Theme: Showing Up

Join us for our 3rd Annual TEDxWilmingtonWomen Conference on Friday, November 30th.This year's TEDxWilmingtonWomen Conference will showcase 28 speakers from around the world who will come to Wilmington to share their Ideas Worth Spreading in a TEDx talk. These speakers were selected from a list of over 200 speakers. This will be the 32nd TEDx event organized by TEDxWilmington.

The Mill Auditorium (Theatre N).
1007 N. Orange Street
Wilmington, Delaware, 19801
United States

Cheryl Rice

President, Your Voice Your Vision, Inc.

As President of Your Voice Your Vision, Cheryl Rice inspires women to be leaders in their lives. For 22 years she has helped women cultivate leadership presence, develop confidence, and find fulfillment in work and life. Cheryl has held significant leadership positions including Director of Organization Development for AstraZeneca, and AVP of Leadership Development at ACE International. In 2016 Cheryl founded the You Matter Marathon, a global kindness and community building program. Cheryl is the author of, Where Have I Been All My Life? and has had essays in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Chicago Tribune, and Maria Shriver’s blog. A certified coach and positive psychology practitioner, she has an MS degree in Education, and, an MS in Organization Development.

Chris Johnson

Attorney at Law

Chris is an attorney, community organizer, and reformer. Chris is a proud graduate of the University of Delaware and received his law degree from Delaware Law School. He has served as an Assistant City Solicitor for City of Wilmington Law Department where he represented the Mayor’s Office and City Council. While there, Chris worked with what is now the Gabby Giffords Law Center while pursuing different gun violence policy solutions. In partnership with these national experts, Chris has learned methods to incorporate effective practices that are working to reduce gun violence in other jurisdictions. Most recently, he served as a member of Governor John Carney’s legal counsel team and criminal justice adviser.

Cynthia Dougherty

Mind Performance Coach

Cynthia L. Dougherty, PhD, M.F.T., B.C.C., MMI, is a Mind Performance Coach, author, corporate trainer and mother. She understands the daily challenges, stress and unpredictable lifestyles we face both in the workplace and home. Her International Best-selling book is, Lost, Found and Rewired. Dr. Dougherty takes her background in neuroscience and mindfulness training and translates complex concepts into new, practical levels of understanding. She’s dedicated to guiding clients from challenges and stress to building inner strengths and resources and hardwiring them into the nervous system. She delivers strategies to change the mind and brain for the better!

Cyrus Rosen

High School Student / Budding Entrepreneur

Cyrus Rosen is a sophomore student at the Charter School of Wilmington. He is an officer of both the Entrepreneurship Club and Student Leadership Initiative Program at the Charter School of Wilmington. He is currently working on launching his first startup, Bubl Health. Bubl Health is a digital platform that will enable patients with the same diagnosis to connect across the globe and share tips and experiences. In his spare time, Cyrus plays ice hockey, volleyball, and the drum set. He volunteers as a youth hockey coach for the Wilmington Nighthawks Hockey Team.

Dave Nassaney

President, The Caregiver's Caregiver; Dave's Interstate Services, Inc.

Dave Nassaney is a radio host, life-coach, entrepreneur and best-selling author of, “It’s My Life Too.” However, his most important role is caregiver to his wife, Charlene, who suffered a massive stroke in 1996 that left her severely speech-impaired and paralyzed on the right side. Dave has recently appeared on 24 network morning shows from Washington DC to Hawaii, and has spoken and shared the stage with Suzanne Somers at the Harvard Faculty Club on campus, Caitlyn Jenner at The Harvard Club of Boston, and the Nasdaq Market site in NYC. His membership website, CaregiverDave.com, teaches caregivers (80% of whom are women), how to not only survive, but to thrive this thing called caregiving by staying alive and healthy.

Dominick Quartuccio

Executive Coach and Author: Owner, Dominick Quartuccio Jr LLC

Dominick Quartuccio is an executive coach and author of Design Your Future: 3 Steps to Stop Drifting and Take Command of Your Life. Dominick is the co-founder of The Man Amongst Men podcast and The Discerning Dick: Sexual Wisdom for the Modern Man workshops run in New York City. He calls men forward to design a new definition of what it means to be a modern man, with an emphasis on exploring sexual histories, expanding emotional capacities, and honoring the women in their lives. Prior to starting his own firm in 2016, Dominick spent 15 years as a leader at Prudential Financial. His clients are leaders of Fortune 500 financial services, pharmaceutical, insurance, healthcare firms and startup companies.

