Luvvie Ajayi is an award-winning author, speaker and digital strategist who thrives at the intersection of comedy, technology and activism.
Her debut book, I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual was an instant New York Times best-seller. It’s a collection of essays that critiques our fame-obsessed, social media-centric lives, while encouraging us to do better. The 15-year blogging veteran uses her blog AwesomelyLuvvie.com to covers all things pop culture with razor sharp commentary and wit. She recently launched a podcast called Rants and Randomness where she shares her most pressing rants, raves and faves while interviewing some of the most interesting people you know (and some you might not).
The University of Illinois alum is a sought-after speaker who has spoken at the Obama White House, MAKERS Conference, SXSW, Social Media Week, among others. She has interviewed bosses like Oprah Winfrey, Geena Davis and Shonda Rhimes.
Luvvie was selected to Oprah Winfrey’s inaugural Supersoul 100 list, voted as the Influencer of the Year at the 2016 Iris Awards and was chosen as a Black Innovator by XFINITY Comcast. She is committed to using her voice for pop culture critique and gender and racial justice.
Check out her latest podcast.
Saundra Davis, MSFP, APFC®, FBS® is a US Navy veteran, financial coach, educator, and consultant who is nationally recognized as an expert in the financial coaching field and for her work with community-based organizations that focus on asset building for the working poor.
She developed and facilitates the Financial Fitness Coach certification program to promote the highest standard for professional services for all people, irrespective of wealth and income.
Her experience in the U.S. Navy, where she made EVERY money mistake possible, and her twenty years serving community-based organizations led her to the reality that the best way to help people find a path out of poverty is to help them become their OWN financial expert.
Ms. Davis is the founder and Executive Director of Sage Financial Solutions, a San Francisco Bay Area based organization that develops comprehensive financial capability programs for low- and moderate-income communities throughout the United States. She is a Financial Behavior Specialist and her philosophy of the financial continuum of care continues to shape the financial capability and coaching efforts around the country.
Saundra holds a B.S. in Management and an M.S. in Financial Planning from Golden Gate University where she is currently an Distinguished Adjunct Professor in the Personal Financial Planning program.
Instagram @lynnettekhalfanicox
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach®, is a personal finance expert, television personality, speaker, and a New York Times bestselling author.
Lynnette is a former financial news journalist, who now teaches individuals nationwide how to better manage their finances, especially credit and debt. She has appeared on hundreds of TV programs, includingOprah, The Talk, Dr. Oz, The Steve Harvey Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America and more.
As the CEO of TheMoneyCoach.net LLC , a financial education company, Lynnette oversees all content, marketing and operational efforts; serves as spokesperson for the company; and is responsible for the overall editorial direction of the company’s main consumer site, AskTheMoneyCoach.com , and its video-based personal finance platform, MoneyCoachUniversity.com.
Before launching TheMoneyCoach.net in 2003, Lynnette was a Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, where she covered business and personal finance news.
Lynnette spent nearly 10 years at Dow Jones & Co. Inc. working as a reporter, bureau chief, deputy managing editor and personal finance editor.
Author of eighteen titles; four-time New York Times bestselling author; five-time NAACP Image Award recipient; three-time Gracie Award winner; and three-time Honorary Degree recipient, are not the best ways to describe Iyanla Vanzant.
Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother; good girlfriend, wise woman, life coach, spiritual teacher and technician, attorney, and "the fixer" are better but still, not quite right. Minister, prayer warrior, servant, cultural custodian and student of life are the words she would use because this captures the presence of her being and the essence of her soul.
Rev. Dr. Iyanla Vanzant, author and internationally renowned speaker in the fields of personal development, relationships and spiritual empowerment is best known for her riveting work as the host and Executive Producer of, Iyanla Fix My Life, on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Oprah herself has called Iyanla, "the most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher, on the planet." Susan Taylor, former editor of Essence Magazine calls her; "The real deal, in the arena of personal healing and growth." Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love says, "Iyanla is a walking, talking, miracle in heels, who carries the energy to heal the masses." Many of the 2 million plus, who follow her on Facebook simply call her, "auntie." Yet, if you ask Iyanla she would say, "I am just an ordinary person committed to doing extraordinary things as a demonstration of what is possible when you have faith in yourself, and trust the amazing process called life."
