Top 100 Women in Business Speakers (Female Business Speakers)
- By Brendan Egan
- Jul 10, 2022
Take a trip back to the 1940s and look at women between the ages of 16 and 54. In the U.S., 35% of the women in that group were employed or looking for work. It wasn’t extremely common for women to hold jobs, especially in an executive role. Most women were in clerical or sales work, with an estimated 10% working in professions like nursing or teaching.
Fast-forward to 2020, and you’ll find 75% of women are employed or looking for work. Times have changed. The number of women running Fortune 500 businesses hit a record 41. It’s women who break barriers like these who inspire their audiences to never let obstacles keep them from achieving all that they want. Here are our Top 100 Women in Business Speakers .
1. Amy Trask
From 1997 to 2013, Amy Trask was the CEO of the Oakland Raiders, leading the team’s operations and making vital business decisions. She worked her way to a leadership role from an internship. She’s the author of You Negotiate Like a Girl: Reflections on a Career in the National Football League, and is also on several boards for organizations including the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission and Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation. She was named the 2017 WISE Woman of the Year by Women in Sports and Events, and Amy brings all of her experience and knowledge to every presentation and talk.
Amy Dubois Barnett was the Senior Vice President and General Manager of BET Digital, she left that position for a new role. She’s now the CCO at Outside Interactive directing all of the editorial operations like Outside TV, SKI, and Yoga Journal. In her many years in media, she’s held executive positions in companies like ESPN. She was the Editor-in-Chief atEbony and Teen People and Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Harper’s Bazaar.
3. Molly Bloom
The award-winning film Molly’s Game was adapted from Molly Bloom’s best-selling novel of the same name. She went from a waitressing position to running underground high-stakes poker games that drew celebrities like Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio. She’s passionate about mentoring women and created One World Group during the pandemic in means of supporting women who face challenging situations. Molly has plenty of experience with challenging situations as she was diagnosed with scoliosis as a teen and required surgery that would end her dreams of being a championship skier, but she overcame that challenge and joined the U.S. Ski Team and ranked #3 in Moguls.
4. Erica Dhawan
RealLeaders named her the “#1 Female Keynote Speaker of 2020.” Erica Dhawan is an expert in Connectional Intelligence and Digital Body Language. Erica’s strengths include helping your team feel empowered to speak up and take risks, even if that risk may fail. She helps you build a culture where people feel that they will be heard, understood, and not judged. It’s key principles like this that improve company culture and help fuel growth. She can do live, remote, or hybrid presentations and workshops.
In the U.S., entrepreneurs can seek venture capital on Shark Tank. It’s a take on a popular Japanese show, The Tigers of Money. Canada’s version, Dragons’ Den, debuted in 2006 and Arlene Dickinson has been on all but three seasons. She’s the General Partner of District Ventures Capital and is in the Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame, is a Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award recipient, and Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence recipient.
6. Shama Hyder
She’s the best-selling author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing , and she won a Technology Titan Emerging Company CEO award. Shama Hyder is also the CEO of Zen Media and has been honored as one of the Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs by the UN and the White House. Entrepreneur Magazine calls her “The Zen Master of Marketing.” Shama has won many, many awards for her marketing expertise and is a popular keynote speaker due to her experience and skills helping clients like the U.S. Navy, Tupperware, and many others develop a strong brand voice and digital marketing plan.
7. Christina Qi
In the past decade, Christina Qi took about $1,000 in savings and built a high-frequency trading business from her dorm. Her company, Domeyard LP, hit it big when Michael Lewis’s Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt was released. Today, she’s the CEO of Databento, an on-demand market data platform. She’s also a popular speaker on her experiences growing a business, making mistakes along the way, and becoming an expert on HFT.
8. Charlene Li
Many business owners and executives mistakenly believe that disrupting a market is what it takes to grow. Charlene Li’s best-selling book The Disruption Mindset teaches that growth causes disruption and needs to be considered if you want to grow your business. Her leadership and business skills have put her on Inc.’s Top 50 Leadership Innovators. She’s the founder and senior fellow of Altimeter, a Prophet Company that helps leaders grow their businesses by analyzing and researching important topics to determine where a company should invest measures and changes to understand the best ways to grow.
Stephane Cartin left her career in the corporate world to create Socialfly, a digital and influencer agency focusing on social media. Her work is showcased in her book Like, Love, Follow: The Entreprenista’s Guide to Using Social Media to Grow Your Business . She’s been awarded the SmartCEO Brava Award, which goes to New York’s top female CEOs, and the Stevie Award for “Women Run Workplace of the Year.”
