Long Shot Leaders with Michael Stein

Jen Ruiz is a lawyer turned full-time travel blogger and author. She is a 5-time Amazon bestselling author, 3-time TEDx speaker and award-winning travel journalist. She has been featured by The Washington Post, Forbes and ABC News and is the solo female traveler behind Jen on a Jet Plane.

Katy Trost is a coach and advisor to CEOs and founders at Series B and beyond. She helps them become more effective leaders and navigate the challenges of scaling people and operations.   Her clients include some of the fastest-growing companies in both the US and UK tech ecosystem, backed by leading investors, including SoftBank, First Round, Felix, Octopus, Inflexion, and more.   Katy is also a coach and judge to Tech Nation Future Fifty and Upscale, Octopus Ventures, Founders Forum, Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs, PwC Fintech, and the Mayor of London Mentoring Program as well as a member of the board of advisors for various startups.

In his words: For years, my Linkedin headline was “The World’s Most Handsome Social Media & Content Marketing Strategist.” Today, I prefer to go by another title: Superhero. I’m Jeff Gibbard, a professional keynote speaker, author, and believer in the idea that with enough superheroes, we can change the world. I spent more than a decade of my life working in digital marketing, and after all that time, I don’t think I made the world any better than had I sat on my couch. Sure, I helped clients sell more stuff Sure, I liked my clients …but something was missing I wanted to make an impact. I wanted to fix our broken culture of work. I wanted to help more people find meaning and purpose in the work that monopolizes the majority of our waking hours. I want safer workplaces, more inclusive cultures, and more people recognizing the abilities they have to make a difference. All of this is how we will create a world that is kinder, safer, and more equitable.

Based in Sydney, Australia and with over a decade of experience in the industry, my journey as a professional MC began in April 2021. Since then, I have established myself as a leading figure in the Australian event scene, having hosted over 100 events and counting. I have had the opportunity to work on a wide range of events, from weddings and festivals, to gala evenings and award nights, to charity events and trivia nights. My passion for entertaining and creating unforgettable celebrations began early on as a high school competitive public speaker. Since then, I've had the privilege of hosting thousands of events and leaving audiences with lasting memories. I love the energy of live events and the opportunity to connect with audiences. Being able to help create unforgettable celebrations is truly a privilege and my ultimate goal. My career has taken me across the world, notably Europe, North America, and the South Pacific as a former Entertainment Host with Princess Cruises. Now I bring my diverse experience and unique blend of professional experience, humour, and dynamism to every event I emcee here in Australia all year around.  One of my greatest strengths is my ability to connect with audiences and create a lively atmosphere. My dynamic stage presence, charming smile, and professional attitude have earned me a reputation for being able to elevate any event to the next level. Major organisations that I have performed for include the REA Group, the Marlow Hotel Group, University of Wollongong, Nectr Energy, MG Motor Australia, Standards Australia, and local city councils including Campbelltown and the Northern Beaches. I'm also a preferred vendor for numerous wedding venues across NSW, including Burnham Grove Estate, The William Inglis Hotel, and Glenworth Valley.

Andrew Alexander King is founder of The Between Worlds Project nonprofit and an African American explorer (alpinist, big wave surfer, and free diver) who was born in Detroit, Michigan.   Voted one of the top 20 Most Influential people in the Outdoor Industry. He has climbed over 50 different mountains around the world from Kilimanjaro to the highest mountain in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans to the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, and surfed big waves in Mexico, Europe and Hawaii Andrew is currently training and climbing towards being the first African American to summit the highest mountain and volcano on each continent to speak out against racism sexism, climate change, and economic barriers. He is strong believer in developing sustainable relationships with non-profits and other humanitarian organizations along the journey with The Between Worlds Project Foundation that he founded and developed.

Charles Carillo is the managing partner of Harborside Partners; a real estate syndication firm and has been actively investing in multifamily and commercial real estate since 2006. Since that time, he has invested in over $200 million worth of investment real estate. Charles is also the host of the Global Investors Podcast, where he interviews professionals about investing in U.S. real estate.