Ellie Laks

Author and Founder, The Gentle Barn

Ellie Laks is the Founder of The Gentle Barn, a national nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates unwanted animals and heals people with the same stories of abuse and neglect. She is an animal welfare advocate, humane educator, and the author of My Gentle Barn: Creating and Sanctuary Where Animals Heal, and Children Learn to Hope. Ellie founded The Gentle Barn in 1999, where she develops programs to facilitate mutual healing, where animals act as ambassadors of compassion to at-risk, underprivileged, and disabled children and adults. The Gentle Barn is home to more than 200 animals and has locations in California, Tennessee, and Missouri. Ellie’s goal is to open Gentle Barns in every state.

Frankie Bonilla

Assistant Principal, El Centro De Estudiantes - Big Picture Philadelphia

Frankie Bonilla is the current Assistant Principal at El Centro de Estudiantes Big Picture Philadelphia. El Centro is a Philadelphia alternative Project Based Learning school which practices the Big Picture Learning model. Most recently he was a founding teacher/adviser at the Workshop School. While at the Workshop School he was under the mentorship of Simon Hauger. During his tenure at the Workshop School, Frankie honed his creative approach to academics by transitioning from a Hip Hop curriculum based approach to a wider creativity based model. Mr. Bonilla began his teaching career in the Philadelphia Public School system after graduating with a B.A. in Elementary & Early Childhood Education from Temple University in 2002.

Gudrun Penselin

Owner, Clinical Herbal Therapist; Practitioner, Rainbow Healing; Author.

Gudrun Penselin holds master’s degrees in education and physical education. She is a Clinical Herbal Therapist, certified reflexologist, Bach Flower practitioner, certified iridologist, sclerologist, and light/colour therapist. She maintains a successful clinical practice in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, facilitates workshops both at home and internationally, and is a featured guest on international radio shows. She is the author of award-winning books, Healing Spirituality - A Practical Guide to Understanding and Working with Bach Flowers, and Healing with Bach Flower Mandalas. She is the creator of Bach Flowers Unfolding (card deck), and the executive producer of the instructional DVD, Herbal Pharmacy for Everyone. Gudrun’s joy and passion are to encourage others on their healing journey.

Janesha Bull

Mental Health Advocate & Lifestyle Blogger

Janesha Bull is a Delaware native, and graduating senior at Delaware State University, majoring in Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and Advertising. Janesha's personal mental health journey has inspired her to become an advocate for addressing the stigma around talking about mental health. She's committed to ensuring everyone takes the time to talk about their own mental healthy journey so everyone gets the attention and care they deserve. After graduation, Janesha will continue her mission to raise awareness and change the stigma around mental health.

Jen Kluczkowski

Head of Practice, Longpath Labs

Jen Kluczkowski is the Head of Practice at Longpath Labs, a social entrepreneur, and an Advanced Certified Jivamukti yoga and meditation teacher. Through MINDFRESH, a company she founded in 2014, she trained 70 teachers in 18 cities across the globe in her approach to corporate mindfulness. Her team is responsible for 23,000 moments of presence at companies like L'Oreal USA, Pinterest, The New York Times, Foursquare, Deutsche Bank, and Chanel. With a background in startup media (2nd east coast employee at Pandora Internet Radio and top national seller with post-IPO exit), she also has 12 years of deep study in yoga, philosophy, and meditation, allowing her to make ancient Eastern wisdom accessible and inviting for busy, modern people.

Karen Pilgrim

CEO, Vision Vegan Soul

Born in Brooklyn, Karen Pilgrim is the CEO and founder of Vison, Vegan, Soul. Through her guidance and mentorship, Pilgrim has helped countless individuals to jump-start their lives by becoming the best versions of themselves. She does so through the development of her one of a kind vision boards. Such vision boards and action boards have helped others GPS their future by articulating, creating, and visualizing their futures on papers, boards, or walls. Her utilization of action boards reinforces positive images that then allows you to attract the best life possible. Her love for life and people has led to over 20 years of service to the community inspiring others through her work at schools, correctional facilities, and group homes.

Kien Vuu

Assistant Clinical Professor, UCLA School of Medicine

As an infant boat refugee surviving dysentery, Dr. Kien Vuu is a multi-faceted physician carving a distinctive path integrating traditional allopathic approaches with holistic, alternative, and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Vuu is clinical professor of medicine at the UCLA - David Geffen School of Medicine. He has authored numerous scientific peer-reviewed and book chapters, and has spoken all over the world on topics including genomics, molecular imaging, and novel oncologic therapies. He is a transformational speaker who speaks on health empowerment and the epigenetics of purpose, community, and laughter. His mission is "to elevate the health of the world and assist in the elimination of chronic disease" through the power of media, television, and social media.

