Breaking Barriers

A trusted voice in resilience and change management, U.S. Olympian Johnny Quinn applies the tools and frameworks he developed as a pro athlete to help organizations accept risk, push through barriers, and to live and work with purpose.

Worry, stress and anxiety are at an all-time high for many organizations. Budgets are being cut and people are being asked to do more with less. It’s a tough outlook—unless you understand the future belongs to the resilient leader!

<p>The youngest woman and the only South Asian-American ever to earn the title of Master Sommelier, Alpana Singh shares stories and insights from her trailblazing career.</p><p>From her humble beginnings as the daughter of Fijian-Indian immigrant parents to becoming a Master Sommelier, restauranteur, and host of a multi-Emmy Award-winning TV show, Alpana Singh has had an extraordinary career. Born and raised in Monterey, California, Alpana’s strong work ethic and ease with people of all ages stemmed from a youth spent working in her family’s ethnic grocery store.

<p>An award-winning, record-breaking organizational change leader for the NFL, Sam Rapoport shares actionable takeaways for how to identify opportunities, drive progress, and achieve exponential growth.</p><p>Sam Rapoport has spent 22 seasons working in football, dedicating her career to creating innovative business models aimed at driving organizational change and increasing diversity and inclusion in sport.

<p>A renowned NASA astronaut named one of <em>TIME</em>’s Most Influential People and one of <em>Forbes</em>’ 50 Over 50, Peggy Whitson shares insight on leadership, building resilient teams, developing soft skills for success, and the importance of STEM education. </p><p>An inspirational leader dedicated to pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and advancing our understanding of space, Peggy Whitson has over 37 years of experience with NASA.

<p>The inspiring subject of the Prime film, <em>A Million Miles Away</em>, José Hernández shares stories from his extraordinary journey from migrant farm worker to NASA astronaut, empowering audiences to persevere in challenging environments and to achieve their greatest goals. </p><p>NASA engineer José Hernández wanted to fly in space ever since he heard that the first Hispanic-American had been chosen to travel into space.

<p>James “The Iron Cowboy” Lawrence’s combination of energy, humor, determination, and achievements captivates his audience and creates an inspirational and awakening phenomenon for all. </p><p>James earned his “Iron Cowboy” nickname because of the hat he wore during the marathon portion of his Ironman races so that his children could identify him quickly. In his book, <em>Iron Cowboy: Redefine Impossible</em>, James shares how, with two Guinness World Records under his belt, he wondered if he had truly found his mental and physical limits.

<p>Rosemary Saal helped make history as a member of the Full Circle Everest Expedition, the first all-Black team to climb Mount Everest. </p><p>One of three women on the Full Circle Everest Expedition team, Saal understands the value of diversity for leaders and teams, and the importance of focus in high-stakes environments.

<p>Every individual has an opportunity to break barriers and redefine what is possible, and triple Emmy Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Gaby Natale is on a mission to awaken the pioneer spirit in each of us.  </p><p>Gaby is among just a few women in the entertainment industry who not only owns the rights to her TV show, but also a television studio. This unique situation has allowed her to combine her passion for media and her entrepreneurial spirit, which continues to help her break barriers.

<p>The most senior military woman ever to serve in the U.S. Department of Defense, four-star General Lori Robinson speaks on leadership, overcoming obstacles, and the most pressing U.S. national security issues today.</p><p>General Lori Robinson was the first woman to be nominated and confirmed as a combatant commander. She retired in 2018 having served as Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Commander, U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM). In that role, she led the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians from the U.S.

<p>Ginger Kerrick shares her roadmap for building the teams that helped transform NASA’s culture, driving innovation and resilience.</p><p>During her 30-year tenure at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Ginger Kerrick led teams through waves of challenge and change during NASA’s most innovative decades since the Apollo missions, creating better cross-organizational collaboration and supporting NASA’s highly successful industry partnerships with SpaceX and others.