KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Sara Blakely is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of SPANX. She revolutionized the undergarment industry with just $5,000 and a “lucky” red backpack and turned it into a global brand known for inventing smarter, more comfortable solutions. Sara was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world and was featured on the cover of Forbes as the youngest self-made female billionaire. She’s also a Guinness World Record holder for having the world’s highest tea party on top of a hot air balloon—but on Instagram, you may know her as the “Pancake Queen,” making pancakes in crazy shapes and sizes for her four children. Blakely has invested millions of dollars to elevate women, and in 2013, she signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate half her wealth to philanthropy. To this day, SPANX has never taken any outside investments.

Former monk Jay Shetty is a New York Times bestselling author, life, and purpose coach, host of the number 1 health and wellness podcast, On Purpose, and co-founder of Sama Tea.

Shetty has myriad accolades under his belt. In 2019, AdWeek dubbed him a Young Influentials cover star, describing him as “an emanation of spiritual force.” In 2017, Forbes named him to the 30 Under 30 list for being a game-changer in media. In 2018 and 2019, the Streamy’s named Shetty the Best Health & Wellness Creator of the Year. His videos have been viewed more than 8 billion times, and he is followed by more than 40 million people across social media.

In 2019, Jay created On Purpose, which is now the world's number 1 health and wellness podcast, in its opening year it ranked number 1 on Spotify in India and in Apple’s Top 20 Podcasts of the Year. Guests have included talent from various backgrounds, such as superstar athletes Kobe Bryant and Novak Djokovic, music icon Alicia Keys, and business powerhouse Ray Dalio.

In 2020, Shetty authored his first book, Think Like A Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Everyday. The book debuted at number 1 on the New York Times, Sunday Times, and was deemed “un-put-down-able” by Amazon.

When Shetty isn’t writing or making videos, he’s coaching as the founder of the Jay Shetty Certification School—a purpose-driven educational institution offering accredited certifications in life coaching to individuals and organizations. More than two million students have attended his online courses. His “genius community” provides weekly programming on the principles and practices for health and wellness to thousands of members worldwide.

Bert Jacobs is the co-founder of the $150 million lifestyle brand Life is Good. When he and his brother John started the company in 1994, they had $78 in their pockets, lived out of their van, and sold t-shirts on the streets of Boston. Was this their way of avoiding the “real world?” You betcha. Did it turn into something much bigger? Absolutely.

It has been more than 25 years since they sold their first t-shirt, but Bert and John champion the same mission: to spread the power of optimism. On their journey, they’ve been inspired by a vibrant community of resilient optimists—people from all walks of life who identify deeply with the brand and who constantly demonstrate the depth and meaning behind the three simple words “Life is good.”

But here’s the thing: While Bert and John believe life is good, they also know life isn’t perfect, which is why Life is Good donates 10% of its annual net profits to the Life is Good Kids Foundation. Through its signature Playmaker Program, the Life is Good Kids Foundation helps more than 1 million kids overcome the impact of poverty, violence, and illness each year. In making their company a fully integrated for-profit/nonprofit model, the brothers hope to use their business as a vehicle to do good in the world.

Because of his unique perspective that ties rational optimism to business, Bert has been asked to share his transformative message at a wide range of corporate and thought-leadership conferences, including Inc 5000, Morgan Stanley, SAP Sapphire, Discover, and more. He and John have been featured in Forbes, NPR’s How I Built This, CNNMoney, CNBC’s Business Nation, ABC News’ Nightline, NBC’s The Today Show, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, and Men’s Health Magazine, among others.