Tom Hardin – Founder of Tipper X

The hardest part is just to accept responsibility and own it. And actually, the hardest part also is to forgive yourself. I mean, that’s still what I go through today. Sometimes it’s just sort of that stuff. Sort of that self forgiveness, because we can be, you know, our internal voices of our thought can be, can be pretty, pretty negative at times.

Tom Hardin is the founder of Tipper X and a globally recognized keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and advisor specializing in ethics, compliance, and culture risk. Early in his career, he worked as a financial analyst in New York City, where he became involved in insider trading and later cooperated with federal authorities as an undercover informant in one of the largest insider trading investigations in Wall Street history. Operating under the codename “Tipper X,” his cooperation helped federal investigators build cases against major financial figures and exposed widespread ethical failures within the hedge fund industry. Today, Hardin has transformed his experience into a platform for education and prevention. Through Tipper X, he delivers keynote presentations, compliance training, and advisory services to corporations, financial institutions, and universities around the world. His work focuses on helping organizations understand the psychological and cultural factors that lead to ethical breakdowns, and how to build stronger ethical decision making systems. He is also the author of Wired on Wall Street, which shares his firsthand account of financial misconduct, cooperation with federal authorities, and his personal journey toward accountability and redemption. Brendan Keegan – CEO of Merchants Fleet and Author of The FUD Factor: Overcoming Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt to Achieve the Impossible – Overcoming Fear

Leaders are not born. They’re made. And the first thing that really has to happen is someone just needs to make a conscious decision that they want to be a leader. Some people come to that decision on their own. Others, somebody sees it in them and taps into their leadership. But leadership has nothing to do with title. It has to do with doing little extra. Picking up the basketballs. Raising your hand before you even know what the project is. Informally, you’re putting yourself into a leadership role, and that’s really powerful.

Brendan Keegan is chairman, CEO and president of the board for Merchants Fleet, the fastest-growing fleet technology company in North America. Brendan is the creator of the bFEARLESS movement. He also is the author of three books, including his newest, The FUD Factor: Overcoming Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt to Achieve the Impossible. Keegan has contributed more than 200 articles to Fast Company, Inc. Media, Entrepreneur, Newsweek, Fox Business and Harvard Business Review. During Keegan’s time at Merchants Fleet, the company has been named a two-time Inc 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Company, Deloitte Best Managed Company and a Fast Company Top 10 Most Innovative Company. Brendan P. Keegan has spent a lifetime facing down fear, uncertainty and doubt in order to make his visions a reality. And for the hundreds of thousands of people who have been inspired by his revolutionary approach to leadership, he offers an unmatched mix of creativity, generosity, wisdom and tenacious commitment to making a positive impact on the world. An award-winning six-time president and chief executive officer, Brendan is well-known in the business world for his ability to envision outcomes that seem audacious, or even impossible — until he makes them a reality. As the current Chairman, CEO & President of the Board for Merchants Fleet, the fastest-growing fleet technology company in North America, he has created a culture of innovation that empowers employees, partners and investors to transform the industry. Brendan has dedicated himself to cracking his own code and building simple, repeatable systems that anyone can use to live and lead without limits. He shares his insights through regular contributions to Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., Newsweek and other publications, along with his books, blog posts, podcasts and speaking engagements.

Maria Martinez – Human Potential Activator, Wealth Consciousness Activator, Multi-Dimensional Healer

If you want to become a millionaire, embody the millionaire mindset, embody the millionaire habits, embody the millionaire behavior.

