Becoming a Sage with Dr. Jann Freed (Jann Freed)

Click here to register for Chana's workshop!

Read from Chana herself:

I am the youngest child of Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi Z"L and his first wife Tziporah Faygl.

I have 68 years of Life Experience.

I am currently not retired but "Reinspired" and ready to share Sageing with you with special insights of having been raised by Reb Zalman as I was growing up in Winnipeg and decades of continuing to receive parental guidance and influence throughout my adult life.

I hope to continue his legacy by tiptoeing in his rather large footsteps and spreading Sageing in Israel and throughout the world.

My proudest accomplishment was in raising my children and giving them my "all" and seeing them as  amazing adults, each one doing such amazing contributions in this world by using their gifts and sharing it with others.

I am a grandmother to many  (and a Great Grandmother to one).

It is a big joy to spend time with my grandchildren and watch each of their unique personalities shine.

I am a very optimistic and energetic elder and I hope to be able to INSPIRE you.

Paul Long is an award-winning major market television news reporter, anchor, weatherman and special projects producer.

He is an Emmy award winning Content Creator for www.paullongproductions.com. Paul won an Emmy for Best Documentary for A Passing of the Torch.

New Way Forward is Paul’s new way forward. Bringing to bear all his experience, skill and talent as well as what he has learned himself and from thought leaders over the past 15 years on what it takes to live a life with joy, purpose, passion and income.

Paul lives with his college girlfriend/soul mate. Together they raised two exceptional sons.

Paul Loper is a deep-rooted dancer, collaborative inquirer, feeling thinker, group facilitator, and committed learner.

Paul has worked in 21 countries over 4+ decades, the first two of which were onstage (a few highlights: dancing with Twyla Tharp, and in two Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies; creating one-man shows in Seattle, Paris, San Francisco, and a two-person show in London).

Paul earned a Ph.D. in Learning and Change in Human Systems. He’s now a senior facilitator for Stanford’s renowned “Interpersonal Dynamics” course, faculty for the Master’s in Leadership Program at St. Mary’s College of CA, and a core team member of the consultancy HaveMoreFUNLIMITED.

In 2021 he co-launched Protean, an intimate retreat-workshop incorporating his “Chormmunity” group Movement Text-making methodology, supporting:

· Reconnection to self, invigorating the body, moving from your unique gifts

· Finding new levels of connection with others

· Play

· Growing capacity to collaborate and create

Home is Baja and Breckenridge for this former pro snowboarder who's launched and operated hotels, produced events on beaches and glaciers, managed pro athletes, and worn the hats of writer, restaurateur, and more. The common thread? Christine is passionate about creating experiences that change people's lives—be it in our classroom, our community, or in our workplace. Christine cares deeply about the wellbeing and happiness of her amazing team and the broader El Pescadero community where she lives with her husband Josh and their family of rescue dogs.

Dr. Nash is Founder & CEO of Jennifer Nash Coaching & Consulting, a global leadership advisory and consulting firm that connects people and performance to deliver exceptional results. She was invited to join Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches organization as one of the world’s top executive coaches. Jennifer is the author of the 2023 award-winning book Be Human, Lead Human: How to Connect People and Performance. 

Jennifer’s resume includes serving in executive and leadership roles at Deloitte Consulting and Ford Motor Company. She served as adjunct professor at the University of Michigan, where she earned her MBA, and taught hundreds of rising leaders at Deloitte University. Jennifer earned her PhD in management from Case Western Reserve University—during which she conducted multiyear empirical research on coaching and leadership as a research fellow at the Weatherhead School of Business. She is also a Harvard/McLean Institute of Coaching Fellow. 

Jennifer contributes leadership perspectives to Harvard Business Review and select academic journals, and has presented her groundbreaking leadership and coaching research at Harvard/McLean Institute of Coaching and Columbia University. A sought after speaker, she regularly presents to groups and organizations on topics related to the human element of business. She or her work have been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Inc., LinkedIn, Investor’s Business Daily, BBC Online, Deloitte, and other notable media outlets.

Dr. Gena Cox, CEO of Feels Human, LLC, is an organizational psychologist, executive coach, and author of Leading Inclusion, an award-winning guidebook for corporate leaders who want to build inclusive organizations from the top down. Before this, at IBM and Perceptyx, Gena advised leaders in the Fortune 500 and other large global companies to build psychologically healthy and engaging organizational cultures that drive business outcomes.

A noted voice on human-centered leadership, Gena helps leaders see that “inclusion tops diversity.”

