Theme: Wired for Connection

Wired for Connection is an invitation to discover the ways we connect and disconnect. Get curious and connect with your inner landscape. Explore your communication with others. Lean into collaboration and community as a way forward.

Wonder World West End Studios
1545 West Trade Street
Charlotte, North Carolina, 28216
United States

Carolina Aponte

Author | Founder of Caja Holdings | Fractional CFO | Speaker | Champion for Financial Empowerment

Carolina Aponte is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and the founder of Caja Holdings, a remote firm providing Fractional CFO and back-office services to business owners across the country. A sought-after speaker and financial strategist, Carolina helps companies scale sustainably by demystifying the numbers and empowering owners to make confident, data-driven decisions. A proud Latina who immigrated to the U.S. with nothing but grit and determination, Carolina is the author of "Pave Your Own Way: 13 Skills To Create Your Professional Success", and was inducted into the NC Women Business Owners Hall of Fame in 2024. She’s also one of the co-hosts of the “Breaking Even Better” podcast, where she brings humor, heart, and hard-earned wisdom to candid conversations about entrepreneurship. When she’s not helping clients grow or speaking on national stages, you’ll find her watercolor painting, traveling the world, or creating connection through community.

Christine Edwards Pitkin

Founder and CEO of Civility Localized

Christine Edwards Pitkin, MPA is a Civic Innovator, a Founder and CEO. After earning her Master of Public Administration with a focus on Urban Management and Policy from UNC Charlotte, Christine served in several local government roles before launching her company, Civility Localized, in 2018. Christine's mission is to help communities grow with dignity. Christine was named a 2025 Charlotte Business Journal Women in Business Honoree, and included in Inc. Magazine's 2025 Female Founders 500, a list of the most creative and inspiring business leaders in the United States. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including Fast Company's 2023 World Changing Ideas Issue for the City of Asheville Community Reparations Project. When she’s not serving her community, Christine can be found exploring the world through travel, enjoying Southern food, or nurturing her love for civic advocacy by watching it play out in everyday life.

Corey Brausch Hurley

Social Media Strategist | CEO of Seven Willows Social Media Agency

Corey Hurley is a social media strategist, creative storyteller, and the founder of Seven Willows - a boutique social media agency. After witnessing social media shift from connection to performance, Corey now advocates for a return to its roots: self-expression, community, and honest interaction. Her insights have been featured by Hootsuite and Social Media Influencer, and she’s collaborated with outlets like WBTV, WCNC, and Queen City Nerve. Corey is a national speaker offering a values-driven perspective on digital strategy, visibility, and building authentic connections online. She was named one of Charlotte North Carolina’s 50 Most Dynamic Women in 2023 and recognized by KNOW Women as a Woman to Know in Charlotte for two consecutive years. Whether she’s leading strategy, brainstorming behind the scenes, or speaking on stage, Corey brings clarity, care, and a deep belief that when we show up as ourselves, we create the kind of impact that lasts.

Jaki Shelton Green

North Carolina Poet Laureate | Author

Jaki Shelton Green, ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina appointed in 2018, is the first African American and third woman to be appointed as the North Carolina Poet Laureate and reappointed in 2021 for a second term by Governor Roy Cooper. Her awards include the 2019 North Carolina Humanities Council Caldwell Award, 2019 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 NC Literary Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009 NC Piedmont Laureate, 2003 North Carolina Award for Literature, and the 2021 George School Outstanding Alumni Award. Jaki retired from teaching Documentary Poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies and the 2021 Frank B. Hanes Writer in Residence at UNC Chapel Hill. Jaki owns SistaWRITE providing international women's writing retreats. She serves as the poetry editor for WALTER Magazine and the Poet Laureate in Residence at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Additionally, she has been recognized on the Forbes Magazine 50 Over 50 Lifestyle List for 2022.

Jess Ekstrom

Author | Founder of Mic Drop Workshop

Jess Ekstrom is a Forbes Top Rated Speaker, 2x 7-figure social entrepreneur, mom and Harper Collins bestselling author of Chasing the Bright Side and Create Your Bright Ideas. Jess is the founder and Chief Creative Officer at Mic Drop Workshop, on a mission to help women speak with confidence and paid keynote spots.

Kathleen McIntyre

Clinical Social Worker | Forest Ecologist

Kathleen McIntyre MSFR, MSW is a Forest Ecologist turned Clinical Social Worker who helps people reconnect with their bodies and the natural world as a path to healing and transformation. Kathleen is the co-founder of NatureSoma.com and author of The Nature Reset, establishing her as a leading voice in nature-based mental health. She is also a speaker, international retreat facilitator, and therapist at the Willow Center for Resilient Living. Kathleen co-founded the Davidson Green School, where she leads mindfulness and outdoor leadership programs that empower the next generation to live with presence, purpose, and connection.