Lauri Robbins-Ericson

Organizational Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach

Lauri Robbins Ericson is an organizational leadership consultant and coach committed to furthering the contribution of women across the world. Her work in West and South Africa, India, Europe, Central America and the United States has magnified how important it is to transform the perception of females in society so their contributions are valued. Lauri has worked with leaders, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, CEOs and purpose-driven change makers such as Innovations for Poverty Action, Acumen, United Nations Development Fund for Women, Women’s Education Project and the United States Peace Corps. She speaks frequently on leadership and has been a guest lecturer to doctoral students at William James College. Lauri is also the founder of Girls First.

Linda Arrey-Mbi Nkwenti

Author, Certified Life and Leadership Coach; President, WILDE INC.

Mrs. Linda Arrey-Mbi Nkwenti is a Published Author, Certified Life and Leadership Coach, and Philanthropist. She is the Founder of Women in Leadership Development and Empowerment, INC., a professional women’s charity. She equips working mothers to up-level personally and professionally by finding clarity, structure and establishing an execution strategy. Her publication, “Memoirs of a Working Mother” reveals the challenges and triumphs of returning to work after childbirth, battling fibroids, finding balance with family, and loving the reflection in the mirror through an offering of stories, strategies, and anecdotes. She is a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Medical Service Corps, serving as a Chief Information Officer. She’s married to her husband, Tse, and they have two beautiful daughters.

Mandy Bass

Success Coach and Author, Taming The Tokolosh: Through Fear into Healing

As one of the first women to brand herself as a "success coach", Mandy has helped thousands of clients through turbulent waters of business and life, for over twenty years. What she didn’t know was how important these skills would be in saving herself. On February 7, 2016 she suffered a brutal attack on her life when a college senior broke into her home and nearly beat her to death. In her book, Taming The Tokolosh: Through Fear Into Healing, she shares her journey to redemption - for herself and the man who attacked her. Mandy was featured on The Today Show with Megyn Kelly and in People Magazine. Mandy lives in Florida and runs Priority Living Systems, a training and consulting practice.

Michelle Nagel

President, Soul Shift, Inc.

Michelle Nagel, author of the bestseller Suffering is Optional: Step Out of Darkness Into the Light, and co-author of the international bestseller, The Light at the End of the Funnel, is President of Soul Shift, Inc, and has been a speaker and transformational trainer for over 15 years. A lifelong learner, she is Certified in the Canfield Methodology of Success Principles and is a Certified HeartMathTMTrainer, as well as holding multiple certifications in energy therapies and Herbal Medicine. Michelle empowers people who look like they’ve got it all together on the outside but feel like a fraud on the inside, to take off their protective armor so that they can live a life of authenticity and success without apology.

Mike O'Krent

Founder and CEO, LifeStories Alive, LLC

Mike O'Krent is the founder of LifeStories Alive, LLC, a business specializing in producing living stories for families and businesses. In a life-changing experience, from 1996 through 2000 Mike interviewed Holocaust survivors for Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. It was through that experience he discovered the significance and technique of recording the life stories of loved ones, and which forms the basis for his LifeStories business. Since founding the business in 2006, Mike has expanded its expertise beyond capturing personal histories for families to now include recording the histories of businesses and non-profit organizations. The professionally produced videos can be used externally to promote the organization or internally as a training tool for new employees / volunteers.

Monica LeSage

Licensed Trainer and Director of Client Experience, Dale Carnegie Pittsburgh

Leaving behind a successful career in biotechnology sales, after a life-altering motor vehicle accident, Monica started a career in leadership and talent development. Facing moderate-severe pain daily for 11 years, she has devoted much of her spare time to regaining vitality through play, learning to sit, and relentlessly exploring treatments or therapies that may help. Through a unique version of trauma therapy called Somatic Experiencing, she now rock climbs again, plays guitar, and has recently started doing acrobatic partner yoga. She is integrating these experiences with her experiences as a leadership trainer and has created a workshop to help others learn to prevent trauma, or to heal trauma/pain to live fully again.

Myra Godfrey

Author, Creator of the Well Method, President & CEO, Jaya Jaya Myra Productions Inc.

Jaya Jaya Myra is an internationally acclaimed author, QVC spokesperson, wellness building and design consultant, and creator of the Well Method. After healing herself naturally from debilitating fibromyalgia, Myra developed the Well Method to teach others how to live a healthy, fulfilled and successful life based on each person’s unique elemental composition. Her approach to wellness and purpose shows why one-size-fits-all solutions don’t work for everyone, and how to find what will work for you. Myra's debut book, Vibrational Healing: Attain Balance & Wholeness. Understand Your Energetic Typeis, published in 10 languages and is available worldwide. Jaya Jaya Myra is also the Founder & Director of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Gita for the Masses, teaching spiritual practices that promote conscious character development, inter-religious dialogue, and interfaith harmony.

