An international commercial airline pilot who, after the tragedies of 9/11, was forced to realize that his “Safe and Secure career” was nowhere near as safe and secure as he had thought.
Steve chose real estate investing to be able to control his own destiny and create his own generational wealth.
Steve created the fastest growing property management company in the state of Texas. Managing over 1,000 properties across 3 major metropolitan cities. Steve built the business up and created maximum cash flow positioning his company for a very profitable exit.
Along with growing his property management company, Rozenberg has flipped, owned, and wholesaled hundreds of single family homes and apartment complexes across the US.
Parlaying all of the success from real estate investing and property management growth, Steve has gone on to be one of the most well-known influencers in the Real Estate Community. He is a top contributor to BiggerPockets as well as other top level Real Estate platforms. He has been a guest and collaborated on countless panels, webinars, masterminds, conferences, podcasts as well as being a published author.
Known as The Iron Cowboy for the signature cowboy hat he wears while running races so his five kids can see him coming from far away, James Lawrence is an ultraendurance athlete who has pushed himself beyond what many doctors previously believed to be physiologically possible. In so doing, he has redefined both mental toughness and physical endurance.
Originally a high school wrestler, James spent a decade in the mortgage and finance business before losing it all in the financial crisis of 2008. At rock bottom, his career as the greatest endurance athlete on the planet started quite humbly, struggling to complete a local 4-mile fun run with his wife, Sunny. Inspired by that experience, on that day he
learned a lesson that has served him well ever since.
I learned quickly that everyone’s ‘hard’ is different. Back then, four miles was really difficult for me. I learned that one of the most important things in life is to just show up.”
James Lawrence
Today, James is one of the most dynamic, inspiring, largerthan-life keynote speakers in the world, having shared his astonishing story in 50 different countries across the globe reaching millions of people. He is a best-selling author and the subject of a critically acclaimed feature film. He continues to redefine the impossible in his own life, while teaching audiences around the world to do the same in their own lives.
What exactly has James achieved?
Sports Illustrated ranked James in the top 50 fittest freaks with Lebron James and Conor McGregor, two of James’ favorite athletes. RedBull declares that ‘when it comes to endurance, he is unstoppable’ and Success magazine named him ‘The Most Enduring Man In The World.’ He has redefined the definition of impossible and shares his journey with audiences around the world.
You’ve surely heard of an Ironman; 2.4-mile swim + 112-mile bike + 26.2-mile run. In 2012, James did 30 of those in one year. That put him in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In 2015, he went further. He completed The 50-50-50; 50 Ironman distance triathlons, in 50 consecutive days, in 50 different states…all while raising money to combat childhood obesity. That astounding accomplishment is the subject of the critically acclaimed Amazon Prime documentary; Iron Cowboy | The Story of the 50.50.50. But that wasn’t enough.
In 2021, he did the unimaginable. This time, he completed The CONQUER 100, 100 Ironman distance triathlons, in 100 consecutive days! That’s 140.6 miles per day, every day, for 14 straight weeks, for a total of 14,060 miles! This time he raised money to combat sex trafficking. The documentary of the Conquer 100 debuted in December of 2022.
In between his triathlon feats of strength, James has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro on a bicycle, completed the Fiji Eco-Challenge, the Race Across America, and Norseman World Championship, as well as a 235-mile run across Greece.
Retired United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne is a recalibrated warrior, motivational speaker, actor, author and an advocate for veterans and amputees. Travis’s New York Times bestselling memoir, Tough as They Come, is currently available on sale in bookstores everywhere. Despite losing portions of both arms and legs from an IED while on active duty in Afghanistan, Travis continues to overcome life’s challenges, breaking physical barriers and defying odds. Travis lives by his motto:
“Never give up. Never quit.”
On April 10, 2012, United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne was critically injured on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan by an IED (improvised explosive device) while on patrol, losing portions of both legs and both arms. He is one of only five quadruple amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive his injuries.
Thanks to his amazing strength, courage, an incredible will to live, the heroic actions of the men in his unit, the prayers of thousands, and all the healthcare providers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, near Washington D.C., Travis remains on the road to recovery. Every day is a battle, but Travis continues to astound friends and family alike with his progress and with his amazing spirit.
