Andrea Olson is a strategist, speaker, author, and customer-centricity expert. As the CEO at Pragmadik, she helps organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500, and has served as an outside consultant for EY and McKinsey. Andrea is the author of The Customer Mission: Why it’s time to cut the sh*t and get back to the business of understanding and No Disruptions: The future for mid-market manufacturing. She is a 4-time ADDY® award winner and host of the popular Customer Mission podcast. Andrea is also a contributing author for Entrepreneur Magazine, The Financial Brand, Chief Executive Magazine, and Customer Experience Magazine.
A sought-after keynote speaker at conferences and corporate events, Andrea is a visiting lecturer at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business and head of their Startup Business Incubator (JPEC Founders Club), a TEDx presenter, and a TEDx speaker coach. She is also a mentor at the University of Iowa Venture School. Andrea lives with her husband in Davenport, Iowa. More information about Andrea can be found at thecustomermission.com.
Shannon O’Neill is an editorial consultant for a prominent literary agency in Washington, D.C. She also teaches at American University. Shannon has a master’s in Writing from Johns Hopkins University.
Overcoming a tough past of homelessness and struggles, Nate Ortiz turned his life around and is now a renowned writer, celebrity life and health coach, and social media influencer. Known as the lifestyle coach for those ready for change, Nate uses his past experiences and reengineered mindset to help people create their dream life. Growing up in a turbulent family with addiction and incarceration, Nate faced numerous hardships, but learned the power of exercise and positive communication when his stepfather returned from jail transformed and inspired him to shift his life.
Turning pain into power, Nate became a motivator and an influencer. Today, with a bachelor of science in movement science, and certifications in nutrition, personal training, holistic lifestyle, and integrative health coaching, he’s made a name for himself. As a speaker, he captivates audiences with his inspiring journey, from school groups to TV audiences. Influencing lives across various platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and his podcast, Nate is a beacon of inspiration. By sharing his story and expertise, he not only lives his dream life but empowers others to reach their goals, too.
Chad Orzel is a physicist, professor, and blogger, and the author of three previous books How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog, How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog, and Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College in Schenectady, NY, where he has been on the faculty since 2001. Orzel has been blogging about physics and academia for Forbes and Scienceblogs.com since 2002. He is earned a BA in physics from Williams College and a PhD in chemical physics from the University of Maryland, College Park. At that time, he completed his thesis research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology with Bill Phillips (Nobel Laureate in 1997), and he was a post-doc at Yale before starting at Union, studying the quantum physics of ultra-cold atoms.
James A. Owen is the author and illustrator of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica—which includes Here, There Be Dragons, The Search for the Red Dragon and The Indigo King—as well as the Starchild comic series. He lives and works in northeastern Arizona.
Michael D. Ozner, M.D., FACC, is a nationally renowned pioneer and advocate of preventive cardiology. Dr. Ozner earned his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine and pursued a Cardiology Fellowship from Stanford University/Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in California. A board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Ozner is Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, and past chairman of the American Heart Association of Miami. He is Medical Director of Wellness and Prevention at Baptist Health South Florida, and Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Prevention Institute of South Florida. Dr. Ozner is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
A well-known national speaker and symposium director, Dr. Ozner has appeared widely on radio, television and in the print media speaking out against fad diets and the American way of eating. He is passionate about educating Americans on the benefits of adopting the well-studied and well-documented Mediterranean diet and lifestyle as a way to live longer, healthier lives free of heart disease and other diet-related conditions.
Books by Micheal Ozner, MD
Rachel Pacheco, PhD is a management author, lecturer, and researcher at The Wharton School. She is passionate about teaching people what it takes to be great managers and coaching executives and leaders on how to build thriving teams and organizations.
At Wharton, Rachel conducts research on management—specifically on power and conflict—and is a member of the teaching faculty. She is also a founding faculty member of the Entrepreneurship in Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches multiple courses for budding entrepreneurs that focus on the practical side of working in a small organization.
Rachel serves on the board of advisors for numerous start-ups, primarily in the digital health and wellness space. A former chief people officer, she was on the executive teams of start-ups in the healthcare and big data space. Rachel has also lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan, and thus has experienced the joy (and pain!) of leading and managing organizations across many distinct cultures.
She holds a PhD and MBA from The Wharton School and a BS from Georgetown University.
