Arielle Ford is a fixture in the personal growth and contemporary spirituality movement. For the past 30 years, she has been living, teaching, and promoting consciousness through all forms of media. She is a celebrated love and relationship expert, author, and speaker. Her mission is to help people Find Love, Keep Love, and Be Love. Arielle is the author of eleven nonfiction books including the international bestseller, THE SOULMATE SECRET: Manifest the Love of Your Life with The Law of Attraction. She lives in La Jolla, CA with her husband Brian Hilliard, and their feline friends. www.arielleford.com. IG @arielleford44.

Armand Lawrich King is a transformative leader who has risen from a challenging past to make a global impact. Over the past decade, Armand has reshaped communities as a nonprofit founder, consultant, author, and inspiring speaker. His expertise in entrepreneurship and team building has made him a sought-after mentor and a crucial figure in community service, serving on numerous government boards and commissions. Armand's deep commitment to youth empowerment led to the creation of Walk With Me Impact, an organization that creates unique mentorship and training material for groups and individuals worldwide. IG @mr.armand_king

Alejandro Soumah leads RISO DATA, a research group transforming the West African cocoa sector through innovative supply chain modeling to promote transparency and sustainability. Raised across four continents by developmental economist parents, his multicultural background drives his commitment to equitable trade and sustainable development. Alejandro also founded COMPASS Institution, a nonprofit addressing global challenges like food insecurity through data-driven solutions.

His work bridges data science, agriculture, and sustainability, with research featured at the UCLA AI Conference and publications on rice auto-sufficiency in Senegal and cocoa transparency in Ivory Coast. A passionate advocate for ethical supply chains, Alejandro has delivered impactful talks on cocoa trade, data colonialism, and sustainability. He is dedicated to creating data-driven tools to empower farmers and improve global agricultural systems.

A former Quantitative Analyst at Goldman Sachs specializing in FICC Products, Alejandro is fluent in English, French, and Spanish, and is completing a Mathematics and Computer Science degree at UC San Diego. Learn more at alejandrosoumah.com.

Learn more at:
alejandrosoumah.com
LinkedIn: Alejandro Soumah
Instagram: @soumahalejandro

Anne Middleton is an internationally recognized conservationist and ecosystem strategist whose work spans five continents, from tackling illegal logging to leading global biodiversity initiatives.

In her TEDx talk, Anne challenges us to rethink what it means to love the land sometimes protecting nature requires letting go of what no longer belongs.

Ashley Van Zeeland is a neuroscience PhD and global genomics leader driving innovation at Illumina and advancing precision medicine across the life sciences industry.

Her talk explores how collaboration across disciplines—and life experiences—is key to solving the most complex health challenges facing humanity today.

Brian G. Keating is Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of California, San Diego. Keating's research area is the study of the cosmic microwave background and its relationship to the origin and evolution of the universe. He is the Principal Investigator of the Simons Observatory and is the author of more than 200 scientific publications, two U.S. Patents, and the best-selling books Think Like a Nobel Prize Winner, and “Losing the Nobel Prize”, selected as one of Amazon Editors Best Nonfiction Books of All Time. IG @drbriankeating

Bing, originally from Lexington, Kentucky, grew up on a small farm fostering a deep bond with horses through daily care and diverse equestrian activities, including competitive jumping, dressage, polo, western riding, breaking and training horses & racing and more. After earning his law degree, Bing moved to California in 1987 and built a distinguished legal career, focusing on equine law, personal injury and trusts & estates.

In 2000, Bing founded his own firm representing clients from local equestrians to international figures including Dubai royalty. He is an advocate for a jockeys and frequently collaborate with California & other Stare Horse Racing Boards.

A licensed Racing owner/trainer since 1984, Bing established Abbondanza Racing  in 2012 competing often in  prestigious races, including the World Championship Breeders Cup. Passionate about horse welfare, Bing is a board member of organizations including  Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) and California Retirement Management Account (CARMA) ensuring that retired racehorses find good homes.

Bing actively supports several other nonprofits and legal organizations.

