As one of the most sought-after and most-quoted economists in the world, Diane Swonk has more than 30 years of experience in financial services. She is the Founder and CEO of DS Economics and, for 11 years, the senior managing director and chief economist for Mesirow Financial. She has sat on advisory committees to high-level governmental banking authorities, and has also earned many awards over her career, including being listed as one of the “Top Forecasters in the Country” by The Wall Street Journal. She addresses trade issues, regulation, taxes, policy and the markets, and many other issues affecting business and the economy.

Widely respected as an innovator in unlocking high performance in teams and individuals, Dr. Wendy Borlabi possesses expert-level understanding of the mental aspects of peak performance and works alongside the world’s top athletes to help them reframe their mindsets to reach their full potential. She is the director of performance and mental health for the Chicago Bulls where her mindset-centered philosophy to mastering your field is embedded in the team’s success and prevalent at all levels of the organization and its culture. A leading sports psychologists and performance coach, Dr. Borlabi is also an independent consultant with the NBA and is the founder of performance psychology firm Borlabi Consulting, through which she advises organizations in any industry on teamwork, elevating mental toughness, and inspiring unwavering confidence in their teams. Previously, she served as senior sports psychologist for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), preparing the country’s top athletes for dominant performances at two Winter Olympics and one Summer Olympics.

Angie Bastian, entrepreneur, co-founder, and namesake of Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP, took a kernel of an idea and popped it into one of the fastest growing brands of natural popcorn. She and husband Dan founded their snack company in their Mankato, MN garage in 2001 as a means of creating a college fund for their children. Their gluten free, non-GMO, whole grain popcorn is proudly sold in natural food, grocery, club and mass retail outlets nationwide with a product presence in Canada, South Korea, Peru, Japan, the Caribbean and Mexico. The company is constantly innovating and is one of the fastest growing and most successful popcorn brands in the market today. Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP is loved by fans as an empowered, spirited brand that represents authentic, real food that delivers on the attributes of clean, transparent labeling and great taste experience.

Conquering grave challenges to become a successful entrepreneur, Chris Gardner is an avid motivational and inspirational speaker, addressing the keys to overcoming obstacles and breaking cycles. He is great for groups looking for a speaker who has “walked the walk” and accomplished things that no one else thought they would be able to do. He is also a passionate philanthropist whose work has been recognized by many esteemed organizations and discusses commitment and fatherhood.

As the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy, Carey Lohrenz is used to working in fast moving, dynamic environments where inconsistent execution can generate catastrophic results. The same challenges are found in business: markets change, customer needs evolve and if you do not adapt quickly, your company is at risk. In her motivating and engaging keynote presentations, Carey shares her fascinating experiences operating in one of the world’s most challenging environments – an aircraft carrier. She is uniquely qualified in the fundamentals of winning under pressure, reducing errors and overcoming obstacles. Her mastery of these fundamentals can help your team triumph in this high-risk, time crunched world.

Ever since 2002, as chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company — where she became the first African American woman CEO among the top five of the Black Enterprise 100s largest black-owned companies — Linda Johnson Rice has shone a ray of positivity on the black community with her strong and resilient leadership.

Referred to by his fans as “the Artist for the People,” Phil Hansen is an internationally recognized multimedia artist, speaker, author and innovator—at the forefront of bringing art to a wider audience. Crashing irreverently through conventional boundaries, Phil works at the intersection of traditional art, electronic media, offbeat materials, and interactive experiences. He is most widely known for his meta-art, videos that document the creation process (sometimes even through destruction), showing millions that art is action, not just result. For the tens of millions who have seen Phil’s art on TV and online, it’s hard to imagine that his artistic journey nearly came to an end when a tremor developed in his drawing hand. In exploring new ways to create art, he discovered that by embracing his shake, limitations could become the passageway to creativity. His inspirational story was first shared on the TED stage to a standing ovation, and then shared around the world including on PBS, BBC and CCTV. He’s the author of Tattoo a Banana, a guide to exploring creativity through art with everyday materials and he’s the founder of Goodbye-Art Academy, providing high quality and free art education videos to teachers and students everywhere.

Born and raised in Monterey, California, it was only natural that Alpana Singh would develop a deep-rooted interest in wine. At 26, she passed the final level of the Master Sommelier exam—a feat achieved by only 269 people in the world. She's the first Indian woman and the youngest female ever to do so. She went on to serve as a Sommelier for highly-acclaimed restaurants in Chicago before opening three of her own. In lively, fun, and informative talks, Alpana shares her inspiring story of rising from the daughter of Fijian immigrants to becoming a successful entrepreneur and TV personality all while navigating a male-dominated profession. She give audiences a glimpse into the life as a Sommelier as she teaches them how to taste wines “blind,” purchase bottles like a professional, and pair with meals for any occasion.

For twenty years, Billy McLaughlin astounded audiences around the world with his complex and rhythmic music. In 2001, Billy was diagnosed with Focal Dystonia, an incurable neuromuscular disorder that rendered him unable to play his own music. By 2002, Billy’s career was over. Then in 2006 he did the unthinkable, he launched a comeback by learning to play the guitar with his opposite hand. He helps audience members learn how to prosper by adapting and refreshing their approach to accomplishing their goals, and he does this through a combination of masterful stories and music.

Jill Bolte Taylor is the author of My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey and a neuroanatomist - a brain scientist who studies the anatomy of the brain. Her personal experience with a massive stroke and her subsequent eight-year recovery informed her work as a scientist and speaker. Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 most influential people in the world,” she shares her story and insights on the commonalities among all of us and how the intersection between logic and creativity will help you take charge of your thoughts and directly influence your level of happiness.

Robert Genetski's experience in the world of economics and finance involves a unique combination of business and academic expertise. He has headed asset management, and investment and economic research departments for several financial institutions. His entertaining and anecdotal presentations focus on the economic outlook for the U.S and beyond.

Alex Sheen is the Founder of because I said I would, the international social movement and nonprofit dedicated to the betterment of humanity through promises made and kept. Sparked by the loss of his father, Alex began sending promise cards to anyone who requested them at no cost. Since his father’s passing on September 4, 2012, because I said I would has sent over 8.4 million promises cards to over 150 countries.