2025 Conference Keynotes

Alyssa Dver & Molly Barker

Morning Keynote Speaker

Alyssa Dver

PRESENTS

The Smart Woman's Confidence Conundrum

Society rewards women for being accomplished, but if you promote your accomplishments too proudly, you’re criticized for it. Every day, at work and at home, you are surrounded by conflicting messages: Be a badass, but don’t be a bitch. Be authentic and fake it ‘til you make it. Be a supportive partner, colleague, parent and friend but prioritize your own wellbeing. And while they’re at it, reduce stress, be grateful, find a purpose, create a personal brand and do everything with style and executive presence. No wonder women are confused, and their confidence is compromised. In this keynote, The Confidence Expert, Alyssa Dver, discusses what can be done to manage this cognitive chaos. She’ll debunk the social myths at the root of the chaos and share the science and secrets that will give you real confidence, right now.

Recognize the conflicting social objectives that sabotage women's confidence.

Be able to decode the messages that create undesired behaviors and how to intercept them.

Calibrate your priorities and partner with your inner critic in a productive way.

Meet Alyssa Dver

Confidence Crusader. Neuro Nerd. Success Equalizer.

Alyssa’s mission is to bring more real confidence to the world, and she does it with both edge and empathy. As the founder and CEO of the American Confidence Institute and the ERG Leadership Alliance, she’s the go-to expert empowering people to lead stronger, coach better, and pitch smarter.

With her signature mix of brain science savvy and real-world insight, her high-energy keynotes and interactive workshops activate audiences—from Amazon to Unilever, The World Bank to Honda—sparking cultural transformation and deep employee engagement across industries and continents.

But Alyssa is not just a speaker—she’s a teacher, preacher, big sister and business leader all wrapped into one.

She’s the author of 8 books, with her latest two earning International Book Excellence Awards and endorsements from thought leaders at Harvard, Wharton, MIT, Yale, UC Berkeley, and more. She was named one of the Top 10 Pioneering Women Leaders in Business by Chief Navigators and honored as a Thought Leader by the Stevie Awards. She’s an advisor at several entrepreneurial centers and the Confidence Educator for L’Oréal’s IT Cosmetics brand. Catch her in action on her two TED talks or tune into her refreshingly honest podcast, Real Confidence.

Afternoon Keynote Speaker

Molly Barker

PRESENTS

Leading with Authenticity: Fearlessly Bringing Your True Self to Leadership Positions

This empowering workshop is designed for women who want to embrace their true selves and lead with confidence, courage, and authenticity. Too often, societal expectations and self-doubt hold women back from fully stepping into leadership. Through reflective exercises, dynamic discussions, and experiential activities, participants will explore their unique leadership strengths, overcome fear-based barriers, and cultivate a leadership style rooted in their core values.

Identify and articulate personal leadership strengths by engaging in reflective exercises that uncover individual talents, values, and authentic leadership styles.

Recognize and challenge internal and external barriers—such as self-doubt and societal expectations—that inhibit confident and courageous leadership.

Develop a personalized action plan to lead with greater authenticity, confidence, and alignment with one's core values in both personal and professional contexts.

Meet Molly Barker

Real. Honest. Bold. Storyteller.

Molly Barker is an American educator, social entrepreneur, and visionary. She holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is best known as the founder of Girls on the Run International. She founded the running-life skills development program in 1996 with 13 girls in Charlotte, NC. A four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete and elite cyclist (Olympic Trials qualifier in 1996) Molly used her background in social work, counseling, and teaching to develop the curriculum. Since then, the program has inspired over 2.25 million girls to know and activate their limitless potential.

Molly is currently a sought-after public speaker, known for her vulnerability, wit, storytelling, and authenticity and is the author of three books. She speaks to a variety of audiences, including kids to corporations and everything in between! She is currently writing a memoir.

Molly has won multiple awards for her activism, including “the Distinguished Alumni Award” given by her alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, “The Daily Point of Light Award” given by Presidents’ Barack Obama and George H.W. Bush at a ceremony at the White House, and was selected by Runner’s World Magazine as one of the top 50 Most Influential People in the Sport of Running.