Learn more at:
www.bushlawoffices.com | www.abbondanzaracing.com
LinkedIn: Bing I. Bush Jr.
Instagram: @AbbondanzaRacing
Facebook: Bing Bush

Dr. Courtney Glavis-Bloom, a neuroscientist at the Salk Institute, conducts groundbreaking research on the neurobiological changes that occur with aging, and their link to cognitive decline and resilience. She leverages nearly two decades of experience from roles spanning both industry and academia to uncover novel approaches for intervention by utilizing non-human primate models. Her educational foundation includes a BA in Cognitive Science from Yale and a PhD in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior from Emory. IG @cglavisbloom

Dr. Joe Risser is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at UC San Diego and a board-certified physician in Public Health and Preventive Medicine. With over 40 years of clinical research experience, Joe has pioneered studies on therapies, diagnostics, and behavior change strategies. He also chairs the first Department of Clinical Research in one of over 15,000 community clinics in the U.S., serving vulnerable populations at the Linda Vista Healthcare Center.

Joe holds a medical degree and master’s in Biostatistics, completing his education and residencies at the University of Hawaii and UC San Diego. His lifelong passion lies in studying mental toughness, or "grit," and its profound connection to the brain protein Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).

Dr. Manna Semby is the founder of Aruna Personalized Medicine and the Center for Cognitive Resilience, dedicated to transforming midlife health through The Aruna Method™, a science-based, multimodal approach focused on hormonal optimization, brain health, and functional medicine. Inspired by her children’s health challenges, she left a career in finance to pursue medicine. Her own battle with breast cancer deepened her commitment to helping others and highlighted the power of functional medicine and resilience.

Believing health and wellness are essential for enduring leadership, Dr. Semby collaborates with Corporate Wellness programs and HR teams to develop strategies that foster resilient women leaders, improve retention, and close the gender gap in leadership. Her work empowers individuals to reclaim vitality, build resilience, and thrive during midlife transitions.

Learn more at:
Aruna Personalized Medicine | Center for Cognitive Resilience
LinkedIn: Dr. Manna Semby

Gregg Ward is the Founder of the Center for Respectful Leadership. He began his career as a theater professional in New York and the UK using improvisation to train NYPD police officers. From 1988-92 he also served as a journalist in Europe for BBC Radio and other UK media, covering the fall of the Berlin Wall.

He now serves as a global thought leader and speaker on respect and is the author of the bestselling, award-winning business fable "The Respectful Leader" (Wiley 2016). Gregg sits on the Advisory Board of the Hyacinth Fellowship, is a Board-Certified Coach, a Master Corporate Executive Coach, and a Certified Management Consultant-Emeritus.

In 2024 he was a finalist in the San Diego Business Journal’s CEO of the Year competition; and was named Top Executive Director by the International Association of Top Professionals, and top Executive Coach by Real Leaders Magazine.

LinkedIn: Gregg Ward

A 15-year Navy veteran, Hernán Luis y Prado founded San Diego-based Workshops for Warriors (WFW), the only nonprofit school in America that trains, certifies, and places veterans and transitioning service members into advanced manufacturing careers to help rebuild America's manufacturing capabilities. WFW has graduated over 1,000 veterans working in every state for companies like Tesla, Boeing & Ford. Luis y Prado was named the US Small Business Administration’s Entrepreneur of The Year for 2022 for the state of California. Wfw.org. Reach Prado at IG @workshopsforwarriors.

Our SHINE Emcee:

Holly Smithson captivated audiences at TEDxSanDiego Women’s 2024 with her talk, How to Uncage the Confidence Within. She returns as the SHINE Emcee to spotlight transformative ideas. As CEO of Athena, she champions gender equality in STEM. Holly has been recognized among San Diego’s Top 500 Most Influential Leaders and inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame.

Jillian Lee Wiggins, PhD, was born in Chicago to immigrant Jamaican Chinese parents. She fell in love with psychology and neuroscience while an undergraduate and moved on to complete her PhD in developmental psychology at University of Michigan and her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. She is now the Director of the Translational Emotion Neuroscience and Development Lab (TEND Lab) and an Associate Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University. Her two children (ages 3 and 6) often attend her class as “demo kids”.

Jasmine LeFlore, MSE, MBA, is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Greater Than Tech (GTT), a San Diego-based non-profit that brings immersive STEM and business education programs to young girls and students in underserved communities. A powerhouse with purpose, she is also a full-time Advanced Technology Solutions Lead at Collins Aerospace, serving as a real-life example and role model for girls of color looking to engineer their own futures in tech. LeFlore believes she can inspire change and is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in STEM workplaces and classrooms. Her work has been recognized through various entrepreneurship, industry and community service awards, including earning a 2023 NAACP San Diego Branch Freedom Fund Award, the San Diego Magazine Woman Builder of the Year award in 2022, and the 2022 Outstanding Engineering Service Award by the County of San Diego Engineers, and the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Science Spectrum Award. She has received her BSE in Aerospace Engineering from University of Michigan, her MSE in Interdisciplinary Engineering from Purdue University and her MBA from Indiana University. She was born and brought up in Flint, MI.