Born in Brooklyn, NY, Iyanla did not have an easy life. The product of an extra marital affair, she lost her mother at the age of 2. Shuffled between family members, suffering physical and sexual abuse, Iyanla gave birth to her first child at the age of 16. By age 21 she was the mother of three, living on public assistant, in a Brooklyn housing project. After spending nine years in an abusive marriage, she found her way to Medgar Evers College. Three and a half years later, she graduated Summa Cum Laude, with a degree in Public Administration and Education. Immediately after graduating, she entered the City University Law School at Queens College as a member of the inaugural class. After graduation, she made her way to Philadelphia where she served in the Public Defender's office. It was the urging of a still, small voice within that told her to leave the Defender's Office, and never return.
Two years later, while unemployed, she got a call to teach life skills and financial literacy to women on public assistance who were preparing to rejoin the work force. The workbook she created for her students became her first published title; Tapping the Power Within. In 2009, when that title turned twenty years old, Iyanla had authored thirteen additional titles including; Acts of Faith: Daily Meditation for People of Color; The Value In The Valley: A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas; Until Today: Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind; Yesterday I Cried: Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving; The Spirit of a Man: A Vision of Transformation for Black Men and the Women Who Love Them; Every Day I Pray : Prayers for Awakening to the Grace of Inner Communion ; and In the Meantime: Finding Yourself and the Love You Want.
In 1994, Iyanla and her daughter Gemmia opened the doors to the Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development to offer classes and workshops for Personal Development. Now, 25 years later, Inner Visions offers Certification for Life Coaching, annual workshops for women, men and adolescents, and a variety of workshops. As a life coach on NBC's first daytime reality program, Starting Over, Iyanla supported women in finding their way back to themselves, and onto a new path in life. As the host of her own daytime talk show, Iyanla inspired viewers with her down-to-earth style and wicked humor before she left the television arena to pursue her master's degree in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica. It was Iyanla's personal quest for healing, following the death of her daughter Gemmia, that inspired her to study various psychological and emotional healing modalities. According to Iyanla, each of these technologies has supported her in recognizing and understanding the role energy plays in the ability of an individual to have dominion in every area of their life.
"It's not the television show, or the red carpets or knowing how many followers I have that keeps me going. It's remembering the truth of who I am; a girl from Brooklyn, who has made many, many mistakes and is still able to serve a value purpose in the world." Cooking and making scrapbooks are her guilty pleasures. Making soap and body products is her love. Watching re-‐runs of Law and Order is her joy. Spending time with her grandchildren and doing her own laundry is what keeps her grounded. Knowing that she is on purpose, loving what she does, and doing everything with excellence is what Iyanla Vanzant says makes her the woman that she is today.
Seven-time Emmy-nominated TV host & producer, Kéla Walker is a multi-talented media personality.
As an authentic storyteller, Kéla has leveraged her talents to cultivate a highly engaged tribe of nearly 100K+ "Kéla's Kuties" across her social media platforms who see her as the “bestie in my head”. Identified by ESSENCE Magazine as a tastemaker and "It Girl," Kéla has established herself as an authority within the fashion and social community, with a passion to ENTERTAIN, CONNECT, and INSPIRE. Championing her famous “KélaVie” lifestyle, she strikes a balance between hard work, fitness and play to inspire others to make their dreams a reality and live their best life. When not producing content for notable media outlets like BET, Getty or E! News and hosting red carpet events such as the Tony Awards, the Met Gala or the BET Awards, Kéla curates authentic content for leading consumer brands, keeping her audience craving more of her #BookedBusyBlessed life with every post! Follow @KelaWalker across platforms to join her expanding and inspiring community.
Instagram @Chelsea_Chats
Chelsea Chats serves as our youth Currency Conversations Ambassador. She hails from planet Brooklyn in New York City. At 12 years old she’s a force to be reckoned with as she balances being an honors student, athlete, big sister, and aspiring engineer. In other words, she is #Goals!
