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More About the Summit Host
and Guest Speakers

Dr. Deirtre Cotton
Summit Host

Dr. Deirtre Cotton, Transformation and Accountability Coach, Purpose Mapping Strategist, Author and International Speaker | CEO of BETTER U-niversity Global, home of S.O.A.R. Academy and Purpose Mapping 1.0 for High Achieving Women. Founder and CEO of Eagle’s Nest Foundation, Inc and Co-Founder of Cotton and Cotton Enterprise, LLC.

Dr. Deirtre’s events, and future-paced coaching programs, equips High Achieving women who are agents of change, and influencers to maximize and utilize their life’s experiences, emotional intelligence, and genius to elevate, activate and dominate their purpose, power, and platform privately and publicly and soar to achieve limitless dreams despite life’s challenges.

She’s an author of several books, coach featured in numerous publications and featured on international platforms. State side she has been featured on Indigo Life Women’s Empowerment/Cultural Expo, Professional Women’s International Conference, GA Dept. of Corrections, Bibb County School System, Dublin/Laurens Black History Festival, BWE (Black Women’s Empowerment) Network, TV35, Lady Vet Radio Talk Show /WRCG, Game Changers Radio Broadcasting/ WYZE, former Host of Dream Big Broadcast on The Light Radio and guest on numerous podcasts. She is also the Founder and host of the Better After Being Broken Women’s Conference in several states.

For over 3 decades her programs have helped women SOAR using the winds of the storms of life to propel them to altitudes that others dare to go. Dr. Deirtre teaches women to walk in being authentic and uncommon, breaking the box of normal and mediocrity, mastering their mindset with emotional intelligence, creating opportunities from obstacles and discovering their purpose driven life and significance to influence and impact the world.

Eykiena Crowley
Speaker

Eykiena “Keena” Crowley is a Divorce Recovery Coach, International Speaker, Published Author of A Superwoman’s Guide to Recovering After Divorce, and Influencer. This Combat Army Veteran and Former Social Work Therapist now uses her experience and training to lead the masses to their greatness by using their inner gifts to elevate to their blissful life.

As the Chairwoman of the My Thriving Life Academy, her firm’s courses, events, and results-based coaching & consulting programs empower divorced women to use their gifts to have a fulfilled life on their own terms. From her one-on-one coaching, group training events and online seminars, she helps the masses significantly shift their lives.

Nijiama Smalls
Speaker

Author of The Black Girl’s Guide to Healing Emotional Wounds Series and CEO of the Emotional Wellness Hub, Nijiama Smalls is a writer, emotional coach, and speaker. She has written for various publications and spoken on numerous platforms on the topics of healing emotional wounds, emotional intelligence, self-love, and destroying generational patterns. Mrs. Smalls also holds certifications in Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness Mediation, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She enjoys sharing her wisdom with women and leaders on their journey towards healing and managing their emotions.

Entrepreneurship and women's empowerment are at the crux of Mrs. Smalls’ experience and passions. Serving the community is also an important factor and she has taken great pride in being a part of several local initiatives. Mrs. Smalls is the President and Founder of the Prince William County Chapter of Mocha Moms Inc. There she is able to empower women of color to be the best moms they can be while encouraging them to maintain a balance within their lives. She is also the founder of the Prince William County Women in Business Network. She also serves as the leader of the Family Life Ministry at Zion Church Woodridge where she is able to pour into families within her local community.

Dr. Novella Jackson
Speaker

Dr. Novella Renae Jackson is an expert in the area of relationship strategies known for creating a safe place for women and children to heal. Dr. Novella is committed to be known as someone to count on and look to for guidance and wisdom. Women and youth can benefit from working with her to achieve clarity about the future and do the impossible.

In addition, Dr. Novella is a domestic violence survivor and now-overcomer of intimate partner abuse. She continues to advocate for women and families affected by domestic violence. She is compassionate about her work with women stuck in toxic relationships learn to live free and experience a healthy life full of joy and confidence while reconnecting to their inner self. She has a developed a program for those seeking to breakthrough and overcome barriers in life that have kept them stuck.

Dr. Tanisha Guy
Speaker

Dr. Tanisha Guy, is the CEO of Power House Coaching Academy where she helps high achieving clinicians who are burn out, over worked and underpaid achieve the goal of starting their own private practice.

