The Boldest Voices in Business & Culture

Chad Coleman is the Chief Brand Officer at Dude Perfect, where he leads brand strategy, creative direction and brand partnerships. Since joining in 2019, he has helped grow the brand’s global presence and fan engagement. Prior to Dude Perfect, Chad led the social and digital marketing team at Callaway Golf. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Arkansas and is a proud husband and girl dad.

Andrew Yaffe is the Chief Executive Officer of Dude Perfect, joining the team in 2024. Prior to that, he served as EVP, Head of Social, Digital, and Original Content at the NBA, where he led content strategy across platforms with over 200M+ followers and helped launch major initiatives like the NBA App and key content franchises.

Earlier in his career, Yaffe was the NBA’s Head of Global Strategy, playing a key role in launching the Basketball Africa League and NBA2KLeague. He holds an MBA from Stanford and a Public Policy degree from Duke University. He lives in Dallas with his wife, Christen, and their two children.

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Cory Cotton is one-fifth of the sports and comedy group Dude Perfect, known for sinking impossible shots and putting smiles on faces across the globe. A Jesus follower, twin, husband, and proud dad of 4, Cory loves what he does and strives to push forward Dude Perfect’s mission of being “The Most Trusted Entertainment on Earth.” He’s a huge fan of basketball and milkshakes, and is very sorry to all parents and teachers for the whole water bottle flipping thing.

Coby Cotton is one of the co-founders of Dude Perfect, one of the most popular entertainment properties in the world. With over 110 million followers, live shows in NBA Arenas, and a host of products and experiences for families, Dude Perfect is striving to be the most trusted entertainment on earth. Coby has an incredible wife and is a proud girl dad of two! He is also a passionate connoisseur of chocolate milk.

President, The Gathering, Leadership Guide, Author

Mandy Balak is the President of The Gathering, the world’s premier business and leadership Festival, where high-performance leaders and brands redefine what’s possible. A strategist, movement builder, and leadership guide, she’s spent 15+ years helping executives scale impact, build legacies, and lead with authenticity.

As a soon-to-be-published author of Chasing Enough and host of The Well Podcast, Mandy helps high-achievers break free from the endless chase for “more” and step into alignment, freedom, and fulfillment. Her work challenges leaders to think bigger, prioritize well-being, and create lasting impact—in business and life.

Claude Silver is the world's first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX, where she oversees people and culture for over 2,000 employees across 11 countries. Known for pioneering “emotional optimism,” Claude leads with empathy to create thriving, people-first workplace cultures. Under her leadership, VaynerX has grown exponentially, with its foundational company, VaynerMedia, being named Adweek’s Breakthrough Media Agency of 2022. A sought-after speaker and award-winning leader, she has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, and Fast Company, inspiring others to embrace empathy as a driver of growth and transformation.

Marketing professional focused on brand and platform development across sports and entertainment. Experience with progressive brands, including adidas, EA SPORTS, Audi, TAG Heuer, Heineken, and others.

Anuj Bhasin is the Chief Brand Officer at Gatorade, where he oversees marketing, innovation, consumer engagement, and community impact across the Gatorade, Propel and LIFEWTR brands.

A 14-year PepsiCo veteran, Anuj has held several roles across the Gatorade Portfolio, marketing, brand strategy and innovation. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Marketing & General Manager, Gatorade Brands, where he oversaw Gatorade’s Direct to Consumer evolution along with marketing efforts for Muscle Milk, Evolve and Propel.

Throughout his tenure, Anuj has played a key role in elevating the cultural relevance of Gatorade’s sport and fitness brands through partnerships and campaigns with some of the world’s most famous athletes and celebrities. He was also integral in driving growth on a global scale for the Gatorade Portfolio with a key focus on international market expansion. He also managed short-term business deliverables and strategic planning for several platforms within the Gatorade Portfolio, including Gatorade Thirst Quencher, and Gatorade beverage enhancers, as well as the development of the Gatorade Prime Energy Chew Innovation Platform.