10. Lisa Bloom
Lisa Bloom is an attorney and founder of one of the nation’s largest civil rights law firms. She’s represented many high-profile celebrities. She represented a number of women in their sexual harassment cases against Bill O’Reilly, a Fox News anchor, and in Janice Dickinson’s case against Bill Cosby. Lisa is a staunch advocate for everyone who is a victim of discrimination, domestic violence, police excessive force, racism, and sexual harassment.
11. Lora DiCarlo
Lora DiCarlo founded the Lora DiCarlo brand in 2017 with the goal of helping women embrace who they and not feeling shame for being sexual beings. In 2019, her first product, the Ose, won a robotics innovation award, only to have that award taken away after some labeled it “obscene.” She found hard to advocate for sexual wellness products being included in general wellness and won. The award was reinstated and sexual wellness products officially were welcomed to the annual CES tradeshow.
Along with Stephanie Cartin, Courtney Spritzer co-founded and is CEO of Socialfly, a marketing agency for digital and influencers using social media. Courtney excels at building social media marketing campaigns with content creation, paid media, and influencer management. Her social media marketing plans have helped companies including Discovery, the Girl Scouts, and WeTV. She’s also the co-founder of Entreprenista Media and the Entreprenista Podcast. One of her most recent projects was the launch of WorkRobe, a line of robes that women could wear during meetings from their home offices. Her work led to her making Inc.’s Female Founders 100 List in 2021.
She’s the first African-American woman to establish a company worth billions of dollars. Janice Bryant Howroyd is the founder of the ActOne Group, a company that offers staffing and workplace solutions to employers around the world. She won the 2022 Woman of the Year from Black Enterprise and sits on many committees, including the International Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC).
14. Jamie Kern Lima
Jamie Kern Lima started her company IT Cosmetics from her living room. She’d work more than 100 hours per week and not take any pay to help her company succeed. While she’d had many people tell her “no,” IT Cosmetics turned into a huge success with L’Oreal purchasing it for $1.2 billion, and she became L’Oreal’s first female CEO in the process. She’s on Forbes’ “Richest Self-Made Women” list and mentors as many female entrepreneurs as she can find time. Her talks empower women to never give up and never caving in to self-doubt.
15. Lavinia Errico
After founding and growing Equinox Fitness Clubs, Lavinia Errico sold the business for millions and realized somewhere along the way, she’d sight of herself. She switched paths and started the Inside Out Movement. She travels the country inspiring others to stop and access their goals and work on creating an empowered, authentic self.
16. Juliet Funt
Juliet Funt is the founder and CEO of the Juliet Funt Group. She’s a strong believer in eliminating busywork to improve a workplace's potential. She’s a highly-rated keynote speaker and engages the audience with her warm, friendly manner. She’s the author of A Minute to Think and has helped companies like Costco, National Geographic, and Spotify boost employee satisfaction and productivity through her methods.
17. Amy Volas
She’s one of LinkedIn’s Top Sales Voices and is the co-founder of Thursday Night Sales. Amy Volas is an expert in sales and helping SaaS startups thrive by focusing on their customer service and executive sales teams. When companies need to find executive sales leaders, Amy Volas is the person to ask. She can help everyone find the right leaders without struggling.
18. Minda Harts
Her no-nonsense approach is one reason audiences love her. Minda Harts is the author of The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table . She’s the first to say that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for success in the world of business. But, she can help women learn vital management and leadership development practices that help improve workplace equality.
19. Whitney Johnson
Whitney Johnson is on Thinkers50’s list of the world’s ten leading business thinkers. She’s the CEO of Disruption Advisors and a Harvard Business School’s Corporate Learning lecturer. Her book Build an A Team was one of Financial Times’ Book of the Month selections. Her podcast “Disrupt Yourself” has a 4.9 rating on the App store. Her advice is on-point and well received by audiences. She’s one of the best women in business speakers you’ll find.
20. Linda Bernardi
She’s the co-founder and CEO of XdMind Inc, a tech company that uses AI to adapt music to video gaming. Linda Bernardi is a leader in innovation and disruption, often by pushing the limits and embracing imaginative, wild ideas that others may call “crazy.” In Linda’s world, “crazy” can lead to the biggest successes.
21. Liz Wiseman
Liz Wiseman is a keynote speaker, webinar presenter, business coach, and workshop leader. She’s best known for her best-selling book Multipliers, which teaches business professionals how to use the wisdom of those around them to multiply their impact in their role or business. Liz is the CEO of the Wiseman Group and has helped clients like Apple, Disney, and Google. She’s one of Thinkers50 top leadership experts and has talked to audiences around the world.
