Kaleidoscope Biz Fest 2019

Bring Your Dreams Into Focus

September 14, 2019 - 12-7 p.m.

Rhythms Live Music Hall, 2020 Chapel Hill Road, Durham, NC 27707

I am honored to be one of the inspirational speakers at the Kaleidoscope Biz Fest. My topic (which as you know is my passion) is Simple Steps to Protect Your Small Business (Without Incorporating).

But I am really looking forward to hearing the other speakers:

Katia Ravé (keynote) is a French Triangle resident, business strategy coach, philanthropist, and international speaker. She is a published photojournalist, an award-winning speaker, and went from speaking no English to graduating from college at the age of 40 with a B.F.A. and GPA of 3.78. As a speaker, she supports audiences to identify what is missing from their businesses, and sharpen client acquisition and conversion skills. She energetically inspires driven entrepreneurs to set higher goals and attain them with a sustainable growth strategy that aligns with their core values. She was awarded the Women Economic Forum Award for Exceptional Women of Excellence Award in New Delhi, India.

“In my ‘Boost Your Bottom Line with 5 Pillars to Creating and Sustaining Success As An Entrepreneur’ keynote, I integrate my experiences as a business owner, leader, with what emerging entrepreneurs and leaders need with respect to mentoring, coaching and skill development. Presenting real-world examples, I provide actionable recommendations for women entrepreneurs to break through their challenges, operate at their highest potential and create a successful self-sustaining business.”

Rocket Scientist Jacqueline L. Mims, PMP, CPO, LSS GB, is one of NASA’s "hidden figures.” Engineer and former rocket scientist Mims was the first African American civil servant to be certified as a spacecraft ground controller for NASA- Goddard Space Flight Center’s unmanned spacecraft. Mims also received numerous awards for her engineering achievements, but decided to accept another challenge by adding Entrepreneur to her list of accomplishments. Mims is CEO and Founder of My Global STEM Academy, a not-for-profit in Wake County, North Carolina. The mission of My Global STEM Academy is to equip and empower the next generation of STEM leaders around the world to develop and maintain a passion for STEM. Mims is also a highly sought after, award-winning international speaker, author, mastermind trainer and STEM & women’s advocate. She has traveled to Guyana and Kenya empowering women and youth to pursue STEM and issuing a call to action for all to dream big and be willing to perform the work necessary to bring dreams into reality. Recently, Mims received the Dr. Astell Collins Global Inspiration Award from iChange Nations, the largest culture of honor organization in the world.

Dr. Susan Lovelle is a Personalized Wellness MD and the Founder of Premiere Wellness. Although she spent 17 years as a professional ballet dancer, she knew at the age of six that she would be a physician. Even then, she wanted to help everyone around her feel better. After medical school and general surgery training at Columbia-Presbyterian in NYC, she specialized in plastic surgery for more than 20 years. She began to feel more fulfilled by supporting women to heal from the inside out. Now, she specializes in finding personalized holistic solutions for busy women who are burning themselves out doing everything for everyone else and merely surviving on caffeine and willpower. Whether it’s to lose 20+ pounds, gain more energy and focus, or just plain sleep through the night, Dr. Lovelle and the Premiere Wellness team help people discover their ONE, signature way of living so they can experience the healthy, long, and joyful life they want and deserve.

Carrington Razook Jackson is a guest instructor for yoga studios and teacher-training programs throughout the country. Over the last 20+ years, Carrington’s journey through yoga has been a diverse global study and practice. She now mentors yoga teachers around the world and serves as the Yoga In Action Coordinator for Off The Mat, Into The WorldTM, regional leader for CTZNWELL, and Lululemon legacy ambassador. Carrington is known throughout the Triangle for teaching large-scale, outside-the-box yoga events that bring smaller yoga communities together into a massive collective. When she is not teaching locally, Carrington leads yoga retreats, both stateside and abroad.

Lana Garland of Durham’s Insibah Films and Hayti Heritage Film Festival will be the emcee! Lana has worked as a creative director, director, and writer/producer in television and film in the US and Europe. She has created content for HBO, BET, and ESPN in America, and TV2 in Denmark. In documentary film, she has freelanced on films such as Bowling For Columbine, and HBO’s Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives. Lana is an NATPE Fellow, a NAMIC ELDP Fellow, a Gordon Parks IFP screenwriting finalist, a Worldfest Houston finalist, and a Telly Award winner. She is the recipient of the Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Award from the Durham Arts Council and was honored this year by Gov. Roy Cooper for her contributions to the arts and cultural heritage landscape of North Carolina and beyond. Lana is also a Fulbright Specialist, having taught at Makerere University in Uganda. Currently she is working with a team on a documentary about the fading legacy of African American funeral homes, and curates the Hayti Heritage Film Festival.

Hospitality and Events Director Chef Hadassah Patterson puts her 14 years of banking operations and 10 years of wide-ranging culinary and writing experience to good use running her own brand, Oven Lovies. She has produced events on a bi-monthly basis for the last 5 years