ROI OF WHY CONFERENCE 2026
Love Conquers Fear: Together We Rise
Where Profit Follows Purpose and Purpose Drives Profit.
May 27th-29th, 2026 | Omaha, Nebraska
SECURE YOUR SEAT
Conference Venue
Heider College of Business – Creighton University
602 N 20th St
Omaha, NE 68102
Recommended Hotel
Cambria Hotel Omaha Downtown
740 N 14th St
Omaha, NE 68102
Distance: 0.8 miles from the conference venue
A comfortable, scenic walk
Complimentary Shuttle for Registered Guests of the
Cambria Hotel
→ To and from Eppley Airfield (OMA)
→ To and from the ROI of Why Conference venue
Special Conference Rate
$ Exclusive ROI of Why Rate:
$109 per night (plus tax)
Group Code: QA86E6
Love Conquers Fear: Together We Rise
This year’s theme—Love Conquers Fear: Together We Rise—reflects the power of community, shared vision, and collective action. It’s a call to gather, grow, and build a future where doing more good is the foundation — not the afterthought — of business.
BUSINESS AS A FORCE FOR GOOD ISN’T JUST AN IDEA — IT’S A MOVEMENT.
You know there’s more to leadership than maximizing profits. ROI of Why is where values-driven leaders gather to explore what happens when purpose and performance go hand in hand. It’s real conversations, real transformation — and a community of people who believe in doing more good through business.
AT ROI OF WHY, YOU WILL
Rediscover the “why” behind your work — and walk away re-centered and recharged
Build authentic connections with leaders who want more than business as usual
Learn how purpose-aligned strategy creates sustainable impact and growth
WHAT PAST ATTENDEES ARE SAYING
Real stories from real people—founders, leaders, and changemakers who left inspired, connected, and ready to lead with purpose.
LAUNCHING THE CONSTELLATION LAB
What is the Constellation Lab — and why is it the most exciting new leadership opportunity at ROI of Why 2026?
Who are the 25 emerging leaders from underrepresented communities chosen to reshape the future?
Ready to discover how you can be part of this groundbreaking year-long accelerator?
JOIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS →CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
ROI OF WHY 2026 WORKSHOPS
May 27th, 2025
Leading with Head and Heart: Advancements in Neuroleadership to Transform Your Own Life and the Lives of Those they Lead
Dr. Helen Fagan
Session Description:
This immersive three-hour workshop explores how healing and neuroscience intersect to shape emotionally intelligent, resilient leaders. Participants will discover how the head and heart work together to influence behavior, connection, decision-making, and team culture. Grounded in research from Neuroleadership, Psychological Capital (hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism) and Emotional Intelligence, this session offers practical insights and tools for transforming stress into strength and reactivity into presence. Through guided reflection, somatic awareness, and interactive dialogue, leaders will learn to regulate their nervous systems, build trust, and lead from wholeness cultivating a culture embodying people matter.
Key Takeaways:
- Understand the neuroscience of healing and its impact on leading
- Strengthen Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Capital for sustained resilience
- Learn practices that foster trust, creativity, and focus
- Create a personal action plan for leading with both heart and brain
Speaker: Dr. Helen Fagan
Speaker Bio:
As a leadership scholar, executive coach, and global strategist, Dr. Fagan equips leaders with the ability to unlock human potential while advancing meaningful results.
As the founder of Helen Fagan & Associates, she helps high-impact leaders move beyond checklists and competencies into true self-mastery. Her research and leadership development philosophy combines Emotional Intelligence, Intercultural Mindset, Psychological Capital, and the Neuroscience of Transformation to create lasting change in people, culture, and legacy.
Currently serving as Graduate Faculty in Leadership at Doane University, Dr. Fagan designs learning that challenges conventional leadership development models and raises the bar on what it means to lead with depth, discernment, and discipline.
Her upcoming book, Lead Like People Matter, is a memoir-meets-manifesto for those who refuse to lead on autopilot and are ready to do the hard. She has a PhD in Human Sciences (Leadership) with decades of experience designing executive-level programs, is a trained executive coach, and a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Dr. Fagan has been honored with the 2020 Inspire Leadership Excellence in Education Award and the 2021 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Fulfilling the Dream Award.