22. Sara Frasca
She calls herself an “innovation expert with the curiosity of Galileo and the tenacity of a street fighter.” Sara Frasca is the VP of Innovation at Platypus Labs, a global innovation enablement, invention, and consulting firm. Before that, she held varying leadership roles at General Mills. She owns the award-winning Trasca & Co. Eatery in Ponte Vedra and was named Jacksonville’s 2017 Female Entrepreneur of the Year.
23. Lauren Hasson
Lauren Hasson founded DevelopHer to help empower women in tech. Her company is a career development platform designed from her expertise in the tech industry. DevelopHer has worked with companies like Dell, Google, and Intuit and universities like Tufts. She leads a Core Apps team for a Silicon Valley payments company, and her work’s been featured in IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine and several others.
24. Barb Stegemann
Barb Stegemann founded The 7 Virtues after her best friend was severely injured in Afghanistan. She wanted to help people from Afghanistan and other war-ridden countries or countries impacted by natural disasters. So, she created a business where she could source fair trade essential oils to help others find meaningful, profitable jobs. In addition to her company, she spends a lot of time talking to audiences about global matters and how people can use their businesses to enact positive changes in the world.
Jazerai Allen-Lord was a 2020 Business Insider Top 28 BIPOC Transforming the Industry. She’s also one of The Root’s Most Influential African Americans of 2021. She’s a multi-faceted creative specializing in sneakers. Her Reebok design sold out, and she’s part of the Reebok Classic It’s a Man’s World campaign where women make their mark in a man’s world. Her sold-out design was acquired for the Bata Footwear Museum’s Black designers’ archive.
26. Marita Cheng
In 2019, Marita Cheng AM was inducted as the youngest Member of the Order of Australia. Forbes named her to their 2018 list of the World’s Top 50 Women in Tech. She’s the founder and CEO of Aubut, a company that makes a telepresence robot, Teleport, for children with cancer to be able to attend school from their hospital room. The robot can also provide socialization for the elderly and help people with disabilities hold jobs.
27. Heather Monahan
Not many women are able to climb through the rankings to become a member of the “C-Suite” and gain the title of “Chief” within an organization. Heather Monahan is on this list as the Chief Revenue Officer in Media. She’s a best-selling author, founder of Boss in Heels, and has given TEDx speeches. She also hosts a highly-rated podcast Creating Confidence that corresponds to her book Confidence Creator. Schedule this popular keynote speaker to discuss her climb to the C-suite.
STEM fields are one area where women are needed, and Sharmi Albrechtsen founded SmartGurlz to encourage girls to learn vital coding skills. BlackGirlsCode and the Girl Scouts of America have high praise for these educational toys. These robotic dolls work with an app to code and operate them and gained the support of Daymond John on ABC’s Shark Tank. In 2021, she was named one of Inc. Magazine’s “Female Founders 100.”
Sarah Gibson Tuttle was an equity sales trader at JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley for ten years before moving to the West Coast. There, she discovered the need for affordable, expert nail care in luxury salons and founded Olive & June. She also established a line of products and polishes to use at home. Her brand has received awards from Allure, Elle, Good Housekeeping, Popsugar, and many other industry giants. Inc. Magazine named her to the “Female Founders 100” list in 2021.
30. Robyn Hatcher
Robyn Hatcher is a former actor (Law & Order), writer, and certified Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner. Her experiences, expertise, and comfort level in front of an audience finds her in front of audiences across the country, big and small, and on podcasts. She’s on the executive board of the National Speakers Association (New York City Chapter) and has been a keynote speaker or coach for business professionals from companies like Con Edison, Lifetime Television, PayPal, and the Women’s Professional Network.
31. Deborah Metts
Deborah Metts teaches graduate studies in Fashion Merchandising and Technology at LIM College. She’s the COO of Beyond the Runway, an online shopping platform where shoppers use a customized avatar to try outfits on before they buy them. She’s spent more than ten years in brand storytelling, technology, luxury retail, and e-commerce.
32. Samantha Karlin
Samantha Karlin is the CEO of Empower Global. Her experiences and knowledge regarding topics like diversity and inclusion have found her talking to small startups, government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and universities around the world. She’s spoken to large and small groups at places like Harvard University, Amazon, the DC Bar, and the IE Business School- Spain. She’s an exceptional choice for talks on women in STEM fields, inclusive leadership, change management, and GenZ and Millennials in the workplace.
The Wall Street Journal calls her “The Queen of Bitcoin.” In 2012, Margaux Avedisian relaunched America’s first Bitcoin exchange,Tradehill, and co-founded Alphapoint and Monetago. She was the Executive VP for the Transform Group, a public relations firm for blockchain that represented over 100 blockchain companies. Cryptocurrency may be her specialty, but it’s not the only one. She’s also the co-founder and CEO of Beyond the Runway, an online shopping platform that uses a virtual avatar to try on clothing.
