A best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Polly LaBarre is an inspiring and provocative voice on the big ideas and important questions that will shape the future of organizations, work, and success. As a co-founder and editorial director of the MIX (Management Innovation eXchange), LaBarre puts her passion for making human endeavors more productive, creative, and fulfilling to the test. The MIX is a pioneering open innovation project dedicated to re-inventing management for the 21st century.

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.

Female Factor springs from the extensive research of CEO Bridget Brennan, a pioneer in marketing and selling to women. She is the author of the acclaimed book Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World's Most Powerful Consumers (Crown Business, 2009), and one of the world’s most popular speakers on this subject. Her book was called “essential reading” by The Wall Street Journal, “required reading for anyone burdened with a Y chromosome” by Fortune Small Business, and named a "Top 10 Marketing Book of 2009" by MediaTrust. A recipient of numerous industry awards, Brennan was named U.S. Public Relations Agency Practitioner of the Year by PR NEWS for her work in applying gender psychology to communications.

Dr. Simone Bhan Ahuja leading authority on innovation and Intrapreneurship and global keynote speaker. She is the founder of Blood Orange, a Minneapolis-based global innovation and strategy firm, a best-selling author (Jugaad Innovation, and Disrupt-It-Yourself), and a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Simone is an innovation advisor and consultant to organizations including 3M, UnitedHealth Group, Procter & Gamble, Target Corp, Stanley Black & Decker, and the World Economic Forum and a practitioner of improvisational comedy who loves to bring the energy and fun of improv to her live and virtual sessions.

Stephanie is Owner & CEO of Asutra, where we're passionate about helping people take care of themselves on purpose so they can get the most out of life – what we call active self-care. Asutra offers magnesium-powered remedies for pain relief, sleep and mood, so you can care for yourself well. At Asutra, we’re proud to provide good jobs with career pathways at a living wage with benefits. Asutra is women-owned and women-led; 60% of our team are people of color; and 100% of our staff would recommend Asutra as a great place to work. Stephanie is an enthusiastic board member of Hope Chicago, which sends students and their parents to college debt-free; Very Asian Foundation, which amplifies AANHPI stories; and Naturally Chicago, which creates an ecosystem for natural products companies to thrive. Stephanie was honored to be named to Inc.’s Female Founders 200 list in 2023 and Beacon Award Entrepreneur of the Year in 2021. In her spare time, she’s an avid urban gardener who grows everything from tomatoes to lilacs.

Amanda Brinkman makes the Energizer Bunny look lethargic. Fueled by fountain Diet Coke and a meticulous daily water intake, she’s a revolutionary brand marketer, a passionate speaker and a respectable water skier. She believes all brands can build loyalty by doing good, and she’s constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to share her “Do Well By Doing Good” mantra with audiences large and small. In 2015, Amanda was recruited to transform Deluxe Corp.’s 100-year-old, $2 billion brand. She spearheaded the “Small Business Revolution,” first showcasing 100 businesses across America, then going on to award $500,000 transformations to inspiring small towns. She produced and stars alongside Trading Spaces and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s Ty Pennington in the acclaimed “Small Business Revolution – Main Street” series, which chronicles the program’s impact on communities and countless lives.

Dr. Meg Myers Morgan is an award-winning author, college professor, and certified executive coach. Her latest book, Everything is Negotiable (Seal Press, 2018)--based on her notable TEDx Talk--is a best-seller and has been translated in multiple languages. Her collection of essays, Harebrained, won the gold medal for humor from the Independent Publishers Book Awards (2015). Dr. Morgan received her certification in Executive Coaching from Columbia University, and has worked with hundreds of people on negotiating higher salaries, better work schedules, and stronger professional relationships. She speaks to audiences around the world on how to use negotiation tactics as a framework for identifying and acquiring the resources needed to shape a successful and fulfilling career. Her writing on the topic of negotiation has appeared in countless publications, and she's been featured on WNPR and The Jenny McCarthy Show. During her time as Chair of the Tulsa Women's Commission on the, Dr. Morgan authored the Mayor's Pay Equity Pledge, which has helped to close the gender pay gap in her community. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma and teaches in the areas of leadership, strategy, and evaluation.