Your Host
Monica Adams
About Monica
Monica Adams was a News Director in radio for WIL, KDHR/KHAD and KJCF/KTJJ for twelve years. She hosted a health and fitness show on KMOX radio in St. Louis for eight years. While in radio, Monica also served as an Assistant Sports Director, covering the St Louis Blues, Cardinals and Rams. Additionally, Monica was part of a CMA award-winning morning team for WIL country radio, for eight years. She then transitioned to television in 2005, working for FOX affiliate KTVI, and holding roles in traffic, entertainment, fitness and health, and reporting. Monica most recently served as the Morning Anchor on KSDK television, the NBC affiliate in St. Louis. During her time there, she created two successful series, one known as “Monica’s Motivational Moments” and “Monica In The Metro”, producing, writing and editing pieces covering all aspects of wellness both during and after the pandemic. She also started her own entertainment pieces, which have aired from 2000-2022, where she showcases current movies at the box office, highlighting A-list actors.
Monica has written extensively for Travelhost and Streetscape Magazine, covering many lifestyle pieces and showcasing many facets of St. Louis and it’s history. She is a proficient host, reporter, writer, producer, and anchor, and has also shot and edited many of her own pieces.
Monica is generous and extremely charitably minded; working with multiple non-profit organizations, she has served as a brand spokesperson, motivational speaker, emcee, and auctioneer for almost 30 years. Monica Adams has been honored with multiple awards, including the Missouri Broadcaster’s A.I.R. awards, and has been part of Emmy collaboration wins numerous times, for both FOX and NBC.
Outside of broadcasting, Monica is a personal transformation specialist, having studied Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, and holding multiple certifications as a Personal Trainer and Wellness Specialist. Monica has been a personal trainer for 24 years, designing programs for several corporations, while also holding private events where she teaches her own Transformation Journey Program. She has worked as Director of Wellness for Essence, Esse Healthcare and Innovare Healthcare, designing programs for seniors and specially designing programs for an orthopedic surgeon, serving as his main rehab trainer.
Monica has a passion for style and design, and enjoys serving as a design and wardrobe consultant, specializing in men’s fashion. She worked with Bachrach Menswear for seven years and is now with Bespoke in Clayton, Missouri. She has recently released her new women’s clothing line called “Know Your Value by Monica Adams”. It features athletic wear and classy, trendy business apparel.
Personally, Monica is married to a Lieutenant with the Saint Louis County police and is a big supporter of all of the First Responders. She and her husband have three dogs they have rescued, they love to travel, have a deep appreciation for the arts, are big foodies, and love to give back to the community, together. Monica has most recently taken up piano lessons and looks forward to pursuing music in the coming years.
Club Coffee Host
Dr. Susan Harrison
About Dr. Susan
Dr. Susan Harrison is a gifted keynote speaker, award-winning author, corporate trainer, and certified life coach, who believes life should be filled with fun, positivity, and chocolate. With disarming transparency and trademark humor, Dr. Harrison shares her struggles and successes in work and personal interactions. She has helped thousands of professionals all over the world develop effective business and life skills. Her areas of expertise include communication, customer service and positivity. When not speaking for conferences or companies, she can often be found trying to keep her cat out of the neighbor’s yard while simultaneously coaching on confidence. Nominated five times as the nicest Kansas Citian, she strives to stay kind in this topsy-turvy world!
Entertainment
Keith Haddrill
About Keith
Keith Haddrill is a rare combination of both talented entertainer and expert-level corporate educator with over 30 years of professional performing and speaking experience. He has entertained and enlightened thousands of audiences across the nation and around the world. His vast and varied show experience allows him to command any stage and captivate any audience that wants a good clean show – with or without a custom message. He is a highly trained hypnotist, a seasoned magician, and one of the top ventriloquists in the nation.
As a Master Hypnotist, Master Practitioner of NLP, and Certified Executive Coach, Keith is an expert on the subconscious mind and human behavior. He has coached countless individuals to overcome fears, self-limiting beliefs, behavioral addictions, and many other emotional concerns with amazing results.
He combines his entertainer persona with his expertise to create memorably effective keynote presentations and team development programs.
He was THE humorist selected to speak to survivors of 9/11 along with President George W. Bush in Washington D.C. in 2002. He has headlined three International Ventriloquist Conventions. He has shared the stage with many speaking-world celebrities including Mark Victor Hansen, Irving R. Levine, Patch Adams, and Brian Tracy.
With a range of different programs to choose from, Keith was born and bred to fit the needs of corporate-style audiences and events!
