TEDxAirlie

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Anniston Blair Riekstins

  Anniston Blair Riekstins is a master numerologist, author, and transformational mentor who bridges science and spirituality to reveal how numbers form the intelligent architecture of the universe — from galaxies and geometry to human consciousness. Certified at the highest level in Soul Contract Numerology, a channeled system rooted in ancient Hebrew and sacred mathematics, she combines numerical science, psychology, and metaphysics to help people decode the hidden patterns shaping their lives, relationships, and purpose. As the best-selling author of The Universe Is Hiring: Discover the Role You Were Born to Fill, Anniston shows how the same numerical order that structures DNA, sound, and the cosmos reveals the energetic blueprint of who we are. Through her programs, trainings, and podcast, she teaches that numbers are more than data — they’re dialogue — helping humanity reconnect logic and intuition and listen to the intelligent, responsive universe around us.

• Danielle Saintard Valiente

  Danielle is an energetic entrepreneur with a passion for design, public speaking, writing, and philanthropy. Known for the energy she brings to a room, she expresses her love language through color—her favorite is yellow. In 2010, Danielle earned her B.S. in interior design and moved 16 hours from Beverly, Massachusetts to Wilmington, North Carolina—sight unseen. In 2014, she founded Port City Design Group, launching her entrepreneurial journey. She has received Wilmington Business Journal’s Women to Watch Award, The Carousel Center’s Tinman Biggest Heart Award, and serves as President of Wilmington Toastmasters while sitting on the Luncheon Committee for the Cape Fear Literacy Council. Danielle is the author of the children’s series Smunchkin Learns and her memoir 180 Degrees, Emerging from Childhood Darkness. She is also an IIN-certified health coach. Outside work, she enjoys nature adventures, ocean sunrises, weightlifting, and caring for her two rescue dogs, Cairo and Clarke.

• Ellen Elliott

  Dr. Ellen E. Elliott is a licensed clinician, trainer, and consultant dedicated to fostering resilience, emotional stability, and genuine connection. With over three decades of experience in addiction and trauma, she authored Dying to Connect and leads Four Directions Counseling & Recovery Center and Bohdi to Bodhi, a training and consulting practice helping individuals overcome addictive behaviors and achieve meaningful goals. Dr. Elliott advances her expertise through global study and education, delivering workshops in countries including Ethiopia, Ecuador, and Nepal, and visiting facilities in over 20 nations to expand her understanding of mental health and promote excellence in counseling and recovery. Based in High Point, N.C., she values family, friends, and authentic connection. In her clinical, teaching, and speaking roles, Dr. Elliott supports others in reconnecting with themselves and their surroundings, fostering healing, clarity, and transformative growth.

• Eric Brandt

  Eric A. Brandt is a Certified Financial Planning Professional and Registered Life Planner who brings more than three decades of experience to his clients. With 37 years as a financial life planner, Eric still works with many clients, helping them clarify their core values and align those values with their financial plan. He holds a BSHS in Emergency Care and an MBA, and has been a business owner, paramedic, teacher, bartender, waiter, lifeguard, and spoon player in bluegrass bands. Born in Boston to immigrant parents from Germany and Russia, Eric moved to North Carolina in 1974 and never looked back. He’s a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who lives by a simple belief: "you always get what you want if you help enough people get what they want.”

• Evonne Varady

  Evonne Varady is a nationally recognized entrepreneur transforming how America approaches healthy eating. As co-founder and CEO of Clean Eatz, one of the fastest-growing healthy meal franchises with 110+ cafés, she has turned a single café into a national movement rooted in purpose and impact. Through the Clean Eatz Foundation, Evonne combats childhood obesity by promoting education, nutrition access, and healthy habits. She has earned the Inc. Female Founders Award nomination and the WILMA Women to Watch Award for innovation and community impact. She is also the creator and host of the Rebel Rootz podcast, sharing unfiltered stories of people who found success on their own terms. She has appeared on QVC, introducing Clean Eatz meals nationwide. From her farm-town roots to leading a multimillion-dollar brand, Evonne embodies grit, authenticity, and the belief that true success is measured by lives transformed, not scale alone.

• Gabrielle Steele

  Gabrielle Steele grew up in a cult — and lived to laugh about it. Now a clinical trials project manager with a master’s in Exercise Physiology, she blends science and satire to explore how we form and fiercely defend our beliefs — in cults, politics, and corporate culture alike. Through humor, resilience, and sharp insight, Gabrielle challenges audiences to question their certainties and trade judgment for curiosity. When she’s not speaking or writing, she’s mentoring others, riding her bike, and raising two sons — approaching life, like a long ride, with endurance, humility, and a little mischief.

