INDUSTRY LEADERS
Speakers 2021
Ana Canon
Opening Keynote: Having the Courage to be Seen
Ana Canon
Opening Keynote: Having the Courage to be Seen
Ana Canon is a passion-led Entrepreneur from the Chicagoland area. She is the founder and CEO of Avrah Virtual, a digital marketing agency that specializes in social media management, content creation & marketing.
Ana got her start in the âonline spaceâ after starting and monetizing a wellness blog which she quickly monetized, (and eventually used to bootstrap her business) in 2016.
She went on to run her business full-time and left behind a stable 7-year career in Human Resources. She has since sold her blog, and spends most of her time mentoring new and aspiring Virtual Assistants and Entrepreneurs who want to utilize the power of social media to grow their businesses.
Anaâs goal is to help women overcome limiting beliefs and create a âplan Bâ for themselves by setting up a profitable online-based business (or blog) they love.
Dana Bowman
Topic: From Blog to Pod – How to Make the Leap and Not Lose Your Mind
Dana Bowman
Topic: From Blog to Pod – How to Make the Leap and Not Lose Your Mind
Dana Bowman is the author of two memoirs: Bottled, A Momâs Guide to Early Recovery, and How To Be Perfect Like Me, both published by Central Recovery Press.
She speaks and writes about faith and recovery, and the intersection between the two. A high school English teacher for over twenty years, she now teaches writing at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, her hometown.
You can read her blog over at danabowmancreative.com
And you can listen to her at her podcast about the power of a good story over at The Neighborgood.
Erin Gayheart
Topic: Building a Content Roadmap
Erin Gayheart
Topic: Building a Content Roadmap
Erin Gayheart is the founder of the travel blog TheRendezvousSpot.com.
A jeans and tee traveler always looking for the next great (mis)adventure around the States, Erin is a big kid at heart with a bucket list and talkative nature.
When exploring new areas, she can be found enjoying local eats, unique lodging, and activities from theme parks to museums.
Julie Cole
Topic: Leveraging Your Personal Brand
Julie Cole
Topic: Leveraging Your Personal Brand
Julie Cole is a recovered lawyer, mom of six and co-founder of Mabelâs Labels. She has helped her company bring their product to a worldwide market, gain media recognition and win countless awards. Cole is a passionate entrepreneur, writer, and sought after speaker. Julie is no stranger to the media, having appeared on NBCâs The Today Show, HLNâs Raising America, Breakfast Television, The Marilyn Denis Show, CP24, among many others. Her articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, Todayâs Parent, The Globe and Mail, Profit Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, and numerous websites.
When sheâs not juggling her busy family and professional life, Julie is an engaged community member serving on boards and volunteering. She is passionate about womenâs issues, mentoring young entrepreneurs, and social justice.
Karyn Locke
Topic: Best Pinterest Practices
Karyn Locke
Topic: Best Pinterest Practices
Karyn Locke, Owner and Lead Writer for Sand and Snow… and everywhere in between!, is a travel and lifestyle writer.
Hailing from the tri-state area of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, she loves road tripping with her family, especially when it includes theme parks and American history.
And if you like a fun read, her recently published book, âSecret Pittsburghâ is a good one to take for a spin.
You can find her sharing her travel tales on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest when she’s not on the road exploring new (and favorite!) destinations.
Laura Kelly Walters
Topic: How to Create Long Term Relationships with Brands
Laura Kelly Walters
Topic: How to Create Long Term Relationships with Brands
Laura Kelly is a kindness leader, residing back and forth between North Carolina and Colorado. She and her husband are raising their blended family with four kids and a zoo of pets.
Lauraâs bright, cheerful and effervescent style that appears in her designs mimics her personality.
She is committed to spreading kindness through creativity. As a full-time blogger, illustrator, author, and maker â Laura brings an array of inspiration through her works.
Rachel Brenke
Topic: Market Through the Madness
Rachel Brenke
Topic: Market Through the Madness
Rachel Brenke is not your average entrepreneur. As a business consultant, intellectual property attorney, disabled Army veteran wife, mother to five, rescuer of puppy dogs and founder of multiple 7-figure brands.
Her mission to help women have a real business so they can have the real life they desire. This includes physical, emotional and financial freedom.
Rachelâs digital brands have gained more than $3.5 million dollars in revenue -serving 18,891 entrepreneurs in over 50 countries. She has also built brick-and-mortar businesses.
These revenue numbers donât include the brick-and-mortar business success sheâs achieved in a variety of industries.
