Dave Cornell
Dave Cornell is a speaker, coach and trainer who helps individuals and organizations overcome their fears by making courageous choices both personally and professionally so they can lead more productive, passionate and engaged lives. He founded Cultivate Courage, LLC in 2011 to accomplish this mission. He has over 35 years of experience in sales, sales management and training and development.Dave’s business is focused on three areas; Speaking, Coaching and Training. Dave’s powerful presentation, Cultivate Courage, which focuses on fear, courage and change and how those emotions affect individuals and organizations, is well received by audiences and has been a launching pad for performance development and personal improvement. Dave also serves as a Senior Consultant with David Horsager’s Trust Edge Leadership Institute. Dave and his wife, Amy, have been married for 41 years. They immensely enjoy time with their two grown daughters, son-in-law and four grandchildren. He also enjoys golf, basketball, and anything with a comedic bent. Relating to that comedic bent, he is a graduate of Stevie Ray’s School of Improv.
Damien Horne
Damien Horne is an international recording artist who uses music to share life lessons to encourage, motivate, and inspire others
Bill Rancic
Entrepreneur, Award-Winning Author, Motivational Speaker & Media Personality
After bursting on to the scene as NBC’s first Apprentice, Bill Rancic has traveled to every part of the globe, sharing his life experiences and business acumen with tens of thousands of leaders, businesses and organizations on a variety of important topics. His expertise ranges from why some companies thrive in chaos — and others don’t — to the leadership behaviors needed in a world beset by turbulence, uncertainty and dramatic change.
What makes Bill so unique is that he is both a student and teacher of leadership and has a healthy obsession with what makes great companies and leaders tick.
Having invested nearly two decades living the topic, Rancic has authored four books. These include New York Times best-seller You’re Hired: How to Succeed in Business and Life, which examines how some companies and leaders make the leap to superior results; the enduring classic Beyond the Lemonade Stand which teaches young people empowers them with the value of both money and positive self-image. In addition, Rancic co-authored I Do… Now What? with celebrity wife Giuliana Rancic where they share secrets to a supportive love and true partnership in marriage. He also just penned his first novel, First Light.
Driven by a relentless curiosity, Rancic really began his business journey when graduated cum laude from Loyola University. He then went on to become a successful entrepreneur when he founded a monthly online subscription-based retailer. Since that time, he has inspired millions of people around the globe to work towards reaching their full potential, both in business and in their personal lives. He is currently co-owner of the RPM Restaurant Group and the Giuliana Prosecco.
Rancic appears regularly on numerous daytime broadcast and cable television programs such as Today, The View, Rachael Ray, Steve Harvey and various CNBC programs.
He currently resides in Chicago with his wife Giuliana and son Duke.
Mike Max
Mike Max is the sports director at WCCO TV (CBS), hosts a nightly radio show on WCOO Radio in Minneapolis and has been on the speaking circuit for 25 years. He draws stories from thousands of interviews over the years that range from Michael Jordan to the captain of the Special Olympics softball team, all offer amazing insights into life. Mike received local and national acclaim for his six days of reporting from the front lines of “Minneapolis Riots” following the death of Gorge Floyd that reached millions of viewers throughout the country, earning him numerous awards but more importantly changing his life because of what he observed and connected with the most inside view of the beginning of an international movement. He owns his own company, Mike Max Productions, and has produced over 1000 hours of television programs with it. He also hosted “Life to the Max”, a magazine show that allowed him to travel the United States seeking out stories of inspiration through common people that did the uncommon. He has served as keynote speaker for companies, education groups and associations all looking for stories that only he can tell, because only he was there. He will make you laugh, make you cry, but most importantly, make you think!
Jean Abbott
Jean Sharon Abbott was misdiagnosed as a young child with Spastic Dipligia, a form of Cerebral Palsy. After 33 years of countless doctors visits, medical procedures, unnecessary medications and surgeries, she was correctly diagnosed with Dopa Responsive Dystonia (DRD). Jean enjoys all the adventures of her new life, but wouldn’t change the journey that brought her to where she is today. Her positive attitude is highly contagious as she encourages others to appreciate the little things in life.
Jean’s powerful story of perseverance no matter what life brings will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. Since she appeared on the Today Show, Good Housekeeping, Yahoo!, and the U.K.’s “Daily Mail”, an overwhelming number of people from around the world have contacted Jean to tell her how inspired they were by her journey from “wheels to heels”.
Gaye Lindfors
Gaye approaches life as a front row observer of celebrations, messy places, and you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me! moments. Not afraid to poke fun at her own mishaps, she shares life and business lessons, hope, and humor from her own experiences: successful corporate and non-profit leader, business owner, a city girl with a small-town heart, caregiver, and self-proclaimed Chief Encourager.
Whether you’re working, volunteering, taking care of things at home, or showing up for your friends, your heart wants to feel alive. With her stories and the welcoming style and wit she’s known for, Gaye will encourage your heart, help you rediscover the joy in your everyday, and remind you that your life makes a difference.
Gaye led a human resources department that supported 11,000 airline employees, served as Special Assistant to a university president, and has an M.A. in Industrial Relations. She has served in leadership roles in associations, non-profits, and volunteer and professional women’s organizations. She is past-president of the National Speakers Association/Minnesota chapter, and was Regional Director for Christian Women in Media. Gaye is the author of several books, including “This is Livin’!” and “Getting My Ducks in a Row and Other Stories of Faith.”
Dan Meers
Dan Meers goes to work each day like many other men, dressed in a suit. The only difference is that instead of wearing a tie with his suit, Dan wears a tail. You see, Dan is a professional mascot. Dan began his career in 1986 at the University of Missouri – Columbia. Dressed as the school mascot, Truman Tiger, it didn’t take long for Dan to establish himself as one of the top college mascots in the nation. After finishing second in 1988, Dan was selected the nation’s #1 college mascot at the 1989 National Collegiate Mascot Championships. As graduation approached, Dan began to receive offers to use his talents at the professional level. After graduating with honors, Dan decided to trade in his tiger stripes for bird feathers and began his professional career as Fredbird, the mascot for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Although many thought Dan’s “bird legs” were a perfect match for his costume in St. Louis, Dan stayed only a short time. He was offered a job in professional football and decided to exchange his bird suit to become a wolf.
Today Dan is widely known as KC Wolf, the official mascot of the Kansas City Chiefs. He travels throughout the United States and the world entertaining thousands of people both in and out of costume. Dan is in high demand not only as a mascot but also as a humorous and motivational speaker to audiences of all ages. His enthusiasm, optimism and love for life are contagious and makes Dan an inspiration to all those he meets.
After listening to Dan, you realize that what makes him so truly special is his genuine desire to motivate others to enjoy life as much as he does. The constant smile he wears comes from within. The humorous message he shares has encouraged thousands to strive for the best in life and enjoy it each and every step along the way.