Humanities & Social Sciences

Esteemed speakers contributing their insights into human culture, behavior, and societal development

Camilo Zambrano

Camilo Zambrano

Camilo Zambrano is an author, TEDx speaker, founder of Self Disciplined and Adaptable Discipline, and a software engineer by background.

His work reframes discipline as the practice of return: the skill of coming back to what matters after stress, distraction, conflict, overwhelm, or drift. He draws from systems thinking, behavioral theory, neuroscience, and psychology to explain why people drift, what makes returning harder, and how to design conditions that make returning easier.

Camilo speaks about return as a meta-skill, comeback speed, burnout, focus, emotional regulation, neurodivergence, leadership, and the systems that help people and teams recover coherence when life or work pulls them off course.

His TEDx talk, "The Gentle Art of Finding Your Way Back," introduces the central idea behind his work: drift is the default; the return is the skill.

Camilo Zambrano is an author, TEDx speaker, founder of Self Disciplined and Adaptable Discipline, and a software engineer by background. His work reframes discipline as the practice of return: the skill of coming back to what matters after stress,... Show more

Dr. Saara Haapanen

Dr. Saara Haapanen

Dr. Saara Haapanen is a performance strategist, speaker, and PhD in Sport & Exercise Psychology who helps organizations improve leadership, retention, motivation, and human performance without burnout.

With more than 25 years of coaching high performers, from elite athletes to executives and growth-focused teams, she translates performance science into practical systems leaders can use immediately.

Her work focuses on leadership effectiveness, workplace well-being, communication, accountability, and unlocking the strengths of neurodivergent talent in modern organizations.

Saara has been featured in Forbes Health, Shape, Reader’s Digest, and other national media. Known for energetic, thought-provoking sessions, she helps audiences rethink what drives performance and what quietly destroys it.

Her sessions help leaders identify costly blind spots and the strategic initiatives worth funding next.

Dr. Saara Haapanen is a performance strategist, speaker, and PhD in Sport & Exercise Psychology who helps organizations improve leadership, retention, motivation, and human performance without burnout. With more than 25 years of coaching high perf... Show more

Kody Hartlaub

Kody Hartlaub

Kody Hartlaub is an internationally recognized performance specialist in the mental architecture of champions. He works exclusively with elite athletes, Olympic contenders, world-class competitors,
and high-performing organizations—including professional athletes on the Philadelphia Phillies, world champions pursuing their next title, Olympic-stage athletes, Division 1 programs, and corporations like L'Oréal—to unlock performance at the highest level.
In less than a decade, Kody has executed a complete program turnaround at the college level, taking a Division 3 athletic program from last place to top-tier status in under a year. He's guided a two-
time world champion through his pursuit of a third championship. He's positioned Olympic-level athletes for international competition. He's embedded himself in locker rooms and boardrooms where the margin of error is zero, and results are the only currency that matters.
His work is about diagnosis and execution. Kody identifies the psychological architecture underneath performance: the belief systems, decision-making patterns, emotional regulation, and mental discipline that separate champions from competitors. He rebuilds that architecture from the foundation up, then ensures it performs under pressure, when it counts most.
Kody holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and is completing his master's in sport performance and psychology. More importantly, he is personally mentored by Ben Newman, one of the five most respected performance coaches in the world. He has been selected as a judge for the International Globee Awards for Excellence: a distinction reserved for the elite practitioners in his field.
As founder of KHP Coaching, creator of the Diamond Leadership Architecture framework, and architect of the KHP1 performance community, Kody doesn't build athletes. He builds champions who know exactly who they are, what they're capable of, and how to deliver it when the stakes are highest

Kody Hartlaub is an internationally recognized performance specialist in the mental architecture of champions. He works exclusively with elite athletes, Olympic contenders, world-class competitors, and high-performing organizations—including profess... Show more

Andrew Young Choi

Andrew Young Choi

Dr. Andrew Young Choi is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Pace University, where he teaches and supervises in the Clinical Health Psychology Program.

His award-winning scholarship employs queer of color critique to illuminate the complexities of intersectionality, racism-related stress, and identity among Asian Americans. Leveraging psychoanalytic concepts, his interdisciplinary research explores the evolving nature of anti-Asian racialization and its theoretical and clinical implications. He brings advanced methodological expertise, including critical analysis, multivariate statistics, psychometrics, structural equation modeling, and qualitative content analysis. He has authored over 20 publications and received more than 30 awards, honors, and fellowships for his intellectual contributions.

