General Session

Starla Sampaco is a keynote speaker, Emmy-nominated news anchor, and former University of Washington adjunct faculty member. As a speaker and educator, she teaches professionals of marginalized backgrounds how to advocate for themselves in the workplace, grow their professional visibility, and feel confident speaking up and taking up space. Starla was previously the primary TV news anchor for KCTS 9 (Seattle's PBS channel). She was also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Washington Communication Leadership Master's Program, where she taught a course on self-advocacy, professional visibility, and personal branding. Starla founded Career Survival Guide in 2019, and her work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review.

Starla Sampaco is a keynote speaker, Emmy-nominated news anchor, and former University of Washington adjunct faculty member. As a speaker and educator, she teaches professionals of marginalized backgrounds how to advocate for themselves in the workplace, grow their professional visibility, and feel confident speaking up and taking up space. Starla was previously the primary TV news anchor for KCTS 9 (Seattle's PBS channel). She was also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Washington Communication Leadership Master's Program, where she taught a course on self-advocacy, professional visibility, and personal branding. Starla founded Career Survival Guide in 2019, and her work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review.

Recognized as a trailblazer in his field, Simon’s dedication to transformation and brilliance has earned him a spot as one of Success magazine’s Top 25, joining Brené Brown, Tony Robbins, and Oprah Winfrey, as well as leadersHum Top 200 Power List in 2023. For over two decades, he has mesmerized the world, leaving an indelible mark on 2,300+ organizations across 54 countries. Corporate giants such as American Express, Deloitte, Marriott, Visa, Stanford Health Care, and Taco Bell have all experienced his magnetic allure.

Amidst the pressing challenges of talent retention, employee burnout, the Great Resignation, and the impact of remote work on mental health, a billion-dollar retailer sought innovative solutions to invest in organizational health and prioritize employee well-being. Recognizing the importance of upskilling managers for the future, they turned to Simon T. Bailey, International for guidance. 

Through a transformative three-month coaching program, Simon virtually mentored 3,000 managers, empowering them to transition from a command-and-control leadership approach to a heart-centered style rooted in Caring Science. This strategic coaching was particularly vital in the retail sector, known for its high turnover rates, and the results were remarkable. Participants scored between 94% and 97% in categories reflecting their confidence in their ability to coach effectively, allowing the Fortune 500 company to nurture and retain top talent while fostering a healthier and more productive workplace. 

With a love and dedication to coaching individuals and organizations, Simon has now created Brilliant Coaching.™ This transformative growth experience offers tailored solutions to meet unique needs and align with specific goals and objectives, empowering both individuals and organizations to unlock their full potential. 

But his accomplishments don’t end there. Simon has made a remarkable impact with 11 books in his illustrious repertoire, and 14 groundbreaking courses on the LinkedIn Learning platform, translated into eight languages and consumed by over 400,000 professionals from more than 100 countries. His dedication to brilliance and transformation has been recognized with an honorary Doctorate of Science in Business Administration from Cleary University, further cementing his status among the titans of our time. 

In this new chapter, Simon T. Bailey unveils his latest audacious endeavor: BrilliantU.™ This digital experience transcends the boundaries of imagination, equipping and mentoring leaders to thrive and flourish in tumultuous economies. With a commitment to practical strategies that transform lives and ignite change within communities, Simon’s mission is clear — to kindle brilliance within leaders, forever altering the way they steer nations, corporations, and societies.

Magie, whose birth name is Magdalena De La Cruz Cook Garcia, is a Latino businesswoman who was born in an orphanage in Mexico. She grew up in poverty along with 68 brothers and sisters. She missed her opportunity to play basketball for the Mexican National team because she broke her collarbone. Shortly after she immigrated to the US on a basketball scholarship at the University of Charleston.

After obtaining her college degree, and not being able to find a job, Magie became homeless and lived on the streets. When someone recognized her, she was given a place to stay. A few weeks later, she entered a Fresh Salsa competition for the State of West Virginia and won unanimously. At this event, she was given $800 to start her business.

Not knowing anything about business and with perseverance, she created Maggie’s All-Natural Fresh Salsa’s & Dips, a company that grew into a multi-million-dollar business within 4 years and distributed products across 38 states to major supermarkets such as Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Whole Foods and many more. At the height of her success in 2015, Maggie’s Salsa sold to Campbell’s Soup. Shortly after, she went back to Mexico and rescued 31 orphaned children from a drug cartel.

As a CEO, Magie shares her unconventional and unique techniques that made her super successful in life and in business. She was given a Nobel Entrepreneurial Prize in Mexico, the Small Business Administration gave her the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the University of Charleston Awarded her into the Hall of Fame, and West Virginia inducted her into their Generation Next, 40 under 40. Magie is a board member of AFIRE Pinellas, an organization that provides educational scholarships to kids with disabilities.
Magie’s company has been mentioned and featured on the following news and Television Networks: CNN, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, NBC, USA Today, The Washington Post, Fox News, Daystar, the American Dream Television, The Shelby Report, Kiplinger, Executive Magazine, ABC, CBS, the show Ask Dr. Nandi, and has been featured in many more tv, radio shows, magazines and newspapers.

Magie is the author of the book Mindful Success™ - How to use your mind to transform your life (Amazon). She’s also the founder of success workshops and a success masterminds for personal and professional development for individuals and companies. She founded a movement with an idea to solve the generational issue of human (sex) trafficking. In 2019, she began working with the AOF Hollywood Dreams International Film Festival to make a feature film about her story.

Rachel Sheerin, CPBA is an award-winning keynote speaker, emcee and employee engagement consultant on a mission to help people feel better, think better and do better - together!