She has over a decade of experience teaching in higher education and supervising. She is a speaker, Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, National Board Certified Counselor, Certified Life Coach and author of Private Practice in 30 Days: The things they didn’t teach you in school, the business side of clinical practice and Stop Hearing and Start Listening: Tools for active listening to improve communication. Dr. Guy has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, a Master’s degree in mental health counseling, a Master of Business and administration, a master in entrepreneurship and leadership and a doctorate degree in counselor education and supervision with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. She is also the founder of Specialized Transformation Counseling & Consulting LLC, voted Best Family Therapy Practice in Grand Prairie Texas in 2014. She has 20 plus years of experience in the mental health field.

Nichomi Higgins
Speaker

Nichomi Higgins, a respected licensed psychotherapist, speaker, and best-selling author who is on a mission to empower women around the globe to achieve their vision of holistic wellness and fulfillment. With her expert knowledge, Nichomi has been featured on esteemed platforms like Dr. Phil, TEDx, and Harvard University.

As a firm believer in the power of perspective and that curiosity and self-compassion are the keys to unlocking it, she founded SolCentered Life, a holistic wellness brand dedicated to helping visionary women thrive and Meet Nichomi Higgins, a highly create a life that aligns with their core values and desires. With her keen intuition, practical perspective, and ability to activate change, Nichomi empowers her audience to overcome their fears so that they can experience life through the fullest expression of their unique gifts.

Alicia Elliot
Speaker

Alicia Elliot, LPC Counselor, Coach. Owner and Creator: Calibration Counseling & Calibration Retreats

It is Ms. Elliot's pleasure to guide the counseling process on retreats. In her counseling practice, both in office and on retreats, she has come to understand that change begins the moment we believe something new. Ms. Elliot fully incorporates total wellness into her practice, incorporating the plethora of research, and practical resources the wellness industry offers. Me. Elliot's clients, in office and on retreats have the opportunity to grow in awareness of mind, body and soul connection.

Ms. Elliot's Personal Wellness Lifestyle and Practices are like stones building a solid stairway, one layered upon another. Spiritual practices she engages in are prayer and meditation, reading scripture, and letting go of past teachings that do not align with grace and truth. Mental health, or Brain Health practices she makes priority are healthy nutrition and clean eating, water, supplements, the importance of sleep, and movement. I read both for my profession and for fun, as learning is a part of my everyday life.

Ms. Elliot's superpower is that she cares about people.

Misty Cassady
Speaker

18-year Accountant & Tax Consultant
Founder of The Natural Skincare Institute a/k/a Natural Skincare Chick
Founder of Purpose Driven Black Women Community
Outreach Organization
Author of “Make it & Sell It”
Author of “ACTION” A guide to awakening your inner boss by taking ACTION
Author of "Herbal Remedy Secrets"
Author of "Essential Aromatherapy''
Herbalist & Natural Skincare Master Practitioner Health & Wellness Coach

Dr. Michele Wells
Speaker

Dr. Michele R. Wells is the founder and CEO of Courageous Voice Academy, home of her signature program BOLD Voice. Through Bold Voice Dr. Michele serves women who function as professional helpers to deal with burnout, overwhelm, and setting healthy boundaries. She is a social work professional and an educator with 20 plus years’ experience in higher education. Dr. Michele has a Master of Social Work and a PhD in Organizational Leadership. She is the author of her devotional journal "My Ramblings in the Silence" and is currently writing her newest book, "BOLD Choices," which empowers women to communicate in courageous ways by overcoming the limiting mindsets that can confine them and guiding them to the freedom TAKE the Lead in their life!

Points of Expertise:
• Recognizing purpose/passion
• Building Confidence
• Setting Boundaries
• Dealing with burnout and overwhelmed
• Increasing Self-Awareness

Karla Lewis
Speaker

Karla Lewis, wife and mother of four children and grandmother of three beautiful grandbabies. I am a registered Radiological Technologist and Mammography Technologist. I have been working as a technologist for 39 years, I recently retired December 2022. Karla's passion is to help and educate women about how to detect breast cancer. I have performed thousands of mammograms for women over the years. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast to help detect early cancer.