A senior leadership/board advisor, educator, executive coach, and bestselling author, David Nour is internationally recognized as the leading expert on applications of strategic relationships in profitable growth, sustained innovation, and lasting change. The author of eleven books, including bestsellers Relationship Economics® (Wiley), and Co-Create (St. Martin’s Press), as well as the forthcoming Curve Benders (Wiley, 2021), Nour serves as a trusted advisor to global clients and coaches corporate leaders. He is an adjunct professor at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and was named to the Global Gurus Top 30 Leadership Professionals and the Thinkers 50 Radar Class of 2021 lists. A Forbes Leadership contributor on the Future of Work, and an Inc. contributor on Relationship Economics, Nour’s unique insights have been featured in a variety of prominent publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fast Company, Huffington Post Business, Entrepreneur, and Knowledge@Wharton. He’s also the host of the popular Curve Benders podcast. Born in Iran, Nour immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager with $100, limited family ties and no fluency in English. He graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor’s degree in business management and went on to earn an Executive MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. He resides in Atlanta, GA, with his family.

---What is it that pushes us to perform at our best? Which people on our teams thrive in high-stress/high-stakes environments and which are always cool, and calm under pressure? Why does this matter and how can you use it to drive peak performance? After 3 years of interviewing more than 200 people including professional athletes, military officers, poker players, and psychologists, Rafi Kohan offer insights into the psychology of gamesmanship and how mental stress can be used to drive performance and behavior. This work, which culminated into the lively and hilarious read Trash Talk, The Only Book About Destroying Your Rivals That Isn’t Total Garbage, offers anecdotes from some of the world’s top competitors and the mind games that push them to outperform their opponents.

Scott Jennings is a founding partner of RunSwitch, providing senior level political, communications, public affairs, media relations, and crisis communications counsel for national and international clients. Scott’s expertise often lands him in the national press. He’s an on-air Political Contributor for CNN, writes regular columns for Gannett, the LA Times, and CNN.com, and is frequently quoted by reporters the world over because of his expert analysis. Scott’s career has taken him across the country as part of four presidential campaigns and numerous U.S. Senate, congressional, state, and local races. He served in key roles in both of President George W. Bush’s campaigns in 2000 and 2004, before becoming Special Assistant to the President in 2005, working under Karl Rove. At the White House, Scott served as a liaison to members of Congress, state and local officials, and key business, political and community leaders nationwide. His office advised the president on numerous issues and was part of the confirmation process for two Supreme Court Justices.

Nicholas Webb is one of the country’s top business thought leaders. As a Senior Partner at Lassen Scientific, Inc., Nicholas works with Fortune 500 companies throughout the world to help them lead their industries in innovation and strategy. Unlike many consultants, Nicholas is not a theorist. He has been awarded over 40 patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for breakthrough technologies including one of the world’s smallest medical implants to a wide range of industrial, consumer, and wearable technologies. Nicholas is known by many as the “Innovation Evangelist.” He speaks around the world on the future of the economy, innovation, technology, leadership and healthcare.

Chip Bell is a world renowned authority on customer loyalty and service innovation and has written over 400 articles for business journals and magazines. Dr. Bell reveals the best practices from the organizations leading the customer loyalty charge, giving audiences powerful cutting-edge ideas and unique strategies they can put into practice the minute they leave his keynote.

Steve Beshear served as the 61st Governor of Kentucky from 2007-2015. He also served as Attorney General from 1979 to 1983, Lieutenant Governor from 1983 to 1987 and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974-1979.