Pat Whitty calls himself a Modern Elder Whisperer. The “whisperer” phrase was made popular by the Horse Whisperer who is a person who has a unique understanding of the emotional and psychological needs of horses. Through his own study of health, aging, and his own transition to a Modern Elder, Pat has a unique understanding of the emotional and psychological needs of elders.

He recently completed a week retreat at the Modern Elder Academy in Baja, a place and a school with its own unique curriculum and celebrations for transitioning into another chapter of life, so we can grow whole, not old.

Pat recently left his position as the Dean of the School of Business at a San Antonio university to pursue a new career as a Health and Life Transition Coach helping people in midlife and beyond write the next chapter of their life. He has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development from Incarnate Word University. He was manager of Leadership and Management Training at Chase Bank for 10 years and owned the Dale Carnegie Training franchise for South Texas for over 20 years.

He is the president of the Dominion Rotary Club in San Antonio, TX. 

Think Brené Brown meets Biker Babe, with a dash of Liz Gilbert. As former Chief Marketing Officer of Harley-Davidson, Shelley Paxton found herself at the top of the proverbial mountain feeling success-EMPTY instead of success-FULL. That awakening led her on a profound Soulbbatical journey that became her mission, business, and bestselling book, Soulbbatical: A Corporate Rebel's Guide to Finding Your Best Life. She’s leading a REBELution to rewrite the script of success – in life, business, and the world at large.

Shelley also hosts the Rebel Souls Podcast which invites you to flip the middle finger to the status quo in life, business, and the world at large.

Her inspiring work has been featured on NBC, CBS, Forbes, Thrive Global, Inc., Business Insider, Yahoo!, and other high profile media platforms.

She is based in Chicago (when she's not indulging her wanderlust) and is obsessed with the color orange.

For more info: www.shelleypaxton.com

Ayse (pronounced Eye-Shay) Birsel is one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People 2017 and is on the Thinkers50 Radar List of the 30 management thinkers most likely to shape the future of organizations. She is the author of Design the Life You Love and gives lectures on Design the Work You Love to corporations. 

Ayse is the co-founder of Birsel + Seck, the award-winning design and innovation studio, and consults to Amazon, Colgate-Palmolive, Herman Miller, GE, IKEA, The Scan Foundation, Staples and Toyota, among others.

Her work can be found in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. is a recognized thought leader in the field of conscious aging and author of over 30 books translated into 15 languages including her forthcoming The Making of an Old Soul: Aging as the Fulfillment of Life’s Promise and Older, Wiser, Fiercer: The Wisdom Collection.

Dr. Orsborn received her Master of Theological Studies and Doctorate in History and Critical Theory of Religion from Vanderbilt University with specialization in the fields of adult and spiritual development.

A former top marketer helping brands like Ford, Humana and Prudential build relationships with the Boomer generation, she is now committed to both living and expanding awareness of aging as a spiritual path.

Ali Schultz is a coach and the co-founder of Reboot.io. She weaves her business acumen with the innate wisdom of the body, the philosophies of the world’s wisdom traditions, and the“way of the horse” to help clients find their voice in service of finding themselves.

Ali earned her Master’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder, studied Transformational NLP at NLP Marin, and completed the facilitator program at the Center for Collaborative Awareness. An avid horsewoman, she is also a certified EQUUS Experience Facilitator in Equine Facilitated Coaching. You can find her writing on ‘The Art of Being Human at Work’ on the Reboot Blog and also at the OnBeing project.

At only sixteen years old, Jacqueline Wales fled from her childhood home in a desperate search for happiness. Looking in all the wrong places, she left a trail of abandoned children and a pattern of self abuse that threatened her life.

But that’s just the beginning of her story. From Leith, Scotland, to London, England; from the California coast to Paris, Amsterdam, New York, and Bali, Jacqueline’s life has been a journey of self-discovery, awakening, and joy in the face of fear.

Jacqueline believes that being fearless is not the absence of fear, but the courage to take the next step. Today, Jacqueline is an author, keynote speaker, and trusted advisor to successful, high-achieving women.

Megan W. Gerhardt, Ph.D. is a Professor of Management and Leadership at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University, where she also serves as Director of Leadership Development for the Farmer School and the Robert D. Johnson Co-Director of the Isaac & Oxley Center for Business Leadership. 

Megan has published widely on generational differences in the workplace and is author of the book Gentelligence: A Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce. Her Gentelligence work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, NBCNews.com, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, MarketWatch, The Houston Chronicle, and Inc. Magazine, among others. 