Maria Martinez’s extensive expertise as a Human Potential Activator, Wealth Consciousness Activator, Multi-Dimensional Healer, Energy Alchemist, and Business Success Coach seamlessly integrates Functional Medicine practices to enhance her existing services. Through Functional Medicine principles, Maria delve deeper into identifying the root causes of her clients’ challenges and stagnation. Functional Medicine emphasizes understanding the interconnectedness of various aspects of health, including physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Through this approach, Maria helps her clients uncover underlying imbalances contributing to their struggles and limiting beliefs. Utilizing Functional Medicine tools, Maria assist her clients in exploring how their words, thoughts, choices, and actions influence their reality. By empowering clients to recognize and address these influences, Maria supports them in healing themselves, releasing what no longer serves their highest good, and aligning with their Divine Path. Furthermore, Maria’s profound connection with source and higher-dimensional light beings enables her to serve as a conduit for healing energy and intuitive insights. Integrating Functional Medicine concepts into her healing processes allows Maria to offer comprehensive support for her clients’ physical, emotional, and spiritual transformation. In essence, incorporating Functional Medicine principles into her existing services, Maria deepens her impact, facilitate profound healing and transformation, and empower her clients to live joyfully, abundantly, and fulfilled lives aligned with their true potential. Steve Berry – NY Times Best Selling Author of The Atlas Maneuver (Cotton Malone Book 18)

Just you got to write a good book. You got to work hard. You got to hang with it. You got to stay to it and just keep plowing along. If you get rejected, you write another book, and you just keep going until you find a story that they like. And it’s really a game of perseverance. I tell people all the time. I may not know anything about writing, but I consider myself a world class expert on rejection.

Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen Cotton Malone adventures, five stand-alone thrillers, and several works of short fiction. His books have been translated into 41 languages with 25,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. Somewhere in the world, every thirty seconds, a Steve Berry book is sold. History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It’s his passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 Steve and Elizabeth have crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures, raising money via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners, and their popular writers’ workshops. To date, 3,500 students have attended those workshops, with over $1.5 million dollars raised. Steve’s devotion to historic preservation was recognized by the American Library Association, which named Steve its spokesperson for National Preservation Week. Among his other honors are the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award; the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award given by Poets & Writers; the Anne Frank Human Writes Award; and the Silver Bullet, bestowed by International Thriller Writers for his philanthropic work. He has been chosen both the Florida and Georgia Writer of the Year. He’s also an emeritus member of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board. In 2010, an NPR survey named The Templar Legacy one of the top 100 thrillers ever written. Steve was born and raised in Georgia, graduating from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a founding member of International Thriller Writers—a group of nearly 6,000 thriller writers from around the world—and served three years as its co-president.

Chris Hallberg – President & Founder of GoExpand

So it was great just to get outside my comfort zone, be stretched, do things I didn’t think I could do, overcome adversity again and again and again and still find a way to win. So like military, people are resilient, and that’s why they make great leaders in business.

Chris Hallberg, known as the “Business Sergeant”, is a top-ranked leadership expert, military veteran, and serial entrepreneur who transforms good companies into great ones, fast. Ranked #9 on Inc. Magazine’s Top 50 Leadership & Management Experts – ahead of Simon Sinek – Chris blends battlefield-tested leadership with the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to deliver proven results. He scaled and sold a startup during the Great Recession at an 8× multiple, built royalty-generating sales systems, and became Colorado’s first EOS Implementer, guiding 100+ teams to achieve 90%+ employee engagement rates and 100+ Best Places to Work awards. Today, he co-builds a $5M AI-driven EOS platform while coaching billion-dollar contractors, national chains, and franchises with a remarkable 85% success rate. With his no-nonsense, high-energy style, Chris simplifies strategy, strengthens culture, and shows leaders how to drive 30%+ EBIT on predictable systems. John Catsimatidis – CEO of The Red Apple Group and the Author of How Far Do You Want to Go?: Lessons from a Common-Sense Billionaire

I hate doing nothing. I hate to have a day without accomplishment. I try to accomplish something every day. And how do I relax? Maybe on a Saturday night or Sunday night, we watch these new series on television, like succession, or like Tulsa. And I know when we watched succession last week, we were up to two o’clock in the morning watching it, when finally we said, enough is enough.

