Mike Cessario

Mike Cessario is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Liquid Death, a canned water company with the tagline “murder your thirst.” The drink hit the shelves in 2019, and in 2022, the company’s estimated value hit $700 million. Cessario was inspired to create Liquid Death after attending a Vans Warped Tour in 2009, where he watched concertgoers drink water out of Monster Energy cans to stay hydrated. Cessario wondered why no one had ever marketed water in a similar manner to Monster and began his journey into creating Liquid Death. Cessario has a marketing background, having served as a creative director for agencies such as VaynerMedia, Porter & Bogusky, and Street League Skateboarding. Having always been passionate about health and fitness, Cessario was begrudged that beer and energy drink brands got to do the cool advertising, so he decided to put his own spin on the water market. Now with 14 flavors as of 2024, Liquid Death has merch with punk rock imagery that includes partnerships with Martha Stewart, Bert Kreisher, and many more. Not just another water brand, Cessario is dedicated to limiting single-use plastics by packaging Liquid Death water in cans rather than plastic bottles. Cans, unlike bottles, are infinitely recyclable. The company also donates a portion of its sales to fighting plastic pollution

Jefferson Fisher

Jefferson Fisher is a board-certified Texas trial lawyer and founder of Fisher Firm. With his extensive experience as a trial lawyer, Jefferson understands the art of persuading and communicating effectively in high-conflict situations. He is one of the most sought-after names in functional thinking for modern-day communication. Known for his practical videos and authentic presence, Jefferson has amassed over 9 million social media followers-making him the most followed litigation attorney in the world-all in less than a year, all from inside his vehicle. Jefferson’s followers include high-profile names such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jesse Williams, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Sarah Silverman, Lewis Howes, and many more. Jefferson is on a mission to be a messenger of positivity in the world and help people learn to talk to each other again – one conversation at a time.

Unreasonable Hospitality

The Workshop is an immersive, day-long program, that provides an in-depth perspective on the framework and principles of Unreasonable Hospitality through a mix of education, exercises, and experience design sessions. Led by Will Guidara’s team, Billy Peelle & Lindsey Peckham, it is designed to set up your team for success in consistently embodying the principles of Unreasonable Hospitality – internally with the company’s culture, and externally in the experiences you are collectively delivering to your guests. The Workshop is filled with practical applications of the lessons in the book and leaves your team equipped with a list of specific, actionable ideas to bring to life. The program schedule looks like this: 8:30 am: Arrival 9:00 am: Session 1 – Building Your Team 10:30 am: Snack Break 11:00 am: Session 2 – Pursuing Connection 12:00 pm: Lunch 1:15 pm: Session 3 – Creating Magic 4:00 pm: Departure Find the session breakdowns in the speech topics below!

Christina Tosi

Christina Tosi the two-time James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Milk Bar, with bakery locations across the country, an online care package business, and products in the aisles of the grocery store. She served as a judge on Fox’s Masterchef Junior, host of Netflix’s Bake Squad, and was featured in the hit Netflix docu-series Chef’s Table: Pastry. She is author of the New York Times Best Seller, All About Cookies as well as All About Cake, Momofuku Milk Bar, Milk Bar Life, Milk Bar: Kids Only, Dessert Can Save the World, and for children, Every Cake Has a Story and Just the Right Cake.

Will Guidara

Will Guidara is the author of the NY Times Bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality, which chronicles the lessons in service and leadership he has learned over the course of his career in restaurants. He is the former co-owner Eleven Madison Park, which under his leadership received four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and in 2017 was named #1 on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. He is the host of the Welcome Conference, an annual hospitality symposium that brings together like minded people to share ideas, inspire one another, and connect to form community. A graduate of the hospitality school at Cornell University, he has coauthored four cookbooks, was named one of Crain’s New York Business’s 40 Under 40, and is the recipient of WSJ Magazine’s Innovator Award.