Dr. Choi is board-certified in Counseling Psychology and specializes in culturally responsive psychodynamic psychotherapy for high-performing professionals from diverse backgrounds. He creatively integrates insight-oriented, goal-focused, and decolonial principles to support a broad range of mental health goals. He has provided effective care across diverse settings—including college counseling centers, community mental health clinics, and inpatient and outpatient hospitals—with extensive public sector experience serving clients from global majority and LGBTQ+ populations.

He earned his PhD in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology at the Counseling and Student Development Center of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He completed his Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Psychology at Cambridge Health Alliance / Harvard Medical School. He is an alumnus APA Minority Fellow, Pacific Athletic Conference (PAC-12) Postgraduate Scholar, and University of California Regents Special Fellow.

Dr. Andrew Young Choi is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Pace University, where he teaches and supervises in the Clinical Health Psychology Program. His award-winning scholarship employs queer of color critique to illuminate the complexit... Show more

Dr. Daniel Freeman

Dr. Daniel Freeman

What sets Dr. Freeman apart is not advice or frameworks, but the space he creates. His work is intentionally calm, confidential, and unhurried—a place where leaders can talk openly, explore ideas, and sort through complexity without performance or politics getting in the way. Conversations are relaxed, human, and grounded, even when the issues are serious. Clients often say they don’t feel “coached” or “consulted,” but genuinely heard. The result is clarity that feels earned, not imposed—and decisions that feel steadier because they were thought through in a space that was both rigorous and welcoming.

Dr. Daniel Freeman brings together an uncommon mix of training and lived experience. With a background in sociology and a doctorate in global leadership, a decade of nonprofit leadership experience, combined with years as a former professional athlete, nationally recognized track and field coach, consultant, and adjunct instructor, his work is shaped by both academic rigor and real-world pressure. Over the past decade, he has held thousands of one-on-one conversations with nonprofit executives, Fortune 500 CEOs, founders, athletes, and coaches. That experience has given him a deep understanding of how leaders actually think, decide, and carry responsibility.

What sets Dr. Freeman apart is not advice or frameworks, but the space he creates. His work is intentionally calm, confidential, and unhurried—a place where leaders can talk openly, explore ideas, and sort through complexity without performance or po... Show more

Joule Diaz

Joule Diaz

I’m Joule Diaz a founder, speaker, and builder of impact rooted in real life.

I created Her Impact because I know what it feels like to live in survival mode while still being responsible for everything and everyone around you. My work is centered on helping women and girls move from just getting through life to actually leading it with confidence, clarity, and self-worth.

I don’t speak from theory. I speak from lived experience. From navigating pressure, rebuilding, and figuring things out in real time while still showing up.

My message is about ownership, resilience, and becoming who you are even when life doesn’t feel stable or certain.

When I speak, I’m not there to perform. I’m there to connect. To create a moment where people feel seen, challenged, and reminded of their power.

Everything I do is rooted in truth, growth, and impact that lasts beyond the room.

I’m Joule Diaz a founder, speaker, and builder of impact rooted in real life. I created Her Impact because I know what it feels like to live in survival mode while still being responsible for everything and everyone around you. My work is centered... Show more

Chinenye Egbuna Ikwuemesi

Chinenye Egbuna Ikwuemesi

Chinenye Ikwuemesi is the founder of the Afrodeities Institute and architect of Afromantasy™ — a framework that treats African mythologies as operating systems for history, governance, AI, and storytelling. She helps organisations and conferences rethink AI ethics, itechnology transformation, nstitutional design, and “future of X” conversations by bringing in African civilisational logics that have been systematically excluded from Western narratives. Her work spans a 40+ volume Afrodeities Codex and The Shadow Storm, a 50‑chapter speculative epic that turns decolonial theory into vivid, accessible story. On stage, she translates complex histories and mythic systems into practical tools for leaders, technologists, and creatives who want to build futures answerable to more than markets alone.

Chinenye Ikwuemesi is the founder of the Afrodeities Institute and architect of Afromantasy™ — a framework that treats African mythologies as operating systems for history, governance, AI, and storytelling. She helps organisations and conferences ret... Show more

Renee Samantha

Renee Samantha

Renee Hamilton is a lecturer at Nagoya University of the Arts working at the intersection of AI, visual culture, and identity. Her work explores how artificial intelligence can be used as a creative and symbolic medium to examine race, perception, and digital identity.