Nicole Black

Author and Certified Rolfer™

Nicole Black is an author and Certified Rolfer™ through the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration in Boulder, Colorado. She specializes in a form of manual therapy that focuses on addressing people’s problems and not just their symptoms. A native of Southern California, she currently resides in Santa Barbara with her daughter and is the co-founder and former CEO of Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro. When she isn’t working to promote her story of getting healthy from the inside out, she enjoys travel, yoga, Pilates, and chasing dragonflies.

Patrick Wright

Corporate and Political Communications Strategist, President of P3 Communications in Detroit

Dr. Patrick Wright is a communications and media strategist, journalist, novelist, and consumer behavioral expert. In his 25-year career in media, he has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won local and national awards for a story about a Florida real estate scam, covered the California mortgage crisis before the 2008 Great Recession, and wrote speeches and content for corporate executives and national politicians, such as the late Sen. John McCain. He holds one of the nation's doctoral degree regarding the influence of digital and social media on society. Dr. Wright used his research to create the Wiki-Movement Strategy and the related Online Participation Theory, a new and sophisticated digital media strategy designed to persuade and motivate people through the language of their daily lives.

Renae Baker

Founder and Director, I S.M.I.L.E. in New York Productions

Renae Baker is the author of Defeating Scrooge – How To Harness the Power of Christmas Carols to Revive Your Spirit Any Time of Year. She is a professional singer, actor, television and radio co-host with a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan. Since 1997 Renae has been the founder and director of I S.M.I.L.E. in New York Productions whose Broadway carolers connect diverse groups of people joyfully together in song. Renae leads workshops to revive holiday spirit and as a sought-after acting coach, has guided actors into roles in Broadway, film, and television productions. To book the carolers, a workshop, or schedule Renae to speak at your event, go to: www.ismileny.com.

Shavon Lindley

CEO & Co-Founder, Mentoring Method

Shavon Lindley is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mentoring Method, an enterprise B2B technology company that creates greater inclusion through impactful learning and mentoring programs. Before that, Shavon was on the verge of burnout as a top producing financial advisor and Branch Manager at a financial planning firm where she was also the host of the “The CEO Show” on ESPN Radio. There she interviewed over 150 executives and discovered how to blend her personal and professional life while growing in a career as an authentic and diverse leader. The skills developed inspired her to create leadership development and mentoring programs, Women Evolution and Inclusion 360°, that are being implemented at companies such as Ancestry, CBRE, and Regeneron.

Susan Bremer O'Neill

Founder of Self Appeal®

Susan Bremer O’Neill, author, coach and Self Appeal® founder, took an unconventional journey to self-respect and self-love. At thirty five she got sober, left her science career and became an exotic dancer. Her unique experience is chronicled in her memoir, From Sex Appeal to Self Appeal. Since then, for twenty years, she’s been a champion for women to build greater confidence and esteem and produced the woman-friendly DVD, Striptease for Real Women, to help them embody playful sensuality. Susan has spoken at San Francisco Bay Area universities, women’s groups, retreats, and recovery facilities. She’s been interviewed on Fox News and local media. Her writing has been featured in Flesh for Fantasy, Men’s Health, Gauntlet, and a SFSU course reader.

Susan O'Malley

Owner and Medical Director, Madison Med Spa

In the ER, Dr. Susan O’Malley saved lives. At Madison Med Spa, a cosmetic practice dedicated to helping women stay beautiful, she now saves self-esteem. Dr. Susan’s passion is rooted in her story. An accident as a toddler left her with a dental disfigurement that consumed her childhood and beyond. That event and its devastating aftermath taught Dr. O’Malley the importance of beauty in a way no other experience could. Once a college drop-out and a secretary, Dr. O’Malley shares lessons of perseverance in her book, Tough Cookies Don’t Crumble: Turn Set-Backs into Success. Dr. O’Malley is a two time presenter at Hubspot’s INBOUND conference. She is currently serving as President of the Connecticut chapter of the National Speakers Association.

Tiffany Gwilliam

Patient Advocate

Tiffany Gwilliam is a graduate of Lafayette College with a BA in psychology. She is a mother of three children, two daughters and one son. Tiffany and her parents are cancer survivors. Her oldest child was diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune disease at eight-years-old. As a result, she has become passionate about the patient-physician relationship and is a powerful advocate for her family. Tiffany has appeared on Sirius XM on the Business of Healthcare show to discuss the patient-physician experience. She has co-written a blog post for the NEJM Catalyst; Patient Care Depends on the Patient-Physician Relationship. Tiffany has been a repeat guest podcast speaker on Pediatricchat.org.