34. Alana Stott
She’s the founder and developer of Wolfraven Omnimedia. She’s the author of She Who Dares and How to Ask for Money. Alana Stott has been through and seen a lot in her roles as a former Mrs. Scotland, bank manager, debt collector, security specialist, honorary The Special Boat Services Association member, and even a bodyguard. In 2021, she was selected by Brainz Magazine to be on the “500 Companies and Influential Leaders” list. She’s also a philanthropist and raised $1.2 million for Prince Harry’s mental health awareness campaign in 2018. Alana is one of the most dynamic speakers to have for empowering women.
35. Lavinia Osbourne
Lavinia Osbourne is the founder of Women in Blockchain Talks. She’s an expert in blockchain, crypto, and NFT. She’s received several honors and awards over the years, including a “Women in Tech 100 Award 2021,” Wirex’s “Rising Women in Crypto Power List 2021,” and was named one of LinkedIn’s “Top Voices in Tech & Innovation 2021.”
36. Alyssa Petersel
She’s the founder and CEO of MyWellBeing, a site that helps people find the best therapist or coach for their mental health needs. The website asks questions to help people find three personalized matches that they can then book for phone consultations to ensure they’re right. She’s one of the 2021 people named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and was named one of Crain’s New York Business Notable Women in Healthcare in 2019.
37. Chantal Pierrat
Chantal Pierrat holds an MBA from the University of Colorado and entered the world of medical device manufacturing, but she left that to find the right balance of passion for what she was doing with dedication to exceptional leadership and having a strong voice as a female professional. This led to her leadership and media platform, Emerging Women. Her company has helped more than 70,000 women become powerful leaders, many in Fortune 500 companies.
38. Alison McCauley
She’s the best-selling author of Unblocked, a book that shows the importance of blockchains in today’s culture and business. Alison McCauley is the founder of Unblocked Future and Chief Advocacy Officer at Unfinished. She’s spent close to a decade educating others and raising awareness of blockchain technology and Web3. Her LinkedIn course, “How Blockchains Will Change Business,” has had more than 70,000 students.
Dr. Anne Harbison began her career in brand management for Procter & Gamble. She moved to a role as Principal Strategic Consultant in Gallup’s executive leadership practices and gained her doctorate from Harvard University. She’s skilled in leadership skills and has spoken to many Fortune 100 companies including Best Buy, Boeing, and Toyota.
40. Bea Kim
Bea Kim is a group coach for the Stanford Graduate School of Business in the Women in Management program. She’s an executive and life coach specializing in helping parents and working professionals find purpose and fulfillment. She’s also the co-founder of Awaken, an organization that provides Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion education programs.
41. Taryn Bushrod
She’s a Money Mindset Coach and holds degrees in Marketing, Financial Management, and Behavioral Finance. Taryn Bushrod learned money management skills from her grandfather and father and launched a platform to help Millennials better manage their finances. Most recently, she’s helped professional athletes learn how to avoid the financial pitfalls that some fall into and end up with no money left when they leave a sport.
42. Peggy Smedley
She’s the host of The Peggy Smedley Show and Editorial Director of Connected World and Constructech. She’s also the President of Specialty Publishing Co. Specialty Publishing Co. focuses on helping executives develop a beneficial relationship with technology. Peggy Smedley has close to three decades of experience in STEM, IoT, and innovation in the workplace.
Dr. Genevieve Dobson has degrees in Psychology, Business Administration, and a Doctorate in Business Administration. She founded Degrees of Success, a debt management company that helps others repair their credit and get on the path to financial empowerment. Degrees of Success was named the Best Credit Repair company in 2020, Best of Tampa: Debt Management in 2019, and Genevieve was a Woman of the Year nominee in 2014. She travels around the country talking to students about student loans and using them for success rather than a debt trap.
44. Susan Ershler
Climbing the Seven Summits is an amazing feat, as it’s accomplished when you climb the highest mountain on every continent. With the last published list in 2016, 416 people had accomplished it. Susan Ershler is one of them. While climbing each of these mountains, she was also leading sales in some of the country’s major corporations. She uses her expertise in both of these areas to help others achieve their personal and professional goals. Her Project – Prepare – Persevere methodology helps businesses grow and grow their revenues.
45. Michelle Stacy
Michelle Stacy has a long career in several large companies. She was the President of Keurig, Inc., during the time that the Keurig single-serve coffee system skyrocketed to success. She was Vice President and General Manager Global Profession – Oral Care for Gillette/Procter & Gamble. Her expertise leading businesses to see strong growth and revenues is unmatched. She can talk to your organization on topics like workplace culture, leadership skills, and business strategies and execution.