Through her visual project “Lady Gorilla,” Hamilton experiments with AI-generated imagery to study audience reactions, symbolism, and the psychology of online engagement. She also incorporates these visuals into lectures to explore how emerging technologies influence cultural narratives and representation.

Her work sits between art, technology, and academic inquiry, examining how AI reshapes the way we construct and interpret identity in the digital era.

Renee Hamilton is a lecturer at Nagoya University of the Arts working at the intersection of AI, visual culture, and identity. Her work explores how artificial intelligence can be used as a creative and symbolic medium to examine race, perception, an... Show more

Riva Zmajoki

Riva Zmajoki

Riva Zmajoki creates art, thinks about stuff, and manages daily life. You'll find her around internet playing with concepts.

Riva Zmajoki creates art, thinks about stuff, and manages daily life. You'll find her around internet playing with concepts. Show more

Mohamed Ali Saeed

Mohamed Ali Saeed

Dr. Mohamed Ali Saeed is a senior educational leader with over 25 years of experience in Arabic language education, curriculum development, educational leadership, and school improvement. He currently serves as Senior Leader for Ministry of Education subjects at Safa British School, Dubai, leading whole-school strategy to enhance teaching quality, student outcomes, and curriculum innovation.

Holding a PhD in Educational Leadership, Dr. Mohamed is also an experienced bilingual school inspector, with extensive expertise in evaluating teaching quality, curriculum implementation, assessment, and school performance against national and international quality standards. Throughout his career, he has led successful educational transformation projects, developed innovative Arabic curricula aligned with UAE and international frameworks, and coached educators in delivering high-impact, student-centred learning.

A passionate advocate for excellence in Arabic education, Dr. Mohamed regularly delivers professional learning on curriculum design, assessment for learning, phonological awareness, AI in education, and effective classroom practice. His work bridges educational research with practical classroom implementation, empowering teachers and improving student outcomes.

Dr. Mohamed Ali Saeed is a senior educational leader with over 25 years of experience in Arabic language education, curriculum development, educational leadership, and school improvement. He currently serves as Senior Leader for Ministry of Education... Show more

Dan Desmarques

Dan Desmarques

Dan Desmarques is a visionary author and transformational thought leader whose work has inspired millions worldwide to break free from limitations and awaken to their fullest potential. With over 100 published books—including 34 Amazon bestsellers and eight that reached the #1 spot in their categories—his writings have become essential guides for those seeking meaningful personal and spiritual growth.

Blending ancient wisdom with modern psychology and esoteric knowledge, Desmarques offers profound yet practical insights into mastering the subconscious mind, navigating karma, and creating lasting personal transformation. His distinctive voice is direct, honest, and deeply conversational—reading his books often feels like receiving candid, life-changing advice from a wise friend.

Readers frequently describe encountering his work at critical turning points in their lives. Many credit his teachings with helping them dissolve limiting beliefs, reclaim their inner power, and step into greater abundance, courage, and clarity. His message is both empowering and urgent: question everything, trust yourself completely, and dare to live authentically.

A lifelong world traveler and polymath fluent in several languages, Desmarques draws from a rich mosaic of global experiences and cross-cultural perspectives. His books, now translated into seven languages and available in over 240,000 stores and libraries worldwide, speak to a diverse audience—from entrepreneurs and leaders to spiritual seekers exploring life’s deeper mysteries.

As a personal coach and influential voice in personal development, Dan Desmarques continues to shape the conversation around human potential—bridging timeless philosophical truths with practical, modern tools for a new era of conscious living.

Dan Desmarques is a visionary author and transformational thought leader whose work has inspired millions worldwide to break free from limitations and awaken to their fullest potential. With over 100 published books—including 34 Amazon bestsellers an... Show more

Li Jiansheng

Li Jiansheng

TODO Group ambassador,LFAPAC open source evangelist .
kuosi(适兕)is an independent researcher, social hacker, and the lead author and manager of "The Way of Open Source" (开源之道). Focusing on the intersection of institutional economics and software collaboration, he applies the theories of Coase, North, and Williamson to decode the complex governance structures of open-source communities and tech ecosystems. As an objective observer of technological evolution, his current research explores the paradigm shift from traditional open source to "Open Skill" and Agentic AI models.

