregnancy, domestic violence, divorce, and poverty, Neena has transformed her life through faith and resilience. Her inspiring story is captured in her autobiography, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, where she shares the hard-earned lessons that now fuel her mission to empower others.

Penda L. James was raised in Dayton, Ohio, where funk music, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and a large extended family influenced her creativity. She developed a love of reading and writing from the adults in her life who emphasized the importance of education. As an alumnus of Wilberforce University, Penda’s love for helping people tell their stories was shaped in college. At Bowling Green State University, she earned an M. Ed, in Training and Development. She has earned certificates in life coaching, film writing, and Strength-Based Family Worker from Temple University. With more than 18  years of experience in nonprofit and child welfare, service is her passion. 

Penda has authored seven inspirational books and journals and one novel. With her pen, podcast, and life, she strives to inspire people to use their gifts and pursue their dreams. 

Ray Martin, aka The Daily Explorer, is an entrepreneur and award-winning business leader. As a coach, mentor, facilitator, speaker, writer, and mindfulness teacher, he is a torchbearer for greater human consciousness. Ray is also a marathon runner and fundraiser. He’s on a mission to empower people to live authentically and to bring more joy and happiness into the world.

Renée Onesti spent nearly two decades leading in American manufacturing. She’s an engineer turned Director of Operations with an MBA, a Six Sigma Black Belt, and a reputation for getting things done. But behind the high performance was a woman carrying too much, questioning her purpose, and feeling the slow creep of burnout. In this two-part conversation, Renée opens up about the pressure, the turning point, and what it really took to step away from the role she was known for and into a life that finally felt like her own. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to succeed without losing yourself, Renée’s story will stay with you. 

Walter Dusseldorp is a passionate advocate for personal growth and mentorship, dedicated to helping individuals unlock their potential. With extensive experience in coaching and leadership, he inspires others to pursue their goals with clarity, courage, and confidence.

As a dynamic speaker and storyteller, Walter shares actionable insights on resilience, leadership, and cultivating a growth mindset—drawing from real-life experiences and proven strategies. He is the founder of TheDutchMentor.com, where he offers tools and resources for both personal and professional development.

When not mentoring or speaking, Walter enjoys flying helicopters and airplanes, a pursuit that reflects his love for learning and new perspectives. Committed to empowering others, Walter invites audiences to embrace their journeys and rise to their next level of success.