Jaye Connolly is the Chairman and CEO of RippleNami, Inc., an innovative tech firm in Africa that integrates AI, blockchain, and data visualization providing traceability and transparency to connect unconnected communities. She realizes empowering women and children will make the world a better place. Connolly saw something in RippleNami that she knew would impact the world & wanted to be part of the sea change it had the potential to affect. Connolly travels the globe witnessing circumstances she never dreamed imaginable. Connolly has over 40 years of leadership across finance, technology, and healthcare, leading six publicly traded companies, and facilitating 18 acquisitions that boosted revenues by $2 billion. As a resilient single mother,  she's proud of her daughter, a litigation partner advocating for the voiceless. Connolly chairs three for-profits and two non-profits focused on climate and women's empowerment.

Jesse Leon is a bilingual social impact consultant to foundations and an executive coach focused on diversity and belonging. He creates public-private partnerships, grantmaking programs, and impact investment funds to address affordable housing, sex-trafficking, addiction, mental health, homelessness, and LGBTQ+ issues. Based in San Diego, Jesse is an alum of San Diego City College, UC Berkeley, and Harvard. He is the author of I’m Not Broken and No Estoy Roto published by Penguin Random House.  www.jesseleonauthor.com Reach Leon at @jesse_leon_author and LinkedIn.

Jessica King is a design strategist who creates innovation campuses that support breakthrough science and transform how humans work and collaborate.

Her TEDx talk explores how built environments shape our thinking—and why designing for human brilliance is the future of leadership and innovation.

​​Lieutenant Julie Roland is a helicopter aircraft commander who has deployed around the world as a MH-60R helicopter pilot. She is a member of the San Diego Leadership Alliance, League of Women Voters, Women’s Foundation, Truman National Security Project, the Rotary Club, the Young Professionals Council of the San Diego LGBT Center, and serves on the Mission Bay Park Committee. Julie currently attends the University of San Diego School of Law and is Vice President of the Public Interest Law Foundation. In her free time, she started Just Tryna Make Friends, a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to promote the arts and build community through a monthly variety show. The show has been voted a finalist in San Diego Reader Magazine’s Best Neighborhood Event in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and as a result of her efforts, in 2022 and 2023, Julie was named a finalist in San Diego Business Journal Magazine’s Business Women of the Year in the nonprofit category.  *NOTE Julie's talk does not reflect the official views of the US Navy.

Kilma Lattin is a futurist, a military aviator, and a former Tribal Leader. He believes that every square mile has a story and that geolocated XR content will transform public and private spaces into place-based immersive and interactive experiences for education, entertainment and advertising. His projects have won an Emmy Award, been featured in the Smithsonian Institute, and his company OurWorlds was the 2022 winner of the SXSW.edu Launch Competition for, “best EdTech startup.” Kilma Lattin is the founder of a cultural-futurism movement known as The OurWorlds Project, which is digitizing culture for the 21st Century. He has studied at Harvard Business School, Harvard JFK School of Government, Johns Hopkins, the University of Southern California, and UC Santa Barbara. IG @ourworlds.xr

With over 25 years of experience as an Emmy Award-winning sportscaster, Katy Temple has honed her skills to empower executives, founders, and professional athletes to exude confidence, composure, and control both on camera and in person. Driven by her passion for guiding high-profile leaders toward excellence, Katy established Think Temple, LLC. Leveraging her deep expertise from the big leagues, she enables clients to seize pivotal moments on camera with authority, authenticity, and impact, mirroring their success in every other aspect of life. Katy's renowned "Mastering the Lens Workshop" in San Diego is meticulously crafted for ambitious women who share this profile, offering tailored strategies to amplify their presence and influence. As a former TEDx Coach, Katy brings a wealth of experience to the table and is honored to contribute to this year's event, continuing her mission to empower individuals to shine on stage and beyond.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katytemplemediacoaching/Website: https://www.katytemplemediacoaching.com/

At just 16 years old, Kennedy Murphy is a national leader in the grief and resilience movement, drawing from her own experience losing a parent.