Tom Bilyeu

Tom Bilyeu is a unicorn entrepreneur who co-founded and built Quest Nutrition from nothing to a billion-dollar business in just 5 years – all without outside funding. He is a filmmaker and serial entrepreneur who chased money HARD for nearly a decade and came up emotionally bankrupt. He realized that the struggle is guaranteed, but the money is not, so you’d damn well better love the struggle. To that end, he and his partners sold their technology company and founded Quest Nutrition – a company predicated not on money, but rather on creating value for people. The company’s mission was to end metabolic disease –one of two pandemics facing the planet. Despite not being focused on money Quest exploded, becoming a billion-dollar business in roughly 5 years, making it the 2nd fastest-growing company in North America according to Inc. Magazine. After exiting Quest and generating extraordinary personal wealth, Bilyeu turned his attention to the other pandemic facing society – the poverty of a poor mindset. To solve the mindset problem at scale and help hundreds of millions of people adopt an empowering mindset he has co-founded the media studio, Impact Theory with his business partner and wife, Lisa Bilyeu. Their aim is to influence the cultural subconscious by building a single-minded content creation machine that makes exactly one type of content – content that empowers people. If Disney created the most magical place on earth, Impact Theory will be creating the most empowering place on earth.

Laura Gassner Otting

Author, Catalyst, and Executive Coach Laura Gassner Otting inspires people to push past the doubt and indecision that keep great ideas in limbo by helping audiences think bigger and accept greater challenges that reach beyond their current, limited scope of belief. She delivers strategic thinking, well-honed wisdom, and perspective generated by decades of navigating change across the start-up, corporate, nonprofit, political, as well as philanthropic landscapes. Laura dares audiences to find their voice and generate the confidence needed to tackle larger-than-life challenges by helping them to seek new ways of leading, managing, and mentoring others. Laura’s rebellious and entrepreneurial edge has been well-honed over a 25-year career that started when she dropped out of law school to join an unknown southern governor’s presidential campaign and ended up as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, where she helped shape AmeriCorps. She left a leadership role as the youngest Vice President at a nationally respected search firm when she realized that her boss’s definition of success didn’t align with hers and, instead, founded and ran one of the fastest-growing search firms in the country, partnering with the full gamut of mission-driven executives, from start-up dreamers to scaling social entrepreneurs to global philanthropists. In 2015, Laura sold that firm to the team who helped her build it, both because she was hungry for the next chapter and because she held an audacious dream of electing our nation’s first female president. (Whomp whomp.) Since that time, Laura has appeared regularly on Good Morning America and the TODAY Show, and her writing has been seen in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, HR Magazine. She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of three books, including Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn’t Feel Like It Should… and What to Do About It, Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life, and Mission-Drive: Moving from Profit to Purpose. Her books have been translated into five languages. Through her own commitment to give back, Laura has helped build a local Montessori school, co-founded a women’s philanthropic initiative, advised a start-up national women’s PAC, grew a citizen-leadership development program, and completed five charity-inspired marathons, projects emblematic of her passions and values. She’s turned on by the audacity of The Big Idea and that larger-than-life goal you just can’t seem to shake. She’s an instigator, a motivator, and a provocateur, and she’s never met a revolution she didn’t like, just ask her enduringly patient husband, two almost-grown sons, and troublesome puppy with whom she lives outside of Boston, MA.

John Henry

John Henry is a Dominican-American entrepreneur and investor. Henry has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc 30 Under 30, Adweek Creative 100, The Root 100, and Ebony Power 100 lists. Born and raised in New York City, John’s path was a little different. He dropped out of college at 18, where he picked up a job as a doorman. He went on to start and sell his first business by 21. Henry later cofounded the Venture Capital firm Harlem Capital, raising $40M and making 20 investments in Women and Minority entrepreneurs before stepping down in 2020. Henry is also passionate about Media. Henry hosted the TV show ‘Hustle’ on VICELAND, Executive Produced by Alicia Keys and Marcus Samuelsson; and produced and hosted branded podcasts for brands like The Washington Post, Gimlet Media, WeWork, eBay, and Samsung. Today Henry is the Cofounder and Co-CEO of Loop, an insurance technology company that leverages AI and data to create more fairly priced auto insurance products for all.

Simone Giertz

Simone Giertz stands at the forefront of innovation and creativity, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. As an inventor, creator, and all-around maker, she has made a mark in the tech world with her unique approach to engineering and design. Simone’s journey began with intentionally impractical robots, earning her the affectionate title of the “Queen of Shitty Robots.” Her commitment to embracing failure as a part of the creative process has set her apart in the world of makers and inventors. She catapulted to global fame through her YouTube channel, where she shares her adventures in building, breaking, and reimagining robots. With millions of subscribers, her channel has become a hub for those seeking a blend of humor, engineering challenges, and a refreshingly candid perspective on the creative process. Simone’s content has resonated with audiences worldwide, inspiring a new generation of makers to embrace the fun in failure. Her unique blend of humor, storytelling, and engineering expertise captivates audiences across diverse events. Whether you’re organizing a technology conference, a corporate event, or a gathering focused on design thinking, Simone brings a refreshing perspective on innovation, creativity, and the importance of embracing imperfections. Her engaging talks inspire others to think outside the box and embrace the journey of discovery. Simone continues to inspire individuals to break free from the constraints of perfection, encouraging them to experiment, learn, and find joy in the creative process. With a growing list of accomplishments, featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Wired Magazine, and her multi-million-viewed TED talk, Simone Giertz remains an influential figure, proving that innovation is not just about success but also about the adventures and lessons found in the pursuit of the unknown.

Swan Sit

Swan is a contemporary operator sitting at the intersection of corporate economics, digital transformation, and consumer attention. She equally understands the left- and right-brain skills required for a marketer that drives financial impact in the digital world. Swan has led teams focused on digital transformation in her roles as Head of Digital Marketing at Nike, Revlon, and Estée Lauder. Swan held two key roles as a VP at Nike — overseeing Global Digital Marketing during the Emmy-winning “Dream Crazy” campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, and running Digital Operations, Product, Supply Chain and Service for a $2B NA ecommerce business. She led digital at Revlon and Elizabeth Arden, and ran online strategy for the Estée Lauder Companies, increasing its digital footprint to 400+ sites across 50 countries in 5 years. From modernizing hundred-year-old brands and partnering with unexpected influencers like Chelsea Handler, Iris Apfel and Gigi Gorgeous, to launching augmented reality makeovers and driving double-digit growth. She was selected as a Brand Innovators 40 under 40 and Marketing Woman to Watch, and took home both Best Social Campaign and Best in Show at the Glossy Awards. Currently Swan serves as Independent Board Director at publicly traded companies Edgewell (NYSE: EPC) and Novabay (NYSE: NBY) in addition to her role as Operating Partner at AF Ventures and their recently launched SPAC (NASDAQ: AFAQ). She’s the Vice President of Marketing at Ani Energy, a new energy drink company launched by TikTok stars Josh Richards and Bryce Hall. Prior to her career as a corporate executive, Swan was a management consultant at Bain, owned an ad agency focused on emotional branding, and was a product manager at Newell. Swan graduated with a BA in Economics from Harvard and an MBA from Columbia. Swan’s leveraging her breadth of professional experience to advise her +3MM followers on the Clubhouse platform and consulting the companies and leaders of tomorrow. Swan has done speaking engagements around the world. She’s advised a variety of businesses and has sat on the boards of industry and philanthropic organizations including AdWeek’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, L2 Digital Think Tank, Women in Retail, Consumer Goods Technology Council, Impact Network, Foundation Rwanda and Worldview’s space think tank. Having traveled to 87+ countries and counting, her favorites include Antarctica, North Korea, Mongolia, Rwanda, Bhutan, Myanmar and Tanzania for Kilimanjaro. She can often be found smashing a volleyball and chasing restaurant openings, or flying around on skis and horses – her two newest hobbies.

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