Alison Levine, team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, brings her incredible story of adventure, grit, and resilience to the Summit stage. Drawing from her experiences climbing the world’s tallest peaks and skiing both the north and south poles, Alison shares how to lead with courage, adapt under pressure, and inspire teams to perform at their best—even in the most extreme environments.

Employees don’t just want a paycheck—they want to belong. Smiley Poswolsky explores how organizations can foster culture, connection, and community in an age of uncertainty and overwhelming input. Get a roadmap for creating belonging at scale, driving team engagement, and building resilient cultures that thrive in the future of work.

Olympic and Paralympic Gold Medalists Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall share their inspiring journey of overcoming adversity, achieving big goals, and supporting each other through it all. Tara and Hunter will share their journey in becoming the best in the world, the parallels between their experiences and leadership, and how recognition, resilience, and teamwork create cultures of inclusion, motivation, and achievement.

The robots may be making headlines, but the real story is distinctly human. In this session presented by Deloitte, Mike Bechtel, Chief Futurist to Fortune 100 companies, reveals why the future of work isn’t about replacing people—it’s about amplifying their value. Through research, stories, and humor, Mike shows how automation can unlock uniquely human strengths like creativity, empathy, and recognition. Use this session’s insights to build a practical playbook for turning high-tech into higher-touch and ensuring people remain the smartest strategy in an AI-driven world.

Moderated by Hebba Youssef (CPO of Workweek and host of the I Hate It Here podcast), this conversation with Gabriella Serrato (Okta) and Amy Butler (Awardco) will highlight fresh approaches to recognition. From scaling global programs to building peer-to-peer culture and creating unique rewards, this session explores what it takes to innovate recognition strategies that truly resonate.