Inspiration

<p>With two New York Times bestsellers and a 20-year career with the world-renowned Harvard Negotiation Project, Sheila Heen is an authority on how to have difficult conversations successfully—where emotions run high and relationships become strained.  </p><p>As Harvard Law School professor and a founder of Triad Consulting Group, Heen shares how to improve the skill of receiving feedback—a change she says that is essential to learning, collaboration, innovation and sound decision-making in your organization.

<p>Best known for her groundbreaking turn as the first Black lead on ABC’s <em>The Bachelorette, </em>Rachel Lindsay shares anecdotes from her incredible career as a media host and sports attorney, inspiring audiences to blaze their own personal and professional trails. </p><p>Throughout her journey to find love, Rachel Lindsay became a fan favorite for her intellect, authenticity, and ability to navigate difficult situations with confidence and poise.

<p>Molly Bloom is an entrepreneur and the best-selling author of <i>Molly’s Game,</i> a story that inspired a best-picture nomination, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.

Janet M. Stovall has flourished in the highly competitive corporate Fortune 500 world. A long history of driving change and building culture in large, complex organizations has given her deep expertise around DEI practices and principles, especially in the area of communications. In fact, she broke barriers as one of the few Black C-level speechwriters in the Fortune 100.

A self-described diversity pragmatist, Stovall is best known for her TED talk challenging business to get serious about inclusion. Collectively, Stovall’s three TED presentations have nearly 3 million views.

<p>Robyn Benincasa takes you inside the world of extreme adventure racing to highlight the common traits, attitudes and mindsets of the world's most consistently high-performing teams. </p><p>For 20 years, Robyn has competed in the most rigorous conditions on earth as an adventure racer, mastering the skills required to inspire and bond with teammates in pursuit of audacious goals while working under extreme time pressures.</p><p>With a message that emphasizes caring about each other as much as ourselves, Robyn offers a unique view of how to build teams th

<p>Ruth E. Carter’s unparalleled ability to develop an authentic story through costume and character has made her one of the most sought-after, renowned, and award-winning costume designers today. </p><p>A two-time Academy Award-winner for “Best Costume Design” (<em>Black Panther </em>in 2019; <em>Black Panther: Wakanda Forever</em> in 2022), Ruth E. Carter has also garnered nominations for Spike Lee’s <em>Malcolm X</em> (1993) and Steven Spielberg’s <em>Amistad</em> (1998).

<p>Named one of “The Best Speakers of Today” by Northstar Meetings Group and Orator of the Year by <i>ACHI Magazine </i>in 2018, Natalie Fikes is a force of positive change on stage.</p><p>Natalie Fikes, is a performance and development coach that helps professionals improve performance and get what they want in life and business.

<p>In 1992, when Manon Rhéaume stepped on the ice as goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning, she became The First Woman of Hockey—the first and only female to play in an NHL game.</p><p>Manon was also the first female to sign a contract as a professional hockey player, leading to a successful six-year career in the minor leagues. To this day, no other woman has played in any of the four major sports—the NHL, NFL, NBA, or MLB.

<p>Lual Mayen is the founder of Junub Games. He has a rich story from growing up as a refugee to becoming a game developer. </p><p>For 22 of his 24 years of life, Mayen lived in a refugee camp in northern Uganda. A few years back, Mayen saw a laptop computer at a registration station for the refugee camp. He told his mother he wanted one. She saved money for three years to get the $300 to buy it for him. He discovered Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and the joy of playing at an internet cafe.

<p>Tammie Jo Shults possessed an early interest in flying, but she faced various obstacles on her path to becoming a military pilot. </p><p>Applying her lifelong trait of perseverance, she eventually became one of the first female F/A-18 Hornet pilots in the United States Navy. Her duties, before women were allowed into combat roles, encompassed teaching Out Of Control Flight as well as serving as a bogey/bandit against Top Gun students as well as other squadrons, ships or entire carrier groups.