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Speakers Bureau

Let Sweet Spot Leader match a keynote speaker for your next workshop or retreat. 

Our speakers come with a range of expertise in managing difficult conversations, defining your leadership voice, creating mission-driven teams, using lifestyle behaviors to survive high-stress environments, unlocking potential, dealing with workplace violence, understanding burnout, communicating effectively, career transitioning, and more.

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Elizabeth Carr, RDH, DHA, MAADH

Elizabeth Carr, RDH, DHA, MAADH

Professor & Chair, Department of Dental Hygiene
Director, Population Oral Health Collaborative
University of Mississippi Medical Center – School of Dentistry

Biosketch

Dr. Elizabeth Carr is a nationally and internationally recognized educator, healthcare leader, author, consultant, and speaker with more than two decades of experience advancing dental hygiene education, population oral health, leadership development, and workforce innovation.

Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Carr has led transformative initiatives focused on access to care, workforce development, telehealth innovation, community partnerships, and healthcare leadership. 

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Topics

Courage: Why, When, and How

In healthcare, courage is not optional; it is essential. This presentation explores the role courage plays in leadership, decision-making, communication, and professional growth. Drawing on research, real-world examples, and personal experience, Dr. Carr helps participants understand how courageous choices shape careers, teams, and patient outcomes. Attendees leave with practical tools to act with clarity and confidence, even in high-stakes or uncomfortable situations.

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Honorarium: Up to 2 hours: $2,500 | 2–4 hours: $3,500 | 4–6 hours: $5,500 | (plus travel and lodging)
Suken Jain, MBA

Suken Jain, MBA

Founder, Synergy Sync
Founder, The Sync Leadership Lab Podcast

Biosketch

Suken Jain is a leadership and performance coach who has taken 20 years of corporate experience and a lifetime of learning to enable people and organizations to unleash their potential and reach their highest ambitions.

In his most recent leadership role at Nobel Biocare, Suken was responsible for many of the company’s largest initiatives, including creating a centralized global marketing team. His experience also includes leading strategy, program management, and marketing to drive a successful collaboration with a 250-person sales team. 

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Topics

Leading with Values and Purpose

Learning Objectives:

  • Understanding how people naturally lead and how it is different when people lead from within.
  • Discover your own values and purpose to understand what fulfills you.
  • How to apply these learnings to be a better self and team leader.
  • What actions to take to start leading a more meaningful life and career.
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Honorarium: Up to 2 hours: $2,500 | 2–4 hours: $3,500 | 4–6 hours: $5,500 | (plus travel and lodging)
Sreenivas Koka, DDS, MS, PhD, MBA, MAS

Sreenivas Koka, DDS, MS, PhD, MBA, MAS

Founder, Shaping the Future (SHIFT) 
Co-founder, The Sweet Spot Leader

Biosketch

Dr. Sreenivas “Sree” Koka was born in the United Kingdom to Indian immigrants, and grew up with two nationalities, two religions (Anglican and Hindu), two languages, and two cultures. Sree is one of 16 dentists in his family including his father, maternal grandfather and sister.

At the age of 19, he emigrated to the United States and began his university education. A lifelong learner, Sree has earned numerous graduate level degrees including a Doctor of Dental Surgery and Master of Science in Prosthodontics from the 

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Topics

The Sweet Spot: Lessons in life and leadership
Learning Objectives:
  • Define the Sweet Spot and how you can enter it as soon as possible in your life.
  • Describe how to make life-changing decisions in ways that match your dreams with your tolerance for risk.
  • Describe how to live a life with as much fulfillment and as few regrets as possible; how to live a life that matters and you are proud of.
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Honorarium: Up to 2 hours: $2,500 | 2–4 hours: $3,500 | 4–6 hours: $5,500-7500 | (plus economy airfare and lodging)
Steve Milgazo, BA, MS

Steve Milgazo, BA, MS

Founder, Optimal Path Coaching 

Biosketch

Forged by two of the toughest programs in the U.S. military, Steve Milgazo has 25+ years of leadership and strategy experience.

Steve’s early career started after high school when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and joined pararescue training. As an elite trauma medic and rescue specialist he was stationed in Florida where he stood rescue alert for 26 NASA Space Shuttle operations.

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Topic

Finding Your Optimal Path

Working in high-stress environments can be draining and lead to anxiety, burnout, and depression. The daily accumulation of micro-stressors overwhelms us physically and emotionally.

This presentation reviews the science behind three key lifestyle behaviors that can prevent or mitigate the detrimental effects of high-stress environments from reaching catastrophe. The physiologic benefits 

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Honorarium: Up to 1 hour: $1,750 | 1-2 hours: $2,750 | 2–4 hours: $5,000 | (plus travel and lodging)
Julieanne O’Connor

Julieanne O’Connor

Biosketch

Julieanne O’Connor is an international keynote speaker and neuroscience-driven performance thought leader, as well as a TEDx speaker, multi-time bestselling and award-winning author, influence coach, and award-winning Super Bowl actor. She is widely recognized for helping high achievers unlock human potential through mindset, brain science, and practical, high-impact leadership that creates real and lasting change.