Her TEDx talk challenges us to support young people facing trauma not just with empathy but with joy, connection, and shared purpose.

KishaLynn Elliott is the VP of Operations and Evaluation for the Monarch School Project in San Diego. She pioneered the first longitudinal research study on the social-emotional learning of school-aged youth experiencing homelessness and co-authored a white paper with USD titled, "Promoting Resilience: Social Emotional Learning Sustenance at the Monarch School.” Her passions are community building, healing, and personal growth. She is also a multi-hyphenated artist, entrepreneur, author of CHILDish: Stories From The Life Of A Young Black Girl and shares her life with her wife and son. www.BLAAC.life. Reach Elliot @coachkishalynn and LinkedIn.

Laura Bashore is a business strategist and founder of three companies helping professionals grow their visibility, influence, and careers.

In her TEDx talk, Laura explores the fear many professionals carry about being replaced by AI—and shows why our human story remains our greatest asset.

Loretta Grace Morrison is a culture and education strategist who has spent two decades creating healing-centered learning environments rooted in music therapy and emotional intelligence.

Her TEDx talk reveals how trauma-informed leadership and radical compassion can reshape our schools—and help every student feel safe, seen, and empowered.

At age 52, Mark Klein, while fighting cancer and being a devoted parent to a son with autism, co-founded Broad Reach Power and built a national renewable energy storage business that he sold 5 years later for $1 billion. Humbled by his great fortune, Mark founded Pacific Northwest Energy Consultant so he can devote his life to bringing renewable energy to underserved communities throughout the US. He also generously gives his time and resources to support organizations like the Autism Society of San Diego.

The daughter of refugees and an immigrant, Madhushree Ghosh’s debut food narrative, KHABAAR: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory, and Family, was a Ms Magazine ‘Most Anticipated Read in 2022’. Her work has been Pushcart-nominated, Best American Essays Notable Mention, and published in The New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Longreads, LARB, and others. Working in oncology diagnostics, she’s focused on gender pay parity in science, and food stories of immigrants. www.writemadhushree.com Reach Ghosh on IG @writemadhushree and LinkedIn.

Manisha Dhawan is a former Deloitte and PwC executive who leads billion-dollar transformations through a human-first approach rooted in behavioral science and bold strategy.

In her TEDx talk, she shares a fun creative framework for understanding resistance to change—and how to unlock empathy and innovation at every level.

Matthew Quitoriano is a first-generation American and student at San Diego High School. A dedicated leader, he founded his school's mock trial club and is a founding member of the school newspaper and garden club. He served two terms on the San Diego Unified School Board, representing nearly 100,000 students, where he focused on civic engagement, mental health, and shaping the long-term vision of California's second-largest school district.

Matthew now works at Welfie, a startup developing health equity tools to support mental health workers in addressing systemic prejudice. He also collaborates with Rhizome, Project Superbloom, and the Working Families Party to empower young people and drive civic engagement through innovative, nontraditional approaches.

Melissa Villagomez is a professional dedicated to raising awareness about the foster care system and the much-needed support for current and former foster youth. Melissa’s passion stems from her personal experience in foster care. Melissa is an avid supporter and role model for all foster youth working towards breaking the cycle of foster care. Melissa is now the Development and Special Events Manager for Walden Family Services, a nationally recognized foster care, adoption, and youth services agency. She has collaborated with various community organizations to develop programs and services that provide opportunities to those currently in foster care, as well as young adults whom the system has impacted. Melissa is a firm believer that there is life after foster care, and there are community members who want to help.

Misti Cain is the Founder and Chief Advyzzor of Whyzze, helping small businesses, executives, and entrepreneurs build thriving organizations. Since 2016, Whyzze has provided actionable strategies to solve challenges, attract engaged teams and customers, and create meaningful workplace cultures. Misti specializes in simplifying problems, improving decision-making, and transforming stagnant businesses into thriving ones.

She is also a Venture Partner at Techstars, a global investment accelerator, and founder of PleaseStop.co, a platform helping founders secure funding and overcome communication barriers. With over 15 years of experience, Misti has worked with startups, franchises, and Fortune 500 companies to drive growth, inspire teams, and boost customer loyalty.Previously the host of Werrrk! by Mailchimp Presents, Misti also serves as an Executive in Residence and Board Member at CSUSM’s College of Business.

Learn more at:
Whyzze
LinkedIn: Misti Cain
Instagram: @heymisticain

Pamela Gardner is a biotech CEO and transformational teacher named one of San Diego’s most influential women in science and leadership.