Dallas Amsden
About Dallas
Dallas Amsden is a speaker, event host, and corporate entertainer with nearly 30 years experience in communication and entertainment. He is also a Public Speaking trainer, and the vision and mission of his training company is in the name: Communicate2Succeed.
With various training programs such as the 5-Day Craft Your Keynote Intensive, the C2S Academy, the SpeakerPro Mastermind, and the upcoming Speaker’s Experience Podcast, Dallas is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs — especially introverts, coaches, consultants, authors, and small business owners — at every skill level so they can Communicate2Succeed.
Relationships
Duke Worthington
Session: The Art of Genuine Curiosity
This will be an interactive presentation on the art of getting really curious. Though people are often a little or even extremely self-focused, the secret to creating powerful and meaningful relationships is to become genuinely curious. I’ll share what genuine curiosity looks like, why it makes such a difference, and how to become really curious about those people you already know and the future relationships you’ll be creating. The participants in the presentation will walk away with a new understanding of how to get out of their own way and how to create powerful relationships by simply becoming curious.
Key Takeaways:
- Why becoming curious takes the focus off yourself
- How to apply this skill at home and in the workplace
- Where genuine curiosity comes from
- When openly being curious is most effective and when just listening (with quiet curiosity) makes sense.
About Duke
Duke Worthington is a life coach and professional speaker who offers powerful and loving ways to show up for others. He’s come to understand that there may be no greater gift one person can give another than to allow that person to feel truly seen and heard.
By not initially understanding that lesson himself, Duke realized his relationships had suffered tremendously. Divorce and, while his kids were growing up, not appreciating the amazing human beings they were, he learned the pitfalls of not showing up. Today, he shares those lessons and many more.
Duke brings to light what showing up really looks like, along with the nuances and subtleties that make all the difference. It’s about understanding that every human being is truly amazing and deserves to be seen and heard. Duke also figured out that when we learn to get out of our own way (because it’s usually not actually about us), others perceive us differently. He calls it “Learning to be seen by disappearing.”
Duke’s based out of the Kansas City area. When he’s not writing, doing a podcast, giving a presentation, or having a coaching conversation, he’s probably outdoors running, biking, playing pickleball, or hanging out with his kids and grandkids.
Emma Toops
Session: When You Don’t Know Anyone
Are you facing a significant life or career shift? Do you need connections in a new environment? Does the mere idea of networking make you cringe? Whatever context your transition or if you have an aversion to networking, meeting new people is NECESSARY to getting to What’s Next in life, school, career, or business! Networking doesn’t have to be Ugh! (even if you’re introverted or have no experience), but you must have a certain mindset for how and why you do it!
Key Takeaways:
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Meeting new people is necessary when you transition, whether in life, school, career, or business.
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You DO NOT need to be extraverted or already know many people to be influential.
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You DO need the motivation, desire, and energy to build your network.
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Effective networking requires a certain mindset and an intentional plan.
About Emma
Emma is a retired Army Major who served from 1996 – 2013 as a CBRN Special Staff Advisor, CBRN Planner, and Unit Commander (twice). She served in the United States, South Korea, Germany, Iraq, and Afghanistan. She is now an Entrepreneur and Community Leader.
In Toops Consulting, LLC, she is a Strengths Profile and Career Transition Coach, Organizational Development Consultant, and Public Speaker specializing in Strengths-Focused Management and Military Programs and Strategies.
She and her husband, David, help students, adults, and businesses to be more intentional, efficient, and successful in pursuing goals and opportunities through various personal and professional development services.
Deanna Philpott
Session: What's " Company Culture" Got To Do With It??
In today’s rapidly changing work world, those companies and organizations that develop and sustain a “Culture of Excellence in Teamwork and Performance” will not only survive, but will continuously prosper! Organizational Culture has been defined as “the glue that binds an organization together”……. that is the collection of values, beliefs and norms that an organization follows and defines “what it is, how their people work together, and how the company does business each day”. This session will explore “How IS or ISN”T your company culture contributing to your organization’s success?”
Key Takeaways:
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The differences between the various types of Company Cultures – Constructive, Passive/Defensive, Aggressive/Defensive, and the Ideal or Preferred Culture
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Building blocks for the foundation of your Company Culture
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Critical Leadership Behaviors
- Proper People Systems to encompass company values
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Differences in a culture of equalization vs. culture of differentiation
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Internal Communications & Symbols – “how to link the WHAT to the HOW”
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About Deanna
Deanna’s coaching and consulting approach is realistic and from a practical perspective, drawing on her 10 years of executive experience as a Vice President of Human Resources for a Fortune 100 health care company and her many years as an entrepreneur. As a founder of People Strategy Consulting, she has extensive experience and expertise in the areas of coaching senior leaders, as well as developing and emerging leaders, to become more effective by establishing and maintain quality relationships, developing a positive company culture, building high performance teams, and in designing and assisting leaders as they plan and implement organizational change and a succession management plan. She brings a blend of knowledge and expertise in human behavior, emotional intelligence, and team/organizational dynamics to her coaching engagements. In partnership with her clients, she guides them on developing and aligning people, teams and processes with business objectives to maximize results.