Blending applied neuroscience, psychology, and real-world performance principles, Julieanne 

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Topics

The Science of Becoming: Unlocking Potential

Human potential is not fixed—it is trained. Drawing from neuroscience and psychology, discover how belief, identity, and neuroplasticity shape who we become and what we’re capable of achieving.

Learning Objectives:

  • How belief systems and neuroplasticity shape performance and identity.
  • Ways to interrupt limiting patterns and install empowering ones.
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Honorarium: Influence / Decision-Making / Neuroscience Intensive (2–4 hours): Starting at $3,500 | Signature Keynote (45–60 minutes) or Half-Day Executive Performance Experience: $7,500–$9,500 | Full-Day Executive Experience or 2–3 Day Transformation Retreat: Starting at $12,500 | Multi-day transformation retreats begin at $25,000.

Mary Eileen Paradis, BS, MS

Mary Eileen Paradis, BS, MS

Consultant, 21st Century Policing Solutions 

Biosketch

With more than thirty years of distinguished service in public safety and law enforcement, Mary Eileen Paradis stands out as a transformative leader and subject matter expert in campus and healthcare security. Most recently, Paradis served as Chief of Police and Executive Director of Public Safety at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where Paradis led multi-campus operations, managed multimillion-dollar budgets, and fostered a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

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Topic

Workplace Violence Prevention: Building a Culture of Safety Through Behavioral Threat Assessment and Interdisciplinary Response

Workplace violence is a critical and growing concern across all industries. This session equips leaders and teams to move beyond reactive policies and isolated interventions, introducing a proactive, systems-based approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating threats before they escalate. Participants will explore the spectrum of workplace violence—from early warning signs and concerning 

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Honorarium: Up to 2 hours: $2,500 | 2–4 hours: $3,500 | 4–6 hours: $5,500 | (plus travel and lodging)
Kumar Shah, DDS, MS, MBA, FACP, FAP

Kumar Shah, DDS, MS, MBA, FACP, FAP

Professor of Clinical Dentistry
Board-Certified Prosthodontist and
Maxillofacial Prosthodontist
University of California, Los Angeles

Biosketch

Dr. Kumar Shah is a distinguished academic leader, clinician, and educator at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he serves as a Professor of Clinical Dentistry and a Board-Certified Prosthodontist and Maxillofacial Prosthodontist. Known for challenging the status quo, he brings more than two decades of experience in academic administration, patient care, dental student and resident education, clinical leadership, and program development.

Dr. Shah has led multiple major programs at UCLA, including the Graduate Prosthodontics Residency Program, the Advanced Prosthodontics

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Topics

The Silent Crisis: Understanding Burnout and the Rise of Quiet Quitting, or The Burnout–Quiet Quitting Connection: A Wake-Up Call for Leaders

This presentation explores the rising connection between burnout and quiet quitting—two workplace forces shaping engagement, productivity, and team culture. The session examines the root causes of burnout, how it leads individuals to withdraw as a form of self-preservation, and what leaders can do to intervene early. Participants gain practical, evidence-based strategies to support well-being, rebuild trust, and cultivate sustainable workplace environments.

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Honorarium: 1 hour: $1,500 | 1.5 hours: $2,000 | 2 hours: $2,500 | (plus economy airfare and lodging)
Janet H. Southerland, DDS, MPH, PhD

Janet H. Southerland, DDS, MPH, PhD

Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center–
New Orleans

Biosketch

Dr. Janet H. Southerland is a senior academic executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience across complex academic health sciences enterprises.

She has served as vice chancellor, vice president, dean, and chief academic officer, with enterprise responsibility for academic affairs, faculty affairs, student success, institutional effectiveness, accreditation, research administration, interprofessional education, and fiscal stewardship within public research universities and academic medical centers.

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Topics

Effective Communications Strategies: Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say

Leadership lives and dies by communication. This session challenges leaders to abandon vague language, performative authenticity, and one-way talking in favor of clarity, credibility, and intentional listening.

Participants will examine how diluted messages, corporate jargon, and inauthentic positioning erode trust and weaken influence. Through candid reflection and practical exercises, leaders learn to strip messages to their core, align words with true

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Honorarium: Up to 2 hours: $2,500 | 2–4 hours: $3,500 | 4–6 hours: $5,500 | (plus travel and lodging)
Bo Yu, DDS, PhD, FACD

Bo Yu, DDS, PhD, FACD

Owner Dentist, 3nity Dental Group
Co-founder, The Sweet Spot Leader

Biosketch

Dr. Bo Yu is a dentist, educator, and leadership speaker whose work bridges clinical practice, academic medicine, and professional leadership development. Born and raised in Beijing, educated in Singapore, and professionally shaped in the United States, Dr. Yu brings a global perspective to leadership, education, and healthcare transformation. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree with high honors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree with honors and a PhD in Oral Biology and Medicine from the University of
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Career Transitions as Leadership Practice: Designing What Comes Next

Career transitions in dentistry and healthcare are no longer rare or reactive events. They are increasingly intentional leadership choices, shaped by growth, changing life priorities, evolving definitions of success, and the desire for greater impact. Whether prompted by opportunity, curiosity, or a sense that the next chapter is calling, transitions invite leaders to pause, reflect, and design their future with clarity and purpose.

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Honorarium: Up to 2 hours: $2,000 | 2–4 hours: $3,500
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Biosketch

Dr. Elizabeth Carr is a nationally and internationally recognized educator, healthcare leader, author, consultant, and speaker with more than two decades of experience advancing dental hygiene education, population oral health, leadership development, and workforce innovation.

Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Carr has led transformative initiatives focused on access to care, workforce development, telehealth innovation, community partnerships, and healthcare leadership. She is widely respected for her ability to bridge academic excellence with practical leadership strategies that strengthen organizations, teams, and communities.

Dr. Carr earned her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and Doctorate of Health Administration from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and a Master of Dental Hygiene from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. In 2025, she completed an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, further strengthening her expertise at the intersection of healthcare, leadership, and systems thinking.

A prolific scholar and educator, Dr. Carr has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks on leadership, courage, teaching methodology, dental public health, and team dynamics. She serves nationally as a Commission on Dental Accreditation site visitor and is an honorary fellow of the American College of Dentists, a fellow of the College of General Dentistry, and has held numerous leadership roles within professional organizations. She is a longtime member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, American Dental Education Association, and American Academy of Dental Hygiene.

Dr. Carr is a credentialed Crucial Conversations and EPIC Wisdom trainer and is widely sought after for her ability to translate complex leadership concepts into practical, human-centered strategies. As an international speaker, she has delivered more than 50 presentations across the United States and abroad, engaging audiences ranging from clinicians and educators to executive leaders and professional organizations.

As co-founder of Sweet Spot Leader, Dr. Carr works with individuals and organizations to develop courageous leaders, strengthen communication, build psychologically safe workplaces, and create high-performing teams. Her work is grounded in the belief that effective leadership, meaningful relationships, and strong team cultures are essential to improving organizational performance, workplace well-being, and population health outcomes.

Topics

Courage: Why, When, and How
In healthcare, courage is not optional; it is essential. This presentation explores the role courage plays in leadership, decision-making, communication, and professional growth. Drawing on research, real-world examples, and personal experience, Dr. Carr helps participants understand how courageous choices shape careers, teams, and patient outcomes. Attendees leave with practical tools to act with clarity and confidence, even in high-stakes or uncomfortable situations.

Learning Objectives:
  • Define courage in the context of healthcare leadership and professional practice.
  • Identify barriers that prevent courageous decision-making.
  • Apply strategies to make courageous choices during conflict, uncertainty, or change.
  • Recognize how courage contributes to trust, credibility, and long-term success.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Managing Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations are unavoidable in healthcare—whether with patients, colleagues, or team members. This highly practical session equips participants with proven communication tools to address conflict, give feedback, and navigate emotionally charged discussions without damaging relationships. Grounded in scientifically backed communication principles, this presentation emphasizes psychological safety, respect, and accountability.

Learning Objectives:
  • Identify common mistakes that derail difficult conversations.
  • Apply communication strategies that promote safety and mutual respect.
  • Distinguish between productive dialogue and unhelpful confrontation.
  • Practice techniques for addressing conflict while preserving relationships.
From Grumbles to Growth: Mastering Feedback in the Dental Office
Feedback can either fracture teams or fuel growth. This engaging presentation reframes feedback as a leadership skill that builds trust, accountability, and high performance. Participants learn how to give and receive feedback in ways that reduce defensiveness, strengthen relationships, and support a culture of continuous improvement within dental and healthcare teams.

Learning Objectives:
  • Explain why feedback often fails and how to reframe it for success.
  • Identify effective feedback strategies that promote growth rather than resistance.
  • Practice giving feedback that is clear, compassionate, and actionable.
  • Foster a team culture where feedback is expected, valued, and productive.

Biosketch

Suken Jain is a leadership and performance coach who has taken 20 years of corporate experience and a lifetime of learning to enable people and organizations to unleash their potential and reach their highest ambitions.

In his most recent leadership role at Nobel Biocare, Suken was responsible for many of the company’s largest initiatives, including creating a centralized global marketing team. His experience also includes leading strategy, program management, and marketing to drive a successful collaboration with a 250-person sales team. He successfully led multiple change management efforts including game-changing product launches using a robust Launch Excellence process for cross-functional collaboration that resulted in the biggest year-one innovation revenue achievement in company history. His success includes the combination of people- and data- focused problem solving.

Suken took his experiences leading and partnering with people to launch Synergy Sync to drive professional growth for self and team leadership including the Sync Leadership Development Program.

Suken obtained his MBA from Georgetown University in 2010, PMP Certification in 2013, and completed over 100 hours of training with the Co-Active Training Institute in 2024. Suken is also the host of The Sync Leadership Lab which is a leadership podcast tackling the biggest challenges facing today’s leaders.

He was born and raised in Southern California, then returned after a decade in the Washington, D.C. area. He is a proud husband as well as father to two children.

From 2020 to 2024, he
  • Was promoted twice.
  • Went through extreme burnout.
  • Stopped leading the way he thought others wanted him to and started leading the way that felt authentic to him.
  • Worked with a coach and started leading with purpose in helping people and companies unleash their potential.
  • Shifted careers and started Synergy Sync to support others through coaching and consulting.
  • Started The Sync Leadership Lab podcast to amplify everyday leaders, motivating people to drive change and provide them tangible ways to do so.

Topics

Leading with Values and Purpose
Learning Objectives:
  • Understanding how people naturally lead and how it is different when people lead from within.
  • Discover your own values and purpose to understand what fulfills you.
  • How to apply these learnings to be a better self and team leader.
  • What actions to take to start leading a more meaningful life and career.
Finding Your Inner Leader
Learning Objectives:
  • Discover the leadership qualities that are most important to you.
  • Address Imposter Syndrome/ Phenomenon.
  • Lead with more clarity and confidence to address any leadership situation.
Defining Your Leadership Voice
Learning Objectives:
  • A brief workshop to help leaders of all levels to better identify their leadership style.
  • Explore and identify the type of leader you want to be.
  • Discover the leadership skills most important for you to lead with.
  • Be able to simply remember and state to others your Leadership Voice.
Overcoming Overwhelm and Burnout with the Mental and Tactical Games
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify overwhelm and burnout in today’s demanding environment.
  • Learn how to address it in proactively or reactively from a mental standpoint.
  • Use tactical tools to manage heavy workload through prioritization tools.
Practical Leadership Lessons from Experience in the Trenches
Learning Objectives:
  • You can read all the books, remember the quotes, and stream the podcasts, but real leadership lessons come from experience.
  • Learn practical tips, tools, and lessons from somebody who spent years building, texting, and optimizing them “in the trenches.”
  • Address culture, engagement, and performance challenges with these practical tools that you can implement today.

Biosketch

Dr. Sreenivas “Sree” Koka was born in the United Kingdom to Indian immigrants, and grew up with two nationalities, two religions (Anglican and Hindu), two languages, and two cultures. Sree is one of 16 dentists in his family including his father, maternal grandfather and sister.

At the age of 19, he emigrated to the United States and began his university education. A lifelong learner, Sree has earned numerous graduate level degrees including a Doctor of Dental Surgery and Master of Science in Prosthodontics from the University of Michigan, a Master of Business Administration from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, a Master in Applied Sciences from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Sciences from the University of Nebraska.

Sree has had an active leadership career in private practice including as business owner; hospital practice including serving as Department Chair at Mayo Clinic; non-profit roles including serving as Executive Director; academics including serving as Dean at the University of Mississippi Medical Center; leading professional organizations; and professional service as Chair of the MIT Sloan School of Management Alumni Board. During his career he has been chosen as the outstanding teacher of the year many times by professional/graduate students.

Sree has lectured extensively nationally and internationally and has given a TEDx presentation. He is the founder of the Shaping the Future (SHIFT) leadership workshop series specifically designed to teach the human side of leadership to early-career and mid-career professionals. He presents on a variety of leadership topics, focusing on the human side of building great teams, and is a sought-after speaker for audiences across the health care spectrum. Sree and his co-founders run The Sweet Spot Leader program (thesweetspotleader.com) for early- and mid-career professionals ready to take the leap and become successful impactful leaders of high-performing teams.

Program overview

At some point, we realize that dentistry is the easy part. We get little training in life for the challenges of being a business owner or a parent even though they are some of the most stressful roles in our lives. This presentation will review some key elements of a successful life including best practices for being the person you want to be and building the family and team that you need around you. Specific focus will address best practices in making great decisions, creating and building mission-driven high-performing teams, earning the respect you crave, handling the stress of leadership, choosing the right friends and team members, how to choose bonus and incentive systems, and the relationship between money and happiness. At the end of this presentation, you will see your life differently and you will find greater meaning in the impact you can have with the days you have left.

Topics

The Sweet Spot: Lessons in life and leadership
Learning Objectives:
  • Define the Sweet Spot and how you can enter it as soon as possible in your life.
  • Describe how to make life-changing decisions in ways that match your dreams with your tolerance for risk.
  • Describe how to live a life with as much fulfillment and as few regrets as possible; how to live a life that matters and you are proud of.
Optimize yourself and your team
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify how great leaders take care of themselves in a way that is not selfish and reduces your stress.
  • Identify how great leaders inspire their team members to go above and beyond.
  • Identify the fundamental dos and don’ts of exceptional leadership and how to avoid making big leadership mistakes.
The hallmarks of mission-driven world-class teams
Learning Objectives:
  • Define a world-class team: What is it and who decides?
  • Describe how to evaluate where and how your team needs to improve; what are the core issues?
  • Describe how to use bonus systems and incentive systems effectively so they get the response you do want and not the response you don’t want.
What really matters in life
Learning Objectives:
  • Describe how you can evaluate what is truly important to you.
  • Identify the priorities that are important and not important to you so you spend your life on what really matters.
  • Describe how to avoid making the biggest mistakes that lead to the biggest regrets in life.

Biosketch

Forged by two of the toughest programs in the U.S. military, Steve Milgazo has 25+ years of leadership and strategy experience.

Steve’s early career started after high school when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and joined pararescue training. As an elite trauma medic and rescue specialist he was stationed in Florida where he stood rescue alert for 26 NASA Space Shuttle operations.

Wanting to pursue higher education and a commission in the Navy, he went to the University of Colorado and attended Naval ROTC. Upon graduation, he reported to San Diego, CA and Basic Underwater Demotion/SEAL training (BUD/S). His assignments as a junior SEAL officer resulted in various deployments as a tactical team leader in locations throughout Europe and the Middle East. He’s had the honor of training and operating with the most elite U.S. military units and foreign special operations teams from 12 countries throughout the world.

His transition into senior executive leadership started when he took the role of Chief of Staff for BUD/S where he oversaw all aspects of operations, human capital management, finances, and facilities for a student and staff population of 600 personnel. It was here he found his strength in enterprise optimization and developing strategic vision. His efforts resulted in a high-performing culture that consistently operated at peak performance while conducting high risk training every day at eight regional facilities across the nation.

After completing this tour, Steve went on to develop enterprise strategy for various Navy and special operations commands responsible for deploying fully-trained military units throughout the globe. He was responsible for leading strategy planning with senior executive stakeholders, overseeing C-Suite level approval, and directing execution plans. His major accomplishments include the development of a unique Navy and special operations training integration plan, the five-year strategy for Central and South America operations, and the strategy for the development of the future SEAL fighting force.

In October 2019, Steve retired from 30 years of service and recently founded Optimal Path Coaching (https://optimal-path.net/) for people in high-demand roles who want optimal cognitive, physical, and spiritual balance so they can deliver the impact they want at work and the fulfillment they desire in their personal lives.

Along with his Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado, he earned a Master of Science in Information Systems and Operations from the Naval Post Graduate School. Steve is scheduled to earn his Master of Science in Kinesiology and Integrated Wellness in the summer of 2025.

Steve is the proud father of two beautiful teenage daughters. When he is not watching his girls play softball or ride horses, you can find him surfing, tinkering with classic cars, or hiking peaks throughout San Diego.

Topic

Finding Your Optimal Path

Working in high-stress environments can be draining and lead to anxiety, burnout, and depression. The daily accumulation of micro-stressors overwhelms us physically and emotionally.

This presentation reviews the science behind three key lifestyle behaviors that can prevent or mitigate the detrimental effects of high-stress environments from reaching catastrophe. The physiologic benefits of nutrition, sleep, and mindfulness are discussed in detail.

By following the practical steps offered in this presentation, attendees will be much better equipped to thrive in their work settings instead of just trying to survive and get through another day or week. The way forward to an optimal life path awaits.

Learning Objectives:
  • Describe the physiologic basis of effective sleep and how to practice healthy sleep habits.
  • Describe the physiologic basis of effective nutrition and how to practice healthy eating and dietary habits.
  • Describe the physiologic basis of mindfulness and how to practice resilience building habits.

Biosketch

Julieanne O’Connor is an international keynote speaker and neuroscience-driven performance thought leader, as well as a TEDx speaker, multi-time bestselling and award-winning author, influence coach, and award-winning Super Bowl actor. She is widely recognized for helping high achievers unlock human potential through mindset, brain science, and practical, high-impact leadership that creates real and lasting change.

Blending applied neuroscience, psychology, and real-world performance principles, Julieanne translates complex science into powerful, practical insights that drive lasting change. Her work explores how belief systems are formed, how identity and emotion influence decision-making, and how individuals and organizations can rewire limitations to elevate clarity, confidence, and impact.

Named one of the Top 30 Most Influential Women Entrepreneurs in 2025, Julieanne is the visionary behind INFLUENCE élevé Magazine and co-host of the highly respected influential dental podcast. She has spent her career working with leaders, executives, and high-performing professionals worldwide, guiding them through moments of growth, reinvention, and transformation.

Whether on stage or in advisory roles, Julieanne is known for delivering thought-provoking keynotes that expand perspective, challenge assumptions, and leave audiences with actionable frameworks to elevate performance, purpose, and possibility.

Topics

The Science of Becoming: Unlocking Potential

Human potential is not fixed—it is trained. Drawing from neuroscience and psychology, discover how belief, identity, and neuroplasticity shape who we become and what we’re capable of achieving.

Learning Objectives:
  • How belief systems and neuroplasticity shape performance and identity.
  • Ways to interrupt limiting patterns and install empowering ones.
  • Mindset frameworks that support sustained growth and resilience.
Beyond Willpower

Change doesn’t fail because people lack discipline —it fails because the brain resists misaligned change. Explore the neuroscience behind why willpower alone isn’t enough and what actually creates lasting transformation.

Learning Objectives:
  • Why most change efforts fail at the neurological level.
  • How to align emotion, identity, and behavior for real change.
  • Brain-based strategies to move from intention to execution.
From Possibility to Reality

The future belongs to those who can see possibility before it’s visible and train their minds to meet it. This keynote explores how perception and mental flexibility shape decisions and outcomes.

  • How perception and emotional regulation influence decision-making.
  • Shifting from fear-based thinking into possibility-based leadership.
  • Mental frameworks that support confidence, adaptability, and clarity.

Biosketch

With more than thirty years of distinguished service in public safety and law enforcement, Mary Eileen Paradis stands out as a transformative leader and subject matter expert in campus and healthcare security. Most recently, Paradis served as Chief of Police and Executive Director of Public Safety at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where Paradis led multi-campus operations, managed multimillion-dollar budgets, and fostered a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) as an expert in the field, Paradis received the 2025 IACLEA Award for Innovations in Community-Oriented Policing, honoring pioneering work in promoting collaborative, community-focused law enforcement strategies.

Paradis is also renowned for developing methodologies to prevent workplace violence, particularly in healthcare settings, and has shared best practices in behavioral threat assessment with leaders across the U.S. and internationally.

Throughout a career spanning higher education, healthcare, and municipal environments, Paradis has held senior management roles at institutions such as Marymount University and The George Washington University, where Paradis directed police operations, emergency management, and security technology integration. Paradis’s leadership is marked by strategic vision, integrity, and a collaborative approach to building high-performing teams and transforming organizational culture.

As a consultant with 21st Century Policing Solutions, Paradis advises public and private sector clients on law enforcement best practices, risk management, and organizational integrity. Paradis’s expertise encompasses multi-campus safety, crisis management, regulatory compliance, cybersecurity, and diversity and inclusion. Paradis holds a master’s degree in cybersecurity strategy and information management, a bachelor’s degree in police and security studies from The George Washington University, and advanced certificates in diversity and inclusion from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

A sought-after speaker and trainer, Paradis has delivered presentations at national and international conferences, including NOBLE, IACLEA, NAWLEE, and the Mississippi Public Safety Summit, addressing topics such as behavioral threat assessment, workplace violence prevention, and the future of emergency dispatch technology.

Driven by a commitment to safety, equity, and innovation, Mary Eileen Paradis continues to shape the future of public safety through thought leadership, mentorship, and the advancement of best practices in law enforcement and security.

Topic

Workplace Violence Prevention: Building a Culture of Safety Through Behavioral Threat Assessment and Interdisciplinary Response

Workplace violence is a critical and growing concern across all industries. This session equips leaders and teams to move beyond reactive policies and isolated interventions, introducing a proactive, systems-based approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating threats before they escalate. Participants will explore the spectrum of workplace violence—from early warning signs and concerning behaviors to acute threats—and learn how to distinguish between everyday conflict and genuine risk.

Central to this session is the development of an interdisciplinary threat assessment team. Attendees will examine the roles of HR, security, legal, behavioral health, and line management in a coordinated response. Through real-world scenarios and interactive exercises, participants will learn how to gather and interpret behavioral indicators, assess insider risk, and implement structured case reviews that balance safety, privacy, and organizational culture.

The session also emphasizes the importance of training all employees in de-escalation techniques and clear reporting pathways. By fostering a culture of vigilance and support, organizations can empower staff to recognize and respond to early warning signs, reducing the likelihood of escalation and ensuring a safer workplace for all.

Learning Objectives:
  • Identify the types and warning signs of workplace violence, including behavioral indicators that suggest an individual may be on the pathway to violence.
  • Understand the principles and process of behavioral threat assessment, including the formation and operation of an interdisciplinary review team.
  • Recognize insider risk factors and how they intersect with workplace violence prevention.
  • Train employees in practical de-escalation strategies and effective communication during high-stress situations.
  • Implement clear protocols for reporting concerns, responding to incidents, and supporting affected individuals and teams.

Biosketch

Dr. Kumar Shah is a distinguished academic leader, clinician, and educator at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he serves as a Professor of Clinical Dentistry and a Board-Certified Prosthodontist and Maxillofacial Prosthodontist. Known for challenging the status quo, he brings more than two decades of experience in academic administration, patient care, dental student and resident education, clinical leadership, and program development.

Dr. Shah has led multiple major programs at UCLA, including the Graduate Prosthodontics Residency Program, the Advanced Prosthodontics and Implantology Preceptorships, and the UCLA Faculty Group Dental Practice. He is widely recognized for promoting innovation, fostering high-performing teams, and elevating leadership culture within healthcare environments.

His training includes a dental degree from the National University of Singapore, a Master of Science and Certificate in Prosthodontics from The Ohio State University, a fellowship in Maxillofacial Prosthetics and a Certificate in Translational Science from UCLA, and an MBA from the University of Illinois. He speaks nationally on leadership, burnout, organizational culture, and professional well-being.

Topics

The Silent Crisis: Understanding Burnout and the Rise of Quiet Quitting, or
The Burnout–Quiet Quitting Connection: A Wake-Up Call for Leaders

This presentation explores the rising connection between burnout and quiet quitting—two workplace forces shaping engagement, productivity, and team culture. The session examines the root causes of burnout, how it leads individuals to withdraw as a form of self-preservation, and what leaders can do to intervene early. Participants gain practical, evidence-based strategies to support well-being, rebuild trust, and cultivate sustainable workplace environments.

Change Over Comfort: How Mindset Shapes Growth and Leadership, or
Breaking the Status Quo: The Role of Mindset in Meaningful Change

This presentation explores the psychological and behavioral foundations of mindset and how comfort, fear, and habit shape resistance to change. Participants learn why individuals and teams often choose the familiar—even when it’s ineffective—and how leaders can foster a growth-oriented culture that embraces learning, discomfort, and innovation. Through practical tools and real-world examples, this session empowers attendees to shift from reactive patterns to intentional, value-aligned action.

Biosketch

Dr. Janet H. Southerland is a senior academic executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience across complex academic health sciences enterprises.

She has served as vice chancellor, vice president, dean, and chief academic officer, with enterprise responsibility for academic affairs, faculty affairs, student success, institutional effectiveness, accreditation, research administration, interprofessional education, and fiscal stewardship within public research universities and academic medical centers.

Dr. Southerland is recognized for advancing access-oriented academic excellence in urban, health sciences, and safety-net contexts, particularly at institutions serving diverse and first-generation student populations.

Her leadership has included guiding institutions through periods of transition and recovery, building academic and research infrastructure, leading accreditation efforts, and aligning education, research, and clinical missions with community impact.

A collaborative and transparent leader, Dr. Southerland has partnered closely with presidents, deans, and health system leaders to strengthen academic enterprises and support faculty and student success. She currently serves as a tenured professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center–New Orleans.

Topics

Effective Communications Strategies: Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say

Leadership lives and dies by communication. This session challenges leaders to abandon vague language, performative authenticity, and one-way talking in favor of clarity, credibility, and intentional listening.

Participants will examine how diluted messages, corporate jargon, and inauthentic positioning erode trust and weaken influence. Through candid reflection and practical exercises, leaders learn to strip messages to their core, align words with true beliefs, and take accountability for what they say—and what they fail to say.

The session also introduces listening as a leadership discipline, not a courtesy. Participants will explore how constant talking limits insight, damages decision-making, and silences valuable perspectives. Using pause-and-reflect techniques, participants practice slowing down, listening fully, and responding with purpose rather than impulse. The result is a sharper leadership presence grounded in honesty, clarity, and respect. Where words are intentional, messages are actionable, and listening becomes a strategic advantage. This session is intended to be intensive, bold, direct, and highly interactive. Designed to move leaders from sounding good to being effective—and backing it up with action.

Learning Objectives:
  • Identify and eliminate vague, jargon-driven communication that undermines leadership credibility.
  • Align spoken messages with authentic beliefs and leadership accountability.
  • Apply intentional listening and pause-based response strategies to improve trust, decision-making, and influence.
Lean Out: Making Space for Others to Lead

The purpose of this session is to present a new model that reframes leadership effectiveness to prepare leaders to better operate in complex, fast-paced, and sometimes unpredictable environments. Rather than equating strong leadership with constant presence, responsiveness, or control, this session introduces leadership through strategic restraint, which is the intentional practice of creating space so others can think, decide, and lead. We will examine the hidden costs of over-functioning.

Participants will have the opportunity to explore how well-intentioned leadership behaviors such as stepping in quickly, needing to solve problems, and maintaining constant visibility, can unintentionally create dependency, slow decision-making, and limit team growth. Through guided reflection and a practical approach, the intent is for leaders to learn to recognize where “doing more” actually may be undermining their effectiveness.

Further, we will examine hidden costs of over-functioning and how to get from diagnosis to design. We will explore the distinction between the performer and the architect leader and learn how to replace personal intervention with clear structures, decision making, and accountability systems. By focusing on leadership architecture rather than individual effort, we introduce practical strategies to build durable teams, strengthen ownership, and improve performance without increasing personal workload. This session equips leaders with a clear framework and actionable tools to lead with clarity, restraint, and lasting impact.

Learning Objectives:
  • Identify patterns of over-functioning and leadership dependency.
  • Understand the difference between effort-based and design-based leadership.
  • Apply principles of strategic restraint to everyday leadership situations.
  • Shift from performing competence to designing systems that enable others to lead.
  • Create immediate, practical opportunities to make space for leadership at all levels.
The Leadership Pivot: What Changes When You Move Up?

Moving into senior leadership within an academic health sciences environment is not simply a promotion, it is a fundamental shift in how leaders create value, exercise influence, and use authority. The Leadership Pivot: What Changes When You Move Up is a leadership training keynote designed for deans, chairs, provost-level leaders, and senior administrators navigating the transition from unit-level leadership to enterprise responsibility.

This session examines the often-unspoken realities of senior leadership, focusing on three critical pivots: how leaders add value (from expert to enterprise steward), how they are experienced by others (from peer to institutional stature), and how they use power (from doing the work to enabling others to succeed). Through candid discussion, real-world academic health system examples, and structured reflection, participants will be challenged to identify behaviors that no longer serve them at higher levels of leadership and to intentionally recalibrate their leadership approach.

This keynote equips leaders to avoid common derailers—such as over-functioning, micromanagement, and conflict avoidance—and to lead with clarity, judgment, and institutional perspective in complex, mission-driven environments.

Learning Objectives:
  • Identify the three essential leadership pivots required at the senior level.
  • Recognize behaviors that undermine effectiveness in enterprise roles.
  • Reframe their leadership values from individual expertise to system-level impact.
  • Apply practical strategies to lead with authority, influence, and judgment across academic health systems.

Biosketch

Dr. Bo Yu is a dentist, educator, and leadership speaker whose work bridges clinical practice, academic medicine, and professional leadership development. Born and raised in Beijing, educated in Singapore, and professionally shaped in the United States, Dr. Yu brings a global perspective to leadership, education, and healthcare transformation. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree with high honors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree with honors and a PhD in Oral Biology and Medicine from the University of California, Los Angeles. He further advanced his leadership training through the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Executive Certificate program in Leadership and Management.

An educator at heart, Dr. Yu served as a full-time faculty member at the UCLA School of Dentistry for eight years as an Assistant Professor and Director of Preclinical Education in Restorative Dentistry. In this role, he led preclinical curriculum development, chaired multiple courses annually, and helped modernize dental education through the integration of digital dentistry and CAD/CAM workflows. His dedication to teaching excellence and mentorship has been widely recognized, including multiple awards for excellence in preclinical and clinical education and recognition by graduating classes for his impact on their professional formation.

Dr. Yu is a sought-after speaker and facilitator in leadership development and continuing education. He regularly delivers invited lectures, workshops, and leadership programs nationally and internationally, engaging audiences in topics such as leading across roles, navigating career transitions, professional identity, feedback and communication, and aligning personal values with organizational responsibility. His approach blends reflection, lived experience, and practical frameworks, creating space for honest conversations about growth, change, and resilience in healthcare leadership.

Dr. Yu is also a published scholar in leadership and professional development. His first-author article, The Dark Side of Leadership: Finding Where You Belong, explores the often-unspoken challenges of leadership, including misalignment, identity tension, and the courage required to pursue meaningful change. He is also the author of Relish Your Crucible Moments: Charting Your Next Career Transition, published in the Primary Dental Journal in 2025, which examines the emotional and psychological dimensions of career transitions in dentistry and frames moments of adversity as opportunities for clarity, growth, and renewal.

In addition to his leadership and educational work, Dr. Yu practices as a general dentist in Los Angeles and serves as an examiner for national dental licensure examinations. He is a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and remains deeply committed to mentorship, service, and developing healthcare leaders who lead with clarity, humility, and purpose.

Topics

Career Transitions as Leadership Practice: Designing What Comes Next

Career transitions in dentistry and healthcare are no longer rare or reactive events. They are increasingly intentional leadership choices, shaped by growth, changing life priorities, evolving definitions of success, and the desire for greater impact. Whether prompted by opportunity, curiosity, or a sense that the next chapter is calling, transitions invite leaders to pause, reflect, and design their future with clarity and purpose.

This two-part course series reframes career transitions not as departures from success, but as expressions of leadership maturity. Drawing on leadership scholarship, real-world experience, and reflective frameworks, the series helps participants approach transitions as developmental opportunities that strengthen character, sharpen perspective, and expand leadership capacity.

Participants will explore how values, identity, and organizational contexts influence career decisions; how leaders can remain grounded during periods of uncertainty; and how moments of disruption or opportunity can function as crucibles that deepen self-awareness and ethical leadership. Together, the two courses provide a practical and human-centered approach to navigating career transitions with intention rather than urgency.

Designed for dental and healthcare professionals who:
  • Are performing well in their current roles but thinking ahead.
  • Are curious about expanding their impact through new opportunities.
  • Want to approach career transitions with intention rather than urgency.
  • Seek deeper alignment between leadership, values, and life design.
  • View leadership growth as an ongoing practice, not a fixed destination.
Designing the Next Chapter: Career Transitions as Strategic Leadership Choices

This lesson reframes career transitions as intentional leadership decisions made from curiosity, growth, and evolving aspirations, rather than dissatisfaction or misalignment. Participants explore how changing seasons of life and leadership naturally invite reassessment and opportunity.

Learning Objectives:
  • Recognize natural career inflection points that arise from growth, changing life priorities, or evolving definitions of success, even in the absence of dissatisfaction or conflict.
  • Clarify personal values, joy factors, and leadership aspirations, and assess how well current roles support long-term growth, fulfillment, and contribution over time.
  • Apply a proactive transition mindset, viewing career moves as strategic expansions of impact and leadership capacity rather than reactions to external pressure or organizational mismatch.
Leadership Under Pressure: Navigating Bright-Side Growth and Crucible Moments

This lesson explores how leadership growth often occurs at the edge of comfort. Participants examine the bright side and dark side of leadership, and how moments of uncertainty, disruption, or opportunity can function as crucibles that sharpen character and perspective.

Learning Objectives:
  • Differentiate bright-side leadership growth from early signals of dark-side drift, understanding how unchecked ambition, fear, or comfort can subtly erode clarity, engagement, and leadership effectiveness over time.
  • Reframe life transitions and lifequakes as developmental crucibles, recognizing how uncertainty and change can strengthen resilience, self-awareness, and ethical leadership when approached intentionally.
  • Leverage reflection and support systems to navigate transitions with perspective and purpose, using moments of disruption or opportunity to align leadership behaviors with long-term values and character development.