Speakers 2026 (Stay tuned as we add more)

Kathryn Landis: Why the Decisions You Avoid Are the Ones That Define You

Our lives aren’t shaped only by the choices we make, but by the decisions we avoid. This talk explores the hidden cost of inaction and what changes when people recognize where delay has been doing the deciding for them.

Kathryn Landis works at the intersection of decision-making and the unseen forces that shape leadership, teams, and everyday life. She teaches at New York University and is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and Fast Company.

Her work examines how decisions are made—or avoided—when stakes are high and pressure is real. Through her teaching, writing, and work with senior leadership teams, she observes how people adapt around unresolved choices, how priorities quietly drift, and how responsibility shifts when decisions go unmade.

She helps groups name what they have been working around, clarify what truly requires a decision, and understand the downstream effects of delay on outcomes, relationships, and well-being.

Michael Pellegrino: Mental CPR: The Power of the Pause

What if the most powerful tool we have in moments of pressure is something we rarely practice? In high-stress situations, our reactions often happen faster than our awareness, and those reactions can shape the direction of our lives. In this talk, Michael Pellegrino introduces Mental CPR™ — Catch, Pause, Reframe, a simple framework designed to help people interrupt automatic reactions and regain clarity. Because sometimes the difference between regret and resilience… is a single pause.

Michael Pellegrino is the founder of Resilient Minds On The Front Lines, a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening mental wellness and resilience for first responders, leaders in all professions and communities. After a distinguished 27 year career in law enforcement, he committed his life to helping others navigate pressure, adversity, and change. Michael is the creator of Mental CPR™ — Catch, Pause, Reframe, a practical framework designed to help people interrupt automatic stress reactions and regain clarity in critical moments. He is the author of Crisis = Opportunity and a co-author of Wounds to Wisdom. Through his speaking and training, Michael equips individuals and organizations with tools to turn life’s toughest moments into opportunities for growth.