Wings Of...inspired Business

Dr. Serena Huang is revolutionizing how organizations approach talent, well-being, and DEI through data and AI. The CEO and Founder of Data with Serena, she is also the author of the bestselling book The Inclusion Equation: Leveraging Data & AI For Organizational Diversity and Well-being. Serena is a sought-after international speaker and as an AI expert, people analytics executive and chief data officer, she’s spent more than a decade leading measurement and analytics strategy for DEI and ESG at iconic brands like GE, Kraft Heinz, PayPal and LinkedIn. Also a guest lecturer at top MBA programs, including Wharton, Haas, and Kellogg, Serena’s on a mission to help businesses worldwide actualize a new vision of work where employee well-being and belonging are prioritized alongside profits.

Alyson Caffrey is an Operations Strategist, Bestselling Author of The Sabbatical Method, and founder of two businesses, Master Maternity Leave, and the consultancy Operations Agency. She’s best known for streamlining back-end operations of brands using her Operations Simplified™ framework to unleash the power of small teams. Alyson believes that if she can return fulfilled founders back to their families, she can generate a much larger impact in the world. Alyson also hosts The Growing Pains podcast.

Amanda Riffee is an internationally certified executive coach helping women overcome mindset blocks, know their value and create a career (and life) they love without burnout. A thought leader and event speaker with 17 years of corporate experience, she also hosts the podcast Unleashing You with Amanda Riffee and last month released her first book, Unleashing You.

Michelle Rupp, an Emmy Award winning broadcast journalist, is the Founder and CEO of Memorable Results Media, a boutique agency dedicated to helping small and medium-sized businesses gain earned media coverage on local and regional television. With a background in news production and a passion for empowering business owners, Michelle uses her 25 years of experience in broadcasting to deliver tangible results. Her clients frequently see increased revenue, sold-out events and elevated visibility in their communities, with many attributing significant business growth to her media strategies.

Lacey Bridges is the founder of Black Flamingo Agency, an experiential marketing firm in Los Angeles. As a visionary leader and innovative creative marketer, Lacey excels at crafting immersive experiences that drive brand success. Her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for the experiential side of marketing solutions have positioned Black Flamingo Agency as one of the fastest-growing trailblazers in the industry. Spearheading groundbreaking campaigns for major brands like Good American, Savage X Fenty, and TopGolf, Lacey has created transformative and unforgettable experiences that solidify her reputation as a leader in experiential marketing.

Melissa Darnay has been living her dream life in Panama since 2012 as the CEO of Choose Panama, a luxury real estate and rental agency based in Panama City. Melissa specializes in helping clients find the perfect investment properties that align with their personal dreams and financial goals. Her unique approach sets her apart from other real estate professionals—she guides clients from their first inquiry through every stage of settling into Panama, offering support long after the transaction is complete.

Penny Zenker is a serial founder, sought-after speaker, bestselling author, and former C-Suite executive of a global top five market research company who now helps entrepreneurs and executives at firms large and small, including Deloitte, Pfizer, SAP and Samsung solve complex problems and find alignment to accelerate business growth. Over the past three decades, she has built and sold multiple multimillion-dollar companies—including the award-winning tech firm Smart Moves she founded and sold to a French company. Penny is also a Tony Robbins Business Coach helping companies double and triple businesses and her TEDx, “The Energy of Thought,” has had over 1 million views worldwide.

Lindsay Guzowski is the CEO and founder of The Crucible, a company transforming how private equity and venture firms assess and develop leadership at their portfolio companies using scientifically validated, bias-tested tools. A visionary entrepreneur, she co-founded a plumbing company that grew from a $40,000 investment into a multi-million-dollar enterprise acquired for over $20 million. With degrees from Dartmouth College, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, Lindsay blends expertise in sociology, finance, and management. Since founding The Crucible in 2020, she has earned multiple industry awards, all while being a devoted mother to her competitive go-kart-racing son.

Julie Castro Abrams is a venture capitalist and gender and racial justice activist who has spent the majority of her career working to build great women-owned companies and economic access for women. She is the founder and CEO of How Women Lead, a network of 14,000-plus top executive women who come together to learn, break barriers to success, and make an impact. Using her extensive background, Julie helps top executive women harness and activate their power across all aspects of their careers and lives. She also leads the sister organization, How Women Invest, an early-stage venture capital firm seeking to realize untapped economic potential by focusing on the intersection of female founders and female investors, particularly those of color.

Nina Sossamon-Pogue is a sought-after speaker, two-time bestselling author, and entrepreneur whose journey through elite gymnastics, TV anchoring, and Corporate America from startup to IPO defies the ordinary. An Olympic hopeful on the USA Gymnastics team with Mary Lou Retton, an injury crushed her dreams before becoming a catalyst for a 20-year career as an Emmy Award winning journalist and anchor. Another transformative challenge led her to technology and a journey navigating startup growth to a highly successful IPO. Drawing on her expertise across communications, corporate leadership and resilience research, she now helps others conquer life’s obstacles to reach new levels of success. Author of This Is Not the End: Strategies to Get You Through the Worst Chapters of Your Life and But I Want Both: A Working Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life She Loves, Nina also founded the innovative online coaching company Now What Workshop.

Donna Letier is the CEO and founder of Gardenuity, a fast-growing company merging gardening with the wellness sector through personalized container gardens and AI-powered gardening experiences. Donna has raised $8 million for her company so far, innovating Gardenuity Match, which uses AI and weather tech to custom-craft gardens around lifestyles, climate and environment. With over 20 years of retail experience, spanning public and private companies, Donna has worked in the areas of operations, brand marketing, and product development, and takes a data-driven approach with a consumer point of view. Previously, she was CMO for a home furnishings brand with over $500M in annual revenue. She has also been part of the marketing team at Neiman Marcus, MGM, Barneys New York, and United Artists. Donna has been featured in Story of a Brand, Cheddar News, Forbes, Tech FW, WFAA #UpWithHer, Growing Spaces, and The Grow Network.