In addition, she serves as a Mentor for young professionals for a University’s “Women in Executive Leadership” program. Deanna holds a Master’s degree from California State University and a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University., and is a certified leadership coach.
Professional Development
Amy Schield
Session: Growth Mindset: Protecting And Cultivating Your Most Valuable Asset
Nothing disrupts strategic thinking, sound decision-making, and strong leadership skills more than a scarcity mindset. A well-managed mindset is the key to sidestepping fear-based decisions, short-term thinking, and poor management choices. Discover how the human brain functions in growth versus scarcity mindset, and learn neuroscience-based techniques to cultivate your most valuable asset: a growth mindset.
Key Takeaways:
- Correlation between a leader’s mindset and organizational health (with examples for solopreneurs, small businesses, and larger organizations)
- Human brain function in context of scarcity vs. growth mindset
- Basics of cognitive/emotional management and mindset cultivation
- Specific techniques to cultivate a growth mindset (goal-setting, personal and organizational “why,” reframing challenges and failures, unlocking creativity, future focus)
About Amy
Amy Schield is a Certified Professional Life Coach. Her practice focuses on helping clients build self-confidence, achieve their goals, and turn their big list of “I should’s” into “I did’s.” Using a mix of simple tactics and neuroscience-based strategies, she helps clients step into the version of themselves they’ve always wanted to be. Acting as a personal trainer for the brain, she teaches clients to make lasting changes in the areas of self-criticism, confidence, self-trust, and taking bold action.
April Porter
Session: Your Business Growth Formula
Feeling underwater, overwhelmed, and always behind is often accepted as the typical business owner experience – but that’s a big lie. True business ownership delivers a life filled with Sanity, Wealth, And Gratitude™ where your time is your own, your profits support experiences you love, and your attitude inspires others to greatness. Learn to go from stressed-out to SWAG™ in this session.
Key Takeaways:
- what activitiy has you stuck (the way you are spending their time)
- why people are subconsciously sabotaging themselves (habits and patterns programmed into them throughout their lives)
- what to do to break the patterns holding them back and how to fill their time with things that actually grow the business and grow it fast
About April
April Porter is an unstoppable force revolutionizing the world of franchising. As a former award-winning franchisee, an attorney, and the creator of the Infinite FranchiseeSM mentorship program, April empowers franchisees and small business owners with business intelligence, strategic thinking, and an entrepreneurial mindset. Her mission? To help franchisees and small business owners achieve a life of SWAG™ – Sanity, Wealth, And Gratitude™.
She is the founder of the SWAG™ Conference, the ultimate gathering for franchisees and small business owners. This one-of-a-kind event brings together industry leaders to share strategies and insights, allowing attendees to leave with actionable plans to transform their businesses.
Tune in weekly, to her chart-topping podcast, The Infinite Franchisee Show, where she inspires you to never settle for anything less than infinite success.
Amy Lemire
Session: From Zero to Sales Hero: Mastering the Sales Confidence Code
Like most business owners and leaders, do you struggle with sales results? The world of selling is more complex today and the way clients buy is different from the past. Sellers are also facing more challenges post pandemic, including burnout. Are you prepared to succeed amidst these challenges? Sales success is 90% confidence and mindset and 10% tactics. This session is for leaders who are looking to understand:
Key Takeaways:
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How has buyer behavior changed?
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What 3 steps can you take to improve your win rates?
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What is most important to today’s buyer?
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What is the best way to keep your sales team motivated and productive?
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What is your biggest competition, and how to overcome it.
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The most common sales mistakes – and how to avoid them.
About Amy
Amy Lemire inspires leaders and teams to sell more of themselves, their products, and services with confidence and to be the best versions of themselves. For the past 10 years, she has trained sales and business professionals with her inspiring excellence and mastery of the keys to sales success and the ‘Sales Confidence Code:’ how to master the inner game of self-confidence to drive peak performance results in selling and speaking.
