Fractional COO | Business Strategist | Advocate for HighPerforming Women In Business
Melissa Franks is a seasoned business strategist, FractionalCOO, podcast host and speaker, and transformation leader with a track record of scaling businesses and driving operational excellence with a people-first approach that mobilizes teams for unprecedented results.

A former Fortune 500 executive and OnCon Icon “Top 100 COO” Winner (2022-2024), she has led billion-dollar IT transformations, M&A initiatives, and revenue growth strategies, blending corporate expertise with small business agility. As the founder of On Call COO, she empowers female entrepreneurs by optimizing operations and increasingprofitability with her knack for helping business owners break through growth plateaus, implement scalable strategies, and build profitable, sustainable companies.

Passionate about women in leadership and business innovation, Melissa is also an advocate for high-performing women, helping them design lives they love while achieving balance and success. She is a strong voice for domestic violence awareness and family court reform. When not strategizing, she enjoys running, traveling, and cheering on her three sons at their sporting events.

Website: https;//www.melissafranks.comInstagram: @melissa_franksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissafranks/

Founder Lindsey Sozio believed there should be a different approach to coffee. With life moving at such a fast pace, she was looking to create a shift away from the hectic quick-serve culture of coffee to slowing down and making coffee an integral part of a wellness-inspired daily routine.

By focusing the highest quality standards and coffees roasted for balance, a luxurious line of wellness-oriented coffees was developed with her own daily routine in mind. Searching for a sense of calm and subtle increase in energy and focus, while staying true to the time-honored tradition of specialty craft coffee, she discovered an indulgent taste and wellness experience with sustainably grown coffees roasted to a softer profile. Lavender Coffee Boutique is dedicated to intentionality and to finding calm moments at any time of day.

"It is important for me to approach every day with intention, and that begins with the calming ritual of coffee. Each morning, as coffee awakens my senses, I am able to connect with my mind and body, to better focus and prepare for the day ahead."

https://lavendercb.com/

As the Managing Member of Bronson Equity (www.BronsonEquity.com), Bronson is a general partner in 2500 multifamily units worth over $250M. Bronson is the host of The Mailbox Money Show where he breaks down the investor mindset and has personally raised over $45M for real estate and his private equity deals. Bronson is the author of the best selling book, Fire Yourself; Replace Your Working Income with Passive Income in 3 Years or Less, and is a regular contributor to YouTube and his blog.

Bronson is a regular keynote speaker and leads The Wealth Forum, an exclusive mastermind for affluent passive investors, providing unmatched investment opportunities within a growth-oriented community. Bronson is a frequent guest on podcasts like the Best Ever Show with Joe Fairless and was a speaker at the large Limitless Conference with Ken McElroy.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BronsonEquity

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bronson-equity/mycompany

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1KYJL8ZjF3GC3Wh5lYNfg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bronsonequity/

Elizabeth Zelinka Parsons, a recognized Retirement Transition Expert and author of 

“Encore: A High Achiever’s Guide to Thriving in Retirement,”

redefines what it means to retire. Drawing from her distinguished career as a lawyer and retirement coach,she helps high-achieving professionals navigate the complex journey from intense careers to a fulfilling and purpose-driven retirement. Elizabeth’s groundbreaking book, releasing on Feb. 5, 2025, provides actionable strategiesto embrace this significant life transition with confidence and clarity.

She is co-founder of two consulting firms, Zelinka Parsons and Encoraco. A magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and summa cum laude graduate of James Madison University, Elizabeth has spent over two decades shaping professional development and transition strategies for legal professionals. A former attorney at Milbank, she built a national consulting firm assisting AmLaw 100 firms with talent solutions. Elizabeth combines analytical rigor with creative vision to help professionals redefine retirement as a dynamic opportunity for growth and fulfillment.

Learn more at Encoraco.com.

Nazar Yasin is the founder of the Sol app, your spiritual companion the #1 spiritual and mental health app in the U.S.

As a repeat entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, he has long championed the idea of doing “good” while doing “well”, and has organized his career around the goal of pursuing endeavors that seek to make a positive impact in the world" (Chad Silverstein, Medium).

"For Nazar, the drive to make a meaningful impact is deeply personal and rooted in family history. His grandfather played a pivotal role in founding the modern state of Libya, fighting against Axis forces during World War II before becoming the country’s Minister of Defence. Growing up with this legacy, Nazar was instilled with a powerful sense of duty: to contribute to society in a meaningful way" (Rachel Branson, Wellbeing).https://getsol.app/

Jim Carlough is a graduate of Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey with a degree in Psychology. 