Billionaire entrepreneur John Catsimatidis, owner and CEO of the Red Apple Group, reveals how his instincts and common sense have propelled him to massive business success in this detailed account of an incredible rags-to-riches story. Born on the small Greek island of Nisyros, John Catsimatidis immigrated to the States with his family and quickly became a true New Yorker, raised in Harlem. He went to school by day and worked in a small grocery store by night to help his parents pay the bills until, just eight credits short of graduating from New York University, he opted to work in the grocery business full-time. Today, that grocery business has become the Red Apple Group, a conglomerate with interests in energy, real estate, aviation, baseball, entertainment, and media, including the iconic radio station WABC, where John hosts leading figures in government, politics, business, and economics. As Catsimatidis has discovered, the American Dream doesn’t come with an instruction manual—or even a sign to let you know when you’ve arrived at the finish line. How Far Do You Want to Go? tells Catsimatidis’s dynamic story, from his beginnings in the grocery business to entering the political arena, including a New York City mayoral campaign. He’s tried his hand at nearly everything, but he’s far from finished with his adventures. Now, he offers readers a glimpse into the wisdom he’s gained—and the excitement he has for what the future holds in store.

Ravi Rajani – International Keynote Speaker and Author of Relationship Currency: Five Communication Habits For Limitless Influence and Business Success

Since the beginning of time, the one currency that has always mattered in any area of our life is relationships.

Ravi Rajani is an international keynote speaker, communication expert, transformational coach, and LinkedIn Learning instructor known for helping leaders, entrepreneurs, and sales teams communicate with influence and build trusted relationships that drive growth. He has partnered with major organizations such as Oracle NetSuite, T-Mobile, and Sherwin-Williams, teaching professionals how to master effective communication and create meaningful business connections. Rajani is the author of Relationship Currency: Five Communication Habits for Limitless Influence and Business Success, a book that equips readers with practical strategies to build trust, spark influence, and communicate with clarity, charisma, and confidence. Recognized as a leading thought leader on storytelling and communication, he has trained tens of thousands of professionals through his courses on conscious and charismatic communication. His career reflects a lifelong focus on the art of communication, shaped by early experiences in dance and theatre and later strengthened through roles in investment banking and technology sales leadership. Today, Rajani delivers keynote speeches, workshops, and coaching programs designed to help audiences unlock human connection, cultivate trust, and inspire action through influential storytelling. Isobel Rimmer – Owner and CEO of Masterclass Training, Bestselling Author, & a Award-Winning Speaker

The purpose of a visual aid is not for the speaker to have their notes or their bullets and to know what they’re going to say next. It’s to help the audience understand what you’re saying.

Isobel Rimmer is the Founder, CEO, and Lead Trainer at Masterclass Training, an international leadership and business development consultancy that delivers training programmes through a global team of consultants and facilitators. She is also a speaker, educator, executive coach, and accredited facilitator for leadership frameworks such as The Leadership Challenge and The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. A graduate of the University of Surrey, Rimmer began her career working in France before joining Digital Equipment on its fast track graduate programme. With more than 25 years as a business leader, coach, and mentor, she has designed award winning leadership programmes for organizations including Hertz, PwC, Accenture, and IBM, helping leaders communicate effectively and deliver with impact. Rimmer is the author of the #1 Amazon bestseller Natural Business Development and Present with Presence, books focused on unlocking employee potential, strengthening communication, and driving revenue growth. Known for her pragmatic, results driven approach, she works with both private and public sector clients and regularly speaks at conferences and industry events across the UK, Europe, and the United States.

Allison Taylor – CEO & Co-Founder of Discerna.ai, CEO & Founder of Thought Marketing and Author of Power Up Product Management

Sometimes we’re reluctant entrepreneurs. Sometimes we don’t know we’re going to be an entrepreneur until later.