In her TEDx talk, Dress Bold, Be Bold, Pamela reveals how embracing personal style became her most powerful leadership tool. She invites women to ditch conformity, reclaim visibility, and step into leadership by showing up fully as themselves, starting with what they wear.

Pantea Khodami is a visionary leader with over fifteen years of experience in genomics, precision medicine, and cloud technologies. An MIT graduate with a foundation in biomaterials science and engineering, she has driven over 30 product launches in the precision medicine space. Notably, she played a pivotal role in the development of the groundbreaking HiSeq X Ten sequencing platform in 2014, which made the $1,000 genome a reality.

After finishing her graduate studies at MIT, Pantea began her career at Illumina, where she helped shape the future of genomic sequencing. Today, she leads the Precision Medicine and Genomics industry vertical at Amazon Web Services, where she harnesses the power of cloud technologies to accelerate precision medicine, advance diagnostics, and revolutionize drug discovery and development.

Learn more at:
LinkedIn: Pantea Khodami
Instagram: @panikhoda

Pat Salas is the founder and CEO of SBHIS Insurance Services, Inc.  She started the agency at her home and grew it to become the largest Medicare Advantage Agency owned by a Latina Female in the country.  She is a servant leader and has dedicated her life to serving Medicare beneficiaries.

She recently changed her title to Chief Dream Enabler because she wanted to focus on helping her team identify their dreams, believe in them and devise clear and concise plans to achieve them.

Providing opportunities, cheering the underdog, making the impossible possible, crushing goals, celebrating the wins and cultivating the company's culture are her passions. www.sbhis.net. Reach Salas on IG @patsalas and LinkedIn

Paula Sylvia is the Program Director of the Aquaculture and Blue Technology Program at the Port of San Diego, as well as the Port’s Blue Economy Incubator, an impact investment platform to support entrepreneurship and innovation partnerships to facilitate and scale pilot projects and build a portfolio of aquaculture, blue technology, nature-based solutions and other new businesses that can deliver multiple social, environmental, and economic benefits to the region. Connect on LinkedIn.

Philippe Lazaro is a climate and justice storyteller. His work has taken him to 50+ countries, seeking to center the stories of communities most impacted by urgent issues. Lazaro is an advocate for ethical storytelling, a focus on solutions, and using creative tools to inspire proactive behavior. He oversees communications and storytelling for the organization Plant With Purpose. He is based in San Diego with his wife and their three children. Philippelazaro.com. Reach Lazaro on IG @philippelazaro and LinkedIn.

Rachael Stewart, Ed.D. a Kenyan immigrant, wife, mother, mentor and Professor & Director of Academic and Career Programs. Her research and work are centered around organizational leadership, change, policy, and practices within education systems. Outside of the academic arena, Rachael enjoys exercising (weight lifting and pilates) and spending time exploring San Diego with her husband and their three sons.

A lifelong educator, Rochel Smoller, born in Boston, graduated from the Beth Rivka teachers seminary in Brooklyn N.Y. For 38 years she has taught 2nd grade as well as directing a summer camp with her husband. Rochel has lectured globally about education, dating, and maintaining a positive outlook in life. Outside of teaching she is a matchmaker and professional dating coach.

Ron Donoho is founder/editor of thesandiegosun.com, a hyperlocal, independent news source that covers downtown San Diego. He is an advocate for rebuilding independent, nonpartisan media outlets that give voice to local populations that lack or have lost news coverage. Previously, Donoho was editor of San Diego Magazine and San Diego CityBeat. He's written for dozens of local, regional and national media outlets over a three-decade career as a professional writer and editor. IG @thesandiegosun.

Rod Jeter is a navy veteran and married father of 5 adult children, three from his previous marriage and 2 from his current. His career spans from being a real estate broker to entrepreneur, and he has a master’s degree in software engineering. Married for 12 years, he found himself frustrated by traditional marriage counseling and sought a better way to settle disagreements with his wife. Jeter’s goal is to create happier homes and help as many couples as possible solve conflicts and disagreements with less drama and more fun through the YBAngry relationship tool. https://ybangry.com. Reach Jeter on IG @mrrodjeter and LinkedIn. Watch Why Be Angry? (2 min Intro).