In September 2013, Travis and his wife Kelsey founded the Travis Mills Foundation, a nonprofit organization, formed to benefit and assist post 9/11 veterans who have been injured in active duty or as a result of their service to our nation. The veteran and their families receive an all-inclusive, all-expenses paid, barrier-free vacation to Maine where they participate in adaptive activities, bond with other veteran families, and enjoy much-needed rest and relaxation in Maine’s great outdoors.
The Travis Mills Group LLC was started shortly after, where Travis consults with and speaks to companies and organizations nationwide inspiring all to overcome life’s challenges and adversity.
Travis’s story has been featured on local and national news including Fox News’ Happening Now with Jenna Lee, The O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly, CNN with Barbara Starr, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Ross Dawson is globally recognized as a leading futurist, keynote speaker, strategy advisor, bestselling author, and entrepreneur.
Ross is in strong demand globally, having delivered keynote speeches and strategy workshops in over 30 countries across six continents for companies such as American Express, Boston Consulting Group, Citibank, Coca-Cola, Google, Interpublic Group, Microsoft, News Limited, Oracle, Procter & Gamble, PwC, Star Alliance, Visa, Walmart and many other leading organizations.
He is Founding Chairman of the Advanced Human Technologies Group of companies and Founder of Bondi Innovation.
His latest book is the rave-reviewed Thriving on Overload: The 5 Powers for Success in a World of Exponential Information. Previous books include the acclaimed book Living Networks, which The New York Times credits with predicting the social networking revolution, the Amazon.com bestseller Developing Knowledge-Based Client Relationships, now out in its second edition, the highly successful Implementing Enterprise 2.0, and Getting Results From Crowds.
Ross’s frequent media appearances include CNN, Bloomberg TV, SkyNews, ABC TV, Today and Sunrise shows, The New York Times, USA Today, The Guardian, The Times, BBC, Le Monde, Die Welt, El País and many others.
Ross has been named as one of the most influential people in the world in the future of work, fintech, crowdfunding, and Enterprise 2.0, and by Digital Media magazine as one of the 40 biggest players in Australia’s digital age.
Ross has run executive education programs and lectured at numerous academic institutions around the world, including the University of Virginia, Australian Graduate School of Management, Singapore Institute of Management, Institute of Banking and Finance, Institute of Company Directors Malaysia, and Singularity University in Silicon Valley, and is faculty for the innovation programs of Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Previously Ross worked in senior positions in London, Tokyo and Sydney, most recently at Thomson Financial as Global Director – Capital Markets as well as for Merrill Lynch and NCR. He has worked at senior levels in many countries and cultures, and speaks five languages.
Chris Barton wanted a way to identify songs he was hearing everywhere around him. There wasn’t one – so he invented an app called Shazam. Chris’s creation is nothing short of pure magic. That was his goal. Chris seeks to delight people by using technology to make seemingly impossible ideas come to life. Shazam, which now has over two billion downloads, is just one of them. In addition to creating Shazam, which Apple acquired for $400 million, Chris holds 12 patents and played key roles in the early days of Google and Dropbox. Despite having dyslexia, incredibly, he didn’t let that get in his way. In fact, it gave him a different way of looking at problems. Chris’s newest venture, Guard, aims to use AI to detect drowning in swimming pools. In his speeches, Chris’s story and storytelling completely captivate audiences. He inspires people to make big things happen in their organizations – to create magic in defiance of the obstacles.
Chris grew up with a French mother and British father – both of whom were university professors. However, academics were a struggle for Chris. Chris would come to learn he had undiagnosed dyslexia. Over the years, Chris learned to embrace what he now calls his superpower. Chris believes that dyslexia has allowed him to overcome barriers to achieve his many accomplishments.
Shazam is a great example. When Chris had the idea to identify music using a mobile phone, no technology existed to achieve his goal. In addition, he was told by Professors at MIT and Stanford that this application of pattern recognition was impossible. Besides inventing a new technology that didn’t yet exist, he had to build a search engine supercomputer from scratch, create the world’s largest music database, and create a user experience on very basic mobile phones. Did Chris ever think maybe the experts were right? “No,” he says.