Allison Taylor is a Silicon Valley technology go-to-market strategist and entrepreneur who has brought over 20 enterprise software solutions and services to market across 35 countries, representing over $3 billion in revenue. An award-winning cybersecurity veteran, Allison consults international senior leadership and their diverse cross-generational teams on growth strategies as Founder and CEO of consulting firm Thought Marketing. She is also a co-founder of AI tech start-up Discerna.ai. Allison’s clients have included Honeywell, EMC/Dell and GE, in addition to many early and mid-stage cybersecurity, SaaS, and cloud start-ups worldwide. Her vast operating experience adds a dynamic practitioner view, drawing from cybersecurity product leadership positions at McAfee and Nokia, strategist roles at Sun Microsystems (now Oracle), and corporate communications leadership at legendary cybersecurity pioneer Check Point Software. She has co-authored two Routledge, Taylor & Francis books, with a third on the way for Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Cybersecurity, in close collaboration with a global cross-discipline team of experts in law, medicine, and engineering. Allison founded her first company at age 24 and is a former Middle East journalist and New York City trade press editor. She is often described as an “energy bomb,” passionate about the human condition and its relationship with technology and innovation. Allison speaks multiple languages and holds an M.S. from San Jose State University (technology diffusion among software developers) and a B.A. in Spanish and Journalism from the University of Richmond, Virginia in addition to many domain-specific certifications Dan Rodgers – Host of Escape the Clock Podcast and Author of Escape The Clock: Your Program Guide for Financial Freedom and Early Retirement

The real trick is understanding how to get your money to work for you, so that you’re making money when you’re asleep, and that you get to a point where that money has grown to a point where now you have options, and now you’re less worried about your job.

Dan Rodgers is the award-winning author of Escape The Clock: Your Program Guide for Financial Freedom and Early Retirement and the host of the Escape the Clock Podcast. With more than 20 years of experience as a lead program manager at major tech companies, including Microsoft and Google, Dan applied the disciplined planning and execution skills he used in his career to his personal finances and achieved financial independence in his early 40s. His book has received multiple honors, including the American Writing Award, the PenCraft Best Book Award, and the Literary Titan Medal, and it presents a structured, actionable approach to financial freedom that treats personal finance goals like a program to be planned, tracked, and executed. Dan’s work goes beyond theory, focusing on clear steps to reduce debt, build wealth, and design a life where work becomes optional rather than necessary. Through his podcast he breaks down practical strategies for listeners at all stages of their financial journey, sharing insights on investing, risk management, and the mindset shifts needed to escape the traditional work cycle. Based in Washington State, Dan also volunteers teaching financial literacy, offers free one-on-one financial coaching, speaks on financial independence topics, and continues writing to help others reclaim control of their time and money.

Dr. Robert N. Eberhart – Associate Professor at University of San Diego

Entrepreneurship is stinking hard work, particularly successful entrepreneurship.

Robert N. Eberhart is an Associate Professor of Management and the Faculty Director of the Ahlers Center for International Business at the University of San Diego. He is also a visiting professor at Oxford University and a research associate at Columbia University. His research interests focus on theories of institutional change and the role of institutions on new venture performance. Professor Eberhart’s academic publications that have appeared in journals such as Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, Strategy Science, Research in the Sociology of Organizations, and the Journal of Asian Business Studies include topics such as new theoretical constructs on how institutional change has complex effects on new firms and entrepreneurs and how the entrepreneurial ideologies are altering social relationships. He won awards for the BPS Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2014 from the Academy of Management, Best Paper Proceeding of the 2012 Academy of Management, and from the Fondation France-Japon de l’EHESS. He has been quoted in the New York Times, NPS’s “All Things Considered”, the Financial Times, Forbes, the Nikkei Weekly, and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and interviewed on ABC News. Dr. Eberhart was the vice-chair of the U.S. Department of State and the Ministry of Economics, Trade, and Industry’s joint commission on bilateral entrepreneurship. Dr. Eberhart was a member of the board of directors of DynEd, Inc.. the Japan Society of Northern California, the Japan Innovation Network, and iPive, Inc. He is also an academic advisor to Japan’s Board of Director’s Training Institute and the academic advisor to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers Football Team. Dr. Eberhart was also an academic advisor to the American Chamber of Commerce’s Task Force on New Growth Strategies. He is a member of the Academy of Management, the Institute of New Economic Theory, the International Society for New Institutional Economics. Professor Eberhart earned his Ph.D. in Management Science from Stanford University after graduating from the University of Michigan (MA Economics) and Michigan State University (BA Finance). Before resuming his academic career, he was the founder and CEO of a successful Japanese company that distributed wine throughout Asia. He also held senior management positions in the semiconductor industry. He is a private pilot, restores British sports cars, has three children, and is married to Dr. Delores Eberhart, a dentist in Palo Alto. Mirav Ozeri – Podcast Host of How Much Can I Make? – Real Job. Real Stories. Career Insights