TODO Group ambassador,LFAPAC open source evangelist . kuosi(适兕)is an independent researcher, social hacker, and the lead author and manager of "The Way of Open Source" (开源之道). Focusing on the intersection of institutional economics and software col... Show more

Frank Malaba

Frank Malaba

Frank Malaba is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, photographer, and creative facilitator working between Oslo, Norway and Cape Town, South Africa. His work moves fluidly across theatre, performance, poetry, and natural light photography, guided by a central question: How does the body remember, and what stories does it insist on carrying?

Drawing from Southern African oral traditions, queer lived experience, and a deep commitment to dignity and presence, Frank creates narrative spaces where memory becomes a form of knowledge. His solo works, including Stories of My Bones and The Chaos of Belonging, have toured internationally, inviting audiences into intimate encounters with ancestry, identity, and the quiet rituals that shape us.

As a photographer, Frank documents everyday rituals and marginalised lives with tenderness and clarity. His 2025 exhibition Rituals opened in Cape Town to critical acclaim, and his ongoing project I Met a Mermaid explores African water spirituality, homelessness, and the ocean as a site of survival and myth.

He is also the founder and curator of Uncovered: Stories in Oslo (Avdekket: Fortellinger i Oslo), a live storytelling platform centred on true, lived narratives. His facilitation practice blends embodiment, listening, and community building, creating spaces where people can speak from the truth of their lived experience.

Across all mediums, Frank works from the belief that storytelling is not performance, it is presence, witness, and a return to the body as archive.

Frank Malaba is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, photographer, and creative facilitator working between Oslo, Norway and Cape Town, South Africa. His work moves fluidly across theatre, performance, poetry, and natural light photography, guide... Show more

Dr. Dipti Yadav

Dr. Dipti Yadav

Dr. Dipti Yadav is a psychologist, educator, speaker, and experiential learning designer who believes that lasting change happens through meaningful experiences rather than information alone.

Drawing from psychology, counselling, reflective practice, hypnosis, and experiential learning, she designs immersive sessions that help people recognize emotional patterns, strengthen relationships, build psychological resilience, and develop practical emotional intelligence.

Her work bridges science with experience, transforming complex psychological concepts into engaging learning journeys for educators, mental health professionals, organizations, students, and leaders. Rather than delivering lectures, she creates conversations and activities that encourage reflection, participation, and lasting insight.

Dr. Dipti is also the creator of original experiential frameworks that make psychology accessible, memorable, and immediately applicable across educational, professional, and personal contexts.

Whether addressing conference audiences, educators, helping professionals, or multidisciplinary teams, her sessions leave participants with fresh perspectives and practical tools they can carry into everyday life.

Dr. Dipti Yadav is a psychologist, educator, speaker, and experiential learning designer who believes that lasting change happens through meaningful experiences rather than information alone. Drawing from psychology, counselling, reflective practi... Show more

Rebecca Murray

Rebecca Murray

Rebecca P. Murray energizes audiences through the power of voice. As the founder of Showcase Your Shine, she blends theater, the social science of language, and applied behavior science to help professionals speak with purpose, presence, and vocal influence. Her sessions are engaging, high-energy, and unforgettable—equipping people to connect, influence, and confidently own the room.

She’s passionate about strengthening team dynamics by sharpening the skills that matter most: listening, presenting, and facilitating meaningful conversations. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Rebecca is the President of the National Speakers Association Northwest, serving the professional speaking community across Washington State. She is also a leading advocate for Voice Equity, using it as a form of applied intelligence to guide conversations so participation is intentional, balanced, and inclusive.

Rebecca’s fascination with voice began early, singing before she could speak and absorbing the magic of vinyl records on her own player. That passion evolved into a professional journey recording, directing, and producing hundreds of audio works—from audiobooks and TV commercials to podcasts and live-streamed events. As a vocal expert, audiophile, and audio-mastering enthusiast, Rebecca now helps clients find their authentic voice and expand their influence—ensuring voices that are often overlooked are heard, respected, and remembered.