In 2017, her TEDx talk “Why I Love Millennials...and You Should, Too” was released. Dr. Gerhardt’s work (www.profgerhardt.com) focuses on leveraging differences to achieve impact and extraordinary levels of performance.

Esteemed for her professionalism by viewers, listeners, and her colleagues, the versatile Pat Miles became one of the Minneapolis region's premier television news anchors and radio talk hosts. After earning her master's degree in journalism at the University of Missouri, Miles worked in both radio and television news in Colorado before joining WCCO TV in 1978 as a reporter and weekend anchor. Her intelligent reporting and authoritative delivery soon brought her to the anchor desk of WCCO's 5:00 PM and 10:00 PM newscasts.

She covered every major news event for WCCO TV but was most proud of A Time to Weep, her documentary on the famine in Africa. In 1990, she moved to KARE TV, where she anchored the 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM newscasts and developed A Pat Miles Special, using her writing and interviewing prowess to tell the stories of notable Minnesotans. When she left TV news in 2001, she fulfilled a lifelong dream by becoming the host of The Pat Miles Show weekday mornings on WCCO Radio.

A role model for women in the industry, she has received numerous honors for her work in broadcasting and in the community, including the National Television Academy's Silver Circle Award.

Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She was honored as the #1 Communication Coach by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards and one of the Top 5 Communication Professionals in the World by Global Gurus. She is a keynote speaker and teaches for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School.

She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine.

A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Clark has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. Forbes has declared that “her insights connect marketing, social media, communications, learning technologies, and personal discovery to give us a blueprint for success in the future economy.”

She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor. You can download her free Long Game Strategic Thinking Self-Assessment at dorieclark.com/thelonggame.

Susan Latremoille enjoyed a stellar 38-year career as a wealth advisor. During those years, she watched many of her clients move into retirement with high hopes and plenty of money, only to become disillusioned and depressed. She was frustrated because there was no place for her to turn to help them. After selling her wealth practice at the end of 2019, Susan was determined to do something about the problem. That led her to co-found Next Chapter Lifestyle Advisors, which supports financial advisors in providing information and education about lifestyle planning to their retiring clients. Susan Latremoille CPRC, FEA, ICD.D, MBA is a win-win solution. Advisors’ clients design and implement plans for a fulfilling, balanced, and purposeful life after their careers. This facilitates the advisor to integrate their client’s lifestyle plan with their financial plan. The advisor benefits by deepening the client relationship which improves retention, and by differentiating their practice with a much-needed value-added service.

Today Susan is a sought-after speaker who focuses on inspiring advisors to up their game while benefiting their clients.

A short history of Kay:

"After graduating in Biochemistry from King’s College, London I spent a year in the Max Planck Institut fur Biophysik in Frankfurt, and with 2 published papers in learned scientific journals under my belt, I made the rather unexpected move into market research and advertising (where I stayed for far too long!).

By the age of 32 I had been on the board of directors of 2 London ad agencies and a contributor and assistant producer on the BBCTV social history series on advertising and society, “Washes Whiter”.

For 2 years in the late 1980s I lived in Venice, California working as a strategist with clients and ad agencies, while also studying improvisation and acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. I have also studied and continue to study drama and dance improvisation with a range of teachers, and have a teaching diploma from Yoga Therapy Ireland.

I set up my company, havemorefUnlimited, in 1989, and with the encouragement and support of my clients shifted the focus of my work towards helping people from different backgrounds and cultures to communicate more precisely and clearly. I’m also a faculty member at Modern Elder Academy and LBCWiseCounsel (leadership development for legal professionals).

In November 2019 I curated and funded the Turning the Tables conference in West London - where some of the young people whom I’ve had the good fortune to meet through my voluntary work with refugees, knife crime victims and cancer patients, took to the stage to teach the rest of us how to deal with extreme uncertainty and life changing events. Links to their talks are here.

I have created, produced and performed in 3 fringe theatre shows; Never Look in the Mirror When You’re Dancing (Dublin and New York), TimeBomb (Dublin) and A Strong and Beautiful Thread (London). The last of these with my business partner and adventure buddy, Dr Paul Loper. I also write and perform standup comedy and science comedy for NerdNite London."

A message of thanks from Dr. Jann Freed:

"In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to thank each of you for listening to 'Becoming a Sage.' My hope is that you find a gem of wisdom in each conversation. I learn something from each guest. Please know that I am grateful."