Sarah Hassaine is the Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity, at the digital sleep health company ResMed. She has ten years of experience in the D&I space, starting at Amazon where she helped with recruiting and retaining women in Applied Sciences, and then at Qualcomm where she led their conference engagement, affinity group expansion, and designed trainings and inclusion building solutions.  Sarah started her career as a government contractor with Deloitte, and then in international development supporting democracy building projects, mainly across the Middle East and North Africa. As a San Diego native, she is very devoted to the growth and direction of the city and serves on four organizational boards  championing equity, access and economic inclusion. She also volunteers with inter-faith, refugee assimilation, orphanage support, and health organizations.

A former TEDxSanDiego Women’s show speaker, Sarah returns to the stage as our majestic emcee. She is the Global Head of Diversity at ResMed and a lifelong advocate for equity, access, and purpose-driven leadership. 

A beloved San Diego based leader, Sarah’s background spans the UN, Deloitte, and grassroots community impact, She brings warmth, humor, and global perspective to every room she enters.

Saundra Pelletier is the CEO of Evofem Biosciences. As one of the most dynamic women in today’s biotech industry, she is revolutionizing women’s healthcare by launching Phexxi - the first and ONLY non-hormonal FDA approved birth control used on demand. Men have had ‘sex on demand’ for over 150 years with condoms and women should be empowered in the same way. Saundra launched a global non-profit to deliver sustainable contraception to women regardless of income or geography and she uses her voice and vision for real, progressive change to deliver results. She is a force of energy that blends substance and excitement with straight talk and refreshing opinions. www.evofem.com & www.phexxi.com. Reach Pelletier on IG @saundrapelletierofficial and LinkedIn.

Sheila Gujrathi, MD is a biotech entrepreneur and executive, healthcare investor, and drug developer with over 25 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. She has founded, built, and run numerous biotech companies and led the development and approval of life-changing pharmaceutical drugs for patients with immunology and oncology diseases. She currently serves as a chairwoman, board director, strategic advisor and consultant to many start-up companies and investment funds. Dr. Gujrathi has earned multiple biotech leadership awards, including Corporate Directors Forum Director of the Year, Healthcare Technology Report Top 25 Women Leaders in Biotechnology, Athena Pinnacle Award, and was named among the Fiercest Women in Life Sciences. She is thrilled to be the 2024 Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering commencement speaker. Dr. Gujrathi is passionate about making the working world safe and inclusive for women and other minority groups. She is co-founder of the Biotech CEO Sisterhood, a group of transformative trailblazing female CEOs.

Shelby Stanger is the host and creator of the hit podcast, Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-Op Studios production. Often chasing adventure herself, Stanger has surfed from Canada to Costa Rica; sand-boarded down desolate dunes in Cape Town; paddled down a remote portion of the Amazon River (so many bug bites); and interviewed countless CEOs, athletes, activists, and thought leaders. Her journalism work has appeared in Outside Magazine, ESPN, and The San Diego Union Tribune, among other publications. As a podcaster, Stanger created a show about health called Vitamin Joy, hosted a show about travel for Lufthansa, and regularly consults with brands and individuals on how to tell better stories and launch their own shows. This June of 2023, Shelby will release her first book with Simon and Schuster, Will to Wild: Adventures Great and Small to Change. Reach Stanger on IG @shelbystanger and Linkedin.

Sheryl Anjanette Founder & CEO, Parsley360 Sheryl Anjanette is an author, speaker and the founder and CEO of Parsley360 (Parsley), a human centered, AI-enabled performance optimization system for businesses with universal access to an emotionally intelligent pocket coach. Parsley is a unified platform to connect the dots & understand the unique nuances of each organization and individual. Sheryl’s professional journey spanning three decades of experience in leadership, marketing, and performance optimization led her to seek a holistic solution that could benefit all organizations and the stakeholders that empower their success. Sheryl holds advanced certifications in strategy, performance technology, cognitive behavioral neuroscience, and clinical stress, anxiety and emotional regulation. Her insights as the best-selling author of The Imposter Lies Within, a roadmap to living an imposter-free life, reflect her ability to translate complex concepts into actionable strategies.