46. Cindy Mori
For 30 years, Cindy Mori has helped find talent in the world of entertainment, literature, news, and sports. She started with OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network and Harpo where she worked with agents, directors, managers, and publicists in movies, TV, music, etc. She helped assemble and executive major events like the Olympic Salute Show in Chicago’s Millennium Park or the Oprah Show Finale at The United Center. In 2019, she became the Vice President of Global Talent Management and Corporate Talent Development at Discovery Inc.
47. Sarah Nuse
Sarah Nuse founded Tippi Toes Dance Company more than 20 years ago. Tippi Toes brings dance and movement classes to schools, daycares, and playgroups so that children can get up, dance, and express themselves through movement, while building self-esteem and motor skills. In 2012, she went on Shark Tank, landing a deal with Mark Cuban. Her experiences and expertise have led to a Pink Ballet Shoes children’s book series, The Destined for Greatness Podcast, a line of ballet slippers, and children’s music CDs.
48. Colette Carlson
Colette Carlson has a Master’s in Human Behavior, making her a knowledgeable speaker on personal development, leadership, communication skills, and team dynamics. She can help businesses develop strong business practices through team building, workplace culture, and workplace communication.
More than 25 years ago, Galit Ventura-Rozen was a commercial real estate broker. She turned that experience into the billion-dollar Commercial Professionals. She’s the author of The Successful Woman’s Mindset and shares her insights on empowerment, motivation, and inspiration as tools to succeed. She also established Empowering University and is the co-founder of the Everyday Woman’s community.
50. Emily Vavra
In addition to her work as a network marketing expert, Emily Vavra speaks to people around the world on business strategies like innovation, productivity, and determination. She went from being a single mom of two to a multi-millionaire entrepreneur. Hire her to find out how her drive led to amazing things.
51. Rochelle Gapere
She’s the best-selling author of One Happy Thought at a Time: 30 Days to a Happier You. She graduated from law school in 2005 and received the Florida Bar YLD Michael K. Reese Quality of Life Award in 2019. She’s an attorney, entrepreneur, and Happiness Coach who teaches others science-based techniques to find happiness and lead a fulfilling life.
52. Jen Coken
As both a Fortune 500 speaker and International Leadership Coach, Jen Coken embraces both roles with humor. She’s also a comedian, so humor comes naturally to her. By using her comedic skills in her talks and programs, her audience remains engaged from beginning to end. Learn about Imposter Syndrome and see how others see you and not the way you imagine others see you.
53. Shannon Miller
Most people have heard Shannon Miller’s name. She won seven Olympic medals and is the only female to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame two times for Individual (2006) and Team (2008). After battling ovarian cancer in 2011, she founded a business to help women prioritize their health. She also travels the world talking to women about her experiences in sports, with cancer, and encourages them to focus on their well-being.
54. Rania Hoteit
Rania Hoteit is the founder and CEO of ID4A Technologies, a company that disrupts typical supply chains and improves the economic, environmental, and social impact of production on the world. The White House Office of Science and Technology recognized her for “Fostering the Development of Advanced Manufacturing in the U.S. as the World,” and Entrepreneur Magazine named her company one of the “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America” in 2016.
55. Sophia Chang
She’s developed many TV series, including an FX series based on her memoirThe Baddest Bitch in the Room. She produced Project Runway: All Stars. Sophia Chang is also the creator of Unlock Her Potential, a mentorship for women of color. She’s an honest, refreshing voice to have to talk about empowerment and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
56. Katie Spotz
Katie Spotz was the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, going from Senegal to French Guiana (2,817 miles). She’s also the first person to swim the full length of the Allegheny River, traveling 325 miles from New York to Pennsylvania. She was set to break a world record for the “fastest two-person team to cycle across America,” but she broke her pelvis during training and had to adjust to a hand-bike. She’s also the first woman to run non-stop across New Hampshire, then Vermont, and the first person to run non-stop across Maine. She’s completed many firsts and is one of the most powerful female women in business speakers.
57. Sydney Marshall
Sydney Marshall is a student athlete who currently plays beach volleyball for Concordia University Irvine. She has a strong following on social media where she shares her modeling photos. She founded her own swimwear brand, Araya Swim, that she and her sister run together.
58. Annie Duke
Annie Duke is one of the world’s top poker players. She won her first WSOP bracelet in 2004. She won several more tournaments before retiring in 2012. Before even playing poker, she’d earned a Master’s in Cognitive Psychology. She returned to the University of Pennsylvania in 2021 to become a Visiting Scholar and teach executive education. She uses her expertise in the world of poker and through her education to coach C-Level executives in companies like CitiBank.
