*Click on the link below the speakers' bios to download their breakout presentations.
Shawn Achor
Founder of Good Think Inc.‚ and Author of The Happiness Advantage
Shawn, magna cum laude Harvard graduate, spent more than a decade teaching at Harvard University. While at Harvard, he won numerous awards for his work, especially for the Head Teaching Fellow for "Positive Psychology". Founder of Good Think Inc.‚ he shares his research with a wider population from bankers on Wall Street‚ students in Dubai‚ to CEOs in Zimbabwe. When the global economy collapsed in 2008‚ Shawn was immediately called in as an expert by the world's largest banks to help restart forward progress. Shawn's research on happiness and human potential has received attention from the Harvard Business Review‚ New York Times‚ Forbes‚ CNN‚ and NPR.
Doc Hendley
2009 CNN Hero and President/Founder of Wine to Water
As a bartender and musician in the Raleigh area‚ Doc dreamed of an organization that would provide clean water to people around the world. By pouring wine and playing music‚ Doc was able to raise money and fund his first trip to Darfur‚ Sudan installing water systems for victims of the government supported genocide. This trip would only strengthen Doc's need to provide clean water. In 2007‚ after working two jobs and volunteering his time for 3 years‚ Wine To Water became reality. He now has projects in 9 different countries around the world and has saved thousands of lives by providing humanity’s most basic need and right‚ clean drinking water.
Erika Napoletano
Head Redhead at RHW Media‚ Author of The Power of
Unpopular‚ Columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine
As the person behind the RedheadWriting online persona‚ she’s been hailed by Forbes as a "spinless spin doctor" for her BS-free perspectives on business‚ marketing‚ branding‚ and life in general. As the Head Redhead at RHW Media‚ she works with companies from all walks of life to keep them from looking like idiots online. She’s a twice-published author‚ including The Power of Unpopular (Wiley 2012)‚ a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine‚ and speaks at conferences across the U.S. on the inherent power of truth in business... or as she refers to it‚ the power of unpopularity.
Erik Wahl
Founder of the Wahl Group and Philosopher of The Art of Vision
Erik started working in the business world and playing with his art‚ he now plays in the business world by working with his art. Founder of The Wahl Group‚ a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations identify and implement breakthrough thinking to achieve extraordinary results. His most popular lecture‚ Art of Vision is a program specifically designed to help companies utilize unconventional wisdom and build a vision for their future. Erik’s special blend of warmth‚ humor and experience helps audiences identify their unchallenged roadblocks to success. He is passionately committed to helping businesses explore new levels of vision and performance through creativity.
Marianne Williamson
Best Selling Author of A Return to Love and The Age of Miracles
and Founder of Project Angel Food
Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed spiritual author and lecturer. An author of 10 books‚ 6 of which have been on the New York Times Best Sellers List. She founded Project Angel Food‚ a meals-on-wheels program that serves homebound people with AIDS in the Los Angeles area. Today‚ Project Angel Food serves over 1‚000 people daily. A NEWSWEEK magazine poll named Marianne Williamson one of the fifty most influential baby boomers. According to Time magazine‚ "Yoga‚ the Cabala and Marianne Williamson have been taken up by those seeking a relationship with God that is not strictly tethered to Christianity."
Michael Baker
Neill® Creative Director‚ Editorial Hairdresser‚ and Five-Time NAHA Nominee
With 34 years of experience under his stylist belt‚ Michael has taken the salon industry by its horns. He's been a salon owner, editorial hairdresser in New York and Los Angeles, creative director for Van Michael Salon and Neill® Corporation, and art director for Serious Business®. Not to mention, Michael's also a five-time NAHA nominee. Wake up to Michael opening up Serious Business® 2013!
Dr. Eric Snow
Board-Certified Chiropractic Physician and Certified in Applied Clinical Nutrition
Dr. Eric Snow is a Board-Certified Chiropractic Physician and is certified in Applied Clinical Nutrition. Dr. Snow’s philosophy is simple—A body with a properly functioning nervous system that is provided the specific nutrition it needs‚ will heal in seemingly miraculous ways‚ thanks to its innate healing ability. Dr. Snow has helped many people with a broad range of chronic and debilitating conditions. His passion is working with people interested in making lifestyle changes for better health and longevity.
Virginia Meyer
Chief Operating Officer and Cofounder of redCHOCOLATE
Virginia Meyer is a respected 20-year salon industry veteran and a passionate advocate of beauty industry education. She's done it all from managing her own successful salon to leading the Aveda Education Network. Virginia’s mantra is "good to great" and is passionate about creating the condition that allows colorists and salons to step into their vision of excellence. As cofounder and chief operating officer of redCHOCOLATE‚ Virginia is responsible for day-to-day operations of the company‚ overall strategy‚ vision and operations.
David Adams
President and Cofounder of redCHOCOLATE
David’s lifelong love of artistry led him to a career in hairdressing—and ultimately‚ a globally known and respected specialist in color. David has a twofold philosophy: To create work that speaks to the hairdresser through inspiring images‚ and to provide education that sustains the artist within him or her; which is exactly what he does as founder and president of newly formed redCHOCOLATE. As if that wasn't enough‚ David Adams is also held in high regard among the art‚ fashion and music worlds‚ garnering an enviable list of celebrity clients including Heather Graham and Jude Law and has also worked for fashion greats like Alexander McQueen and Prada.