Everything’s on Fire (So Let’s Do Improv!):
Finding Clarity, Collaboration, and Purpose with “Yes, And…"
Timmy Tamisiea
Session Description:
When everything’s on fire—and it will be—most people reach for a hose. We reach for improv. In this interactive, laughter-filled session from Healthcare Improv, you’ll learn how the principles of improvisation can turn chaos into connection and confusion into clarity. Through playful exercises and thoughtful reflection, we’ll explore how to quiet the ego, focus on shared purpose, and build trust in both the process and the people around you. You’ll practice letting go of control, listening with intention, and saying “Yes, And…” to whatever challenge comes next. Expect insights, laughter, and maybe a little smoke as you discover that sometimes the best way to lead is to stop forcing the outcome—and start trusting the moment.
Duration: 60–75 minutes
Why attend:
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Discover how active listening (not just hearing) transforms team dynamics
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Learn to pivot with confidence when rules and roles change
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Replace ego with shared purpose for stronger collaboration
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Practice letting go and trusting the process (even when it’s messy)
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Leave ready to “Yes, And…” your next unexpected moment
Speaker: Timmy Tamisiea
Speaker Bio:
At Launch Leadership, my focus is on empowering and developing young leaders through innovative programs and strategies. With a rich background in the arts as an Independent Filmmaker, I blend creative storytelling with leadership training, creating an engaging and transformative experience for our participants.
Our team cultivates brand awareness and fundraising initiatives that amplify our mission. Leveraging my comedic flair and directorial skills from years in entertainment, we have fostered a culture of humor, resilience, and bold ideas that resonate with today's youth.
Team-Led Results™: Building Alignment, Trust, and Accountability for Better Outcomes
Joshua Berry
Session Description:
In today’s fast-moving environment, the best results don’t come from top-down directives—they come from teams who lead together. In this interactive two-hour workshop, you’ll explore the Team-Led Results™ model, a practical framework that helps leaders and teams strengthen trust, alignment, and accountability while driving measurable business outcomes. Through hands-on activities and real-world examples, participants will learn how to build clarity around decision-making, test new ideas quickly, and celebrate progress in ways that sustain momentum. Whether you lead a team or contribute to one, this session will give you tools to make change with your people, not to them—so that healthy teams become the foundation of high performance.
Why Attend:
- Learn a simple, actionable model—Groundwork, Alignment, Iteration, Celebration—to lead change with your team.
- Practice tools that improve trust, clarity, and accountability in everyday work.
- Discover how strong organizational health directly improves safety, quality, and business performance.
- Leave with one clear, Monday-ready action you can use to strengthen your team’s results immediately.
Speaker: Joshua Berry
Speaker Bio:
Joshua Berry is a world-class facilitator of change. As an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and director of Econic, Joshua has spent the last two decades evolving the what, who, and why of Fortune 500 companies and venture-backed startups.
Along with his team, Joshua has sparked change in organizations like US Bank, John Deere, Procter & Gamble, Nelnet, Ameritas, Omaha Public Power District, Farm Credit Services of America, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, among others.
For employees and leaders looking to grow themselves and their organizations, Joshua speaks on overcoming limiting beliefs, adaptive leadership, and the innovation systems and mindsets that create engines for growth. Learn more at econic.co and joshuaberry.com.
The 8 Secrets of Inspirational Leadership:
Dan Lyons
Session Description:
Olympic athlete Dan Lyons brings the spirit of elite performance straight to the ROI of Why stage. Blending the precision of world-class athletics with the heart-centered mission of the Do More Good® Movement, Dan introduces participants to the 8 Secrets of Inspirational Leadership—the foundational principles behind building teams that rise, adapt, and win together.
Designed specifically for purpose-driven professionals, nonprofit leaders, and mission-focused organizations, this session redefines leadership not as a title, but as a practice. Dan shares the same principles he has used to coach executives, athletes, and high-performing teams around the world—now aligned with the DMGM belief that purpose is the ultimate competitive advantage.