In his words, "I am an accomplished executive with experience in the C-suite and EVP/VP with over 30 years of expertise in driving explosive growth and profitability for healthcare and healthcare technology organizations ranging from start-ups to large scale enterprises. With a demonstrated history of success in building high-performance teams, revitalizing struggling portfolios, and leading successful M&A integrations.  A strategic leader capable of energizing and transforming any organization."

https://www.jimcarlough.com/

Amy is a Tennessee resident, that moved to Tennessee 15years ago from Chicago to pursue a life that was calmer, one of peace, and really to save her first marriage.
In the middle of this 15 year adventure Amy's plan was altered through a bitter divorce where she found herself homeless, and losing her children. This left Amy devastated and she became a nonfunctional drunk until one day she had something happen to her that made her take a deep look at her life and how she was living it.
She had been a millionaire in the past, a devoted mother, and a friend everyone loved to be around.
That day Amy made a choice to change the direction of her life and totally transformed into the woman she is today.
Through out her journey she had to heal, build self- esteem, step into who she really was on a soul level, move through fear, and change conditioned behaviors.
Doing so is how she has been able to build businesses, remarried and is in the happiest relationship of her life, and develop amazing friendships and partnerships that she know she is accepted in.

Now Amy helps show others what is possible throughtransformational mindset work, mindfulness training, business coaching/consulting, and as an author and speaker.

Connect with Amy:

https://www.womenchoosingexcellence.com/

Danita Young, Transformational Coach, Cognitive Performance Expert, Root Healing Expert, & Founder of Align™

• How to Break Free From the YoYo Cycle: Simple steps to take back FULL control for good
  

• Build Unshakeable Confidence and Self-Worth: Shift old thoughts and embrace the confidence to reach your full potential
  

• ​Uncover Your Life With Sustainable Results: You don’t just lose the weight—you gain control of yourself that feels unstoppable, energized, and free from the guilt that used to control your relationship with food.

  
  

  Connect with Danita:https://alignwithdanita.com https://www.instagram.com/danitayoung/

Dr. Rob Lion is a professor of human resource development at Idaho State University and a dynamic speaker, consultant, and business owner with over 20 years of experience in workplace culture, leadership development, and performance improvement. He specializes in helping clients build human-centric, sustainable systems and initiatives that align organizational needs with employee well-being, driven by the belief that “work should fuel the human spirit, not drain it.”

As the co-founder of Black River Performance Management, Rob draws on his extensive background in human behavior, the psychology of work, opportunity recognition, and relationship development to advise business owners and executives. He has a wealth of ownership experience across industries including food and beverage, personal fitness, and business development, and has dedicated over a decade to economic growth through a community-focused lens.

Rob is recognized for crafting people-first solutions thatenhance workplace culture. His approach integrates sustainable and strategic performance improvement practices, empowering individuals and organizations to build effective teams and networks. His students and clients appreciate his innovative methods and creative approaches to enhancing workplace practices.

In addition to his teaching and research, Rob collaborateswith leaders to develop clarity in their planning and leading processes. He emphasizes the importance of a people strategy, recognizing that even the most robust strategic plans are merely ambitions without an adequate understanding of staff talents and organizational attributes. His evidence-based frameworks provide rigor to decision-making, addressing challenges related to data utilization, staffing, succession planning, and employee engagement.

Rob’s expertise also includes helping organizations preparefor the future, ensuring that their plans are actionable and informed by the latest research in psychological and behavioral sciences. He is committed to building robust systems that support organizational goals by leveraging existing assets and fostering open communication at all levels.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Rob enjoys travel, flyfishing, and mountain biking. His passion for empowering individuals and transforming organizations makes him a highly sought-after thought leader in his field.

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn andlearn more about his work at Black River Performance Management.

I'm Thomas Knoll. I help leaders turn small moments into big outcomes.

Over the past 10 years, I’ve held mentor sessions with over1,200 founders and leaders through Techstars, 500Global, SXSW, Revelry, Hatchet Ventures, Gener8or, BETA.MN, and other entrepreneur organizations. And I got to work with more than 300 of them for 3+ months.

What I’ve learned is: (1) we are all carrying a lot of thesame kinds of resistance, fear, friction, and weight, but (2) it can be understood and unburdened when we get curious.

My Ikigai [1] is guiding people through Self HealingLeadership – a practice designed to help leaders recognize the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that create resistance in their decisions, conversations, and actions; heal and reintegrate whatever holds them back or they are holdingback; and lead from their truest Self.

Accomplishing that mission has taken on a few forms:

• 🚀 I am launching GetElevenApp to make everyone’s 1:1s massively more valuable and to help leaders grow their impact.

• I hold 1:1 sessions for select private coaching clients
• I host a Community of Leaders who look inside themselves to change the way they lead others.

If you’re curious about any of these projects, subscribe here to follow along.Ikigai, for me, is a single word that sums up all the best parts of things like: calling, purpose, mission, life’s work, “shit I’m great at and love doing,” or Dr. Gay Hendricks concept of the Zone of Genius. Or we can just use Wikipedia’s official definition: Ikigai (生き甲斐, lit. ’a reason for being’) is a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living.Connect with Thomas: https://linkedin.com/in/thomasknoll https://yoursecondcall.com https://getelevenapp.com