Jeanine O'Neill-Blackwell
President/CEO of Inyu Training® & 4MAT 4Business®, Author of Engage
Jeanine O’Neill-Blackwell is the President/CEO of inyu training® and 4MAT 4Business® which delivers training and tools for leaders‚ managers‚ coaches and trainers to improve performance through high individual and team engagement. With over 20 years of experience‚ Jeanine has been inspiring high performance in the professional salon industry. She works with many powerhouse global learning organizations focused on improving performance such as 3M‚ Aveda and Cabela’s Sporting Goods to name just a few. She is the author of Engage‚ The Trainer’s Guide to Learning Styles and co-author of Hold On‚ You Lost Me! Use Learning Styles to Create Training that Sticks.
Keri Davis
President of Gila Rut Aveda Salons and 2012 NAHA
Master of Business Award Recipient
With 27 years of experience in the beauty business‚ Keri Davis is commonly known as the "educator’s educator". Her salons have been ranked in the Top 200 for the past seven years and featured in numerous trade magazines‚ including DAYSPA‚ Salon News‚ Estetica‚ American Salon and Salon Today. As a NAHA MBA (Masters of Business Award) finalist in 2011 and winner in 2012‚ Keri’s focus on team‚ systems and strategies for ongoing growth is unmatched in the industry. Her humor‚ warmth and depth of knowledge have made her a source of industry-wide inspiration.
Krisstina Wise
CEO/Founder of The GoodLife Team and Winner of the 2010
Inman Innovator of the Year Award
Krisstina Wise is the founder and CEO of The GoodLife Team—a leading independent brokerage in Austin, TX. As the 2010 winner of the highly acclaimed "Inman Innovator of the Year" award, her company, The GoodLife Team, is nationally recognized in the U.S. for its innovation and early adoption of high technologies, real estate social marketing and vmedia practices, social networking expertise, search engine optimization and website strategies. In the last 18 months, Krisstina and The GoodLife Team have been featured in more than 15 publications as a new model for real estate; recognized by Apple Computer as an innovative small business; asked by Evernote to be an Evernote Ambassador for Real Estate; featured in HGTV's Property Virgins; and have been identified two years in a row as an Austin "Best Places to Work."
Martin Kaufmann
General Manager of Aveda North America
Recently appointed as the General Manager, Aveda North America, Martin Kaufmann leads the acceleration of Aveda's growth in North America, with oversight of Aveda Retail and Institute Development, Salon/Spa Sales and Education, New Business and Applied Marketing teams. With more than 17 years of experience in the professional and consumer beauty industries, Martin has a strong passion for the brand's mission. He is a philanthropist who served as advisor to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a non-profit organization that both empowers and enables people and institutions to plan, manage, conserve and use natural resources in a sustainable and equitable manner to achieve their objectives.
Antony Whitaker
Two-Time Australian Hairdresser of the Year, World-Renowned
Educator and Author of Grow
Antony Whitaker is acknowledged globally as one of the industry's most passionate educators, presenting powerful motivational seminars. Antony's talents have taken him to over forty countries presenting to in excess of 225,000 people and his photographic images and articles that have been published in over fifty trade and fashion magazines. His past accolades include the French Grand Trophy of the Professional Press Association, Best Commercial Hairstyle [Paris] and two time winner of Australian Hairdresser of the Year to just name a few. Since 2004, Antony has been living in the UK presenting shows and seminars to a global audience. More recently, Antony has replaced his scissors with a pen releasing his first two highly acclaimed books "GROW" which is Antony's contribution to creating the " Super-stylist" a term he uses to describe a fresh breed of hungry, productive, well-rewarded hair professionals who live life and their careers to the fullest. The second book "GROW 2", a management bible for today's salon owner, was released in November 2011 and has been an instant success.
Jón and Alan Snetman
Owners of Jón Alan Salon
She's the Director of Operations, he's the Director of Fun, and together this dynamic duo have the recipe for success. Having been salon owners for 35 of their 37 years of marriage, Jón and Alan have built a career and family in the beauty industry. From one location with four employees to a multi-location, multi-million dollar company, they have experienced the trials and triumphs that all salon owners face overcoming adversity and continuing to grow. Through hard work, experience, and perseverance, Jón Alan Salons have gained recognition as one of Salon Today's Top 200 fastest growing salons for five consecutive years making surviving and thriving look easy!
Arsalan Hafezi
Owner of Modern Salon & Spa
Business tycoon, Arsalan Hafezi, dove head first into the salon industry in 1989. The inspiration behind the business, his wife Arezo, became his business partner and creative leader. What started as a humble two-chair salon, has now become a household name in Charlotte, North Carolina. With five thriving locations, Arsalan has learned what it takes to maintain guest loyalty and grow a successful business in the midst of a faltering era. Modern Salon & Spa, no stranger to adversity, has prevailed as a result of Arsalan's arduous actions. From day one, twenty four years ago, Arsalan has proven that facing difficult decisions is essential to a prosperous business.
