Experts

Tonya McKenzie, founder of Sand & Shores, is an international speaker, moderator, author, and civil servant. Tonya is also a Los Angeles County Commissioner of Alcohol and Other Drugs. She is a master storyteller at the intersection of communications and leadership. Tonya consults organizations and businesses to help them tell their story, elevate their brand awareness, and build a strong reputation. Tonya is a PR and reputation specialist. She hosts the top-100 leadership podcast, Leaders & Learners, and is the co-host of My Morning Coffee Podcast.Tonya McKenzie was the first African American woman elected to the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors, and president of the North Redondo Beach Business Association. She was the only African American named Redondo Beach Woman of the Year (2021). She serves on the City of Redondo Beach GPAC (General Plan Advisory Council), is Vice president of the Black Public Relations Society – Los Angeles, the Redondo Beach Emergency Crisis Council, and the Advisory Council for Better Youth. Her body of work with chambers and business associations has shaped her into an advocate and valuable resource for small businesses and community organizations.Tonya McKenzie can be found highlighted in the pages of Amazing Moms: Parents of the 21st Century. As a young gun violence survivor, she has become a dedicated youth advocate. She is the author of a memoir titled, A Child's Memories of Cartoons and Murder. Tonya has been married for over 20 years, and has four kids, including a set of twins.

Simone Kendle, Chief Executive Officer of Wove, the venture-backed revolutionary online custom jewelry company, known for its unique approach in helping couples design their dream engagement rings and fine jewelry pieces.Simone, with her most recent tenure as co-founder and CMO at the beauty-tech start-up Parfait, has seamlessly blended her robust corporate and entrepreneurial leadership skill set throughout her career. During her 8-year tenure at Capital One, she ascended through various pivotal roles, marrying strategic customer experience analysis, team leadership, and operational efficacy across her corporate journey. Simultaneously, her entrepreneurial spirit thrived; she established a compassionate hair company supporting women battling cancer and co-founded an educational platform to support the growth of blossoming social media influencers. Ultimately, her venture into tech materialized with the co-founding of Parfait, a computer-vision and AI-powered wig customization platform.A graduate of The Wharton School with an MBA focused in Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Simone possesses not just profound knowledge but a capability to intertwine it with practical experiences. This has resulted in a leadership style that harmoniously blends innovative, customer-oriented market strategies and business growth objectives.

Rachel Soper Sanders is the CEO and co-founder of Rootine, a health and wellness brand that helps you understand your body through science-backed insights and provides smarter supplements to unlock your best health. Rootine was recognized in the 2023 Fast Company World Changing Idea Awards and raised a Series A in 2022. In addition, Rachel is the host of the Precision Health Pod, a Venture Partner at 2048 Ventures, angel investor, and has been featured across Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and more. She has over 10 years' experience at the intersection of health and technology having started her career in investment banking focused on healthcare with additional experience in digital health product and strategy. Rachel received a BS from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Payton Sartain is the woman behind Note to Self, a podcast for the modern woman.

Recognized by AdAge Magazine as one of the world’s leading “Marketing Technology Trailblazers” in 2017 and a #1 Best-Selling Selling Author on B2B Marketing and Sales, Mark Osborne brings decades of experience creating Revenue Growth Systems for Early Stage SaaS, Tech, and B2B Services Firms. Mark has delivered tens of millions of dollars in revenue for his clients often doubling revenues and pipeline in 90 days through his focus on building Revenue Systems that emphasize strategic approaches to revenue growth.  He is founder of Modern Revenue Strategies offering a "10X ROI B2B Growth Guarantee."

As the Country Manager of Icebug USA, Korey is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company's operations, including sales, marketing, distribution, and customer relations. Her deep appreciation for the outdoors fuels her drive to provide products that excel in performance and sustainability. She understands the importance of creating footwear that not only meets the needs of athletes and nature enthusiasts but also respects the environment.Outside of work, Korey cherishes spending time outside with her little one, nurturing their connection to the outdoors. She believes in fostering a love for nature in the next generation, inspiring a deeper appreciation for the world around us. Additionally, Korey has a passion for gardening and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

🌟 Behind every click and scroll at Turbie Twist, there's Jimmy, our Director of E-Commerce & Digital Marketing. With a keen eye for branding and a knack for web design, he's the quietly brilliant force ensuring our online journey is smooth and engaging. While he might not need a Turbie Twist for his locks, he's here for the vibe!

Jamie Bryan is a Brooklyn-based writer, copywriter, UX writer, and content creative. Along with ghostwriting high-profile thought leadership pieces for Fortune 500 CEOs, he crafts digital content and marketing projects for American Express, Rolling Stone, Atypon, Publicis Sapient, Sony Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, Bacardi, Sprinklr, Clover, Pepsi, and Western Union among other leading brands. In earlier journalism days, he penned feature articles for Fast Company, Details, Time Out, High Times, and Surfer — along with contributing columns and other editorial content for numerous other national print and online publications.As a visual artist, Jamie's ties to graffiti, street, and contemporary art include selling Keith Haring some of his original surfing-inspired t-shirts in the 80s; collaborating with Greg Lamarche and interviewing Zephyr, Tracy 168, and LSD-OM among other subway legends in the 90s; mounting popular, sometimes provocative sticker art throughout lower Manhattan in the 2000s; and most recently working with Simon Liu to take his pop sensibilities and enigmatic-yet-irresistible imagery to a grander scale.

A 25-years-in serial entrepreneur, I’ve built, launched, and scaled nearly 70 brands in the last 5ish years as the Chief Builder at JC+CO growth accelerants. Most recently, I acquired the Canadian ethically sustainable kids’ DTC brand, mini mioche, and formalized its position as the best kids clothes on - and for - the planet. We have done this through building partnerships with 1% for the Planet and Climate Neutral Certified, launching our resale marketplace, and producing with true sustainability - not greenwashed sustainability - at the forefront of everything we do.With a methodical approach to hunting for market gaps, I’m delighted by everything from detailed data digging to precise pixel placement, and have a pretty crazy capacity for work. I am all about the pace, and dig the extraordinary magic of making something from nothing. I started my first business at nineteen and sold my second at twenty. I’ve run ventures in consumer products, entertainment, consulting, publishing and advertising, and have always been digitally driven. My award history is heavy with marketing fumes, but I’m most exhilarated by actually doing the work of scaling exceptional, innovative consumer product brands, with the heart of a bootstrappy entrepreneur.I’ve been a business and innovation contributor to numerous publications, and a keynote speaker and panelist at events throughout North America. I’m religious about the Oxford comma, always up for a dark comedy, and still wondering when fetch is going to happen.

Gigi Nevarez PR & Marketing, Owner. I am a creative with over two decades of hands-on expertise in public relations, sales, content creation, marketing and radio. If I don't believe in it - I can't sell it. Visit www.giginevarez.com to see my work.

Prior to co-founding FURB, Colleen founded Lulus, an affordable luxury women’s fashion brand. With 25 years of industry experience, Colleen delights her customers by relentlessly focusing on quality, value, and style.

I have been providing clients within the fashion, beauty, lifestyle, ecommerce, travel, wedding, and wellness industries with high converting media services for more than 12 years. These services include (but are not limited to), editorial management, content strategy, content marketing, copywriting, content optimization, and content writing.I am the managing editor for Exhibit A Magazine, who has been one of my clients since 2017. They have become a popular women's lifestyle magazine, and I am always looking to help products grow through discovery in the magazine.This year I will be launching an entrepreneur lifestyle magazine, which will also be an incredible opportunity for products to get discovered! More details on that soon! I look forward to working with all brands here, and helping in your growth journey!