59. Tracy Tutor
Tracy Tutor is a top agent at Douglas Elliman Beverly Hills. She was the first female star on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. Her father was one of the country’s most successful contractors, leading to her passion in real estate. After working for her father, she used all he taught her to build a career in residential real estate. She’s the U.S. Ambassador for the Royal Atlantis Resort and Residences in Dubai and the Ambassador for Costa Palmas in Los Cabos.
60. Jessica Stokes
Her four years of service in the USAF led to Jessica Stokes’ career in outbound tele-sales where she developed a passion for the work and quickly became part of the “Million Dollar Club.” Her success led her to coach sales management teams and professionals. She’s an SME in business, healthcare, and office supplies.
61. Annette Franz
In 1992, Annette Franz joined J.D. Power and Associates and used that experience to grow and evolve. She’s a Certified Customer Experience Professional and founder and Chief Experience Officer of CX Journey Inc. She helps clients better understand what their workers and customers want to experience to remain engaged and dedicated.
She’s the founder and CEO of Play Like a Girl, a non-profit that helps girls use the skills they learn in sports and carry them into STEM careers. Play Like a Girl has helped more than 25,000 females in the Caribbean, Africa, and North America. Dr. Kimberly Clay started as a public health analyst at the CDC and used her experiences in underserved communities to build opportunities.
63. Kate Lanz
Mindbridge is a consultancy firm that uses applied neuroscience to build strong leadership skills. Kate Lanz has three decades of business experience and much of that time also included leadership coaching. She’s the CEO of Mindbridge and was the youngest and first female International General Manager at Diageo.
Missy Chase Lapine is the best-selling cookbook author of The Sneaky Chef, a cookbook that sneaks healthier items into children’s favorite foods, such as spinach and blueberries into brownies. She’s the founder of Sneaky Chef Foods LLC and is certified as a Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. She’s been named one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Moms in Food.”
65. Gina Trimarco
She trained at Second City and graduated from DePaul University. She founded the Carolina Improv Company and Pivot10 Results, a leadership and sales training agency. She uses her improv skills and more than 25 years of business, management, marketing, and sales experience to help others build essential communication skills.
66. Sarah Greer
Sarah Green has worn many hats over her 20 years in sales and leadership. In college, she worked part-time in sales and progressed to a high-level sales rep and sales manager. She uses her experiences to mentor, engage, and inspire audiences to reach and exceed their goals and become everything they ever dreamed of.
67. Amber Vanderburg
She’s an award-winning international businessperson and the founder of The Pathwayz Group. Amber Vanderburg is an Academy elite football coach for the Adidas Gameday Academy and Paris Saint Germain Academy. Her leadership skills helped develop a high-performing team thanks to team building, organizational design, and organization culture.
Dr. Kellie McElhaney is the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership. She’s on the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. By showing business leaders how to make positive changes, she’s able to help enact changes that help organizations succeed.
The Brilliant Balance Company helps leaders and business professionals achieve what they want in work and life. Cherylanne Skolnicki is the founder and brought her experience at Procter & Gamble to create her coaching program. She also hosts the Brilliant Balance Podcast for thousands of people to learn key business advice that helps them take steps to determine their goals.
She’s the founder and Chief Resilience Officer of Resilience Leadership Institute. Taryn Marie Stejskal is a Marshall Goldsmith “Top 100 Coach Globally” and has been featured on Bloomberg Business, Forbes, and O Magazine. Her expertise expands beyond leadership to mental health, resilience, and well-being.
71. Liza Pavlakos
Her story resonates with audiences as she overcame abduction, extreme abuse, human trafficking, and homelessness to become a successful entrepreneur. She’s the founder of Positive Breakthroughs, an organization dedicated to improving mental health through self-love, self-validation, achievement, and a strong sense of self-worth. She’s one of the “Top 10 Female Speakers in the World 2020” and won a Golden Gavel Award.
72. Dr. Liz Wilson
Very few women get venture capital funds for projects, but Dr. Liz Wilson was one of the 2% to break through the barriers and secure funding for her project. Include is the world’s first enterprise software to help companies make inclusive decisions in real-time. She came up with the idea after watching a loved one experience discrimination. She used her Ph.D. in organizational culture and behavior to create workspaces and organizations where all people are respected and valued.
73. Cassandra Worthy
She’s an expert in Change Enthusiasm, and growing a business by growing through change not managing change. She honed her skills working with Berkshire Hathaway and Procter & Gamble. Cassandra Worthy is the owner of Change Enthusiasm Global, a business consulting form, and has helped clients around the world use change to grow their companies.
