Pathways to Success: Lead, Thrive, Balance

Keynote Address Featuring Dr. Anna Marie

Rewire the Brain | Rewrite Your Story | Reboot Your Future
Do you ever feel a gap between where you are and where you know you’re meant to be? Are you stuck, held back by the limits of your own mindset? Dr. Anna Marie, the Mindset Doctor, will help you break free and step into your full potential. It’s time to take control of your narrative, transform your thinking, and create the future you’ve always envisioned.

In this transformational session, we’ll focus on:

• Reprogram your mindset to overcome limiting beliefs.
• Reframe your perspective to see opportunities, not obstacles.
• Realign your goals with your true purpose.
• Re-engage with your passion and focus.
• Rewrite the story you tell yourself about success.
• Reboot your life with confidence, clarity, and drive.

This is more than a keynote—it’s a powerful step toward the life you deserve. Are you ready to unlock your potential and take the leap?

About the Presenter
Dr. Anna Marie, the Mindset Doctor, is on a mission to help you align your mind, body, and soul for a balanced, authentic, and empowered life.   As a wife, mother, and visionary, Dr. Marie has spent over 20 years transforming how we approach wellness through natural medicine, brain health, and mindset coaching. She believes our bodies leave clues and our minds leave traces - powerful insights that influence our health, happiness, and success.

At Happy Whole You wellness centers, Dr. Marie combined her passion for destigmatizing mental health with expertise as a certified brain health expert, naturopathic doctor, and mindset coach. In her book, Stop Bullying Yourself!, she provides practical tools for unlocking happiness, confidence, and life satisfaction.  She is here to guide you in rewiring your mindset, breaking through limits, and unlocking the empowered future you deserve!

DYNAMIC BREAK OUT SESSIONS!

Martha Brown
From Mental Load to AI Mode: How to Lead, Thrive & Balance with AI/ChatGPT at Your Side

What if your to-do list had a built-in assistant? This energizing session will show busy women how to use AI (like ChatGPT) to simplify daily life and business—even if they’re not techy. I’ll guide attendees through how I personally use AI to plan my week, write content, meal prep, organize family logistics, and even support my self-care—all while juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship. There will be practical demos, honest insights, and a few laughs. My goal for the attendees is to walk away feeling empowered, not overwhelmed.Includes: Live demo, worksheets, giveaways, and an “ AI Cheat Sheet for the Time-Savvy Woman.”

Key Takeaways:

• How to use ChatGPT as your personal thought partner (even if you’re not tech-savvy)
• Time-saving ways to automate planning, writing, and decision-making with AI
• A realistic, sustainable system to balance work and life with more ease

Martha Brown is the go-to AI strategist for busy working moms and entrepreneurs who are done with burnout and ready to reclaim their time.  As a business coach, mom of three, and queen of all things time-savvy, she teaches everyday women how to use AI tools (like ChatGPT) to simplify life, grow their businesses, and still have time to drink their coffee while it's hot.

Her vibe is bold, sassy, and all about working smarter not harder. Her workshops are bold, empowering, and refreshingly real—blending practical strategies with a dose of humor and heart.

Kisha Woods
The Power of 4Ps: A Framework for Fearless and Forward-Thinking Women Leaders

The Power of 4Ps: A Framework for Fearless and Forward-Thinking Women Leaders" will be an engaging session that delves into Upgraded MindsetZ's "pillars" of transformative success: Passion, Purpose, Perseverance, and Performance. Attendees will discover how passion fuels their drive, how purpose anchors their leadership journey, how perseverance builds resilience in the face of challenges, and how performance guarantees tangible results and impactful action. This session will combine actionable insights, practical tools, and interactive activities to empower women leaders to embrace these 4Ps, amplify their potential, and confidently step into their power with fearless determination.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn the importance of connecting their passions with their professional purpose, creating a foundation for impactful leadership.
• Strategic insight into designing a leadership journey that reflects one's values, strengths, and aspirations, ensuring it is both genuine and rewarding.
• Empowering women to embrace their roles boldly, with a renewed sense of clarity and self-assurance.

Kisha Woods, known as Coach Kay, is the award-winning founder and certified Life and Business Coach of Upgraded MindsetZ. With a profound dedication to personal and entrepreneurial growth, Kisha leverages her Core 4P Pillars—passion, purpose, perseverance, and performance—to offer transformative coaching strategies and resources for individuals to experience profound mindset shifts, break through fear-based barriers, and align balance and harmony in their personal and professional endeavors. Kisha is also a motivational speaker, Amazon best-selling author, two-time podcast host, community and mental health advocate, mentor, and overall serial entrepreneur. Driven by intention and empowerment, she inspires others to embrace unapologetic confidence, and be authentic in themselves to achieve their dreams.

Dr. Kristen Strom
Leading with Wellness: The Secret to Peak Performance

The best leaders don’t just work harder—they take care of themselves smarter. To lead effectively in both life and work, women must prioritize their wellness as a non-negotiable for peak performance. Join Dr. Kristen as she shares her personal journey and professional insights on wellness as the foundation for sustainable success. Drawing from her personal experiences, case studies, and research, she reveals how prioritizing physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being leads to stronger leadership, sharper decision-making, and long-term resilience—without burnout.