Participants will discover how to:
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Connect people to something bigger than themselves
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Create cultures where every individual feels deeply valued
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Set clear, elevating performance objectives
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Ignite shared purpose and “ennoble the effort”
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Empower unique strengths within team synergy
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Foster accountability through personal ownership
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Celebrate progress and “win every day”
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Maintain positive, engaged energy that fuels others
This workshop is more than theory—it’s an immersive, inspiring call to action. Attendees will walk away with practical leadership tools, renewed confidence, and a deeper understanding of how great leaders bring out the best in people—not through command, but through connection, clarity, and purpose.
Prepare to be challenged. Prepare to be energized. Prepare to lead with purpose.
Because when leaders rise with intention, together we rise.
Speaker: Dan Lyons
Speaker Bio:
Dan Lyons is a World Champion and Olympic rower turned leadership innovator who has spent his career helping organizations unlock the power of true teamwork. As the Founder and CEO of Team Concepts Inc., Dan has guided thousands of leaders and teams toward greater alignment, trust, and performance through experiential learning grounded in the principles of elite sport.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and former Navy officer, Dan rowed on seven U.S. National Teams, captured a World Championship title in 1986, and represented the United States at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. His athletic journey instilled in him a deep understanding of what it takes to perform under pressure — lessons he now translates into business and organizational excellence.
Through programs like Team Champion, Team Concepts’ signature rowing-based leadership experience, Dan helps participants feel what true collaboration and flow look like in action. His approach blends Olympic-level discipline with human-centered leadership, proving that when teams align around purpose and rhythm, extraordinary results follow.
Today, Dan is a sought-after speaker and consultant known for his engaging storytelling, hands-on insight, and ability to help teams move — literally and figuratively — in the same direction.
Building Teams That Win:
Implementing The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Framework - by Patrick Lencioni
Molly Coke
Session Description:
Teamwork is the ultimate competitive advantage—so why is it so rare?
Join leadership coach Molly Coke for an interactive workshop on The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. Through hands-on exercises, you’ll explore the key dysfunctions—Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results—and gain actionable strategies to build a more cohesive, high-performing team.
Don't miss this opportunity to transform the way your team works together!
What You’ll Gain:
- Understand the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team—Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results.
- Engage in interactive exercises that will strengthen team cohesion.
- Walk away with actionable strategies to foster a culture of collaboration and high performance.
Speaker: Molly Coke
Speaker Bio:
Experienced leader with a demonstrated history of building teams and setting benchmarks in the marketing and advertising industry. Client relationship professional skilled in team member development and client satisfaction along with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Marketing Management, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in an Agile Software development environment.
Love Over Fear: Reframing Money from Scarcity to Abundance
Brandon Hatton
Session Description:
Money often carries fear beneath the surface. Fear of not having enough, fear of losing control, fear of getting it wrong. This workshop invites participants to examine how those fears shape decisions, behavior, and impact. Grounded in real client stories and practical frameworks, Brandon Hatton guides attendees through a shift from scarcity-driven thinking toward an abundant mindset rooted in clarity, trust, and purpose. The
session aligns money with values, so it becomes a tool for contribution rather than a source of anxiety.
Why Attend:
- Learn how fear-based money narratives quietly influence leadership, giving, and
long-term decisions. - Gain practical frameworks for defining what “enough” looks like and using it as a
steady benchmark. - Explore how an abundance mindset supports generosity, resilience, and
sustained impact. - Walk away with conversation tools that help teams, families, and organizations
align money with mission.
Speaker: Brandon Hatton
Speaker Bio:
CEO and Chief Investment Officer, Conscious Wealth®
“When you know how much wealth is enough and the impact you want to make, that clarity becomes your benchmark. From there, decisions get simpler.”
Brandon Hatton is a wealth manager, author, and founder of Conscious Wealth®, a company that helps individuals, families, and founders align capital with purpose and impact. His work sits at the intersection of money, meaning, and responsibility, with a focus on how financial decisions shape culture, relationships, and long-term outcomes.
Brandon began his career at Merrill Lynch, where success was defined by a single metric: make more money. While advising clients with significant financial resources, he noticed a recurring disconnect. Many were financially successful, yet lived with anxiety, insecurity, and constant pressure to accumulate more. That realization became personal. His own pursuit of wealth came at the cost of health, relationships, and a grounded sense of self.
This experience reshaped his approach. Brandon helps people move from accumulation to alignment by clarifying what “enough” looks like and how capital can support the impact they want to create. Through disciplined investment strategy and facilitated conversations, he guides clients toward confidence, accountability, and intentional use of wealth. The result is capital that supports growth, contribution, and shared well-being.
Brandon is the author of Conscious Wealth: Money, Investing, and a Financial Awakening for the Person Who Has It All. He is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® and a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor®. His work and perspective have been featured through platforms such as the Conscious Capitalism CEO Summit, Chat With Leaders Podcast, and Working on Wellbeing Podcast.
May 29th, 2025
Love Conquers Fear: The Inner Shift that Redefines Leadership, Culture, and Impact
Brett Hurt
Session Description:
In a world accelerating toward unprecedented technological disruption, leaders are being called to choose not just strategies—but states of consciousness. Fear constricts. Love expands. And the organizations that will thrive in the coming Age of Abundance are the ones led by people willing to operate from courage, compassion, and a deep commitment to human flourishing.
Join serial entrepreneur, investor, and visionary founder Brett Hurt, CEO of Love Conquers Fear, for a transformative workshop on integrating love-based leadership into your company’s daily operations, decision-making, and culture. Drawing from the principles behind his Love Conquers Fear philosophy—and the insights from his decades building industry-defining companies—Brett will guide you through how to elevate your organization from fear-driven reactivity to purpose-driven possibility.
Through reflection, storytelling, and practical tools, you’ll learn how leaders can shift their mindset, align teams around shared values, and prepare their organizations for a future defined by AI, exponential technologies, and abundant opportunity. This workshop aligns with the core commitments of the Do More Good® Movement: conscious leadership, people-first cultures, and business as a force for good.
Expect inspiration, clarity, and a bold reframing of what it means to lead in a world that’s rapidly transforming.
Objectives
- A powerful understanding of the Love Conquers Fear philosophy and how to apply it inside your organization.
- Insights into leading from love-based principles rather than fear-driven defaults.
- Recognize how fear subtly drives decisions, leadership styles, and company culture.
- Tools and practices to transmute fear into love — an energy that fosters trust, creativity, and growth.
- Understand that love is not soft — it’s the most powerful business strategy and the foundation of psychological safety and innovation.
- Leave with actionable tools to build cultures and companies where love, not fear, drives performance and purpose.
- Understand the sources of their fears (personal, professional, societal).
- Reframe fear as a messenger and doorway to deeper self-awareness.
- Activate love — for self, others, and purpose — as the ultimate transformative force to prepare your organization for the Age of Abundance.
- Leave with a practical daily framework to help you consistently choose love over fear in leadership and life.
Speaker: Brett Hurt
Speaker Bio:
Brett Alexander Hurt lives in Austin and has been married to Debra for 29 years. They have two children, Yuzu (16) and Rachel (21). He's the CEO of Love Conquers Fear, his new holding company focused on his highest utility to help humanity make it to the Age of Abundance for All. His podcast, Love Conquers Fear, launched on September 24th. He was most recently the CEO and co-founder of data.world, which raised over $150 million, grew to be a global company with customers in all major verticals (from federal to financial services). data.world was acquired by ServiceNow on 7/7, which is now foundational for their enterprise AI platform.
Brett is also the co-owner of Hurt Family Investments (HFI), alongside his wife, Debra. HFI is involved in 146 startups, 47 VC funds, and multiple philanthropic endeavors. Prior, Brett co-founded and led Bazaarvoice as CEO, through its unicorn IPO, follow-on offering, and two acquisitions. Prior to Bazaarvoice, he co-founded and led Coremetrics as CEO. Coremetrics was acquired by IBM for $300m. He's the author of The Entrepreneur's Essentials, which you can buy on Amazon or get online for free at TheEntrepreneursEssentials.
In February, Brett was named the Batshit Crazy Entrepreneur of the year in Austin by Silicon Hills News. In 2022, he was recognized by Goldman Sachs as one of the Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs. In 2017, Brett was given the Best CEO Legacy Award by the Austin Business Journal. Brett is a Henry Crown Fellow and was a Braddock Scholar at the Aspen Institute. He began programming at age seven and doing so on the internet at age eighteen. Brett's a graduate of U.T. Austin, where he earned his BBA in MIS, and The Wharton School, where he earned his MBA in High-Tech Entrepreneurship.