74. Victoria Garrick
Victoria Garrick was a walk-on player for the University of Southern California, and with her incredible talent, she became a four-year starter. She won a Pac-12 championship and earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. She hosts a podcast and is a TED Talk speaker focusing on positive body-image, mental health, and self-love.
While shopping for toys with her daughter, Jodi Bondi Norgaard realized that the toy industry was lacking when it came to dolls. She created the award-winning Go! Go! Sports Girls line of books, dolls, and apps featuring athletic girls with realistic bodies and founded Dream Big Toy Company. She was invited to talk about gender stereotypes in toys and media at a White House conference. She’s also a founding member of The Brave Girl Alliance, a female empowerment expert panel.
76. Nikki Lanier
Harper Slade is a racial equity advisory firm that helps organizations and communities focus on equity. Nikki Lanier is the CEO of Harper Slade and a leader with plenty of experience in private and public sectors. She’s led many human resources departments resetting their corporate cultures and policies. Nikki also served on more than two dozen boards and committees. She’s an excellent keynote speaker on topics like equity, organizational effectiveness, anti-racism, and inclusion.
77. Janet Evans
She played an instrumental role in securing LA as the host of the 2028 Olympics. Janet Evans is a three-time Olympian and won five medals, including four Gold Medals, in her Olympic appearances. She’s broken seven world records and is in the Olympic Hall of Fame and International Swimming Hall of Fame. Her experiences make her a popular speaker with women of all ages.
78. Eli Walker
Drunk Yoga is an interactive Yoga company that blends social happy hours or morning coffee chats into a beginner-friendly Yoga practice with icebreakers, games, and a lot of fun. It’s a popular option for team building exercises. Eli Walker is the founder and CEO of Drunk Yoga and has helped many organizations empower their workers. As it’s not uncommon for her to bring plenty of humor, and even a bottle of wine to some of her talks, she’s a breath of fresh air in the world of keynote speeches.
Shabnam Mogharabi was the General Manager of SoulPancake, an entertainment company she founded with actor Rainn Wilson. She has close to 20 years of experience in building teams, organizations, and start-ups, particularly in the areas of media production, social media, television, and digital video development. Before all of this, she was the youngest Editor-in-Chief at Hanley Wood Business Media, and she’s one of the youngest Jesse H. Neal Award winners.
80. Katie Austin
Katie Austin is a certified fitness trainer. She’s also a blogger, model, and health coach who has appeared on shows like Rachel Ray and The Today Show. She’s one of Seventeen Magazine’s “Top 10 Fitness Instagram Accounts to Follow” and given the fact that her mom is celebrity fitness instructor Denise Austin, it’s not surprising that fitness and health are key components of Katie’s expertise.
81. Pamela Barnum
As a former undercover police officer and federal prosecutor, Pamela Barnum helps people build nonverbal communication techniques. She’s exceptional in trust building, teamwork, and negotiations and teaches it in ways that others pick up instantly. Her TEDx Talk on drug dealers and trust was viewed over 400,000 times in its first year. Whether you want to have her speak to your team in person or through a virtual event, she’s going to delight her audience.
82. Emily Nelson
Emily Nelson founded High Fitness with Amber Zenith after realizing that their busy lifestyles made it hard to get to a gym for hours on end. They paired aerobics with modern fitness and created a subscription-based fitness system people love. Neither woman had web skills or backgrounds in business, but they self-funded their vision and turned it into a thriving success.
83. Elvira Guzman
While attending college, Elvira Guzman held two jobs for Steve Harvey. She went on to be the Director of Publicity for his companies while graduating with honors. She’s the founder of Elvie G PR, a PR and branding company that helps people and organizations in Hollywood and around the country. She continues to work with Steve Harvey and NuOpp Inc. She’s also getting ready to host her own talk show.
84. Rashan Ali
Rashan Ali is an actor (All the Queen’s Men) and a host of Sister Circle TV. She founded Sporty Girls, an organization that helps minority females enjoy less traditional sports like lacrosse and golf while developing strong academic and lifestyle skills.
85. Erika Gilchrist
As a child, Erika Gilchrist was assaulted. She survived domestic abuse and lived in a women’s shelter. She survived a suicide attempt. These tragic situations led to Erika being known as “The Unstoppable Woman.” She’s the author of more than a dozen books and created the W.T.F. – Women Thriving Fearlessly brand. Today, she owns the Women Thriving Fearlessly Expo, Chicagoland’s largest expo for women in business. She’s one of Chicago Woman Magazine’s “15 Most Powerful Women on the South Side of Chicago,” and she’s a speaker audiences do not forget.