As a PhD, professional, mother of three, and farmer’s wife, Dr. Kristen understands the challenges of balancing high performance with personal well-being. In this dynamic session, she will provide a roadmap to refine daily routines, cultivate mindfulness, and build resilience—essential skills for thriving in leadership and life.

Key Takeaways:

• Wellness is a Leadership Advantage: Prioritizing physical, emotional, and intellectual wellness isn’t a luxury—it’s a strategic advantage that enhances decision-making, resilience, and long-term success.
• Small, Smart Steps Create Lasting Change: Sustainable wellness doesn’t require an overhaul. Women will learn how small, intentional changes in daily routines can lead to big improvements in energy, focus, and leadership effectiveness.
• Peak Performance In Work and In Life is Possible: High-achieving women don’t have to choose between success and well-being. Women will discover actionable strategies to refine routines, set boundaries, and lead with greater impact—without sacrificing themselves in the process.

Dr. Kristen Strom is an inspirational speaker, transformational coach, and award-winning leader in education and agriculture, dedicated to helping individuals and organizations achieve profound and lasting change. As a professor-turned-entrepreneur, a mother of three, and the wife of an Illinois farmer, she understands the modern challenges of balancing multiple responsibilities.  Her mission is clear: to guide individuals and organizations toward identifying their purpose and unlocking their full potential. Through her transformative approach, Kristen facilitates paradigm shifts, encourages shedding old beliefs, and promotes the adoption of good habits and smart routines that lead to measurable, inspiring results.

Early Bird Panel Discussion - Moderated by Kathryn Spitznagle
The Whole Woman: Thriving in Mind, Body, and Purpose

How prioritizing your wellness can unlock the most successful version of yourself.
Success isn't just about titles, to-do lists, or how busy you are—it’s about how aligned you feel in your body, your mind, and your life. In this powerful panel, four inspiring women from diverse wellness and healthcare backgrounds come together to share real, honest insights on what it truly means to lead yourself well.

Whether you’re navigating a career, caregiving, entrepreneurship, or personal reinvention, this conversation will offer practical tools to help you reclaim your energy, set meaningful boundaries, and redefine what thriving looks like for you. From mindset shifts to hormonal health, stress resilience to mental clarity—this is the guidance you didn’t know you needed.

Join Kisha Woods (Upgraded Mindsetz), Kelly Cole (NP Women’s Health), Kellie Branch-Dircks (Wellworth Therapy), and Julie Drake (Advanced Innergy) as they empower you to become the CEO of your own well-being.

Key Takeaways:

• Strategies to support mental clarity and emotional balance
• Ways to prioritize your physical health without guilt
• Tools for managing stress and avoiding burnout
• A fresh perspective on what success really means

It’s time to lead from within—strong, whole, and unapologetically you.

About the Panelists

Kellie Branch-Dircks, LCSW is the Executive Clinical Director at Wellworth Therapy.  As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years of experience, Kellie specializes in a wide range of areas including geriatrics, chronic illness, women’s health, life transitions, and support for first responders dealing with trauma and grief. Kellie’s therapeutic approach is centered around Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Brief Solution Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and other evidence-based techniques. She is committed to creating a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental environment that fosters open communication and collaboration, enabling clients to achieve their personal goals. With a dedication to accessibility, Kellie currently offers telehealth services across multiple states, ensuring that support is just a call away.

Kelly Cole, WHNP is a seasoned Nurse Practitioner specializing in women's health. With a career that began at Saint Louis University in 2000, Kelly has dedicated over two decades to the care and wellness of women.  After earning her Masters of Science in Women’s Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Kelly has served in various capacities including labor and delivery nurse, flight transport nurse, and unit charge nurse at OSF. Her journey in private practice across Peoria has equipped her with extensive experience in addressing a range of women’s health concerns, from preventive care to specialized treatment for osteopenia and osteoporosis, for which she is a certified Fracture Liaison Specialist.

Julie Drake is a Certified Emotional Regulation Coach and Holistic Health Practitioner who uses a variety of emotional regulation techniques and bio resonance to help her clients recognize and reset root causes that are derailing their success in business and life. With over 23 years as an entrepreneur, Julie understands the challenges of juggling business, family, and personal well-being.  As a coach she works with women entrepreneurs stuck in burnout, self-sabotage, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome—helping them break free from stress, fear of visibility, and even chronic physical symptoms - reset their wealth, confidence and energy by addressing unseen roadblocks that traditional strategies miss. She is the co-founder and Wellness on the Go Expert at Advanced Innergy, a wellness center in Peoria that provides state of the art solutions to help clients achieve optimal health and wellness, restoring balance in the body from the inside out.

Kisha Woods, known as Coach Kay, is the award-winning founder and certified Life and Business Coach of Upgraded MindsetZ. With a profound dedication to personal and entrepreneurial growth, Kisha leverages her Core 4P Pillars—passion, purpose, perseverance, and performance—to offer transformative coaching strategies and resources for individuals to experience profound mindset shifts, break through fear-based barriers, and align balance and harmony in their personal and professional endeavors. Kisha is also a motivational speaker, Amazon best-selling author, two-time podcast host, community and mental health advocate, mentor, and overall serial entrepreneur. Driven by intention and empowerment, she inspires others to embrace unapologetic confidence, and be authentic in themselves to achieve their dreams.