Underwater and wildlife photographer, award-winning film producer, and eco-tourism activist, Jorge has been sharing his love for the ocean and its creatures for the past decade. He has worked hand in hand with fishing communities in Baja to develop open ocean tourism as an alternative to fishing and produced the award-winning documentary film México Pelágico. Jorge founded a major liveaboard and ocean safari operation where he also envisioned & designed one of the top liveaboard vessels in the world.   As an underwater photographer, Jorge has documented unique, never before seen marine behavior. Swimming along orcas while they hunt pelagic rays in the Sea of Cortez, lurking amongst crocodiles and anacondas alike, or freediving with great white sharks in Guadalupe Island are only some of the moments that Jorge captures in his images. His work has been featured by National Geographic, Wired, Ocean Geographic, Apple and Samsung, among many others.   A two-time TED speaker, Jorge has been an ambassador for Discovery Channel, Nauticam, The Outdoor Journal, Blancpain, and KIA. Founding Board Member when the Revillagigedo National Park was created in 2017 and a former Advisory Board Member at the Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve. ​ During COVID lockdown, Jorge co-produced and hosted The Hydrophone, a limited 10-episode podcast where he chats with award-winning cinematographers, conservationists, and other relevant figures of the ocean world.   In his most recent venture, Jorge founded the adventure travel firm Sherpa GX in 2023 with the purpose of sharing his love for the natural world through world class expeditions to the wildest places on Earth.

Matt is a successful entrepreneur and veteran in the corporate world where he has specialized in sales, coaching, recruiting, and sales management throughout his career. He acquired his formal education at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC with a double major in Psychology and Business Economics. Matt’s career has been highlighted by his passion for his customers and people. He has grown his reputation on the platforms of integrity for doing the right thing the right way and his highly-energetic and enthusiastic personality. Matt’s career has been highlighted by his passion for his customers and people. His career sales totals exceed $130 Million. He’s coached and given talks within organizations such as Equitable, Vector Marketing, Red Hat, CoreNet, EO (Entrepreneur’s Organization), Oracle, Bank of America, Tarkett, Rheem, Google, and Front Row Dads. He has grown his reputation on the platforms of integrity for doing the right thing the right way and his highly energetic and enthusiastic personality. Matt lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife Julie and their 3 young daughters where he enjoys being a scratch golfer, avid sports fan, real estate investor, and a VERY active family man 😊.   One of the recent defining moments in Matt’s career came as a result of a freak zipline accident in 2015. As he was speeding down a zipline, the attachment to the line broke and sent him falling to the ground where he crash-landed directly on his spine. Over the next 9 months his physical health deteriorated to the point where he ultimately wasn’t able to walk anymore and was in constant excruciating pain. Using his strategy of “let your adversities guide your growth”, he turned this great challenge into a great teacher and coached and spoke to teams and companies as he was literally lying flat on his back in his home office. Ultimately 2016 was his best year in business up to that date and Matt credits the support of his family and the preparation of his mindset through “eternal optimism” for his success. Listen to The Eternal Optimist Podcast on all major podcast platforms!

How to create a successful career as a music artist with self-made recording artist & author Cliff Beach Musician and Author Cliff Beach has been performing live for more than 20 years. His single “Confident” was featured on Spotify All Funked Up and Funk Drive playlists with over 875K+ streams. He is the host of the Deeper Grooves Podcast and Deeper Grooves on 885FM. Beach is the author of Side Hustle & Flow, which chronicles his musical journey while still working a day job. He has written previously for Beautytap, Pepperdine and Rock Star Life. He is the winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize, 2 World Songwriting Awards, 4 Global Music Awards, a California Music Video & Film Award and nominated for 4 LA Music Awards, 1 Hollywood Music & Media Award, and 1 Independent Music Award and more. His music has been recently featured on the CW, HBO MAX and in a BMW spot.

How to Overcome and compete after a major injury with endurance athlete Eric Hinman In His Words:  I Share This Life Story 10 days before Ironman Lake Placid, on a routine training ride, my forearms slipped from my aero-bars and I crashed into a ditch. It hurt like hell! A trip to the emergency room ensued. The verdict, no broken bones, 20 stitches in my chin, a mangled and stitched finger, and epic road rash. After, I was left questioning the nurse. Can I swim tomorrow? Can I run tomorrow? Can I bike tomorrow? Can I race Ironman Lake Placid in 10 days? The answers were all “NO”! Disobediently, I rode the next day with a bag on my hand, to avoid getting the stitches wet. I ran the following day, ziplock bag on hand! I swam for the first time one day before Lake Placid (one day after my stitches were taken out). The pain from the water pressure on my finger was nearly unbearable. Should I race? Can I race? Both were questions I asked myself in the days leading up to toeing the water on Mirror Lake Beach where the 2.4 mile swim would commence. I raced. The adrenaline trumped the pain. I crushed it and qualified for the World Championships in Kona Hawaii. I share this story, because it taught me many life lessons. Don’t let hardship interrupt your dreams. Find a way. Conquer what you’ve set out to do. Anything is possible.