Rebecca P. Murray energizes audiences through the power of voice. As the founder of Showcase Your Shine, she blends theater, the social science of language, and applied behavior science to help professionals speak with purpose, presence, and vocal in... Show more

Aaron Garth

Aaron Garth

Aaron Garth is CEO of Ultimate Youth Worker, a Melbourne-based social enterprise providing professional supervision, training and consulting to the Australian youth and community sector. He has worked in youth work since 2002 and founded Ultimate Youth Worker in 2012 to professionalise the sector through better training, structured supervision and clearer career pathways.

His work centres on supervision as a genuine space for critical reflection rather than administrative compliance, and on building the workforce capability frameworks that let organisations retain and develop frontline staff. He has designed and delivered accredited training across strengths-based youth work, AOD and dual diagnosis practice, and youth justice contexts, and consults to organisations on psychosocial risk, workforce structure and practice standards.

Aaron is also a PhD candidate at RMIT University researching fathering through a New Materialist theoretical lens, and speaks on the intersection of relational practice, professional identity and sector reform.

Aaron Garth is CEO of Ultimate Youth Worker, a Melbourne-based social enterprise providing professional supervision, training and consulting to the Australian youth and community sector. He has worked in youth work since 2002 and founded Ultimate You... Show more

Jodee Gibson, PhD, PCC

Jodee Gibson, PhD, PCC

Jodee Gibson, PhD, PCC | Jodee's unconventional, holistic approach to understanding human behavior is beyond fascinating. Jodee resides in Oakland County, Michigan. She trains and speaks worldwide. www.jodeegibson.com

Jodee Gibson, PhD, PCC | Jodee's unconventional, holistic approach to understanding human behavior is beyond fascinating. Jodee resides in Oakland County, Michigan. She trains and speaks worldwide. www.jodeegibson.com Show more

Claudia Graf-Pfohl

Claudia Graf-Pfohl

Claudia Graf-Pfohl, M.A., is a doctoral researcher in industrial sociology and an applied digital change manager. Since 2021, she has supported companies through complex development processes related to the introduction of new technologies and is a recipient of the Civic Innovation Award and the Marie-Pleißner Prize.

Claudia Graf-Pfohl, M.A., is a doctoral researcher in industrial sociology and an applied digital change manager. Since 2021, she has supported companies through complex development processes related to the introduction of new technologies and is a r... Show more

Luka Pejić

Luka Pejić

Luka Pejić (1996), an English Language and Literature graduate and a literary translator (English into Croatian)

Luka Pejić (1996), an English Language and Literature graduate and a literary translator (English into Croatian) Show more

Nandipa Sozoyi

Nandipa Sozoyi

Nandipa Sozoyi is a PhD candidate, transdisciplinary researcher, and systems thinker working at the intersection of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, digital infrastructure, spatial governance, and emerging technologies. Her research explores how knowledge systems function as adaptive infrastructures that inform contemporary challenges in AI, sustainability, governance, and technology design.

She is the founder of Noncedo Development Collective, a South African systems design and research initiative focused on ethical development architectures, knowledge infrastructures, and innovation ecosystems. Her work spans academic research, community innovation, and applied platform development, including community-based initiatives through Zithulele Development Collective and IKS SoMbo Connect, an emerging initiative exploring how Indigenous knowledge can be translated into digital and institutional systems.

Nandipa’s work has received innovation funding, featured in innovation showcases and collaborative initiatives, and increasingly bridges architecture, systems thinking, and technology futures. She also contributes to higher education through research mentorship and studio teaching while building models that connect research, communities, and emerging technologies.

Nandipa Sozoyi is a PhD candidate, transdisciplinary researcher, and systems thinker working at the intersection of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, digital infrastructure, spatial governance, and emerging technologies. Her research explores how knowled... Show more

Dr. Majadi Baruti

Dr. Majadi Baruti

Rev. Dr. Majadi Baruti is an Earth Chaplain, poet, and theologian whose work bridges eco-spirituality, African cosmology, and the Musical and Poetic radical traditions of the African Diaspora. As founder and priest of Udja Temple, he has guided communities for over two decades in reclaiming ancestral wisdom, ecological balance, and the sacred presence of the Divine African Feminine.
His voice unites spiritual ecology with the rhythms of resistance found in Black music, ritual, and art. A dynamic and deeply grounded public speaker, Dr. Baruti delivers transformative keynotes, lectures, and workshops that inspire faith leaders, students, and activists to embody spirituality as both ecological practice and political liberation. His oratory carries the soul of a bluesman, the insight of a theologian, and the urgency of a justice worker.