She has been featured in and sought after by large media networks such as Forbes, TedX, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance and more! She was featured on NBC Sports network for her Ironman World Championships debut and was a featured athlete for her professional and personal successes.
When sheâs not building her own success (and helping female entrepreneurs do the same), she can be found competing with Team USA, traveling with her family and breaking out of escape rooms.
And to think it all started with a cancer diagnosis and a laptop.
Tonya Prater
Topic: Grow Your Facebook Group
Tonya Prater
Topic: Grow Your Facebook Group
Tonya Prater is the founder of Travel Inspired Living.
“I believe travel doesnât need to be difficult, expensive, or take you across the globe to be memorable and Iâm on a mission to inspire you to get out and explore the world around you, and what better place to start than right where you are?”
She has been recognized as one of Nomadic Samuelâs Top 100 Travel Bloggers, has written and been featured in both print and online publications and is a TravelingMom.com contributor. Tonya has worked with a brands that include Chevy, Disney, Lake Erie Shores & Islands, Wyndham Vacation Rentals, and Southwest Airlines.
ChatĂłn Turner
Topic: Content Generation: How to convert your life into social media posts
ChatĂłn Turner
Topic: Content Generation: How to convert your life into social media posts
ChatĂłn is an attorney, a speaker, and writer who is passionate about motherhood, maternity leave and equal rights. ChatĂłn has focused her blog, Chatonâs World, a working momâs quest for balance in stilettos, on trying to improve the lives of working women at work and in the home. Indeed, she is committed to helping them figure out how to work full time and spend quality time with their kids and spouses. She believes that balance is boring. The real challenge is building a quality life you love!
She began her career in sales and marketing. She has served as a television guest personality, been frequent panelist, and has appeared in two national ad campaigns with her husband and kids as model! She has also collaborated with national brands for sponsored posts with her blog.
Contact her via Twitter or Facebook or email.
Her blog, is located at http://www.chatonsworld.com
Elayna FernĂĄndez
Topic: How to Plan 1 Year of SEO-Friendly Content in 1 Day!
Elayna FernĂĄndez
Topic: How to Plan 1 Year of SEO-Friendly Content in 1 Day!
In this hands-on workshop, you will:
1. Apply a simple formula to prioritize which content to create.
2. Get a powerful checklist to amplify your content..
3. And more skills, steps, and strategies for increased visibility, credibility, and profitability.
Elayna FernĂĄndez is a single mom of 4 daughters, mom entrepreneur for over 17 years, best known for her award-winning blog thePositiveMOM.com, which has inspired millions of moms in over 158 countries to turn their “once upon a time” into their “happily ever after.”
An avid Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain, Elayna has spoken on prestigious stages around the world and has collaborated and served as a marketing strategist for some of the most renowned transformational leaders of our time.
Born and raised in a slum in the Dominican Republic and a multiple-time survivor, Elayna’s mission is to provide moms with emotional wellness skills, strategies, and steps to find peace, break unhealthy cycles, and feel whole.
Elayna holds a Home and Family Studies certificate from Brigham Young University-Idaho and is a certified facilitator of Aroma Freedom, Mastery of Self-Love, The Passion Test, DreamBuilding, and The Success Principles. She’s also a Guerrilla Marketing Master Trainer, as well as a graduate of the Steve Harvey School for Business Acceleration and the Steve Harvey School for Personal Transformation.
Elayna has been named one of the Top Latina Influencers in the USA, has been sponsored by over 300 brands, and has been featured on FOX, CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, The Huffington Post, Telemundo, CNN, LATINA, Univision, Good Morning America and Despierta America, Entrepreneur On Fire, and other national and international media!
Sheâs passionate about diversity, inclusion, and the representation of all humans in the media.
Her philosophy is âBE Positive and Youâll BE Powerful!â
Shanna Gebhard
Topic: Tips to Land those Sponsored Campaigns
Shanna Gebhard
Topic: Tips to Land those Sponsored Campaigns
Shanna Gebhard is the creator and founder of the lifestyle site Peytonâs Momma. She covers travel, entertainment, recipes, and everything a parent, of a middle school girl, would want to know.
For the past two years, Peytonâs Momma, has been the #1 Minnesota Mom blog per Feed burner. Sheâs been featured in iBlog as a top influencer. Shanna was featured in Minnesota Parent Magazine in 2016.
Besides being an influencer, Shanna also works for a national marketing company as their Influencer Relations Manager.