Laura Sandefer had no plans to start a school, much less turn education on its head. But as she looks back, she has vivid memories of a pre-dawn chat with her father on the morning she left for college. His advice, “Be curious,” has become a consistent thread in her life’s journey. As co-founder of Acton Academy, her school has sparked a global awakening in education. Her book, "Courage to Grow,” documents the journey to pursue the big questions around learning and unleashing human potential.
Joel Solomon believes that although financial success and power can have great value, it is most important to learn to be successful as human beings. Solomon chairs Renewal Funds, a $98 million mission venture capital firm, delivering above market returns while catalyzing positive social and environmental change. He is also the author of the book, “The Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose, and Capitalism.”
Pamela Gold is a Yale University graduate, so she knows her way around books and learning. But it was a book that literally fell at her feet off a bookstore shelf that set her on a different path in life, a Path With Heart. In her current life's work, she teaches inner peace as the key to our greatest evolution and ultimately, world peace. She founded Gold Evolution and released her first book, “Find More Strength: 5 Pillars to Unlock Unlimited Power and Happiness” in 2017.
Arnie Herz knew he was heading to law school, but he took an indirect path that surprised everyone. A brush with his own mortality in college turned his life upside down and sent him on a global search for meaning that changed everything. As a lawyer, mediator and speaker, he often speaks on negotiation, conflict resolution, work-life balance and the attorney-client relationship. Covered in numerous publications, Arnie has received a host of acknowledgements and awards from his colleagues.
Court Creeden has seen the impact of social media, societal pressures, and the need to keep up with “The Joneses” in working in finance for over a decade. This led him to write his book “Blue Goat.” Court now uses his background in finance and love of personal connection to help people design a life they want to be living. He was recognized as one of the top 40 under 40 Business Leaders in Charlotte. He has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, MSN Money, Dow Jones, and many others.
Marie Incontrera is a speaker, marketing consultant, author, avant-garde musician and fitness enthusiast. Her consulting services include: social media and online branding services, media bookings and book launch services. Her speaker clients have booked TEDx conferences across the country. Her media clients have been booked on popular podcasts and radio stations such as The World’s Most Amazing People and more. She is the author of the Amazon best seller, “Social Your Book Launch.”
Diego Corzo is a 28-year-old entrepreneur, born in Peru and now living in Austin, TX. He started working in corporate America and soon discovered that he was destined for more. He decided to pursue a career in real estate. Now, he is a realtor for Keller Williams alongside an incredible team, and currently owns 12 rental properties. Diego is on a path to financial freedom and aspires to help others, especially millennials, become financially free and reach their full potential.
Melanie Curtis is the life coach for people who don't like life coaches. She went from investment banking to professional skydiving to life coaching. Now she helps people overcome fear while actually making the torture of that growth fun and funny. Working with Melanie is not for the faint of heart, but the skills you learn change everything.
Virginia Brown, LCSW, is a therapist in private practice serving individuals and families addressing healthy family dynamics. Following the death of her daughter at a self-help retreat in 2009, she founded SEEK SAFELY Inc., a 501©3 charity to educate the public about self-help and promote safe and ethical practices in the self-help industry. As a result of this tragedy that created international coverage, she has been involved in numerous interviews and media productions in the US and UK.
Wade Lightheart, 3-Time Canadian Natural Bodybuilding Champion, is one of the world's premier authorities on Natural Nutrition and Training Methods. Having majored in Sports Science at the University of New Brunswick, he has authored numerous books on health, nutrition and exercise, which have sold in over 80 countries. Wade is sought out by athletes and high-performance- oriented individuals worldwide for his advice on how to optimize their health and fitness levels.
John Mitchell's 12-minutes-a-day technique is recognized today as the "Top Practical Application in the World" of the legendary book “Think & Grow Rich.” "Today the differentiator between the mega-successful and the moderately successful is control of self and focus, says John Mitchell. His technique gives that to you. John currently teaches his 12-minute-a-day technique at the University of Texas at Austin, and to entrepreneurs tired of making 6 figures a year, who want to make over $1 million a year.
Thomas M. Hewlett grew up in Los Angeles reading science fiction, fantasy, and all things paranormal. His plan was always to be a writer, but he strayed from the path and into drugs and alcohol addiction. In 2011 he hit rock bottom and ended up in rehab. He rediscovered the power of writing and started his first novel; “One Death at a Time." Writing saved Thomas’s life and became his way of telling a new story about himself.
Angela Ferrari is an a painter, children's book author/illustrator based in Portland Maine. Her picture book titles include: “Digger’s Daily Routine,” “An Extraordinary Book,” “The Shape Escape,” “What Do You See?” and “Lawrence the Lighthouse.” Most recently Angela has launched “Story Spectacular,” a children’s story podcast. The show features original stories and classic retellings.