With a passion for all things tech (including STEM education), international travel, culinary curiosity and finance, Chelsea is well positioned to share her thoughts about a myriad of topics ranging from study habits to travel (after all, she’s already recorded 20 stamps in her passport) to money.
She became curious about money at an early age as her parents engaged her in financial topics ranging from every day finances, investing in her college 529 plan, and how credit works.
Chelsea recently relocated back to the United States after living in London for four years with her family. Her favorite sport is soccer and she is of course a Chelsea fan (UK football).
Instagram @keoshaburns
Keosha Burns leads PR and external communications for Chase Home Lending.
In addition to speaking to buyers about how to get the most value out of their home, Keosha has a specific focus on building a strategy for how we are connecting with Millennials and first-time homebuyers.
Keosha has worked in banking and housing for nearly 15 years and built her career in Washington, DC, acting as spokesperson for organizations like Fannie Mae, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Financial Services Roundtable.
Most recently, she launched an influencer-led video-series, Adulting: Home Edition, to lead the charge in telling authentic and relatable homebuying journey stories from the Millennial perspective.
Before joining Chase, she authored a 10-part series called #ReadySetHome, following the journey of a first-time homebuyer navigating the homebuying process. Learn more at homefinancing.chase.com/pr and www.keoshaburns.com
Ivy McGregor is the CEO and Chief Architect of IVY inc. Innovative Vision strategic consulting, offering solutions to help individuals and organizations evolve, expand and uncover cutting-edge social impact strategies.
She is also the Director of Social Responsibility/BEYGood, which is the philanthropic umbrella for Parkwood Entertainment, the company founded by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. Ms. McGregor is a reservoir of knowledge with over 25 years of experience in business strategies, social enterprise and global partnerships.
A distinguished CAA and TEDx speaker, Ms. McGregor has graced world stages at Global Citizen Festivals in South Africa for Mandela 100, as well as in Hamburg, Germany; Essence Music Festival, T. D. Jakes Woman Thou Art Loosed – Master Class, at Oprah Winfreyʼs Leadership Academy for Girls, as well as participated at the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Most recently, Ms. McGregor was the opening speaker at Tedx Dartmouth, where she gave an invigorating talk, that introduced the ideation of reverse innovation to philanthropy, she asserts where there are problems there are more than seven billion answers; “You Are An Answer!”
Ms. McGregor has worked tirelessly to be an advocate to support those in need. Through her work with BeyGOOD, she has led efforts to eradicate homelessness, poverty, economic inequity, and supported women entrepreneur empowerment. Ms. McGregor led Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, scholarship programs, and successful water initiatives in both Flint, Michigan and Burundi, Africa. Additionally, she has structured and managed global partnership programs for world tours. While a consultant for General Electric (GE), she supported Global Programs targeting health disparities in Tanzania, Africa, Bangladesh, India and in the United States. Some of the health issues she’s supported include Maternal and Infant care, Diabetes, Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Heart Disease and Alzheimers.
As the Director of Partnerships for a contracting agency with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ms. McGregor trained Hair stylists and Barbers as community influencers in a celebrated national program that aided in significantly reducing incidents of HIV and AIDS in communities with highest incidents. She has also served as an advisor and board member for multiple organizations and global projects such as the National Council of Women, Chime for Change, Global Citizens, South African Fellowship, and GUCCI Changemakers Advisory Council. Most recently, Ms. McGregor has served as an integral supporter of the recently passed Texas HB403 Bill, which will require school board officials to be formally trained on the signs and prevention of Human Trafficking.
She is the recipient of the International Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership award presented at the United Nations, by the United States National Council of Women, and she is happy to help shape a generation through education, by paying it forward and sharing her knowledge and experience with students at the historic Howard University, through the Faith, Service and Justice series.
Ms. McGregor is also an author; her fifth and most proud published work is scheduled to release Fall of 2020. She is a world traveler, an art enthusiast, burgeoning golfer and avid reader. She is a resident of New York and the proud adoptive mother of two incredibly courageous South African young adults. Her life’s legacy is modeling how the power of service can positively impact the world for good.