After spending 2 decades in business to business and medical sales and training, Amy created AIM Training and Consulting International. She is a certified Og Mandino “Habitfinder” Leadership Coach. Amy is the author of 2 books: “From Zero to Sales Hero,” and “From Zero to Speaker Hero.” Amy was recently designated as a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional, March 2023) from the National Speakers Association, for delivering over 300 hours of training and speaking.
Amy is a Distinguished Toastmaster (2013), the Past President of National Speakers Association, St Louis, and a Member of National Speakers Association since 2016. She has been recognized as a Fortune 500 top sales performer and sales trainer for over 3 decades. When Amy isn’t speaking, you can find her coaching, teaching, or volunteering as a Tony Robbins Senior Leader, her hobby for 30 years, or spending time at home with her husband and her cat Brianna in St. Louis, MO.
Marketing Strategies
David Maples
Session: AI: The Ultimate Catalyst for Disrupting and Elevating Marketing and Advertising Practices
In this dynamic talk, David Maples, a versatile expert in marketing, technology, and AI, dives into the AI-powered metamorphosis that’s revolutionizing marketing and advertising approaches. Discover how AI’s unrivaled influence is shaking up search and social media advertising domains, and learn how to leverage AI for crafting compelling brand narratives and cutting-edge marketing strategies. Alongside, explore the ethical and legal landscape, as we shape AI’s role in responsible marketing practices. Finally, peer into the future with a glimpse of tomorrow, envisioning the boundless possibilities of AI in marketing and advertising. Get ready for an exhilarating journey into the AI-driven marketing world.
Key Takeaways:
- The AI-Powered Metamorphosis: Revolutionizing Marketing and Advertising Approaches
- AI’s Unrivaled Influence: Shaking Up Search and Social Media Advertising Domains
- Leveraging AI: Crafting Compelling Brand Narratives and Cutting-Edge Marketing Strategies
- Navigating the Ethical and Legal Terrain: Shaping AI’s Role in Responsible Marketing Practices
- A Glimpse into Tomorrow: Envisioning the Boundless Possibilities of AI in Marketing and Advertising
About David
David Maples is a dynamic and accomplished professional with an impressive breadth of expertise spanning technology, law, and business.
David holds a degrees in Management and Marketing from the University of Georgia (UGA), a minor in Statistical Analysis, and a Law Degree from Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Paul M. Hebert School of Law. Over the course of his 20-year career, he has excelled in various roles, including brand strategist, computer systems architect, intellectual property attorney, and business consultant. David’s extensive experience has allowed him to consult with Fortune 50 companies, small businesses, and everything in between, offering unparalleled expertise in business operations, strategy, and technology implementation.
As a published game developer and designer, David has contributed to the development of one of the most successful Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games of all time, further showcasing his aptitude for innovation and creativity. His passion for artificial intelligence and machine learning is evident his building of customized AI software and LLM networks for clients and the national launch of Easyprompter.ai, a ground-breaking prompt engineering platform. As an AI thought leader. David actively works with companies to implement new AI technologies and custom AI networks.
David is currently the CEO and co-founder of Catapult Creative Media Inc., an award winning marketing agency. Daivd takes pride in having the opportunity to significantly enhance his clients’ path to success, using tools and technologies that most don’t know exist. In the absence of existing systems, David’s team at Catapult develops their own.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, David is the host of the popular business podcast, “The Buck Stops Here,” where he discusses various business topics, interviews industry experts, and shares his expert advice. David also co-hosts the Kansas City Leaders podcast, where he enjoys interviewing people who are dedicated to making Kansas City one of the Greatest Cities in America.
Preston Bowman
Session: Double Your Business Using a Simple Messaging Formula!
Learn the formula for incredibly effective communication that will have your prospects inviting you into their story to bring relief to their struggles. Thousands of businesses have found the revenue dramatically impacted by fixing how they speak to their prospects. As a StoryBrand Certified Guide, Preston is an expert in crafting the perfect formula that works for any business.
Key Takeaways:
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When you use the right words, people invite you in
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There is a proven framework for how to talk about your business
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Learn the number one mistake 90% of businesses make with words
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See how fixing your words can result in a doubling of revenue
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BONUS: Learn how this formula carries over to your website & marketing
About Preston
Preston likes to do outlandish things in normal situations. That’s probably why he’s a genius at marketing. When he’s not embarrassing his children and his wife with his antics, he’s dreaming up crazy ways to grow his client’s businesses using unexpected techniques. His dreams are filled with radical business growth. He thinks yours should be too.
Register today to reserve your seat!
Avoid the late rate and register now for the 2023 ACA Velocity Conference in Kansas City. Space is limited. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect in person with like-minded business owners, gain fresh perspectives, and be inspired by our community of visionary leaders!