The Team
The discovery in 2008 that women held only 18 percent of top leadership roles motivated Gloria to write the best-seller, No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power, in which she gives women practical “power tools” for personal and professional success. She co-founded Take The Lead with former investment banker Amy Litzenberger in 2014 with the bold mission to bring women to leadership parity by 2025. And she has since developed a wide range of powerful programs resulting in tremendous career breakthroughs for the women participating in them. A former teen mom, she turned hard work, determination and a knack for leadership into a 30-year career at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, including a 9-year stint as its national president and CEO. People magazine called her “the voice of experience,” while Vanity Fair named her one of America’s “Top 200 Women Legends, Leaders and Trailblazers.” Gloria is also an excellent chili maker.
Kristina Windsor is first-generation American, born and raised in San Francisco, CA, but has been living in Phoenix, AZ, for 12 years. She received her bachelor’s in Photography and Fine Art from Arizona State University. In 2018 she traveled to Cuba for an artist’s residency where she photographed the women working, living, and raising children. She has had a number of solo exhibitions featured at First Friday Art walk in Phoenix and has participated in multiple group exhibitions. Kristina’s personal mission is to assist in educating and empowering women while raising two boys. She enjoys riding her Vespa, kayaking, reading, drinking coffee on her porch, a clean house, walking her dogs, and a Sunday morning pancake breakfast with her family.
Michele Weldon is editorial director of Take The Lead, producing several weekly blog posts, the weekly newsletter as well as input on Power To You podcasts. The author of six award-winning nonfiction books, including the most recent, Act Like You're Having A Good Time: Essays, Weldon writes frequently on gender, media, diversity, pop culture and women’s issues. Her commentaries appear in The New York Times, NBC, USA Today, Forbes, Time, CNN, The Washington Post, Slate, Cosmopolitan and many more. She is emerita faculty in journalism at Northwestern University where she taught for 18 years and a senior leader with The OpEd Project, where she has led fellowships and programs mentoring thousands of thought leaders across the U.S. and globally since 2011. She is the mother of three grown sons and a frequent live storyteller on stages across Chicago.
Originally hailing from Cincinnati Ohio, Christen attended college at Indiana University and then followed the sunshine to Austin, TX. She previously held leadership positions with Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. While her department was eliminated when the pandemic hit, she was able to pivot and take her newfound time to embark on a self-healing journey, which has proven to be life changing. She started her Life Coaching practice in 2021, where her focus is on helping her clients find coping mechanisms, release stored trauma, overcome limiting beliefs and step into their personal power. She spends her free time with her two year old orange tabby cat son Floyd, playing music, writing and crafting.
Tish Times is the founder of the Tish Times Sales Agency. For almost 15 years, Tish has been empowering businesses and entrepreneurs to create revenue-generating business connections, shorten the sales cycle, and close sales with ease. Tish and her team help skyrocket revenue for companies with a done-for-you sales solution. Tish Times is an expert at helping companies to attract more leads, maintain a full pipeline, and convert more prospects to clients.
Tish’s books include Networking is Not a One-Night Stand, The Unstoppable Confidence Networking Playbook, and The Networking and Sales Planner. Tish is the founder of Profit Makers University, a business school that teaches a systematic, sincere, and effective approach to networking and sales to produce lucrative bottom-line results.
Kris Yagel is a top-rated leader whose passion for helping others and keen sense of human nature make him an unforgettable presence at any event. Known for his open, transparent style of speaking and quick wit, Kris enjoys teaching the techniques that made him stand out across all fields in his professional career. He is a former, decorated Army officer, multi-award winning salesperson, and, now, a successful entrepreneur and inspiring motivational speaker. His company, Diligent Plans, has trained business professionals, leaders, and teams across the Nation at esteemed locations such as The Wharton School of Business, Columbia University, and Kris’ alma mater, West Point. He has trained such Fortune 100 organizations as Johnson & Johnson and is a sought after leadership and team effectiveness speaker across all industries. Kris’ heart to heart approach will light the path that leads to your highest potential.