When Shazam was founded in 2000, it was far ahead of its time. It was three years before iTunes, seven years before the iPhone, and eight years before the App Store. The nascent Shazam struggled in the early days, teetering near bankruptcy for six years waiting for key digital advancements to arrive, allowing Shazam to unleash its full potential on the world. In 2018, Shazam, and its 200 employees, was acquired by Apple for a reported $400 million, making it Apple’s 6th largest acquisition of all-time. Today, Shazam has been downloaded over two billion times and is considered one of the world’s most popular apps. It has become an integral part of our everyday lives, with its ability to instantly identify songs and provide information about the music such as lyrics. Shazam has even become a verb, as in “Can you Shazam this song for me?” In addition to its widespread usage, Shazam has also been the inspiration for a popular game show hosted by Jamie Foxx called
“Beat Shazam,” which has aired for four seasons on the Fox Network challenging contestants to recognize songs faster than
the Shazam app.
Chris has also played a key role in tech history as a founding member of Google’s Android Partnerships team where he created Android’s mobile operator partnership framework. He also spent four years at Dropbox where he led carrier partnerships and was one of the first 100 people at the company. Holding 12 patents, including one found within the Google search algorithm that billions of people use, Chris has made significant contributions to the tech industry. He also invests in a wide range of start-ups, including artificial intelligence for
heart health and inflammatory disease therapeutics.
Today, Chris spends much of his time building his third startup company, Guard, a system that detects drowning in swimming pools using artificial intelligence. When he has the time, Chris enjoys speaking at events and sharing lessons learned from his experiences achieving the impossible. He inspires people with stories of the unexpected mindsets that are necessary to overcome challenges and achieve success. Chris gives audiences a new framework for thinking about the obstacles they face and motivates them to
take action.
Prior to his audacious technology career, Chris was a strategy consultant and earned two master’s degrees from UC Berkeley and Cambridge University. When he isn’t working or speaking, you can find Chris enjoying the outdoors and spending time with his son, Jude.
Ken Schmidt’s career in the motorcycle industry began in 1985 as a specialist in corporate positioning and media relations for the then–struggling Harley–Davidson. He was tasked with helping the company restore its image, improve its competitiveness, and create demand for its motorcycles. Within a few short years, sales of Harley–Davidson motorcycles skyrocketed, and the company returned to prominence as one of the most respected, profitable, and frequently reported–on companies in the world.
In 1990, Ken became director of Harley–Davidson’s corporate and financial communications, serving as its primary spokesperson to the media and the financial communities. He frequently appeared in mainstream and business media to offer insights on nontraditional communications, customer attraction, and brand–building. His expertise and success at Harley–Davidson ultimately led to consulting assignments and speaking invitations from all over the world.
In 1997, Ken left Harley–Davidson to take an ownership position with a highly successful Chicago–based marketing firm, VSA Partners. In addition to Harley–Davidson, VSA served a virtual who’s who of the world’s best–known brands. In 1999, he sold his portion of VSA to start his own business, Ken Schmidt Company, to combine two of his greatest passions, motorcycling
and speaking. He uses motorcycles as a metaphor to expose people to proven ideas and concepts they’ve likely never imagined.
In addition to speaking and consulting, Ken is co–founder of Torque Sessions Leadership Training. Through a combination of hands–on training and interactive workshops, these sessions help individuals and organizations re–position themselves to become dominant competitors, maximize leadership effectiveness, build a people–first culture of innovation and foster loyalty
among customers and employees.
Ken is also the host of the popular podcast Tailgating with Geniuses, wherein he talks with some of the most innovative and successful leaders in a variety of industries to discuss their unique perspectives on leadership, major challenges, and success.
Ken’s relatable and engaging hosting style has made the podcast a hit with listeners looking to learn from the best and achieve their own personal and professional goals.
Ken authored Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance, which gives business leaders an easy–to–follow roadmap for improving their competitiveness, using many of the techniques he championed at Harley–Davidson. He considers his work on 100 Years of Harley–Davidson, a global best seller, to be one of his greatest and most rewarding achievements.
After all he has accomplished, Ken remains committed to his philosophy of standing out, taking risks, and having fun in both his personal and professional life. He says, “Never do what’s expected, make yourself as noticeably different as possible, and have a lot more fun than you’re supposed to.”