Prior to Gatorade, Anuj spent time working as a brand manager for Kraft Foods, and as a buyer for Macy’s. He is a graduate of University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and Washington University in St. Louis. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Priya, and two young sons, Shail and Sahil, but still roots for his University of Maryland Terps.

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Lori Hatcher is a brand builder, challenger, and innovator and Chief Marketing Officer for Kicking Horse Coffee. She sees life as a continuous journey and is endlessing finding ways to create the new and different, and to enhance the experience for those around her. 

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Having spent over 15 years shaping some of the world’s most iconic brands, including General Mills, Canada Goose and Truss Beverages Co.,  Kicking Horse Coffee provided Lori with a unique opportunity - to take a brand with equity dating back to the mid-90s and develop its first ever marketing strategy - and challenge the coffee industry in Canada like never before.

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Under Lori’s leadership, Kicking Horse Coffee launched its first-ever North American brand campaign - Kickstart Your Heart - aimed at bringing Kicking Horse Coffees’ story to new consumers that, like the coffee, is a big, bold kick in the ass. 

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Recognized as one of Canada’s leading marketers, Lori is well known for her transformational leadership approach to the brands she builds and the teams she leads.  A traditionally trained CPG marketer, Lori has applied those skills to some of the most successful market disruptors from cannabis beverages to coffee. 

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In her spare time, Lori loves bringing her friends together over a delicious meal, as well as vacationing with her family at her cottage in Newfoundland. It’s here she gets to explore her true passion for being outdoors and connecting with nature.

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Alex is a copywriter, marketing strategist and the founder of the Copy Posse, the raddest, baddest crew of copywriters on the Internet with over 500,000 students worldwide.⁣

Alex got her start in the marketing world in 2008 when she accepted an internship at Mindvalley and quickly became part of the executive team that grew the company 3X to over 8 figures in annual revenue.

Alex left her position as Creative Director at Mindvalley in 2011 to start her own successful consulting and copywriting business. Since then she has helped launch several successful brands and has proudly partnered with many of the hottest transformational authors and businesses on the planet, writing high-converting sales copy, scaling multi-million dollar brands, and crafting iconic promotional campaigns.⁣

⁣In 2020, she founded the Copy Posse, an online academy dedicated to helping copywriters and entrepreneurs from around the world ignite their businesses with her fun and empathetic approach to branding, marketing and copywriting.

Alex has been featured on Forbes, Mindvalley, and Foundr. She is a 5-time speaker at Ad World, was crowned 2022 Marketer of the Year by DigitalMarketer, was voted #1 most popular copywriter in 2023, and received the Game Changer Award at the Women of Inspiration Awards in 2024.

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Jon Gordon – Best-Selling Author and Keynote Speaker

Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous Fortune 500 companies, professional and college sports teams, school districts, hospitals, and non-profits. He is the author of 30 books including 17 best sellers and 5 children’s books. His books include the timeless classic The Energy Bus which has sold over 3 million copies, The Carpenter which was a top 5 business book of the year, Training Camp, The Power of Positive Leadership, The Power of a Positive Team, The Coffee Bean, Stay Positive, The Garden, Relationship Grit and his new release The One Truth. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Los Angeles Dodgers, In-N-Out Burger, The Los Angeles Rams, Campbell Soup, Dell, Publix, Southwest Airlines, The Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, The Colorado Rockies, Truist Bank, Clemson Football, Northwestern Mutual, Bayer, West Point Academy and more. Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.

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Jo leads Whalar, part of The Whalar Group, with a visionary approach, forging pivotal relationships with brands, Creators, platforms and strategic partners to drive innovative growth.

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She has led core partnerships across some of the world’s leading brands, including: Amazon, Estee Lauder Companies, Google, the NFL and Spotify, and forged global marketing collaborations with LinkedIn, Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter/X and YouTube.

