Dr. John C. Maxwell is an esteemed leadership expert, author, and speaker who has made a profound impact on countless individuals and organizations worldwide. With over five decades of experience in the field of leadership development, Dr. Maxwell is recognized as one of the foremost authorities on the subject.

As a prolific author, Dr. Maxwell has penned numerous best-selling books, including "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership," "Developing the Leader Within You," and "The 5 Levels of Leadership." His insightful writings have resonated with readers globally, empowering them to unlock their full potential and become effective leaders in their personal and professional lives.

In addition to his literary contributions, Dr. Maxwell is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, captivating audiences with his dynamic presence and wealth of knowledge. He has shared his expertise with leaders at Fortune 500 companies, government entities, and non-profit organizations, leaving a lasting impact on individuals at every level of their leadership journey.

Kelly Merbler, is the Founder of The Kelly Merbler Company. As a former executive with 21 years of experience in a global staffing organization, she is passionate about helping leaders discover their purpose. With a deep understanding of hiring top talent and aligning them for maximum impact, Kelly brings a wealth of knowledge and “humanness” to her leadership events.

Inspired herself by Dr. John C. Maxwell back at the Live2Lead conference in 2014, Kelly reached out to John and took a risk to ask him to mentor her.  Three days later, John called her, and the rest is history!  Now, full circle, Kelly is hosting the Live2Lead conference right in her community where her leadership transformation began just 7 years ago (talk about a full circle moment!)

Kelly became a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and a faculty member of Maxwell Leadership. She has since delivered leadership and coaching programs to prestigious clients such as Nike, Louis Vuitton, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Vanderbilt Medical Center, ChenMed, and Carnival Corporation.

As the founding Principal of The Kelly Merbler Company, LLC, Kelly specializes in Strengths-Based employee engagement, culture building, keynote speaking, and leadership development. Join us to experience her dynamic approach and take your leadership skills to the next level.

Chaunté Lowe is a medalist and 4-Time Olympian. When speaking she is authentic to how she performs. She is animated, entertaining and humorous. She dances and plays to the crowd as she shares her stories of beating impossible odds, time and time again. She possesses the ability to keep the audience engaged and hanging on her every word.

Those who get a chance to encounter her leave inspired and motivated. Her infectious personality is electrifying. You can't help but leave an interaction with her with a winning, "I can do ANYTHING" attitude.

Hers is the story of determination, perseverance, and strength. Not only is Lowe a mother of 3, a wife, and a Motivational Speaker; she is also a professional athlete, an American Record Holder, a 4-time Olympian, a 3-time World Championship medalist and an Olympic Medalist.

Jon Gordon is one of the most influential and sought after leadership authors and speakers today. He's a consultant to numerous leaders, CEO's, NFL, NBA, and MLB Coaches, championship teams and high performers and an inspirational teacher who has helped millions of people have a more positive mindset.

He is the author of 28 books including 15 best sellers and 5 children's books. His books include the timeless classic The Energy Bus which has sold over 3 million copies, The Carpenter which was a top 5 business book of the year, Training Camp, The Power of Positive Leadership, and The Power of a Positive Team. Jon's latest book, The One Truth has been called profound, revolutionary and life changing.

His clients include The Los Angeles Dodgers, Campbell's Soup, Dell, Publix, Southwest Airlines, Miami Heat, The Los Angeles Rams, Snapchat, Truist Bank, Clemson Football, Northwestern Mutual, West Point Academy and more.

Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, The Tipping Point, Blink,Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath. He is also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, an audio content company that produces the podcasts Revisionist History, which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood, and Broken Record, where he, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam interview musicians across a wide range of genres. Gladwell has been included in the TIME 100 Most Influential People list and touted as one of Foreign Policy's Top Global Thinkers.

We are always excited and honored to have YOU here with us as our honored guest.

Assistant Vice President of Talent Management at JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

As the Assistant Vice President of Talent Management, Lauren oversees Talent Acquisition, Talent Pipeline, and Talent Development. Before stepping into her AVP role, Lauren worked closely with the leadership in JM’s flagship business unit, Southeast Toyota Distributors. She also established the Executive Recruitment function upon joining the organization in 2022. With over a decade of experience in talent and organizational development across various industries, including healthcare and higher education, Lauren has been instrumental in transforming large-scale talent programs.

Prior to joining JM Family, Lauren served as the Director of Organizational Development for one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the nation. While in this role, she enabled meaningful change in the performance management program, eliminating the traditional annual evaluation in favor of developing frequent and quality check-in conversations. This approach was successfully scaled across 160,000 associates and directly impacted a significant reduction in turnover and increase in associate engagement.

 Previously, Lauren has designed and led strategic execution and implementation of a leadership competency model, and her skill was instrumental to the University of Florida’s inaugural Talent Management program, aligning the organization’s strategy, performance practice and talent acquisition approach.

 Lauren is passionate about developing others to grow in leadership competency and finding joy in their work. She holds a master’s degree in Management from the University of Florida and carries a Senior Certified Professional certification from the Society of Human Resource Management. 

South Florida Market President at Gallagher Bassett

Akin Ayodele, serves as the South Florida Market President at Gallagher. He is an exemplary leader known for his passion and strategic approach in fostering strong team dynamics and driving business engagements. With a genuine commitment to serving and supporting clients, Akin adeptly channels his expertise to generate and seize business opportunities through a combination of heart, hustle, and humility. 

 An entrepreneur at heart, Akin was the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Eagle Rock Wealth Management. Akin worked at Sapoznik Insurance, A World Company, as the Business Development Executive before joining Gallagher. He may be familiar to many people in Florida from his nine years as a starting linebacker in the NFL, including playing for the Miami Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who drafted him in 2002. Known for his athleticism and work ethic, Akin also played for the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.

 Akin received his Liberal Arts degree from Purdue University, where he played football and studied Psychology & Law in Society, with a minor in Organizational Leadership. After retiring from the NFL, he earned his Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University.

Akin is passionate about giving back and is a Co-Founder of The Dream Builders Foundation, a nonprofit organization that matches NFL players with local charities to benefit at-risk youth. He’s also a motivational speaker, inspiring youth groups, educational organizations, and corporations with his belief in the power of perseverance, positivity, and hard work.

In his personal life, Akin is an avid traveler and has been to five continents. He still works out five days a week and loves to take on new challenges, like jumping out of planes, scuba diving, or working on his golf game. Akin is married and has two beautiful daughters.

Director of Team Member Development at The Breakers Palm Beach

Pat Ciavola has over 30 years of leadership experience in the sports, recreation, hospitality and wellness fields, and has thrived in her 31-year career with The Breakers, the iconic luxury resort property located in the heart of Palm Beach, FL. 

As the Director – Team Member Development for The Breakers, Pat oversees education, personal and professional development, wellness programs, team member café operations, rewards and recognition, Employee Opinion Survey, and Culture Audit for 2000 team members. The emphasis of these programs addresses team members’ well-being in seven dimensions: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, financial, social and occupational. Pat chairs the Wellness Team and serves as a member of The Breakers Senior Management Group.  She has worked collaboratively to build a culture of care and well-being since 2004 so team members may thrive.

Pat holds a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Southeastern Massachusetts University.  She has served in several volunteer capacities for the Town of Palm Beach United Way, as a Pet Partners pet therapy handler, and a faculty member of The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA).