Community & Guest List

Rasheedah is Principal and Co-founder at RC Communications, a Washington, DC-based strategic communications firm. She works with clients to media coach them, create branding and marketing strategies, crisis communication plans, and fundraising campaigns. Her passion is helping women business and government leaders define their brand and raise their profile. She is also a highly sought-after commentator for US and international media where she shares her expertise and analysis of US and international affairs. She is a proud native South Carolinian and alumna of Howard University.

Laura is business coach and mentor to corporate women who are ready to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into a reality. She is an international award winning speaker, and has spoken on stages across Europe, including at Forbes under 30. Laura has also been recognised by the Financial Times & Yahoo Finance as a Global Role Model for Women in Business for the work she has done in empowering women to rise to become their own CEO.

Allie Hembree Martin is a public relations and event planning expert with more than a decade of experience. She currently serves as the Community Relations and Event Manager for Kendra Scott, formerly working in public relations for Amazon, Alltech and the International SPA Association.

Allie completed her Master’s in Business Administration at Midway College and received her Bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University in Broadcast Journalism, Political Science and Theatre. Now in its third season, Allie enjoys serving as host of the podcast, Selfish, a show that advocates for self-care and living a life full of grace.

Marissa Ferguson is a 24 years-young entrepreneur who began her business just under 2 years ago with a vision and her iPhone. What started as a side gig turned into a full time job in 4 short months, all thanks to shampoo... yup, shampoo. Since then, she's been able to travel freely, pick up her dream car, build fruitful savings + investments, give back more than ever and most importantly, impact thousands of lives. This is just the beginning for Marissa as she continues to live out her god-given purpose!

Most businesses struggle to define their brand. Gabriel and Kelly Shields help businesses discover who they are to develop a brand that’s authentic to them, creating loyalty and trust with their audience and people. As a husband and wife team, they understand how a successful business is like a successful marriage -- it requires two very different people to discover their shared values in order to make healthy and beneficial decisions so they can better the life of the other person. Gabriel and Kelly help businesses look beyond products and services so they market effectively and establish the perfect marriage between a successful brand and successful people.