Pure Unlimited Love: Science and The Seven Paths to Inner Peace
Stephen Post
Pure Unlimited Love: Science and The Seven Paths to Inner Peace
Session Description:
Discover how the transformative power of love can positively impact your mind, body, and spirit—even in times of chaos. Drawing on over forty years of scientific and spiritual research, Dr. Stephen G. Post, PhD, explores practical pathways to cultivate inner peace, strengthen human connection, and foster ethical, compassionate care in daily life.
In this workshop, you’ll learn to:
- Give and Glow: Experience the unexpected benefits of kind giving on your well-being.
- Heal with Kindness: Harness the power of compassionate interactions to reduce stress and enhance healing for yourself and others.
- Follow Your Callings: Identify and pursue your unique talents to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.
- Raise Kind Children: Apply science-backed strategies to nurture empathy, resilience, and flourishing in young people.
- Know the One Mind: Connect inwardly to cultivate awareness, oneness, and lasting inner peace.
- Cherish Nature: Reconnect with the natural world to restore awe, wonder, and balance.
- Honor Freedom: Recognize freedom as the foundation for love, inner peace, and cultural renewal.
Whether you’re a leader, healer, parent, or seeker of personal growth, this interactive session will equip you with actionable practices to transform your life and your community through love, kindness, and conscious connection.
Speaker: Stephen Post
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Stephen G. Post is a pioneering voice in the study of compassion, purpose, and the science of giving. An internationally recognized scholar and best-selling author, Dr. Post has spent more than three decades exploring how kindness and meaningful connection enhance well-being, leadership, and organizational culture.
He is the Founding Director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, where his work bridges the gap between science and spirituality. His groundbreaking research has been featured in publications such as Time Magazine, The New York Times, and Science of Mind, and his books — including Why Good Things Happen to Good People — have inspired audiences around the world to live and lead with purpose.
A frequent speaker for Fortune 500 companies, universities, and healthcare organizations, Dr. Post brings warmth, evidence-based insight, and profound humanity to every stage he steps on. His message is simple but transformative: when we act with compassion and align our lives with something greater than ourselves, everyone thrives.
ROI OF WHY 2026 SPEAKERS
JaQ Alexander
Fueling the rise of emerging investors and legacy builders and building the future of family enterprise.
Omani Carson
Business icon empowering purpose-driven leadership, generational legacy, and transformational growth.
Molly Coke
People-first leader building high-performing teams and exceptional client experiences.
Dr. Helen Fagan
Transformational leader cultivating purpose-driven teams and sustainable impact.
Dan Gordon
Performance coach and leadership expert driving individuals and teams to peak performance.
Mark Grainger
Elite leadership trainer awakening inner power, bold communication, and high-performance team culture.
Brandon Hatton
Cultivating abundance and impact by redefining how we think about money.
Dr. Anthony Hendrickson
Transformational higher-ed leader advancing equity, belonging, and institutional change.
Timothy Henry
Conscious Capitalism co-founder helping organizations align values with meaningful impact.
Brett Hurt
Visionary tech entrepreneur advancing the Age of Abundance through love, courage, and conscious innovation.
Tut Kailech
Community builder and marketing strategist empowering neighborhoods.
Dan Lyons
Champion of radical workplace change, empowering teams through transparency and innovation.
Neil Markey
Entrepreneur and strategic advisor helping organizations unlock growth through purpose, innovation, and execution.
Adam Marr
Veteran advocate and systems builder advancing mental health support and community healing.
JD Messinger
Pioneering leader and author championing the Do More Good® Movement’s mission to elevate business.
Miren Oca
Creating impact through culture, purpose, and employee ownership.
Dr. Stephen Post
Author and researcher illuminating the science of compassion, altruism, and human flourishing.
David Rich
Facilitator of transformative conversations, coach and creator of space for what's next.
Misha Safran
Strategic growth leader and ecosystem builder accelerating innovation, partnerships, and purpose-driven enterprise.
Masami Sato
Global social entrepreneurship pioneer empowering communities to solve challenges with dignity, purpose, and scale.
Jay Wilkinson
Founder of the Do More Good® Movement, inspiring leaders to elevate business and humanity.
Kate Williams
CEO and global sustainability advocate mobilizing business to protect people and planet.
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