86. Liz Loza
She’s a Yahoo! Sports fantasy sports expert and appeared on the award-winning Yahoo! Fantasy Live. Liza Loza breaks barriers talking about sports and was a panelist at the National Fantasy Football Convention and has been featured in CNN and the New York Times. She’s happy talking to small groups, large groups, or virtually.
87. Ming-Hui Huang
Ming-Hui Huang is a distinguished professor in Information Management at National Taiwan University. She is the first and online Asian-based fellow of European Marketing Academy. Her specialties include interdisciplinary research. She has a long list of achievements as a woman in business, including being a tenured professor at University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and National Taiwan University. She was the VIP for Asia/Pacific of the Association for Information Systems and the Director of Management Research at the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan.
88. Karen Morales
89. Edlyn McGarity
Edlyn McGarity is a keynote speaker, Transformational Coach, and Jack Canfield Certified Trainer. She empowers women and men to be their best as they contribute to their world and find their life purpose. She holds two Life Coach Certifications (Life Purpose, Goal Success, and Happiness) and continues to learn Emotional Intelligence, CBT, and REBT. She’s a former Mrs. India Uganda (2010) and has acted in close to a dozen films, giving her plenty of fascinating personal stories to share with her listeners.
90. Ssanyu Lukoma
At the age of 13, Ssanyu Lukoma founded Brown Kids Read, a non-profit dedicated to inspire children to diversify their reading choices. This led to her pop-up bookstore, The Brown Reads Bookshelf, and The Book Junkie podcast. She’s also a published author of a children’s book, Suubi’s Sunny Smile.
She’s the best-selling author ofThe Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business and The No BS Guide to Direct Response Media, both books that Forbes called “A Must to Read by Those in Business.” Kim Walsh Phillips is a self-made millionaire and founder of Powerful Professionals, a company that offers business coaching and education. She’s worked with big names like Tony Robbins and Kevin O’Leary.
92. Jane Wenning
Jane Wenning is a Certified Medical Technologist and trainer who established a wellness program designed to boost body positivity and self-love. She’s the founder and CEO of 4-Pillars Health, a business she created after years of body shaming, bullying, depression, and eating disorders. She took all of that pain and turned it into a positive.
93. Savanna Hockman
After attending Kennesaw State University and working as a student assistant, Savanna Hockman graduated and interned with Wake Forest. She moved to Savannah State where she’s the Director of Football Operations.
94. Jann Freed
Jann Freed has helped many clients improve leadership and employee engagement. She specializes in change management, helping engage employees, and developing strong leadership skills using The Breadcrumb Legacy concept that she created. It’s a method people can use to take small daily steps to bring about positive changes in themselves, which changes those around them. She especially strives to help employees who are 50 or older find their passions.
95. Radha Agrawal
She’s the co-founder, CEO, and Chief Community Architect of Daybreaker, a global dance movement with more than half a million community members. Radha Agrawal also co-found THINX, one of the first period underwear products. She’s a best-selling author and has invested in many female-owned businesses.
Alexandria Agresta has been called the “Purpose Pioneer,” due to her mantra of “things don’t take time, they take courage.” She believes that making money is only worthwhile if you’re also gaining meaning and a fulfilling life. She’s the co-founder of Purpose Pioneer, an organization that helps entrepreneurs gain the skills they need to become thought leaders.
97. Marnie Schneider
She and her mother created the Gameday in the USA book series for children. The books tell the story of “Freddie,” a football-loving young girl. Much of this comes from Marnie’s own experiences as her grandfather, Leonard Tose, owned the Philadelphia Eagles, and her mom, Susan, was the first female general manager of an NFL team.
98. Jennifer Watson
She’s the owner of Jennifer Watson Leadership, a company that specializes in leadership development, adapting to change, and emotional and mental wellness. She’s a former athlete, and as an All-American, her skills in business and life are unbeatable. She brings 20 years of growing a business while also being your best. Jennifer Watson has degrees in physical therapy and kinesiology and is able to talk in depth about maintaining physical and mental health in a high-performance environment.
99. Stephanie Angelo
If you’re hoping to improve company culture, Stephanie Angelo is the expert you need. Whether you’ve had to lay workers off and that’s impacted engagement or another company acquired yours and it’s led to changes in the dynamics, it’s time to rebuild or establish a company culture that excites, motivates, and bonds your teams.
100. Pamela Hawley
Pamela Hawley is the CEO of UniversalGiving and co-founder of VolunteerMatch. Her platform is always about loving people and wanting to help them achieve their dreams. She’s also the founder of the San Francisco Commonwealth Club, featuring many Fortune 500 executives. She’s a skilled speaker and has talked to organizations or in major events like Stanford Business School, Harvard Business School’s Dynamic Women in Business Conference, and Forbes’ Women in Tech.
