Perhaps it’s her Texas roots, but Jess Pettitt, MBA, M.Ed., CSP, believes that to really thrive in this world, you have to ride two horses—one of giving and one of receiving. For Jess, the giving horse is her passion for service, and the receiving horse is the high she rides entertaining audiences. For almost 10 years, Jess rode one horse by day, serving as an administrator in student affairs for university Diversity and Inclusion programs, and the other by night, performing and hosting three times a week doing stand-up in New York City’s most popular comedy clubs (ask her about George Carlin’s nickname for her or sharing an eggroll birthday cake with Bob Newhart). Eventually, Jess discovered she could ride both horses at the same time in the same career, and a speaker in the DEI space was born. Now, nearly 20 years and half a million audience members later, Jess gallops from coast to coast delivering her “Good Enough Now” message to anyone willing to take the leap toward creating a much more inclusive (read: much more effective) organization.

Jess talks about her latest book, “Almost Good Enough”, implementing DEI in an organization, elements of culture change, and much more!

Sylvia Melena is the Founder & Principal of Melena Consulting Group, a company specializing in leadership and organizational development and business book writing and publishing. Sylvia is a two-time international award-winning and best-selling leadership author, the former Vice President of the San Diego Book Awards Association, and a four-time marketing judge for the National Association of Hispanic Publications' José Martí Awards.

Sylvia shares some tips on leveraging your books as a sales tool, seeking mentorship, transition to entrepreneurialism, and much more!

John St. James has been in the leadership training business for well over 45 years. He became a certified leadership and martial arts instructor and started his teaching career at the age of 18. John attended the University of California, San Diego. He attained his bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1984 and later an advanced degree in Insurance and Risk Management from the American Institute in 1986.

John talks about finding your skill to master and offer to the world, leadership principles, continuing progress, and much more!

Erin Hatzikostas is a former Corporate CEO turned Professional Pot-Stirrer. Recently called “An up-and-coming Mel Robbins,” Erin Hatzikostas is an internationally recognized leader on the impact of authenticity in the workplace. The CEO and founder of b Authentic inc, Erin is a global keynote speaker, author of two books, You Do You(ish) and The 50% Rule, the co-host of the podcast, b Cause Work Doesn’t Have to Suck, and coach-sultant. Her TEDx Talk was one of the Top 20 globally most viewed TEDx Talks released in 2021. Her next book, The 50% Rule, is coming to bookshelves in October 2024.

Erin talks about her latest book, “The 50% Rule”, finding her professional path as an entrepreneur, and much more!

Kate is a digital innovator, chief executive, business writer, and a globally recognized speaker known as the "Tech Humanist." She is the founder and CEO of KO Insights, a strategic advisory firm that enhances human experiences at scale through data-driven and AI-led interactions. Kate has worked with prestigious clients like Google, IBM, Microsoft, and the United Nations, and she was one of the first 100 employees at Netflix.

The Tech Humanist returns to the podcast to talk about building relationships, decision making, AI, and much more!

James talks about his new book, producing his own events, running events over the internet, and much more!

Ash is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best-Selling Author and 4-times TEDx speaker. He is passionate about Branding, Growth and AI. He has spent more than a decade in the corporate world and transitioned into entrepreneur journey with helping coaches, consultants, and thought leaders become instant authority and generate numerous sources of income leveraging their book. He has helped 300+ authors from 17 different countries become international bestselling authors.

Ash talks about the similarities and differences of book authorship and sales, incorporating the use of AI, stages of book publishing, and much more!

Sonia Dumas is a dynamic speaker, income strategist, and business innovator that is showing speakers, coaches, and consultants exactly how to succeed faster in the Age of AI.

Sonia talks about the future of AI and it’s role in entrepreneurship, the benefits of offering premium services, and much more!