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Jo champions Creators and, in 2023, co-founded Whalar Group’s Creator venture studio, Moby Ventures, developing products and brands with and for Creators.

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Jo joined Whalar with over 16 years of media experience. Splitting her career between London and NYC, she brings a unique bi-global perspective to her current role in NYC.

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Bryce Adams has spent the last nine years creating award winning influencer marketing programs for brands like Buick, Verizon, Unilever, Uber, the NBA and many others. His passion is helping partners navigate complex business opportunities to create successful outcomes by deepening the connection consumers feel to their brand.

Nicole Wingard is a viral marketing architect, brand storyteller, and the force behind one of the most successful short-form campaigns in the beverage industry. Best known as the co-creator and face of the “Best Marketing Strategy Ever”, Nicole helped rebrand Mixoloshe, a non-alcoholic cocktail company, into the now-iconic SMASHD, generating over 120 million views, half a million followers, and a 1200% revenue increase in just 60 days. As SMASHD’s Chief Smash Officer, Nicole didn’t just lead content strategy—she was the content. Her can-smashing videos activated a nationwide grassroots movement dubbed the “Smash Army,” which sparked features in AdAge, Gary Vee’s podcast, and LinkedIn’s top marketing newsletters, and catapulted two product lines to sold-out status. The campaign is now cited in books, podcasts, and agency playbooks as a masterclass in authentic, community-driven marketing. Now she works with Gallery Media Group as a Creative Strategist ideating content for some of the most iconic brands in the US. Nicole is a seasoned public speaker and four-time finalist in the Miss Texas pageant, where she used her platform to launch her “Rise Above” podcast and college tour advocating for sexual assault prevention. When she’s not helping brands go viral, you can find her volunteering as the Program Director for an international high school debate team, finding all the best coffee shops to try with her fiance, and reading mystery novels.

Evan Jones has served as Chief Marketing Officer at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC), the world's leading musical instruments manufacturer, since 2015. In this role he leads Fender's global marketing strategy and investments to drive growth, elevate the brand, deepen consumer engagement across Fender's brand channels, and fuel an expanding global community of Fender artists, players, creators and influencers.

During his tenure, Jones has led the transformation of Fender's marketing approach, elevating and amplifying the brand's relationships with artists & musicians, driving global demand for Fender product innovation and key product categories, expanding the brand's reach to younger, more diverse, global audiences, and helping establish Fender's digital foundation and ecosystem including platforms like Fender Play and Fender Tune. His leadership has contributed to triple-digit growth across Fender's brand channels, driven parallel triple-digit expansion of Fender's global business, and substantially grown Fender's overall market share. Jones also helped develop the Fender Play Foundation, which has provided over 15,000 instruments to students in LAUSD.

Prior to joining Fender, Jones was CMO at New Era Cap Co. and has held previous leadership positions at other companies including Activision/Blizzard (Guitar Hero), and DC Shoes/Quiksilver. Jones started his career at Nike, where he spent 12+ years in various marketing and sales roles in Europe and in the United States, including leading Nike Basketball marketing in the US from 2004-2007.

A lifelong music and sports enthusiast, Jones played professional basketball in Europe after earning his Bachelor's degree from UC Davis. He bought his first Fender American Standard Stratocaster in 1995 and continues to play, write, and record music. Jones lives in Los Angeles with his wife Kirsten and their three children.

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Bill Neff is the Head of Marketing at YETI, where he leads the company's global marketing strategies and initiatives. His innovative approach to brand development has significantly enhanced YETI's market presence and community engagement.

Bill joined YETI in 2015 and has since held various critical roles, including Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Customer Experience, Vice President of Marketing for EMEA, and Vice President of Consumer Marketing. These roles have allowed him to drive YETI’s brand growth and reputation for high-quality outdoor lifestyle products​.

One of Bill's notable contributions is the "YETI Presents" film series, which emphasizes the brand's commitment to storytelling and community. This initiative has helped YETI connect deeply with its audience by celebrating outdoor adventures and the communities that thrive within them.

