MEET OUR 2026 GALA SPEAKERS:

MARNIE VANDENBROEK-HOOKEY

From Inherited Beliefs to an Image of What’s Possible: A Story of Reclaiming Worth, Breaking Family Paradigms & Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be

Sixteen years ago, Marnie’s life changed in an instant when her husband suddenly died, leaving her a 30-year-old widow with young children. The years that followed were about survival; stepping away from her career, raising her children, and finding ways to numb a grief she didn’t yet know how to process.

Then another devastating loss became a catalyst: her brother died by suicide. As Marnie tried to understand what had brought him to that place, she began unraveling the beliefs around love, worth, achievement, and family that had shaped them both, and seeing how deeply our family paradigms can influence the way we see ourselves and experience the world.

She came to understand that what we don’t change, our children inherit, and that we have the power to consciously choose what ends with us. Today, Marnie helps women question the beliefs they’ve been carrying, reconnect with who they really are, and create new possibilities for themselves and the generations that follow. Her talk is an invitation to recognize that your story doesn’t just belong to you — it can become an image of what is possible for someone else.

VANESSA TYNES

From Being Sold to Building Wealth: Vanessa Tynes’ Story of Survival, Money & Sovereignty

As a teenager, Vanessa was homeless and trafficked. She got out with nothing — and built her life by hand, returning to high school as an adult, putting herself through university and law school, and eventually building a successful family-law practice. But underneath the accomplishments was a complicated relationship with money. When money had first been connected to her exploitation, earning her own became deeply connected to safety. She had to learn that earning money and building wealth are two different skills — and that true security isn't just in what you have, but in the peace and options it creates.

For 23 years, Vanessa has represented women navigating divorce, separation, and some of the most difficult moments of their lives — and she has seen firsthand what happens when they don't have financial options. Today, she runs a legal-tech company helping people who can't afford a lawyer access the courts and funds a charity supporting survivors. Her message is simple: building wealth isn't just about having more. It's about having a door when you need one — and the freedom to choose what happens next.

JORDAN THOMAS

Our Gala EmCee

Jordan knows what it’s like to hit rock bottom — weighed down by trauma, addiction, and the kind of self-rejection that convinces you you’ll never be enough. The thoughts on repeat in her mind were literally making her sick. It all came crashing down in a mental health crisis that landed her in the hospital, and a surrendering prayer to a higher power— “let this suffering mean something.” That moment became the spark. Choosing radical responsibility, Jordan faced her past head-on and discovered that healing wasn’t just about survival — it was the gateway to her purpose and tapping into spiritual and financial abundance. Through that healing, she found her medicine: helping others. What began with her own recovery grew into a seven-figure therapy practice and a community dedicated to breaking cycles of trauma. Today, Jordan’s story is a raw, empowering reminder that pain can be transformed into purpose, and that legacy is about WHO you become on your journey and the ripple effect in the world.

PROFESSOR MAJA JOVANOVIĆ

Confidence Under Construction: Understanding the Confidence Culture That Shapes Women’s Success

Maja’s path to becoming a professor was anything but straightforward. It took her 12 years to complete her undergraduate degree and three attempts to get into her master’s program. Then, just two weeks before completing her PhD, she suffered a life-altering concussion that forced her to step away from her studies for two years. Despite the setbacks, she eventually returned, earned her doctorate, and began teaching.

At an academic conference, she noticed a pattern among women who were apologizing unnecessarily, softening their language, and minimizing themselves. Fascinated by what she observed, she began researching the relationship between confidence and communication, eventually delivering a TEDx talk that sparked an international conversation. Her own experiences with failure, rejection, and perseverance would become central to understanding the forces that shape women's confidence.

Today, Professor Maja has completed a six-year global study involving 425 women across 26 countries, exploring how culture, bias, and everyday communication shape women's confidence. Her message challenges women to stop treating self-doubt as a personal shortcoming and start seeing failure as information, not a verdict. Her talk is an invitation to question the expectations that keep women small, rebuild confidence through practical action, and recognize that the conditions around us can change — and so can the story we tell ourselves about what's possible.