Rev. Dr. Majadi Baruti is an Earth Chaplain, poet, and theologian whose work bridges eco-spirituality, African cosmology, and the Musical and Poetic radical traditions of the African Diaspora. As founder and priest of Udja Temple, he has guided commu... Show more

Tega Edwin

Tega Edwin

Dr. Tega Edwin helps companies reduce turnover and boost employee engagement through trauma-informed leadership and strategic career development.

As a Licensed Professional Counselor and former Associate Professor of Counseling, she bridges clinical psychology with business outcomes, teaching leaders how to retain top talent, navigate difficult conversations with confidence, and build cultures where people actually want to stay.

Dr. Edwin has delivered keynotes and trainings for Northwestern Mutual, Lockheed Martin, St. Louis Public Schools, and universities, including the University of Houston Clear Lake and New Jersey City University. Through her signature coaching program, Find Your Fulfilling Career, her clients have secured roles at KPMG, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and Henkel, with salary increases averaging $35,000+.

Her award-winning research on career development has been published in Career Development Quarterly (2019 Article of the Year), Professional School Counselor, and other leading journals. As a professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, she trained the next generation of career counselors in the evidence-based communication and relational skills that drive meaningful change.Dr. Edwin is the author of Helping Relationship Skills: Facilitative Skills that Foster Change (Cognella), which teaches the relational communication framework that transforms managers into leaders who inspire engagement, navigate difficult conversations, and drive measurable results.

She holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Penn State and an M.A. in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. She's a National Certified Counselor and Certified Salary Negotiation Facilitator.

When she's not on stage or coaching clients, you'll find her on the pickleball court or diving into her Bible.

Dr. Tega Edwin helps companies reduce turnover and boost employee engagement through trauma-informed leadership and strategic career development. As a Licensed Professional Counselor and former Associate Professor of Counseling, she bridges clini... Show more

Isabella Matticchio

Isabella Matticchio

I hold a PhD in Linguistics (Univ. Padova), and I am currently an Assist. Prof. of Italian in the University of Rijeka (Croatia, EU). I have previously held research and teaching appointments in the universities of Pula/Pola (Croatia) and Klagenfurt (Austria, EU). In Fall 2024 I was a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Italian, Columbia University, and in Spring 2025 a Fellow of the Italian Academy at Columbia University.

I hold a PhD in Linguistics (Univ. Padova), and I am currently an Assist. Prof. of Italian in the University of Rijeka (Croatia, EU). I have previously held research and teaching appointments in the universities of Pula/Pola (Croatia) and Klagenfurt ... Show more

Steve Andrews

Steve Andrews

Steve is a frequent and engaging keynoter, speaker, and trainer at over 150 events across North America, speaking to diverse audiences including families and individuals, business leaders, healthcare professionals, and the United States Military. Steve is passionate about the human sciences and wellbeing. He is currently writing a book. Having spent over 20 years as a passionate technologist, he also speaks about cognitive accessibility.

Steve is a frequent and engaging keynoter, speaker, and trainer at over 150 events across North America, speaking to diverse audiences including families and individuals, business leaders, healthcare professionals, and the United States Military. Ste... Show more

Finja Filzinger

Finja Filzinger

Communication designer and sociologist with special interest in inclusive design, digital skills, critical theory, and society-nature-relations. I'm working at Goethe University since may 2026.

Communication designer and sociologist with special interest in inclusive design, digital skills, critical theory, and society-nature-relations. I'm working at Goethe University since may 2026. Show more

Katrin Jäser

Katrin Jäser

Katrin Jäser ist akademische Mitarbeiterin und Stellvertreterin der Geschäftsführung am Zentrum für wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung (ZWW) der Brandenburgischen Technischen Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU CS). Aktuell arbeitet sie an ihrem eigenen Promotionsvorhaben an dem Institut für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, im Fachgebiet Personalmanagement der BTU CS und ist sowohl in der regulären Lehre als auch in der Weiterbildung aktiv. Sie studierte Sozial- und Organisationspädagogik (M.A.) an der Universität Hildesheim.