Before joining YETI, Bill gained extensive marketing experience at SITKA Gear, 901 Tequila, and Under Armour. His career began as an Assistant Buyer at May Department Stores, highlighting his long-standing dedication to the field of marketing.

Bill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing from Truman State University. His passion for the outdoors and deep understanding of consumer behavior make him a key figure in YETI’s ongoing success and growth

Chris Kneeland is an advisor, brand builder, marketer, revenue generator, profit producer, and thought provoker. He is an enabler of big ideas and ideal experiences and a dedicated enthusiast of cult brands. At his core, Kneeland is a teacher who finds his greatest joy in learning and helping others apply new principles or concepts.

Co-founder of Cult, Kneeland established the company to assist business owners and brand leaders in elevating their thinking about the possibilities for their companies and careers. This mission is rooted in his extensive research into the world's most cult-like brands. Kneeland is driven by a daily commitment to making businesses more deserving of brand advocates who not only purchase more but also buy into the brand’s ethos.

Kneeland combines a unique blend of data-driven insights and instincts to enhance customer and employee experiences, ultimately fostering stronger brand attachment. His professional purpose centers on helping businesses become more successful and significant by engaging customers, prospects, and staff on a deeper emotional level. Through empathy and expertise, Kneeland and his team assist organizations in creating better products, programs, and value propositions that boost brand relevance and make their offerings irresistible.

Kneeland’s approach emphasizes not just communication but meaningful interaction, striving for clear and compelling engagement that leads to category dominance. He finds fulfillment in significantly improving the trajectory of companies and elevating people's understanding of their true potential.

In summary, Chris Kneeland is a strategic leader dedicated to helping businesses achieve greater success and significance through enhanced brand engagement and customer experiences. His passion for teaching and his expertise in building cult-like brands make him a valuable asset in the marketing community.

Veronica Romney is a 16+ year marketing leadership expert, international speaker, podcast host, and the proud creator of the Rainmaker Residency™ programs. As a former Speaker and Trainer for Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi, Chief of Staff at BossBabe, Director of Marketing Suite Products for a $2B evaluated software company, and former Marketing Agency Owner, she’s had the privilege of witnessing the marketing industry's evolution firsthand from every angle possible.

Whether through keynotes, workshops, or strategic consultations, Veronica’s mission is to empower marketing teams not only to perform better and generate record-breaking revenue results but also reignite their passion for their work, fostering a culture of proactivity and long-term commitment within their companies.

When not helping her members and private clients “make it rain”, you can find her hosting the Rainmaker Podcast, writing her upcoming marketing + leadership book, and wrangling her two man cubs in the beautiful oak trees of North Carolina.

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With over 15 years of experience as a wellness professional, Randelle Lusk brings a rich blend of expertise as a yoga teacher, meditation guide, conscious leadership coach, and somatics educator. Drawing from her extensive studies and personal journey, she founded Rare Method, a somatic-informed approach that weaves together movement, meditation, and self-inquiry to support nervous system health and foster lasting transformation, both personally and professionally.

With over 14 years of experience in the natural food industry, James Boettcher is dedicated to fostering a culture and community that supports and empowers his team, customers, and partners. As the Chief Empowerment Officer and Custodian of Culture at Righteous Gelato, James leads with a compelling vision, clear communication, and unwavering determination, inspiring those around him to strive for excellence.

James has a proven track record of success in business planning, marketing, sales, and entrepreneurship, highlighted by his numerous awards, including the 2018 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, the ATB We Grow Alberta Award, and the Cut Red Tape Award. As a leader within a certified B Corporation, he is committed to social and environmental responsibility, believing that shared food experiences have the power to build communities, support small businesses, and transform spaces. This belief also led him to co-found Taiko Canteen and YYCFoodTrucks, two innovative ventures that celebrate the diversity and creativity of the local food scene.

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