Profiles in Leadership

Hacia Atherton is a globally recognised and award-winning voice in workplace culture reform,known for helping organisations turn burnout and bias into retention and results. She is the founder ofthe non-profit Empowered Women in Trades, which supports women in male-dominated industries andpromotes inclusive workplaces. She currently serves on Victoria’s Our equal state reference group, advising the state’s gender equality strategy, and on the La Trobe Business School Advisory Board. With a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from The University of Melbourne (specialising in Positive Organisational Scholarship) and as a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA), Hacia brings depth to leadership consulting, blending human insight with strategic execution. Through her keynote speaking and executive coaching, she equips leaders to elevate culture and psychological safety, and in turn yield tangible results. Author of Billion Dollar Blindspot

SimoneKnego is an international speaker, award-winning author, and confidence expert who helps high achievers reconnect with their worth and lead more meaningful lives. Her best-selling book, The Extraordinary UnOrdinary You and her globally ranked podcast, Her Unshakeable Confidence, which she co-hosts with her daughter, have inspired audiences around the world. A two-time TEDx speaker featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, Entrepreneur, and Yahoo News, Simone is also the creator of the REAL Method—a framework for building lasting confidence from the inside out. Her upcoming book, REAL Confidence, launches in February and offers a practical guide to quiet self-doubt and lead with clarity and self-respect. From summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro to raising six children and navigating the beautiful chaos of everyday life, she brings authenticity, perspective, and heart to everything she does.

DEBRACLARYis a leadership strategist, researcher, and executive coach with over four decades of leadership experience at some of the world’s most iconic companies, including Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniel’s, and Humana. Relying on her doctorate in Leadership and Organization Development and her inquisitive approach to every facet of life,Debrahas inspired hundreds of executives and teams to achieve business success guided by the principle that curiosity is not a soft skill—it’s a superpower for growth. Today, after forging a path as a leading curiosity expert,Debraadvises Fortune 500 companies and mission-driven teams on how to harness the power of curiosity to encourage transformation and foster connection. Whether leading billion-dollar brands, advocating for women’s leadership, delivering a viral TEDx talk, or performing a sold out one-woman off-Broadway show,Debrais guided by her mission to ask bold questions and follow wonder. Her upcoming book,The Curiosity Curve, is the culmination of years of research and real-world experiencecoaching hundreds of leaders through transformation, and empowering individuals and organizations on their unique journeys to success.

Ryan Rottman is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of AthleteAgent.com, a groundbreaking sports tech platform. In his role, Ryan oversees business operations, strategic partnerships, and platform development, helping expand the site’s reach across professional leagues and enhance its database of verified athlete and team contacts.Before stepping into the tech and sports business world, Ryan built a successful career in entertainment, starring in films such as Billionaire Boys Club, The Open Road, and a variety of Hallmark originals, as well as television series like 90210(CW), The Middle (ABC), and The Lying Game (ABC Family). His background in production and storytelling has been instrumental in shaping AthleteAgent.com’s user experience and brand identity. Ryan combines business acumen with creative vision, bringing a unique edge to the intersection of sports, media, and tech.

Mitch Matthews is a success coach, keynote speaker, and the creator of the top 1% podcast DREAM THINK DO. Through the podcast and his coaching - Mitch helps high-achieving leaders and entrepreneurs dream bigger, think better, and do more of what they were put on the planet to do. He’s been honored to interview some of the most influential thinkers on the planet — from bestselling authors like Brendon Burchard, Michael Hyatt, and Jamie Kern Lima to Oscar winners, elite athletes, and world-class entrepreneurs.As a speaker and elite success coach, Mitch has also spent two decades working with leaders from organizations like NIKE, NASA, Disney, and United Airlines - helping leaders clarify their purpose and lead with impact.Mitch is also the creator of The Authority Bridge™ - a high-touch coaching experience that helps seasoned professionals build a coaching and speaking business that’s aligned, strategic, and legacy-worthy.Mitch lives a highly-caffeinated life in Des Moines, Iowa, with his wife Melissa and they have two wildly creative sons.

Kendra Dahlstrom is a transformational executive coach, keynote speaker, and host of The Unworthy Leader PodcastTM. With over two decades of experience guiding senior executives at Amazon, VMware, and other Fortune 50 companies, Kendra helps high-achieving leaders stop performing and start leading—from a place of presence, clarity, andpower. Her work is rooted in the belief that imposter thoughts, self-doubt, and vulnerability aren’t weaknesses—they’re data. Through her signature frameworks—Your Doubt is Your DataTM, Your Failure is Your FuelTM, and Your Vulnerability is ViralTM—Kendra has helped hundreds of leaders turn silent suffering into strategic clarity. She brings a proven, bulletproof process that demystifies what’s really happening behind theleadership mask. Her insights—including the 2 Hidden Brand Liabilities affecting executive presence, 6 Revelations about Imposter Thoughts, and her proprietary 4-Step framework to transform inner conflict into action—challenge conventional leadership models and unlock a more human, sustainable approach to influence. Kendra doesn’t just talk about authentic leadership. She lives it. This isn’t theory—it’s lived truth, earned insight, and a revolution in how leadership gets done well.

Tim Rexius is proof that grit beats privilege—every time. From sleeping in his car and heating ketchup packets for soup, to building an international brand now sold in over 6,000 retailers across 13 countries, Tim is a serial entrepreneur who’s cracked the code on scaling with zero outside investment. He's the powerhouse behind four companies, including the booming Omaha Protein Popcorn Co., a snack brand created to serve the 95% of people overlooked by the health food industry—kids, parents, and people who just want to eat better without sacrificing taste. With 20+ years of experience in health and nutrition, international sales, and brick-and-mortar retail, Tim now brings his passion to stages across the country, delivering 30+ keynotes a year to students, entrepreneurs, and business leaders hungry for real-world, no-BS advice. What sets Tim apart? He doesn’t just talk the talk. He balances it all—four companies, six kids, a thriving marriage, and speaking engagements that light up high schools, boardrooms, and convention halls alike.