Katrin Jäser ist akademische Mitarbeiterin und Stellvertreterin der Geschäftsführung am Zentrum für wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung (ZWW) der Brandenburgischen Technischen Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU CS). Aktuell arbeitet sie an ihrem eigene... Show more

Giovanna Paolinelli

Giovanna Paolinelli

Giovanna "Gio" Paolinelli is a psychologist, human-centered AI strategist, and innovation consultant who helps organizations understand the people behind technology adoption.

Her career spans the evolution of modern knowledge work, from supporting customers during Evernote's rise as one of Silicon Valley's early unicorns to leading AI-enabled transformation initiatives across government, nonprofit, education, and commercial sectors. Drawing on expertise in psychology, design, facilitation, and emerging technology, Gio helps teams navigate change, improve decision-making, and build more human-centered approaches to innovation.

She speaks on AI adoption, digital transformation, behavioral science, knowledge work, and the future of human-AI collaboration.

Giovanna "Gio" Paolinelli is a psychologist, human-centered AI strategist, and innovation consultant who helps organizations understand the people behind technology adoption. Her career spans the evolution of modern knowledge work, from supporting... Show more

Doug Belkofer

Doug Belkofer

Doug Belkofer is a transformation coach, U.S. Army veteran, longtime technology leader, and founder of Forging Truth.

For much of his life, Doug had a life that looked successful from the outside. He was professionally accomplished and had been married for more than a decade. But beneath that surface were deeply embedded beliefs quietly shaping how he related to himself, others, and intimacy. Beliefs that said he wasn't enough. That love had to be earned. That perfection was the price of safety.

Doug didn't recognize those beliefs as distortions. They didn't feel like lies. They felt like truth. They felt like his own voice. And because of that, they went unquestioned, even as the same emotional and relational patterns kept repeating.

That experience now shapes Doug's work with others and his speaking. He explores how beliefs formed through earlier experiences can quietly influence what feels safe, possible, and even visible to us, and why knowing that a behavior isn't working is often not enough to change it.

Doug doesn't approach this work as someone who has "arrived." He speaks from lived experience and continues to learn through listening, witnessing, and walking alongside others as they uncover what they haven't been able to see.

His work isn't about standing above anyone. It's about standing with them, bringing clarity where there was confusion, language where there was self-blame, and awareness where there was once only repetition.

Doug Belkofer is a transformation coach, U.S. Army veteran, longtime technology leader, and founder of Forging Truth. For much of his life, Doug had a life that looked successful from the outside. He was professionally accomplished and had been ma... Show more

YoungBin Kim

YoungBin Kim

Youngbin's research explores how race, gender, migration, and space intersect to shape belonging, exclusion, and everyday experiences of inequality across transnational contexts. She is broadly interested in the racialization of Asian communities, public-space violence, and the shifting meanings of national identity and hospitality in a global era. Drawing on feminist theory, intersectionality, and critical race studies, her work seeks to illuminate the often invisible dynamics that structure social hierarchies and to imagine more just and relational futures for migrant and marginalized communities.

Youngbin's research explores how race, gender, migration, and space intersect to shape belonging, exclusion, and everyday experiences of inequality across transnational contexts. She is broadly interested in the racialization of Asian communities, pu... Show more

R. Karl Hebenstreit

R. Karl Hebenstreit

R. Karl Hebenstreit, PhD, PCC, PHR is an international/TEDx speaker, author, certified executive coach, and leadership/team/Organization Development Consultant. With 25+ years of experience helping leaders and teams exceed their goals, Karl brings human-centric, results-driven energy to every engagement. His PhD in Organizational Psychology studied the Enneagram and employee engagement, and led to him becoming an IEA Accredited Professional with Distinction, an IEA Accredited Professional Professional/Teacher, and iEQ9 Faculty member. Driven to create a more emotionally intelligent world, Karl is the author of three award-winning books: The How & Why: Taking Care of Business with the Enneagram (PenCraft Award), Nina and the Really, Really Tough Decision (PenCraft/Readers’ Favorite, available in 6 languages), and Explicit Expectations (Axiom Award). Karl’s fourth book, Enough, Already and Fully Functional, As You Are, is on the way. Karl’s mission is simple: inspiring audiences and organizations to activate their innate full functionality while creating a more inclusive, empathic, and emotionally intelligent world.

R. Karl Hebenstreit, PhD, PCC, PHR is an international/TEDx speaker, author, certified executive coach, and leadership/team/Organization Development Consultant. With 25+ years of experience helping leaders and teams exceed their goals, Karl brings h... Show more

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