Dr. Silvia Mah, focused on 'Impact with Integrity', is the Founder & Chairwoman of Stella Foundation, a global conSTELLAtion of organizations & leaders equipping women-led businesses from startup to sale & empowering the funders who champion them. Dr. Mah is a faith-driven leader as the Director of Innovation at Biola University. Since 2010, Dr. Mah has invested in 160+ seed-stage female- or BIPOC-led startups, from medical devices to CPG & from San Diego to Brooklyn. As the inaugural Fund Manager for San Diego Angel Conference Fund I (2019), she has invested in 13 emerging fund managers & been blessed by 6 exits & 1 IPO. Learn more at sheinvests.com, listen to her globally-recognized podcast, She Invests!, & enjoy Dr. Mah's book, The Startup Investor Mindset, on Amazon. Dr. Mah holds a PhD & MBA from UCSD, & a BS from Pepperdine University. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Mah believes in integrating family and work to create a blended lifestyle with a strong cup of integrity.

Introducing Stacey Lauren, a pioneering entrepreneur and the driving force behind Do The Thing, a movement aimed at revolutionizing community building. Stacey's two-decade career peaked when she sold her stake in a leading staffing firm she co-founded in 2001. This pivotal moment in 2022 led her to fully commit to empowering people to embrace life, find their voices, and pursue their dreams. Do The Thing is more than a motto; it's a transformative framework that rallies individuals around shared goals, fostering significant personal and societal change. Stacey's initiative combats the pervasive sense of disconnection in today's society by creating engaging communities where people take action and form meaningful bonds. Recognized for her innovative approach, Stacey’s work is celebrated as a beacon for future community-building efforts. As she prepares to take the TEDx stage, she continues to inspire and push for a world where collective action makes a profound difference.

Stu Weintraub is a creative visionary, social impact entrepreneur, author, speaker, and shamanic energy healer. His "Waves of Love" and "Love Before Law' workshops are opening minds, healing hearts and awakening souls nationwide.  As Founder & CEO of the non profit organization, Center for Child-Safe Divorce, Stu is aggregating a professional alliance to help parents seeking support from clergy, counselors and coaches so they can minimize conflict and reduce the chances of fighting in court.  In his upcoming book, The HEART of Divorce (releasing spring 2023) Stu vulnerably tells his own personal story, and offers inspiring spiritual and practical guidance for parents whose children are being negatively impacted by conflict during and after divorce. www.stuweintraub.com  www.lovebeforelaw.org. Reach Weintraub on IG @stuweintraub FB www.facebook.com/stuweintraub and LinkedIn.

Teresa Smith founded Dreams for Change in 2009 to provide comprehensive social services through innovative programming and research. Teresa was awarded the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for her work with the development of Safe Parking. Teresa’s educational experience includes a BS in psychology from Western Michigan University, MA in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego, and a MA and Ph.D. in Human Sciences from the California Institute in Human Sciences.

Teresa has lived in an electric wheelchair for over 30 years and is a leading voice on urban inclusion and accessibility. 

Her TEDx talk reimagines mobility through the lens of low battery anxiety and proposes a visionary network of smart charging stations that restore dignity, independence, and access.

A Harvard-trained anesthesiologist, pediatrician, licensed attorney, Patient Safety/Medical Liability Specialist, and author. As Chief Patient Safety and Risk Officer for RLDatix, Dr. McDonald has taken his passion for shattering the wall of silence in healthcare and infused it into software to better support organizations who are on their journey to more compassionate honesty.Dr. McDonald has also worked with patients and family members to share their stories with healthcare organizations, to reinforce the importance of this approach. RLDatix.com. Reach Dr. McDonald on IG @rldatix and LinkedIn.

Victoria Lakers is a Partner at Calibre One, where she builds high-performing leadership teams for private equity-backed software companies. With a background in executive roles, entrepreneurship, and private equity, she brings deep expertise to leadership and growth strategies.

Previously, Victoria was a Partner at a boutique search firm, leading its diversity practice, and served as an interim executive for sustainability-focused tech startups. She also founded and sold two businesses: a FASTSIGNS franchise and an e-commerce venture. Earlier, she spent six years in private equity at Water Asset Management and Apollo Global Management.

Learn more at:
LinkedIn: Victoria Lakers
Instagram: @victorialakers
Facebook: Victoria Lakers

Walter Green was Chairman and CEO of Harrison, a leading executive conference center management company. He authored the bestselling book, This Is The Moment, which inspired him to launch the Say It Now movement as its founder. He is actively involved in mentoring and his philanthropic initiatives are focused on San Diego’s underserved. Green and his wife, Lola, funded WE College’s School of Hospitality and Tourism in Kenya. They have twin sons and two grandchildren. www.justsayitnow.org. Reach Green on IG @sayitnowmovement.