.png)
Stay Tuned...
More Exciting World-Renowned Speakers
Announced Soon!
2026 SPEAKERS
SHAWN JOHNSON EAST and ANDREW EAST
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East are former elite athletes, entrepreneurs, and proud parents of three. Known for their transparent conversations about love, life and parenting, the Easts share their life with their combined 13.8M+ followers across their social media platforms and their NYT-praised podcast Couple Things. Since their athletic careers, they’ve focused on building meaningful communities for families, and have earned more than 1B views on YouTube. In 2025, Shawn and Andrew both made the final five on Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, with Shawn making it to the end.
Their first co-authored book, The Courage To Commit: Embrace the Radical Power of Sticking with Something debuted on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestsellers lists. This book is a bold rebrand of commitment in an uncommitted world. Blending gripping personal stories with cutting-edge research in neuroscience and psychology, Shawn and Andrew show why commitment matters, how it works, and the practical strategies that turn intention into action. They will inspire you to seek that promotion, build a meaningful marriage, and finally pursue the dream you’ve been putting off.
SHASTA NELSON
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Shasta Nelson is a friendship expert, keynote speaker, and the author of four books on the science of friendship who helps organizations build the workplace connection and belonging that drive trust, retention, and performance.
For more than 15 years, Shasta has translated the science of friendship into frameworks that work in the real world — for adults trying to build deeper friendships, and for organizations trying to build cultures where people actually stay. Her signature framework, the Frientimacy Triangle, identifies the three requirements every healthy relationship needs: Positivity, Consistency, and Vulnerability. It’s the kind of research that makes you immediately think of three people you need to call.
A two-time TEDx speaker with nearly 1 million views, Shasta has delivered 500+ keynotes for organizations including Google, Walmart, LinkedIn, and Chick-fil-A, across healthcare, tech, finance, nonprofits, and education. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, TIME, Forbes, and on The Today Show and The Steve Harvey Show.
As Chief Friendship Officer at the U.S. Chamber of Connection — yes, that’s a real title, and yes, she’s as committed to it as it sounds — Shasta leads national strategies for reversing the decline of social connection and trust across America.
She lives in Grass Valley, California, with her husband Greg, and believes with her whole heart that your future best friend is already in the room. You just haven’t invited them to lunch yet.
MARGARET ANDREWS
BREAKOUT LEADER
Margaret Andrews is on a mission to improve the art of leadership – one ambitious, talented individual at a time. Her course, Managing Yourself and Leading Others, is among the most popular classes and executive programs at Harvard and the foundation for much of her speaking.
An accomplished businesswoman, speaker, and instructor, Margaret has always been interested in the human side of business. With over 20 years of business and academic leadership, she understands the ins and outs of leading diverse teams in challenging situations. Starting her career as a CPA in San Francisco, she was also a marketing executive, a long-time strategy consultant, the Executive Director of the MBA Program at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Associate Dean for Management Programs at Harvard University.
She currently teaches courses and executive programs at Harvard University and leads The MYLO Center, a leadership development firm based on the Managing Yourself and Leading Others (MYLO) class at Harvard, and Higher Ed Associates, a firm devoted to improving leadership capabilities at colleges and universities.
When she’s not teaching, writing, or speaking, Margaret can often be found in the water, frequently at Walden Pond. She is a lifelong swimmer and newly-minted open-water marathon swimmer, having completed her first 10K swim in 2022 and currently preparing for her next one.
JESSICA DOYLE-MEKKES
BREAKOUT LEADER
Jessica Doyle-Mekkes stands at the forefront of voice empowerment, uniquely combining brain science, voice science, and irreverent confidence building to help women unlock their fearless presence. She is the internationally published author of the Amazon Bestseller, "I'm Speaking: every woman's guide to finding your voice & using it fearlessly," hailed, "..a bible in standing your ground without trepidation." - Booklist.
Jessica has spent 15+ years transforming how executives, actors, and leaders command a room: whether on stage, in meetings, or across digital platforms. Her groundbreaking methodology dismantles imposter syndrome by teaching
not just how to speak, but how to trust and own one’s voice.
Regarded as a thought leader in communications and public speaking, Jessica’s impact reverberates across industries, from NGOs to global businesses. Those who work with Jessica emerge not only as more compelling communicators, but
with a renewed belief in their ability to back themselves, instead of backing down. Audiences and clients consistently cite her blend of scientific insight and bold encouragement as absolutely transformational to their confidence and
results.
