Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans is one of the most decorated female veterans in US History. She was a successful senior military intelligence analyst and paratrooper, operating in several high-tempo and dangerous missions around the world including Grenada, Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In 2006, while working as a sergeant major in Afghanistan, a mortar blast threw her into a concrete bunker wall. She suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury and lost 95% of her hearing, ending her career in military service. Gretchen received the Bronze Star for valor and heroism in combat and a Purple Heart for wounds she received in Afghanistan.

In 2022, Gretchen received the ESPN ESPY Pat Tillman Award for Service.

Gretchen shares compelling and riveting stories and experiences, going from being the highest enlisted rank in the Army to traversing through life after a serious combat injury. Her insightful and poignant perspective offers a view into a window of today’s warriors, and offers nuggets of wisdom and impactful takeaways. She shares her story with a unique style of encouragement, hope and humor.

Gretchen’s story is featured in the bestselling book, What’s Within You, and in August 2020, Gretchen and her adventure racing team, Team UNBROKEN, were featured in the “World’s Toughest Race” on Amazon Prime, hosted by Bear Grylls and produced by Mark Burnett. Team UNBROKEN is the first totally disabled team to ever compete in this arduous adventure race. Their desire is to bring awareness that disabilities do not define or limit what is possible with hard work, grit, gumption, and a rope team.

RaDonda Vaught was the subject of one of the highest profile healthcare criminal cases in recent years. She holds a BSN and a Certificate in Leadership from Western Kentucky University. While working as a BSN prepared registered nurse, Mrs. Vaught committed a medication error that ended the life of a patient in 2017.

She was charged under administrative law by the Tennessee Department of Health, leading to the revocation of her nursing license by the Tennessee Board of Nursing in a July 2021 hearing. Additionally, she was charged under criminal law and found guilty by jury trial of two felony charges in March of 2022: Negligent Homicide, and Abuse of an Impaired Adult, with placement on an Elder Abuse registry in the state of Tennessee.

Mrs. Vaught is uniquely qualified to speak first hand on the impact this sentinel event has had on her life and her profession, along with the implications of the legal actions that followed. A passionate advocate for safety and improvement, her story will be one that is not easily forgotten.

Kim Hodous knows about success in the real world. She took a kitchen table hobby and turned it into a seven figure business despite having zero business experience. She’s also a best-selling author, an award-wining business woman, a Yoga instructor and a mother of five. She inspired audiences across the country to master their mindset so that happiness is not an elusive goal but a legitimate path to meaningful work and joyful living.