I saw how much deeper is Claude, and I hate to admit it grok, because I’m no fan of Elon Musk, and his was really the deepest questions, the deepest answers.

Mirav Ozeri is a career insights journalist and the creator and host of the podcast How Much Can I Make? – Real Jobs. Real Stories. Career Insights. Through the show, she explores what careers are truly like by interviewing professionals from a wide range of industries, examining how they got started, the skills required to succeed, the challenges they face, and what they earn. Her work focuses on delivering practical, real world guidance for listeners who are pursuing their first job, considering a career change, launching a side hustle, or exploring entrepreneurship. Ozeri’s podcast aims to provide an inside look at the job market by going beyond titles to reveal the realities of different professions and the pathways into them. Each episode features candid conversations with individuals who share their career journeys and offer actionable advice to help others move forward with confidence. The program has been recognized with a nomination for the 2025 Women in Podcasting Award, reflecting its growing impact among career focused audiences. In addition to hosting, Ozeri is associated with Oz Films Inc. and is based in New York, further underscoring her professional involvement in media and content creation.

Eddie Speed – Founder of NoteSchool

An entrepreneur’s whole thing in life is to go find an industry problem and solve a problem.

Eddie Speed is the founder of NoteSchool and a recognized pioneer in the seller financing and real estate note industry. Since beginning his career in 1980, he has dedicated his professional life to developing innovative strategies that have influenced how note investing operates today. Starting with limited resources and relying on determination and practical judgment, Speed built a successful career that includes completing more than 50,000 note deals and helping shape modern note investing practices. In 1999, he founded NoteSchool to empower aspiring investors with practical education and real world opportunities in buying performing and nonperforming mortgage notes. His teaching approach is grounded in firsthand experience, and he has served over 2,000 mentoring students while fostering access to institutional level deal flow through relationships with hedge funds and private investors. Speed is also the owner and president of Colonial Funding Group LLC and a principal in a family of private equity funds focused on acquiring bulk note portfolios. Over more than three decades, Speed has remained a leader and innovator in the note business, earning industry recognition such as the Collective Genius Award for Thought Leadership in Real Estate. Known for his commitment to education and knowledge sharing, he continues to help investors pursue financial freedom while advancing the broader landscape of note investing. Emily LaRusch – Founder of Back Office Betties

I learned the riches are in the niches.

Emily LaRusch is the founder and CEO of Back Office Betties, a company she established in 2014 to help law firms overcome administrative challenges through legally trained virtual receptionists and assistants. Guided by a strong belief in exceptional customer service, she built the business to give attorneys back valuable time while improving client experiences. LaRusch’s entrepreneurial drive began early, showing initiative as a child with neighborhood ventures and later developing a service-focused work ethic through her first jobs. The idea for Back Office Betties was sparked by frustration after repeatedly reaching voicemail while calling local businesses, inspiring her to create a solution that supports small law firms with reliable, high-quality administrative staffing. A passionate advocate for entrepreneurship and leadership, LaRusch has volunteered with Inmates to Entrepreneurs, served on the board of the Entrepreneurs Organization, coached accelerator groups, and guest lectured at Texas A&M. Her mission extends beyond business growth, focusing on empowering entrepreneurs, fostering strong company culture, and helping professionals achieve greater balance and freedom in their work and personal lives.