Mark C. Crowley is the author of Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership for the 21st Century and is on a mission to fundamentally change how people are led in workplaces across the globe. A regular columnist for Fast Company Magazine, his work has also been featured in USA Today, Reuters, Forbes, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, The Huffington Post, Gallup, The Financial Times, CEO Magazine (Great Britain), and The Seattle Times. His LinkedIn Pulse articles on inspiring a 21st-century workforce and managing millennials have been read over a million times. The second edition of his book debuted in August 2022 as an "Amazon #1 Release." It has been incorporated into the curriculum of eleven American universities, including the educational Ph.D. program at the University of Massachusetts Global and the University of Iowa’s MBA Program. Crowley's Lead From The Heart podcast ranks in the top 1.5% of all podcasts globally, with an audience spanning 175 countries. Before authoring his book, Mark spent over 20 years in the competitive financial services industry, holding two national-level leadership positions at one of America’s largest financial institutions, where he was named Leader of the Year. In a field often dominated by traditional management styles, Mark demonstrated that deeply caring for and supporting people—positively affecting their hearts—profoundly boosts sustained engagement, loyalty, and productivity. His book draws on groundbreaking medical research that reveals the heart’s pivotal role in driving optimal human performance. As a leadership pioneer, Mark shows that leading from the heart is not weak or soft management but rather the most informed and enlightened approach a manager or organization can adopt. Mark is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Washington’s Pacific Coast Banking School. He resides in La Jolla, California.

Liz Brunner is a best-selling author, Executive Communications Coach, Motivational Speaker, Podcast Host, and Emmy award-winning journalist. 

She is the author of Dare to Own You: Taking Your Authenticity and Dreams into Your Next Chapter. Mixing memoir, both personal and professional, with practical, implementable transformational tools, the book weaves her story about determination, perseverance, resilience, faith, and trust. 

Liz is also the host of the Live Your Best Life with Liz Brunner podcast, on which she guides her guests to share their stories of self-discovery and re-creation.

Margaret Wheatley, also known as Meg, embarked on her journey of caring for humanity in 1966 as a Peace Corps volunteer in post-war Korea. Her current endeavors are concentrated on cultivating and empowering leaders globally, advocating for them to become Warriors for the Human Spirit. These leaders prioritize service over self, exhibit unwavering resilience amidst challenges and setbacks, and effect positive change for the communities and causes close to their hearts.

Meg, the author of ten books, including the seminal work "Leadership and the New Science," has received accolades for her pioneering contributions from numerous professional associations, universities, and organizations.

At age 3, Tim Hebert had big dreams of becoming a superhero. He had all the characteristics needed to be successful—a strong moral compass, a love of adventure, and a desire to have an impact on the world. Somewhere along the way—after many failed attempts to fly—Tim learned that superpowers come in all shapes and sizes and that his special power was igniting the leadership spark in those around him.

As a business owner, national speaker, and published author, Tim has defined the principles surrounding intentional leadership over the past three decades. As CEO and President of Atrion, a leading IT services firm, he grew this company to $170 million with over 260 employees. Under Tim’s tenure, Atrion was named a “Best Places to Work” companies for seven straight years, recognized on the Inc. 5000 List of fastest-growing private companies eight years in a row and named to CRN’s Fastest Growing Companies and Top Managed Service Providers List.

In 2016, Tim founded his 19th company Trilix, a consulting firm. He also launched the ON Leadership Symposium in 2019, uniting professionals to dive into the principles of intentional leadership.

Tim’s work has been recognized all over. He received an Honorary Ph.D. in Business from Rhode Island College and the Distinguished Citizens Award – Boy Scouts of America Narragansett Council. The Rhode Island Foundation recognized him with the Carter Inspiring Partner Award in 2019. The Providence Business News recognized him to the Top 25 Over 55 list in 2019, and as Business Leader of the Year in 2012. He also received the Latino Public Radio - 2016 Corporate Community Excellence Award.

Tim has keynoted and led workshops all over the country, including NERCOMP’s annual conference, the RISE Leadership Symposium, the SUNY Council CIO Group, the annual Board of REALTORS Conference, and the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England. His published works have appeared on IDG Contributor Network, BTOES Insights, Channel Reseller and CRN.

Tim serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Tech Collective, and Chairman/President of the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art (RIMOSA). He also serves on the Board of Directors for Apogee IT, Medicus IT, Thielsch Engineering, and Commerce RI. Tim has served his country as a member of the United States Air Force.