Kathryn Valentine

Women's Leadership Expert | Founder & CEO of Worthmore Strategies

Kathryn Valentine is the founder of Worthmore Strategies and works with companies like JPMorgan, Bain, and KPMG to help advance women at work. A top-rated leadership speaker, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and two sons, who test her negotiation skills daily. You can download a free list of 76 things you can negotiate on her website.

Madison Levine

Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist | Founder of Levine Hearing

Madison Levine is a Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, founder of Levine Hearing, and a nationally recognized advocate for reimagining hearing healthcare. With over a decade of experience in audiology and patient-centered care, she has built one of the most successful independent practices in the country—four times the size of the average single-location clinic while prioritizing integrity, empathy, and innovation. Madison is on a mission to elevate hearing healthcare to its rightful place as essential medical care. Her work highlights the powerful link between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline—a relationship she calls the Ear-Brain Connection. She speaks not only as a provider, but as a visionary leader who is reshaping how we understand aging, brain health, and quality of life.

Mariah Prince-Allen

Board Certified Nurse Practitioner | Author | Founder of Telehealth for HER | Founder of Balance in the C-Suite

Dr. Mariah Prince-Allen, DNP, FNP-BC, is a board-certified nurse practitioner and founder of Telehealth for HER, a boutique virtual wellness practice committed to redefining healthcare for modern women. A proud alumna of the University of Florida and a graduate of Duke University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program, Mariah blends clinical excellence with a fierce commitment to restoring agency and vitality to women’s lives. Mariah is also the founder of Balance in the C-Suite, a collaborative platform for executive and entrepreneurial women navigating health and leadership simultaneously. Known for her warm presence and bold advocacy, she is a sought-after speaker on women's health and hormones. Beyond her clinical work, Mariah serves as a clinical associate at Duke University School of Nursing and is a published author in peer-reviewed journals.

Megghan Thompson

Author | Founder of the Resilience Rewiring Protocol (TM) | Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Megghan Thompson, LCPC, RPT-S is a speaker, author, and entrepreneur. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and a Parent Coach/Mental Health Consultant with over 15 years of experience working with Highly Sensitive Children, teens, and their families. She owned the largest group private practice in Maryland that specializes in working with HSCs, HS teens, and young adult HSPs who engage in life-threatening behaviors like daily meltdowns, aggression, suicidal actions, promiscuity, and self-harm. In 2018 Megghan founded Megghan Thompson Coaching, which has served over 800 families. MTC's mission is to eliminate suicidal thoughts and actions for HSPs around the world. She’s doing this by building an army of parents equipped with the support and accountability to rapidly transform their relationships with their children. MTC helps parents of HSCs and HS teens eliminate the daily meltdown/shutdown cycle in as little as 8 weeks.

Nia Luckey

Cybersecurity Advisor | Co-Author of The CISO Playbook

Nia Luckey, LSSBB, GRCA is a cybersecurity expert and CISO advisor, recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice. Among many accolades, Nia was named one of the Top 10 Cybersecurity Women Leaders Shaping The Future of Digital Safety in 2025. She is a keynote speaker and author, renowned for her leadership innovations.

Sarah Olin

Leadership Coach | Co-Founder of LUMO

Sarah Olin, PCC is a leading voice in professional coaching and organizational transformation for working parents and caregivers, with over 10,000 hours of coaching experience, ICF credentials, and training from renowned leaders including Dr. Brené Brown. As co-founder of LUMO—an organization dedicated to helping progressive companies support employees transitioning to working parenthood—she has coached executives across industries including the United Nations, Verizon, NBA, Google, and Calvin Klein, and has contributed insights and strategies through her writing for Fast Company, Nasdaq, and MIT Sloan Management Review.

Shefalee Patel

Artist | Dancer | Food Science Engineer | Cultural Connector

Shefalee V. Patel is Charlotte’s own super cultural connector. She is an artist, dancer, and food science engineer passionately dedicated to showcasing her family’s rich Indian heritage in America. Guided by her mother’s inspiring initiative, Shefalee actively engages with the vibrant performing arts scene in Charlotte, NC, including dance and visual arts. Through her efforts, she plays a pivotal role in fostering meaningful cultural connections.

Woodson Bradley

NC State Senator District 42 | Advocate for Domestic Abuse Survivors

Woodson Bradley is a Mom, wife, business owner, community leader, and Fierce Friend. Went from small town girl to seeing the world, is a Violent Assault Survivor and then relocated to Charlotte to start a new life and business. She became self made in real estate and was listed in Forbes and then lost everything in the 2009 recession. Woodson reinvented herself with 2 small children after surviving a domestic violence divorce which cost her everything yet again. She rebuilt a new life for the 3rd time and found her Forever Family. A blended family known as The Party of 5. She dedicated her newest life to advocacy, having courageous conversations, affecting policy, and seeking elected office representing “Team Normal”. She will tell you she is the most REGULAR person you will ever meet and she is a FIERCE FRIEND to those that know her.