Empowered Conversations

Imagine waking up one day and not remembering the life you built—the faces you love, the dreams you had. For Shannon Michelle, that became her reality after a horrific motorcycle accident left her in a coma, fighting to survive. And as she struggled to heal, life threw her yet another battle: a breast cancer diagnosis. Shannon Michelle was one of Los Angeles' most celebrated interior designers...

She started writing at twelve years old, when she won her first essay competition. Decades later, she's still writing—still believing that stories have the power to encourage, heal, and connect us. Faye Roots is an Australian author, storyteller, and woman of faith who has written across multiple genres—literary fiction, historical fiction, memoir, poetry, inspirational writing, and children&#...

Did you know you are creative? Not just if you're an artist. Not just if you can draw or sing. You. Right now. Maybe you've been telling yourself you're "not creative." Maybe you've been stuck in perfectionism, afraid to make mistakes. Maybe you've been so busy being productive that you've forgotten how to play. Mari Reisberg is a Licensed Professional Counselor,...

He grew up with a lisp and a stutter. He spent years avoiding communication altogether. Today, he's trained more than 120,000 professionals across 50-plus countries to become captivating speakers. Peter George is a public speaking coach, professional speaker, and author of the six-time award-winning book, The Captivating Public Speaker. He's the creator of the AMP'D Framework™ and host...

He was promoted into a director role with no leadership training. What followed was costly: high turnover, cultural breakdown, and six-figure losses. He had a hard realization: he was the problem. So he committed to mastering leadership, operations, and the business mechanics of healthcare—and helped his organization grow from 8 employees to 150+ . Dr. Daniel Neissany is a healthcare leadership st...

She's a distinguished professor of literature with a PhD from Vanderbilt. She's also a Swami and spiritual teacher who has dedicated her life to helping humans live in joy and freedom. Swami Nityananda is the spiritual teacher of the Awake Yoga Meditation community. She was consecrated as a Swami in 2014 and has spoken to audiences in ten countries. Her work has been supported by Fulbright...

Dr. Stan Block has spent over 40 years caring for children in rural Kentucky—and along the way, he became one of the nation's most published pediatricians, authoring more than 170 peer-reviewed papers that helped advance modern vaccines and pediatric care . As a young pediatrician, Dr. Block discovered that many of his sickest patients—cases of tularemia, Ehrlichiosis, and other perplexing ill...

He had tongue cancer. Twice. They took his tongue. He says, "I can't talk about it!" But he's still teaching, still writing, still helping people understand God in fresh, funny, and deeply meaningful ways. Dr. Gerald Robison—affectionately known as Dr. G—has pastored churches on three continents, trained Bible teachers in over 25 countries, and authored award-winning books. He us...

She never intended to build a rescue organization. One stray cat led to another. And today, she leads CatPAWS—a nonprofit that has saved thousands of cats and kittens, reduced euthanasia rates from 1,000 to 100 per year, and built a community of citizen rescuers. Deborah Felin Magaldi is the Director of CatPAWS, the Helen Sanders Cat Protection and Welfare Society. With an MBA and a background in...

He lost his mother at 7 and his father at 13. Orphaned before his teenage years, he could have been defined by his loss. Instead, he chose to be defined by his purpose. Dr. Oluwole Babatunde is a physician-scientist, psychiatrist, epidemiologist, author, and faithful servant-leader. He serves as Chief Resident in Psychiatry at Prisma Health in South Carolina and has published over 60 peer-reviewed...

She spent 30 years binge eating in secret. She stole food, ate off others' plates, and scavenged out of the trash. Then one night, on TV, she heard the words "compulsive overeater" and everything changed. Ronni Robinson is a Certified Eating Disorder Recovery Coach, author of Out of the Pantry: A Disordered Eating Journey, and someone who has been recovered from binge eating for 18 y...

She started as a nurse, trusting her instincts to save patients. Then she survived a violent attack that changed everything. Now, she solves crimes, talks to animals, and teaches others how to unlock their own intuitive gifts. Nancy Orlen Weber—the Soul Detective™—has worked with law enforcement for over four decades on cases ranging from missing persons to serial killers . She's the author of...