When he is not busy speaking, writing, and running several companies, you’ll find him seeking out his next big climb (South America might be next!), hopping a plane to explore someplace new and making sure

Warren Berger developed his inquiry skills as a journalist for The New York Times, but he first declared himself a “questionologist” with the publication of his best-selling book, A More Beautiful Question (Bloomsbury, 2014). The book illustrates how questioning has been the starting point for innovations ranging from the cell phone to Netflix to the International Red Cross. In it, Berger introduces an original framework—the “Why/What If/How” cycle of inquiry—that can be applied to all kinds of challenges and problems.

A More Beautiful Question has been embraced by organizations such as NASA, the U.S. Army, the National Science Foundation, and companies like Starbucks, Chanel, Pfizer, Oracle, Microsoft, Disney, and Pepsi. The book is also widely used in major universities across the country. Mr. Berger has conducted questioning workshops at NASA and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and he designed and hosted a filmed employee-training program on questioning for PepsiCo. He also regularly visits elementary and high schools, urging teachers to encourage more student questioning and critical thinking in the classroom.

In the fall of 2018, Berger released a follow-up book on questioning, The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead. In 2020, he published Beautiful Questions in the Classroom, which offers strategies and exercises to help teachers inspire more curiosity and inquiry among their students.

Overall, Berger has authored or co-authored 10 books, including the acclaimed Glimmer, one of the first books on “design thinking.” He has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered, CNN, and NBC’s Today Show. He also contributes regularly to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Psychology Today, where he writes the “Questionologist” column.

His general website about questioning is www.amorebeautifulquestion.com, and his author/speaker site is www.warrenberger.com.

Dr. Michael S. Lewis, M.D., is a distinguished orthopedic surgeon and former consultant for the Chicago White Sox baseball team, Chicago Wolves hockey team, and the Chicago Bulls basketball team, with whom won two championship rings.
Previously, he served as the chief of staff at NorthShore University HealthSystem’s Skokie Hospital and received a teaching award from Rush University Medical College.
Dr. Lewis is an award-winning author who has published seven books, including One World: A View of Seven Continents (as seen on PBS TV), Seeing More Colors: A Guide to a Richer Life, Invitation to Joy: Viewing Birds on Seven Continents, The Ball’s in Your Court: A Doctor Shares Life Lessons from Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Abraham Maslow, and other Inspiring Teachers, and Getting Wiser: 101 Essential Life Lessons and Inspiring Stories. He is also an accomplished photographer; his work is featured in galleries and permanent collections at Brandeis University and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Honored as a notable Chicago author, Dr. Lewis lectures nationally and internationally. An avid tennis player, he and his wife, Valerie, reside in Chicago, raising two daughters and two grandsons.

Ann Latham is the author of The Power of Clarity: Unleash the True Potential of Workplace Productivity, Confidence, and Empowerment. 

By combining the rigor of her background in mathematics (Tufts University) with her experience advising corporate leaders from organizations as diverse as Boeing, Hitachi, PBS, United Way, and colleges and universities, Ann made the leap from solving technical problems to solving the broader problems that involve people and organizations. She has created a new framework for dramatically improving productivity, decision making, confidence, and commitment. Her book provides the missing insights, tools, and skills needed to make our cognitive processes as effective as our physical processes. This is the path to true empowerment and job satisfaction, greater confidence all around, and soaring productivity.

Ann has been quoted in the New York Times, Bloomberg, MSNBC, and is an expert blogger for Forbes.com. She is also a guest lecturer at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts and Springfield College.

Dr. John Izzo is a globally renowned bestselling author, professional speaker, and business advisor. He has authored nine books, including Awakening Corporate Soul, Values Shift, Stepping Up, and The Purpose Revolution. Over his career, he has spoken to over one million people, taught at three major universities, and advised over 700 top companies on corporate social responsibility and purpose worldwide.

John was a founder of Blueprint at the University of British Columbia, an NGO dedicated to thought leadership on masculinity and its impact on society. He has been deeply involved in helping organizations and leaders foster purpose-driven strategies and cultures. His contributions have significantly shaped the conversation around social impact in the corporate world.

Currently, John serves as a Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington, DC, and hosts The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations podcast. He also serves on the boards of Sustainable Brands and the Elders Action Network, continuing his work to inspire positive change across various sectors.

Brant Huddleston is the author of three books, scads of short stories and other mad musings, and the host of a podcast on how death taught him to thrive in the second half of life. 

A former rock & roll guitarist, classic car restoration mechanic, tropical fish tank cleaner, inventive engineer, and business professional with IBM, he now lives with a pirate lady on Turkey's turquoise coast. 