Eric B. Horn is the Founder of Eric B. Horn Career & Business Solutions, LLC, which is a career and business development firm that provides coaching, consulting, and training for ambitious professionals to equip them with marketplace savvy to accomplish their goals and dreams. He is a four-time author, speaker, trainer, and business strategist with a unique passion for helping entrepreneurs create a signature product or experience to gain more visibility, influence, and income for their business.
Jay Lucas—accomplished businessman, author, leader and philanthropist—believes in the power of positivity, patriotism, and community engagement. His bestselling book is “American Sunshine: Rays of Hope and Opportunity.” He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, and his Law degree from Harvard Law School. He is now the Chairman and Managing Partner of The Lucas Group, focusing on the specialized needs of private equity investors and their portfolio companies.
Tamara Celeste is a lawyer, real estate broker and author. She wrote her first book––Buy Homes Not Shoes—A First-Time Homebuyer's Guide for Women to empower women in their quest to purchase real estate, enabling them to build wealth and increase their net worth so that it has a direct, positive financial impact on their lives. Tamara considers herself both mentor and mentee. She believes that you should always give of yourself and at the same time continue to push yourself and never stop learning.
Ana Melikian has a PhD in psychology, is CEO of AMAZE Coaching and is host of the Mindset Zone podcast. “Our mindset is the collection of thoughts and beliefs that shape the way we see the world. It’s like a pair of glasses, if you will, that we see the world through. We are not aware that we are wearing the glasses because we are so used to them, because they have become an integral part of us and importantly how we interpret our day-to-day world.”
Michael Giannulis’ story began in an average family where he had to work for everything he had. As a guy who started his working life stocking shelves at Walmart, he has seen the spectrum. Now Mike grows and scales companies using real-world experience to make this happen. In 2012 he appeared on the ABC television show, Extreme Weight Loss, and lost 255 pound over one year. He has gone from the bottom of the corporate ladder to the top of the mountain and loves helping others do the same.
Emily Marquis is a Career & Life Coach, Celebrant and Yoga Instructor. She has been coaching clients since 2011 and has a previous background in Human Resources and recruitment. Emily works with each client uniquely by helping them identify their core values and celebrate strengths to use as a compass for their career path. She also helps clients find balance and time management skills with a mindfulness philosophy.
Dan Schawbel is a New York Times bestselling author, Partner and Research Director at Future Workplace, and the Founder of both Millennial Branding and WorkplaceTrends.com. He is the bestselling author of two career books: "Promote Yourself" and "Me 2.0." Dan's third book, “Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation,” was published by Hachette on November 13, 2018. He has been recognized in Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30,” and Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30.”
Forrest Alton has been in the nonprofit sector for more than 15 years. After 10 years in the C-Suite, Forrest stepped down in 2016 to focus his energy on his new enterprise—1000 Feathers. His goal: to help make the nonprofit, social and philanthropic sectors stronger by training and developing leaders, helping organizations think and act more strategically, posing difficult questions organizations are typically afraid to ask and encouraging big, bold courageous conversations.
Stacy L. Pearsall got her start as an Air Force photographer at the age of 17. During her time in service she traveled to over 41 countries, and during three combat tours, she earned the Bronze Star and Air Force Commendation with Valor for combat actions in Iraq. Though disabled and retired from military service, she continues to work worldwide as an independent photographer and founder of the Veterans Portrait Project. Her work has been exhibited at The Pentagon and Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Dr. Ann Kulze is a best-selling author, physician, and speaker in the areas of nutrition, healthy living and disease prevention. With formal training in both nutrition and medicine, along with extensive "hands-on" experience, Dr. Ann has distinguished herself as a one-of-a-kind "real world" nutrition and wellness expert. She is the Founder and CEO of the wellness education firm, Just Wellness LLC. Dr. Ann is the author of six books including her best-selling Eat Right for Life series (WELCOA).
Scott Anthony Barlow is the founder and CEO of Happen to Your Career. He has been featured on CNBC, Yahoo, Career Builder, Fast Company, Huffington Post and various colleges and universities as an expert on career happiness. He and his team run two of the top career change podcasts on iTunes. He lives with his wife and three kids in Moses Lake, Washington and sometimes Paris or London. He gets excited about careers, coffee, parkour, not necessarily in that order.
Courtney Blair started her business out of necessity. When she was pregnant and desperate for work, she began contacting everyone she knew for work she could do from home. Lo-and-behold her dad had his own online business in the psychology realm, and wanted to be featured on podcasts. Fast forward 3 years, and Zippy Content was born. She now represents almost 100 entrepreneurs, authors, coaches, and consultants from across the globe, and finds them interviews with the coolest podcasters on earth.