Justin Shelby felt his campus interview with a Fortune 500 company had gone well. When he didn’t get a call from them, he made a friend inside the company and kept calling back–for 30 days. His persistence paid off, and he spent the next 9 years at Black & Decker. Today, he is CEO and founder of Artichoke, a complete business solution for the rapidly growing community of freelancers, independent practitioners, and moonlighters operating in the U.S.
Lori B. Duff thought she would be the voters’ obvious choice for probate court judge. She had a decade’s experience with a major metropolitan court, and her opponent wasn’t even a lawyer. Her unexpected loss was a stiff rebuke. At 42, she brushed herself off and found renewed life as a ghost writer, editor, and a best-selling author of 3 memoirs. She recently won a gold medal in the 2017 eLit awards. She has a series of memoir writing classes designed to give people a head start on writing their stories.
Akshay Nanavati is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, author, speaker and entrepreneur. Through his new book, “Fearvana,” his coaching and life experiences, he helps people reframe fear so they can accomplish their goals. “We do not control what first shows up in our brain. If I am on the edge of a cliff and my brain feels fear, it is a natural response that is keeping me alive. The problem is that we judge ourselves negatively for having fears, instead of learning how to harness them for our own good.”
Erik Weihenmayer was shattered when at 14 a genetic illness left him totally blind. Soon, he connected with an organization that gave him new opportunities, like rock climbing. He recalls running his hand along his bedroom wall thinking, “Who would be crazy enough to take a blind kid rock climbing?” Today he helps thousands of people with challenges face adversity and live with no barriers. He is the author of several books, including “No Barriers.”
Sarah Mastriani-Levi finished high school at 15 and began dual study in pre-med and international business. Three years in, she saw the flaws in conventional medicine. Moving to Israel, then to China, then back to the U.S., she radically shifted her focus, learning Chinese medicine, nutritional healing and lifestyle coaching. Most recently she has learned to read raw DNA to create highly individualized wellness protocols for her clients. She serves as an International Holistic Health and Lifestyle Coach.
Dorie Clark is the author of Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she teaches at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, and is a consultant and speaker for clients such as Google, Morgan Stanley, and the World Bank.
Damion created several businesses from his college dorm room. When one of his startups began to put the campus bookstore out of business, the college invited him to leave. Soon it dawned on him, “Hey, I’m supposed to be creating my own career path here.” Today, he runs an Austin, Texas-based financial technology company dedicated to getting people off the Wall Street roller coaster and in control of their money and financial future. He has written five books, with two more being released in late 2017.
Gini Dietrich had her sights set on law school and becoming a sports agent. Then her mother needed her help to overcome a life-threatening illness, so she took an entry position at a public relations agency. Passing out samples of juice at publicity events seemed an unexpected detour on her career path. But now she is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing communications firm, author of “Spin Sucks,” co-host of Inside PR, lead blogger at Spin Sucks and founder of Spin Sucks Pro.
Emery Ellinger is CEO of Aberdeen Advisors, which he founded after having built and sold his own successful companies. Every Aberdeen staffer has owned, operated and sold a business, bringing this perspective and business acumen to every client. “Business owners reach a point in life where they realize their son or daughter doesn’t want to take it over. Or, they may simply decide they want to do something else. They’re faced with the decision: What do I want to do with my company? And where do I begin?”
Antar "the Navigator" Jannah was convicted at age 20 and sent to federal prison. Although he continued to think with “a criminal mind,” he did accept a book from a prison counselor. “I was totally transformed in one night. I can’t remember his name, but that counselor was an angel in my life!” He is now a published author. And, for the past 35 years, he has been traveling, enlightening and uplifting his audiences with his insightful message and formula for not just material success, but success in every aspect of life.
Helene Segura had a clear plan as she left L.A.—to be a dual athlete playing soccer and softball for Texas A&M. “My plan got shot to heck when I was cut from the softball team.” If she was not going to be Helene, the Athlete anymore, she had to figure out who else she could be. Today, as author of two best-sellers, she shares her mind-bending framework for decreasing interruptions, distractions and procrastination so that companies can spend more time generating revenue.
Sandy Slovack, M.A., a clinical counselor, trainer and speaker, helps people deal with trauma within the mental health and addictions fields. In 2016, after publishing her first book, "Hello, You're Fabulous!: Build Your Self-Esteem for Life" and seeing it rise to a #1 international bestseller, she learned she had to have a second brain tumor surgery. She first underwent surgery three years before.
Carissa Hill had built a chain of beauty salons on her own. Their growth was fast and steady. Then in her mid-twenties, she had a breakdown moment. She questioned what she was doing and why. One day a customer asked her a couple of questions that would change her life. An entrepreneur, author, speaker and business coach today, Carissa specializes in helping women business owners scale their businesses to six figures and beyond, releasing their limiting beliefs.