You can find him at www.dancepastsunset.com

Dr. Pamela Maxson, an executive and leadership coach, mentor coach, trainer/facilitator, and author of "Finding Your Inner Bitch: How to live an authentic and wholehearted life," assists readers in tapping into and expressing their core selves.

Alongside her book, she has developed two related courses: "Develop Your Life" and "Mastering Midlife." With over 25 years of teaching experience at Duke University, Pam is the founder and principal of Periscope Coaching.

Paula Harris is co-founder at WH Cornerstone Investments, a part-financial-advisor and part-dream-architect. She takes great pride in helping her clients, particularly widowed women, obtain financial peace of mind while they get back on their feet, rise up and navigate their path forward. Paula is the author of “Rise Up: A Widow’s Journal.”

Todd Cherches is the CEO and cofounder of BigBlueGumball, an innovative New York City-based management, leadership, and executive coaching firm. A member of Marshall Goldsmith’s “MG 100 Coaches,” he is a three-time award-winning Adjunct Professor of leadership at NYU, a Lecturer on leadership at Columbia University, a TEDx speaker, and the author of the groundbreaking book, "VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life" (Post Hill Press/Simon & Schuster, 2020).

A pioneer in the innovative application of visual thinking to the practice of leadership, Todd was one of eight global finalists for the 2021 Thinkers50 "Distinguished Achievement Award" in Leadership, and is ranked by Thinkers360 as one of the “Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers” in the world in the fields of Management and Design Thinking.

Being a long-term stage IV cancer survivor moves Kristi Nelson every day to support others in living and loving with great fullness of heart.

Kristi is the Executive Director of A Network for Grateful Living. Her work in the non-profit sector over the last four decades has focused on leading, inspiring, and strengthening organizations committed to progressive social and spiritual change. In this spirit, she has held many roles including Executive Director of a regional Women’s Foundation, founding Director of Soul of Money Institute with Lynne Twist, Director of Development at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and Director of Development for the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society. 

Kristi is also the author of Wake Up Grateful: The Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted.

John Baldoni is a globally recognized leadership educator, certified Master Corporate Executive Coach, and author of 15 books that have been translated into ten languages. John is also a member of the renowned Marshall Goldsmith 100 coaches, a group of executive coaches and thought leaders from the worlds of business, academia and social service. In 2021, the International Federation of Learning and Development named John a World-Class Mentor and named him to its Hall of Fame.

John has authored more than 800 leadership columns for a variety of online publications including Forbes, Harvard Business Review and Inc.com. 

John’s leadership resource website is www.johnbaldoni.com

Ayse (pronounced Eye-Shay) Birsel is one of the world’s leading industrial designers. She has designed hundreds of products, from toilet seats to office systems to potato peelers to concept cars. You’ve probably held or sat on something she has designed for Herman Miller Knoll, Target or Toyota, among many others. Her work has earned her several nicknames—Queen of Toilets, Queen Bee (for office systems), and Design Evangelista (given to her by Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer, PepsiCo).

Interior Design Magazine awarded her Best Of Year Product Designer of 2020. She is one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People In Business. She is named one of the world’s top 8 coaches by Thinkers50 for Marshall Goldsmith Distinguished Achievement Award for Coaching and Mentoring. She is the author of Design the Life You Love and is recognized as "The #1 Coach for Life Design.” Her new book, Design the LONG Life You Love, was published in December 2022. Her design process, Deconstruction:Reconstruction™, is the red thread across all her work. Her work can be found in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Ayse was born in Turkey and came to New York City with a Fulbright scholarship, where she now lives and works.

Marcus Buckingham is a global researcher and New York Times best-selling author focused on unlocking strengths, increasing performance, and pioneering the future of how people work.

He is the author of two of the best-selling business books of all time, First, Break All the Rules, and Now, Discover Your Strengths, and his tenth book, Love + Work (Harvard Business Review Press) is a WSJ bestseller and has been heralded by Forbes as one of the ten must-reads for career and leadership in 2022.

Marcus’ 2019 Harvard Business Review cover article, "The Feedback Fallacy," was selected by HBR as one of the most influential articles of the last 100 years, and Marcus’ strengths assessments have been taken by over 10 million people worldwide. Building on two decades of experience as a Senior Researcher at The Gallup Organization, Marcus leveraged his data-based discoveries to build a $100 million tech company focused on helping people find and contribute their strengths at work.

He currently guides the research agenda of the ADP Research Institute as Head of People + Performance.

