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Remember Me
Melina Ahmadpour had to postpone college and support herself by working as many as eight jobs after losing her mother to cancer. The 24-year-old international studies major received a 2013 Life Lessons Scholarship from the LIFE Foundation to help pay for her education. Ahmadpour hopes her powerful story will help motivate others and, hopefully, save them from the hardships she had to endure.
The Shift
David Avrin, known as the Visibility Coach, will share what it takes to build brand identity and how to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Avrin’s marketing insights have been featured on hundreds of broadcast outlets and thousands of online and print publications around the world. He is the author of three books, including the acclaimed “It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows YOU!”
Release Your Brilliance
Simon Bailey, founder and CEO of the Brilliance Institute, innovates and inspires organizational transformation among the world’s largest corporations. Bailey believes personal brilliance is the spark inside each person which, when released, allows them to move forward in their personal and professional life. He will provide tips and tools to help attendees release their brilliance and achieve their goals.
The Champion’s Code
Ross Bernstein The best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books, Ross Bernstein (CSP) is an award-winning peak-performance business speaker who’s keynoted conferences on four continents and has been featured on thousands of television and radio programs including: CBS This Morning, CNN, Bloomberg and Fox News, as well as in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today. He’s spent the better part of the past 20 years studying the DNA of championship teams and his mission at MDRT is to get you thinking differently about what it’s going to take to raise your game to the next level.
Small Message, Big Impact
Amazed and Amused
Karyn Buxman, RN, MSN, has found that humor can be powerful enough to change businesses and lives, and although not everyone is a “humor initiator,” everyone can be a “humor appreciator.” Buxman has addressed thousands of audiences around the world. Whether it’s corporate, education, government or associations, her inspirational, entertaining and practical message brings audiences to their feet.
Falling Forward
Mack Dryden’s path to becoming one of the top corporate comedians and humorous motivational speakers was a circuitous one. He was an award-winning newspaper reporter and finally made a career of his true love, making people laugh and having a positive impact on their lives. He's appeared on numerous TV shows, including The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. Dryden is a two-time cancer survivor who speaks at dozens of survival celebrations every year. Instead of brooding about his misfortunes, he tells hilarious, moving stories about the challenges he's overcome to reach his goals.
Lollipop Moments
Drew Dudley founded Nuance Leadership in 2010 and works with organizations around the world to empower people to develop their leadership capacity. Dudley’s presentation will help attendees look at success and leadership from a new perspective. He has spoken to more than 100,000 people around the world, and appeared on The Huffington Post, Forbes.com and the main page of TED.com
Embrace the Shake
Phil Hansen is an internationally recognized multimedia artist who works at the intersection of traditional visual art, pointillism and offbeat techniques. As a speaker, Hansen is devoted to showing the approaches to creativity that have changed both his outlook and his artistic endeavors. He has been a keynote speaker for a diverse range of groups including TED2013, Adobe, the Nobel Peace Laureates World Summit and Kimberly-Clark. As a commercial artist, Hansen works with a variety of clients that include the Grammys, Disney, Skype, Mazda and the Rockefeller Foundation.
An Act of Love
Brent R. Kimball CFP, ChFC, MDRT Foundation President, highlights the MDRT Foundation’s Grants Program in his presentation. The program gives members the opportunity to secure funding for the charitable organizations they support worldwide.
Compassion in Action
Amanda Lindhout is a Canadian humanitarian and journalist. In 2008, she and members of her entourage were kidnapped by Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia and held captive for 15 months. Join Lindhout to hear her inspiring message of forgiveness.
Passion, Perseverance and Puccini
Darryl Lovegrove is an entrepreneur with global business experience who has worked in varied and challenging situations. He took a simple entertainment concept and turned it into a thriving international business that revolutionized event entertainment globally. Lovegrove believes for those who are willing to take risks, the sky is the limit when imagination, passion and high standards come together.
Mouthing Off
Ronn Lucas has been entertaining fans for more than a decade with his incredible, unique talent. The ultimate entertainer, Lucas mixes stand-up comedy, improvisation, audience interaction and astonishing voice gymnastics to delight fans worldwide.
Know More! Relationships
because I said I would.
Alex Sheen is the founder of because I said I would., a social movement and nonprofit dedicated to the betterment of humanity through the importance of keeping a promise. Sparked by the loss of his father, Sheen sends "promise cards" to anyone anywhere in the world at no cost. In less than two years, because I said I would. has sent more than 250,000 promise cards to more than 82 different countries. The incredible promises on these cards have made headlines around the world.
Small Message, Big Impact
Terri Sjodin CPAE, CSP is the principal and founder of Sjodin Communications. Many consider her to be today's sales professionals' speech coach. Her unique specialization is advancing the persuasive presentation skills of professionals. Author of the national bestselling book “Small Message, Big Impact,” her presentations are loaded with street-worthy ideas, methods and tips attendees can use immediately to get results.
Keep It Simple
George B. Sigurdson, CLU, is a 40-year MDRT member with five Court of the Table and 13 Top of the Table qualifications. Like so many others, he never expected to need his critical illness insurance. Learn how critical illness saved him from financial disaster.
Essence of Excellence
John Spence has twice been named by Trust Across America as one of the “Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America.” He is also the author of “Awesomely Simple — Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas Into Action” and has been a guest lecturer at over 90 colleges and universities across the United States. Come prepared to take lots of notes as Spence draws from his real-world business experience to focus on what is needed to take a business to the next level and keep it moving forward.
A Letter to Santa
Darren W. Ulmer, CHS, is a five-year MDRT member. As advisors, MDRT members understand how an illness impacts the entire family. Join Ulmer as he shares how a single reclining chair helped his family during a challenging time in their lives.
The Advisor of the Future
Mike Walsh is a global authority on the 21st century business. Author of Futuretainment, and CEO of Tomorrow, a consumer innovation research lab, Walsh prepares business leaders for what’s next. Mike brings unique insights into the growing influence of new markets on breakthrough innovation and business transformation. Walsh constantly travels the world for the best ideas, distilling the most relevant insights into a blueprint that allows any audience to understand and influence the future of their industry.
To China and Back
Donald F. White, Jr. CLU, ChFC, is a 25-year MDRT member with 11 Court of the Table and 13 Top of the Table qualifications. White shares how his involvement with an MDRT Foundation service project connected him to the charitable organization Love Without Boundaries and how that connection changed his life.