She's the founding drummer of the Led Zeppelin powerhouse Zepparella, a Vipassana meditator of over thirty years, and a spiritual counselor. Her life is a beautiful paradox—rock-and-roll and mindfulness, chaos and contemplation. Clementine Moss is a drummer, author, spiritual counselor, and solo artist. Her book, From Bonham to Buddha and Back: The Slow Enlightenment of the Hard Rock Drummer,...

She's a board-certified music therapist, a mother to three neurodivergent children, and neurodivergent herself. She was diagnosed with ADHD in her 30s—and she's on a mission to help parents of neurodivergent kids feel seen, supported, and empowered. Samantha Foote is the founder of Parenting With Confidence under Boise Music Therapy Company, a Positive Discipline Parent Educator, and co-ho...

He spent over 30 years leading technology companies. He also completed four Ironman triathlons. And now he helps people build a healthier, more sustainable relationship with technology. Colin Corby is The Digital Detox Coach—a TEDx speaker, technologist, leadership wellbeing coach, and endurance athlete. He helps individuals and organizations reclaim time, energy, and space for a healthier, more p...

He chased professional ski racing, broadcasting, and screenwriting. He skied fast enough to land in the top ten in the US—and then faced the fallout of coming up short of being great. He chased success his whole life—and it wasn't enough. Daniel Sterling is a writer, memoirist, and speaker. His first book, Hungry, a Memoir of Self-Discovery, Furthering of the Soul, and Evolution of the Spirit,...

She carried a belief for thirty years that she was "frigid." She experienced sexual abuse as a child and was told that sex was not supposed to be pleasurable. Then, in her mid-fifties, everything changed. Linda Landon is a life and intimacy coach dedicated to helping individuals and couples 50+ reignite pleasure, deepen intimacy, and embrace sexual vitality. She's the creator of the...

He looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the man looking back. He'd lost his dream job, become a single dad to a special needs son, and was grinding as hard as he could just to keep it all moving. John Little is the founder of The Leader in the Mirror Project, a program to help accomplished men navigate one of the hardest transitions nobody talks about: how to show up as the best versi...

For nearly thirty years, he built a successful career in the insurance industry. From the outside, things looked good. But internally, something subtle but persistent no longer quite fit. That experience led him into deeper questions about purpose, responsibility, and what it really means to live intentionally. John Salzwedel is a coach, speaker, and author of STOP Leaving Life on the Table. He he...

Too many people accept pain, medications, and lack of movement as a normal part of aging. But it doesn't have to be that way. Dr. Michael Guadagnino III is a chiropractic physician with over 30 years of clinical experience, a lifelong health advocate, and author of the bestselling book Fitness Over 50, 60, 70 & Beyond. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and has trained in martial ar...

She went from music teacher to nonprofit work to executive leadership in tech—then co-founded a yoga and wellness studio. She's learned how to navigate pressure, overachievement, and the constant feeling that more was required. And now she helps others lead and live with clarity. Crystal Bell is a coach, speaker, and founder of Clarity with Crystal. She helps leaders and entrepreneurs get out...

He's painted Barack Obama and Princess Diana. He's created art across London, Melbourne, New York, and beyond. Then cancer entered his life—and everything changed. Brett Ashby is an award-winning visual artist, performance painter, cancer survivor, and motivational speaker. His unique process of "painting while rolling" combines balance, spirituality, fear, performance, and story...

He escaped the Nazis not once, but twice. He escaped communist Hungary in the dead of a winter's night. He lost his parents at Auschwitz. And he survived to tell the story. Dr. Robert Wolf is the son of Hungarian Jewish survivors and the author of Not a Real Enemy: The True Story of a Hungarian Jewish Man's Fight for Freedom. His book has won four major awards and tells the story of his fa...

She was deeply disoriented in her own life. She didn't recognize herself. She didn't have any self-respect. She didn't belong to herself. Then she found philosophy—and it helped her get and stay sober. Peg O'Connor is The Sober Philosopher, the creator of The Ready to Recover Quiz, the author of four books on addiction and recovery, and a professor of philosophy for more than thirt...

Nearly sixty years after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, one question endures: did James Earl Ray act alone, or was he a pawn in a larger plot? Robert "Bobby" Doti is a historian and scientist whose book, Layers of Complicity, reexamines the assassination through newly declassified 2025 files. He applies scientific rigor to one of America's most contested crimes—revealing...