Melissa Broughton is a tax and accounting specialist and the founder of Busy Bee Advisors, helping business owners and entrepreneurs get savvy about complex, even frustrating, tax and bookkeeping situations. Her background in corporate accounting and auditing complements her desire to serve as a financial translator, of sorts, to sole proprietors and small business owners so that they feel confident in their financial decisions. With her husband Eric, a tax professional, Melissa co-hosts a popular podcast, The Real Buzz: Taking the Sting Out of Taxes. She is a member of Business Network International, Rotary, FU Nights, Women in Consulting, and previously served as finance chair on the Sacramento Children's Receiving Home Board of Directors.

Rebecca Fitzsimmons is the founder of Tactical Harmony, an online business dedicated to mentoring ambitious professionals and businesses on holistic leadership and mindset strategies. She is also the host of the Tactical Harmony podcast, in which she shares game-changing tactics supporting her community to gracefully navigate their career and homelife, while enjoying freedom, abundance and bliss. Over the last two decades, Rebecca served as an NCIS Special Agent and as a senior leader at a technology company. Throughout her global experience living and working around the world, Rebecca saw first-hand why holistic leadership answers every challenge. Rebecca is also author of the new book, Unleashed: Holistic Leadership Insights from Our Canine Companions.

Lauren Bayne is a personal brand creative director, advising entrepreneurs and executive leaders in building personal brands filled with personality and creating intellectual property that makes her clients money. Coming from the advertising industry, Lauren brings creative expression and pizazz to personal branding that gives her clients confidence to stand out from the crowd with bold and entertaining presence. She specializes in helping entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches, authors, consultants, and professionals express their unique personal brands through distinctive, brag-worthy marketing assets.

Kari Poppleton is the CEO and founder of Kari Poppleton Consulting, specializing in digital marketing metrics, data, and custom interactive dashboards. A Certified Director of Operations and Certified Dashboard Designer, Kari helps online entrepreneurs, course creators, coaches, and anyone with memberships and subscriptions, leverage actionable data analytics to make informed real time and strategic decisions.  Kari also founded the handmade kids accessory e-commerce business, Snugglywunkins.

Somia Sadiq is an award-winning entrepreneur and peacebuilder who has developed a pioneering practice in impact assessment and conflict transformation rooted in storytelling. Somia is the founder and CEO of Narratives, a planning firm that emphasizes human-centric, trauma-informed dialogue, lived experience, and celebrating ancestral identity. She’s also the founder of Kahanee, a non-profit organization that works nationally and internationally interweaving stories to support peacebuilding efforts. Somia is a published author and a keynote speaker, offering insights on trauma-informed leadership, and fostering resilience in a rapidly changing environment. Recognized for her contributions to the Planning practice in Canada and globally, Somia was recently inducted into the Canadian Institute of Planners' esteemed College of Fellows, the highest honor for a planner in Canada. Her new book Garajah will be published in August 2025.

Susan Sly is an award-winning AI entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, and the Founder and CEO of thePause.ai, an AI-driven platform revolutionizing menopause management with personalized, gamified solutions. In November, thePause.ai won first place in the HITLAB x Versalie™ Innovation Challenge. Susan also co-founded RadiusAI, a visual intelligence company specializing in the retail and healthcare sectors. RadiusAI earned the prestigious AI Innovator at The Edge award from VentureBeat in 2022 for its cutting-edge computer vision technology. Susan also hosts two podcasts, Raw and Real Entrepreneurship and The Menopause Health Podcast.

Karine Nassim is the co-founder of DayNew, a new technology platform designed to help people through trauma associated with grief and loss. After experiencing the sudden loss of her spouse, she joined forces with fellow serial entrepreneur Eloise Bune to build an AI-powered community platform that helps users navigate through the challenges that come with unexpected changes. Karine also co-founded with her late husband DogVacay, the “Airbnb for dogs” that raised $47 million and fast expanded before being acquired by Rover. She also founded SHMASK, a Covid-era business producing stylish shirts with masks attached featured on NBC’s Today Show.

Rebecca Fitzsimmons is the founder of Tactical Harmony, an online business dedicated to mentoring ambitious professionals and businesses on holistic leadership and mindset strategies. She is also the host of the Tactical Harmony podcast, in which she shares game-changing tactics supporting her community to gracefully navigate their career and homelife, while enjoying freedom, abundance and bliss. Over the last two decades, Rebecca served as an NCIS Special Agent and as a senior leader at a technology company. Throughout her global experience living and working around the world, Rebecca saw first-hand why holistic leadership answers every challenge. Rebecca is also author of the new book, Unleashed: Holistic Leadership Insights from Our Canine Companions.

Julia Krieger is an experienced venture investor and startup founder who recently co-founded PariPassu, a private investor app that gives fellow founders, operators, and accredited investors access to angel invest in the most highly competitive deals in the venture ecosystem and be a part of the village that helps these founders succeed. As Managing Partner at Pari Passu Venture Partners (PPVP), a founder-led, founder-backed early-stage venture firm investing in the future of commerce, SaaS, and consumer tech, Julia has backed 19 companies to date. Previously Julia founded and ran VillageLuxe, a venture-backed peer-to-peer luxury rental marketplace, for which she was awarded the Forbes 30 Under 30 accolade. She was also an investor at Insight Partners, investing over $100M in SaaS and marketplace companies globally. Julia serves on the board of YPO Metro New York and is active in the Harvard alumni communities.