A Certified Professional Behavior Analyst, audiences are transformed and recharged with energy and leave equipped with strategies and tangible tools. What makes Rachel connect is the fact that she has been on all sides of business - sales, operations and executive leadership.. She's built multi-million dollar sales teams for organizations that want to grow profits and boost happiness and delivered organization-wide training for different vocations from machinists to executive director, SVP and beyond.

She's also burned out, failed and ruined her career a couple of times - which makes her messages of burnout prevention, happiness and success sincere, impactful and hilarious. With a strong dash of vulnerability, Rachel meets audiences where they are and with her background in meetings and events, gives planners and executives the 5-star surveys they want most.

With Fortune 500 clients such as The Ritz Carlton, WAL-MART, National Associations in Healthcare and Banking, Hilton, Berkshire Hathaway and many more, Rachel is also Co-Founder of MAGNET METHOD, an employee engagement and retention consulting firm for growing cultures.

Rachel's continued research and motivational content around burnout, happiness and success can be seen regularly on her LinkedIn profile and read in her upcoming book, BETTER: How to Feel Good as You Live, Lead and Succeed (8/8/23, Hawthorn Road Press).

Currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Association for Women in Events (AWE), Rachel is a proud member of Meeting Planners International (MPI), supporter of the Appalachian Bear Foundation and can often be found playing ping pong badly with her husband, Jeff.

Bronkar Lee is the President and Founder of Spread the Good Stuff, LLC. Their mission is to help people live with greater health, joy, and power in order to “spread the good stuff” throughout their day-to-day lives. Bronkar has performed over 5,000 live events for companies like Google, Facebook, Youtube, Keller Williams, and Disney Cruise Lines; and he supports individuals and organizations with coaching, consulting, and dynamic presentations. Fun Fact: He plays over 40 musical instruments and uses these as tools within sessions in order to amplify the possibilities for growth and inspiration.

Starla Sampaco is a keynote speaker, Emmy-nominated news anchor, and former University of Washington adjunct faculty member. As a speaker and educator, she teaches professionals of marginalized backgrounds how to advocate for themselves in the workplace, grow their professional visibility, and feel confident speaking up and taking up space. Starla was previously the primary TV news anchor for KCTS 9 (Seattle's PBS channel). She was also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Washington Communication Leadership Master's Program, where she taught a course on self-advocacy, professional visibility, and personal branding. Starla founded Career Survival Guide in 2019, and her work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review.

Bert is the co-founder of the $100 million lifestyle brand Life is Good. When he and his brother John started the company in 1994, they had $78 in their pockets, lived out of their van, and sold t-shirts on the streets of Boston. Was this their way of avoiding the “real world”? You betcha. Did it turn into something much bigger? Absolutely.

It has been 25 years since they sold their first t-shirt, but Bert and John champion the same mission: to spread the power of optimism. On their journey, they’ve been inspired by a vibrant community of resilient optimists—people from all walks of life who identify deeply with the brand and who constantly demonstrate the depth and meaning behind the three simple words “Life is Good.”

But here’s the thing: While Bert and John believe life is good, they also know life isn’t perfect, which is why Life is Good donates 10% of its annual net profits to the Life is Good Kids Foundation. Through its signature Playmaker Program, the Life is Good Kids Foundation helps over 1 million kids overcome the impact of poverty, violence, and illness each year. In making their company a fully integrated for-profit/ non-profit model, the brothers hope to use their business as a vehicle to do good in the world.

As the co-host of the Life is Good Ping Podcast, Bert interviews some of the world’s most influential thought leaders about using optimism as a practical way to overcome adversity and lead a fulfilling life—all over a game of ping pong. Naturally. Guests include Ringo Starr, Katie Couric, Scott Avett, and more.

Because of his unique perspective that ties rational optimism to business, Bert has been asked to share his transformative message at a wide range of corporate and thought leadership conferences including Inc 5000, Morgan Stanley, SAP Sapphire, Discover, and more. He and John have been featured in Forbes, NPR’s How I Built This, CNNMoney, CNBC’s Business Nation, ABC News’ Nightline, NBC’s The Today Show, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, and Men’s Health Magazine, among others.

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.

As a global leader on the future of employment, culture and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers and the workplace. Recognized as one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” for 2024 by Savoy Magazine and one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy” in our nation’s capital by Washingtonian Magazine, Mr. Taylor is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, "Ask HR."

Mr. Taylor's career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit spaces. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/InteractiveCorp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm and Compass Group USA. Most recently, Mr. Taylor was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

He is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, which immediately upon its release in September 2021, was in the top three of The Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books.

Mr. Taylor is a member of the United Way Worldwide Board of Trustees and serves on the corporate boards of XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO), Flores & Associates, and Guild Education. He previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and as chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the Trump Administration.

The Women Business Collaborative (WBC) named Mr. Taylor as one of its 2023 Trailblazers in Gender Equity and Diversity for his work to achieve equal position, pay and power for all women in business. In 2020, he received the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of Management, and he was named 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

Michael Phelps is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time. He captured 28 medals, including a record-setting 23 gold medals, and set 39 world records over the course of his career. Phelps utilized his performance bonus for winning eight gold medals in 2008 to establish the Michael Phelps Foundation, which promotes water safety, healthy living (physical and mental), and the pursuit of dreams.

The Foundation’s signature program - IM – is a learn to swim, healthy living and goal-setting curriculum based on the principles and tools Phelps utilized in his swimming career, which is available through the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Special Olympics International.

His advocacy for water safety and mental health have earned the recognition of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (Champion of Youth), American Image Awards (Humanitarian Award), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Special Recognition Award), The Ruderman Family Foundation (Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion) and PR Week (Health Influencer 50) among others. Phelps has published two autobiographies – No Limits: The Will to Succeed and Beneath the Surface – that were New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, as well as published one children’s book – How to Train with a T-Rex and Win Eight Gold Medals