Erica Keswin is a highly sought-after workplace strategist and coach with 25 years of hands-on experience and two Wall Street Journal bestselling books. She is a trusted guide for companies around the world looking for ways to connect their teams, increase engagement, and create a human workplace.

As an award-winning keynote speaker, business leadership coach, a twelve-time New York Times Best-selling author, host of the top-rated Corporate Competitor Podcast, National Geographic’s “Storyteller in Residence,” and longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated, Don Yaeger has fashioned a career as one of America’s most provocative thought leaders.  As a speaker, he has worked with audiences as diverse as Fortune 500 companies and cancer survivor groups, where he shares his personal story.

He is primarily sought to discuss lessons on achieving greatness, learned from first-hand experiences with some of the greatest sports and business legends in the world.  Additionally, Don has been retained by companies and organizations to coach their leaders on building a culture of greatness by looking at Great Teams in sports and discerning the business lessons we can learn from them. In 2023, Real Leaders magazine acknowledged Don as a “Speaker to Watch” because of his success on stage. Throughout his writing career, Don has developed a reputation as a world-class storyteller and has been invited as a guest to every major talk show – from Oprah to Nightline, from CNN to Good Morning America. Few journalists can lay claim to as exciting and colorful a career as Don Yaeger. 

Barbara Waxman, founder of The Odyssey Group, is passionate about building leaders’ personal and professional skills so they can thrive while increasing their ability to manage complexity and maximize their effectiveness. With over two decades of experience coaching CEOs, C-suite leaders, and entrepreneurs, Barbara utilizes a holistic approach to help clients lead and communicate authentically, sustain high performance, and expand their influence and impact.

Barbara is a highly sought-after coach, workshop leader, and keynote speaker who works with leaders from across the country and abroad. She is a part expert coach, caring truth-teller, strategic thought partner, and accountability advocate, and she buoys her approach with compassion, honesty, research-based expertise, and a light heart. Her experience as a Gerontologist and coach has culminated in the proprietary transformative coaching model and her science-based Five Essential Elements © process.

Barbara has worked in the automotive, financial services, health care, nonprofit, and technology sectors, among others. Barbara serves as an Advisory Council Member for the Stanford Center on Longevity, an Advisory Board Member for Stanford Lifestyle Medicine, a faculty member at Chip Conley’s Modern Elder Academy, and an angel investor in the Active Aging and Longevity Fund with Portfolia. She has appeared on CBS This Morning and has been featured in Marin Magazine, Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global, Next Avenue, and is a frequent podcast guest.

Barbara recently authored How to Avoid Burnout, Provide Exceptional Care, and Enhance Work-Life Integration, a chapter in the upcoming book The Successful Health Care Professional’s Guide: Everything You Need to Know But Weren’t Taught in Training (Springer Publishing). Barbara is also the author of two books examining aging, including The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the Passion of Midlife.

Barbara holds master’s degrees in Public Administration and Gerontology from the University of Southern California and is a graduate of Colgate University. She earned her coaching certifications from the International Coach Federation and The Hudson Institute. Originally from New York, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Scott, and is thankful to have her adult children not too far away.

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Her exuberance as a non-linear thinker and visionary in the brand intelligence space has always taken center stage. But Mary van de Wiel, dubbed brand psychologist and master provocateur by her corporate clients, brings 35 years of multicultural experience redefining brands and bringing emboldened thinking to organizations.

As Founder, CEO and Executive Creative Director of an independent branding & design agency with offices in New York and Sydney, she steered award-winning campaigns for Fortune 500 clients.

Since successfully selling her agency (on her own terms), Van launched her Brooklyn-based brand laboratory for serious play — consulting, coaching and leading her signature workshops. And right now, she’s moved her practice to central Mexico where her other top creative priority is her fashion and lifestyle brand called Black Line Crazy (BLC). In her Limited Edition Collection of wearable art and homewares, each piece is based on her bold abstract paintings. The Museum of Contemporary Art CHICAGO has already purchased BLC pieces for its Design Shop.

Also dedicated to helping university students identify their point of difference in an ever-changing employment landscape, she’s been a guest lecturer on branding at UCLA, The University of Sydney Business School (and many others) where she loves speaking about mixing the rigor of her vast business experience and the whimsy and joy of artistic pursuits.

Jenn Lim is the bestselling author of Beyond Happiness, and the CEO of Delivering Happiness [DH], a company she and Tony Hsieh [the late CEO of Zappos.com] cofounded to create happier company cultures for a more profitable and sustainable approach to business. DH has worked with or spoken at more than 400 companies and organizations worldwide, including Starbucks, Sallie Mae, Lockheed Martin, Zoom, Northwell Health, and more. In 2020, DH was placed on the Inc. 5000 list, becoming one of the fastest-growing private companies in the US.