David Ackert is co-founder and CEO of Ackert, Inc. and its subsidiary, PipelinePlus. He’s a highly regarded business development thought leader and has pioneered revenue acceleration programs for hundreds of professional services firms around the globe. He has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, the National Review, the Daily Journal, the Wall Street Journal, and others, and his Market Leaders Podcast has won several JD Supra Reader’s Choice Awards. His new book, The Short List: How to Drive Business Development by Focusing on the People Who Matter Most (Greenleaf Book Group, January 28, 2025), is an Amazon bestseller and Gold Winner of the 2025 Nonfiction Book Awards.

Spencer Morris is a seasoned healthcare and business leader who has navigated high-growth environments, culture shifts, and organizational transformation. What sets him apart is the way he marries operational excellence with culture-driven leadership—helping leaders not only get results, but do so in a way that energizes teams and sustains performance. His perspective resonates especially with professionals in healthcare and mission-driven businesses, where people and purpose are inseparable from outcomes.

Scott Burgmeyer and Tammy Rodgers, are the Founders and CEO of BecomeMore Group, Scott isn’t your typical business coach - over the past 30 years, he has transformed and optimized hundreds of companies across the U.S., including Google, Procter & Gamble, and Bridgestone.He’s known for tackling the toughest organizational challenges: reversing decades-long declines, resolving complex succession disputes, boosting employee retention, and helping organizations unlock their full potential. His clients love working with him - he retains 95% of them.• PhD in Organizational Development and Leadership from the University of Arizona• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Organizational Leadership from Ashford University• Recipient of the Iowa Recognition of Performance Excellence seven times• Won the Bridgestone CEO awardTammy Rodgers, Co Founder and Co-CEO

BeccaPearce, author ofYou Don’t Have to Achieve to be Loved, spent much of her career as a corporate warrior, leading teams at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and Kaiser Permanente before being appointed CEO of Maryland’s Health Benefit Exchange. After a very public separation from the Exchange,Beccawas diagnosed with a brain tumor, triggering a life-altering health battle that forced her to redefine success. Today, as an inspirational speaker, growth strategist and personal executive coach, she sparks transformation in organizations and empowers professionals to lead with authenticity and purpose. She shares her journey as living proof that no matter how many times you’ve been “chewed up and spit out” by life, you can rise stronger and live fully. When she’s not on stage, she can be found on her boat, surrounded by family, friends, and her beloved pit bull mix, Nia.

LOUISALORANhas led transformative growth across some of the world’s most respected companies—DIAGEO, MAERSK, and Google. A strategic mind with a human lens, she has shaped industries by combining technological foresight with the courage to act before the path is clear.At Google,Louisalaunched a billion-dollar supply chain solutions business, doubled growth in a global industry vertical, and led strategic business transformation At MAERSK, she co-authored the strategy that redefined the brand globally and doubled its share price, helping pivot the company from traditional shipping to integrated logistics. Across more than two decades and all continents,Louisahas worked across B2B, B2C, and global tech— bridging commercial impact with human-centered change.Louisaalso serves on the boards of Copenhagen Business School and CataCap Private Equity and is the author ofLeadership Anatomy in Motion, published globally by Fast Company. Bringing clarity and alignment, she advises boards and executive teams through strategic transitions—shaping both direction and dynamics to unlock value and stay relevant. Known for turning complexity into decisive direction, she is a trusted advisor and sought-after speaker.

TamaraLaineis an Emmy Award-winning journalist, fintech founder, and business growth strategist. As the founder and CEO of MPWR, she is transforming how credit and capital are accessed by gig workers, women, and underserved communities through AI and alternative data. A former gig worker herself,Tamarabrings lived experience to her mission of building a more inclusive financial system. She has launched and scaled eight-figure tech ventures and is a recognized expert in financial inclusion, ethical tech, and economic innovation.Tamaraalso co-hostsWhat the Frac?, a podcast on startup growth.

Pedro Teixeira, MD, PhD, co-founded PredictionHealth, an AI-powered clinical intelligence company acquired by Prompt Health, and now leads AI Engineering at Prompt. He combines dual medical and doctoral training with deep biomedical informatics expertise to bring intelligent automation into everyday clinical workflows. By leveraging AI and natural language processing, Pedro helps rehab practices improve documentation accuracy, compliance, billing performance, and operational efficiency—reducing clinician burden while driving better patient and business outcomes.

Maria Brinck is a visionary thought leader devoted to breaking up the traditional leadership monopoly in order to generate the “diversity of thought” necessary to solve our most pressing challenges in organizations and nations. Maria founded Zynergy International, a leadership advisory firm in 2013, to fulfill her passion. Today, Maria works with board members, CEOs, executives, business teams and HR professionals and is based in Colorado. Born and raised in Sweden and Algeria, Maria was educated in Sweden, France, and the USA with a focus on International Business. Her most transformative experience, reshaping her worldview, came when she lived and worked with indigenous people in the Congo Basin Rainforest in a remote part of Cameroon. While working on the rehabilitation of chimpanzees and gorillas, she observed first-hand human planetary destruction and its consequences for all living things, but also the type of leadership we need to bring out the best in humanity. Maria is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and holds a CPCC Certification from CTI, and an ACC Certification from ICF, the International Coach Federation. She previously held positions at GE, Eli Lilly & Co, and Novo Nordisk and some of her current clients include Quanex, Astra-Zeneca, Beacon, DaVita, Vizient and Stryker.