In her new bestselling book, Beyond Happiness: How Authentic Leaders Prioritize Purpose and People for Growth and Impact, Jenn draws on her decades of experience in culture and strategy to translate it into a practical “how-to” framework so workplaces can adapt quicker, couple purpose and profits, and modernize org design to the Great Resignation and Great Awakening. As a result, she guides all of us—no matter our title or role—on how to live more meaningful lives through the work we do every day.

Jenn has been featured in Inc., Forbes, Fortune, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Thrive Global, MSN, Fox Business, CNBC Make It, Success Magazine, etc. and has been coined by many industry experts, thought leaders, and members of the media, as the “happiness expert.”

Laura Rotter, CFA, CFP, is the owner of True Abundance Advisors, a heart-centered, values-based financial planning firm based in New York. After a successful career managing money for institutional investors including Citicorp and Para Advisors, Laura discovered mindfulness practices and was drawn to guide professionals facing a big life change to achieve both financial security and life satisfaction.

Since making her shift, she has been featured in CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Westchester Senior Voice. She is on the advisory council of Impact100 Westchester, a women’s group giving organization, and volunteers with My Money Workshop, teaching financial literacy to underserved communities.

By living simply, Douglas Tsoi retired at the age of 42 to do what he wanted with his life, which is to help people participate in grace. He runs a platform called The Appreciation Effect, holds events called the Gratitude Dojo, and runs experiments in reparative economic justice.

He also teaches personal finance with a spiritual lens in a class called Financial Freedom. Douglas is a trained Franciscan spiritual director and writes about the intersection of capitalism and spirituality on the Substack newsletter Money and Meaning.

Susan Turnbull is the founder and Principal of Personal Legacy Advisors. She the author of The Wealth of Your Life: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating Your Ethical Will, and creator of Life Legacy Cards and the Life Legacy Conversations Tool, all designed for those who agree that wealth transferred to future generations has both tangible and intangible dimensions.

Susan is a member of the Boston Estate Planning Council, the Purposeful Planning Institute and the Personal Historians Network and has been featured in many national publications.

Robert E. Quinn is the Margaret Elliot Tracy Collegiate Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. 

His research and writing focus on purpose, leadership, culture and change.  He is one of the co-founders of the field of Positive Organizational Scholarship and a co-founder of the Ross Center for Positive Organizations. 

In terms of research, he is in the top 1% of professors cited in organizational behavior textbooks.  He has published 18 books. 

As a teacher Quinn is the recipient of multiple awards.  In a global survey he was recently named one of the top speakers in the world on the topic of organizational culture and related issues. His talk on personal purpose went viral and has been viewed by over 18 million people.

Rob Walker is a journalist covering design, technology, business, the arts, and other subjects. He has contributed to The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Atlantic, NewYorker.Com, Design Observer, The Organist, and many others. His latest book is The Art of Noticing  (Knopf). He is on the faculty of the Products of Design MFA program at the School of Visual Arts. Find his Art of Noticing newsletter at robwalker.substack.com

Bruce Rosenstein is Managing Editor of Leader to Leader, a publication of The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum and Wiley/Jossey-Bass. He is the author of Create Your Future the Peter Drucker Way, (McGraw-Hill and Brilliance Audio, 2013) and Living in More Than One World: How Peter Drucker's Wisdom Can Inspire and Transform Your Life (Berrett-Koehler, 2009).

He worked for USA TODAY from 1987-2008, as a corporate librarian and during the final 12 years, also as a writer about business and management books for the newspaper’s Money section. He is a regular writing contributor and member of the steering committee for Corporate Learning Network. He started a blog, “The Peter Drucker Files,” for Psychology Today in January 2022. Since 1996, he has taught as an adjunct professor at The Catholic University of America Department of Library and Information Science.

Jim O'Halloran started in heavy-duty truck sales in Chicago and moved to Iowa in 1973. After spending 13 years in truck sales and management, Jim started O’Halloran International, Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa in 1981. He completed the sale of the company to his employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan in 2006.

He continues to be a mentor to O’Halloran International, Inc. and Quality Services Corporation (QSCLLC), which was another company he founded in 1987 and which was sold to its management and O’Halloran International, Inc. He has done all of this while extremely involved in giving back to his community by being on a number of significant boards. Jim is a Sage.