• Janine Powell

  Janine Powell is the Director of Donor Relations for Airlie Gardens and New Hanover County Parks, where she leads fundraising, grant writing, and marketing for one of North Carolina’s most cherished historic gardens and more than 20 parks. With over 20 years in the nonprofit sector, Janine is passionate about connecting people to place through philanthropy and storytelling. She believes that cultivating generosity can help communities-and the landscapes they love-thrive for generations.

• Justin Robbins

  Justin Robbins is the Founder and Principal Analyst at Metric Sherpa, a research and advisory firm helping organizations turn customer experience insights into business action. For over two decades, Justin has explored what truly drives human connection in a digital world—leading customer service operations, global training programs, and strategic research for some of the world’s most recognized brands. His work bridges the gap between technology and humanity, challenging leaders to think differently about how people, processes, and purpose intersect. A lifelong storyteller and educator, Justin believes the future of customer experience depends on leaders who transform data into empathy and promises into action.

• Kristi Ray

  Kristi Ray is a critically acclaimed actress, award-winning producer, and creative entrepreneur advocating for inclusive storytelling. Raised in a small Southern town, she gained recognition for Pieces of Talent and The Virgins and trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Frustrated by limited roles, she chose to create her own opportunities. In 2016, she co-founded Honey Head Films, a female-led production company championing character-driven narratives and elevating women and marginalized filmmakers. Her feature A Song for Imogene won multiple international awards and secured global distribution. Kristi also co-founded Shoot Like a Girl, a filmmaking camp that has raised over $50,000 in scholarships for teens from diverse backgrounds. Through mentorship, workshops, her podcast, and speaking, she empowers emerging creators to own their stories and lead with authenticity.

• Megan Kopka

  Megan Kopka, CFP®, RLP®, is a holistic financial life planner and advocate for those facing life’s most challenging transitions. As founder of Kopka Financial, LLC, she helps caregivers and widows reclaim security and purpose through values-based financial planning. After caring for her late husband through ALS, Megan turned her experience into a mission to transform how caregivers and widows are supported financially, emotionally, and systemically. Her work blends compassion with clarity, guiding clients to align money with what matters most and move forward with confidence. She also trains advisors to bring compassionate guidance into practice. Megan serves as Chair of the Board for the Modern Widows Club, facilitates its Widow’s Financial Empowerment Club, and volunteers as a financial coach with Wings for Widows. A former math teacher, solo parent, and lifelong learner, Megan combines analytical precision with human warmth, inspiring resilience, empowerment, and purpose.

• Nathan Ryan Verwey

  Nathan Ryan Verwey is a graduate of Cape Fear Community College and the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he studied art history, sculpture and printmaking. His art style merges abstracted graffiti with classic portraiture in an attempt to bridge highbrow and lowbrow art as a unified concept. Through his work, Verwey explores the emotional and psychological effects of hue and texture, often using vibrant contrasts to challenge perceptions of identity and place. His paintings and prints reflect an ongoing dialogue between the raw energy of street art and the disciplined structure of fine art traditions. By blending these visual languages, he invites viewers to engage with color not just as an aesthetic choice, but as a narrative force that conveys movement, mood, and meaning.

• Neil Taft

  Neil is a Great-Great Grandpa, speaker, author, retired youth minister, and lifelong youth advocate. He has lived in Wilmington for the past 14 years, calling it his final home. During this time, he rejoined Toastmasters, marking his 25th year with the organization. Neil also spent 31 years working in and around NASCAR, among other careers, and has founded two websites dedicated to grandparenting. Each morning, Neil awakens brimming with energy and enthusiasm, driven by a mission to connect with as many people as possible and spread joy to everyone he meets—what he fondly calls “channeling Mr. Rogers.” He also believes life should be lived fully, embracing every opportunity, and that it is our duty to wear all the tread off our tires before this journey is over.

• Nick Blum

  Nick Blum is from Charlotte, NC and is a Partnership Executive, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, experienced ecommerce marketer, and lifelong student of human behavior. After years of exploring men’s work through retreats, somatic practices, and mentoring, he discovered the urgent need for a new conversation around masculinity. Nick has led men’s circles and volunteered alongside somatic relationship coach Tobias Jackson, helping men reconnect with strength, presence, and emotional depth. Drawing from his experiences on and off the mats, he challenges the cultural extremes of toxic and absent masculinity. Nick advocates for a grounded, realistic approach to healthy masculinity, one rooted in safety, assertiveness, and integrity, aimed at helping men embody their power responsibly in a changing world.

• Nikita Zhitov

  Nikita Zhitov is a commercial real estate investor and developer based in Raleigh, North Carolina. He began his career at 18, purchasing his first apartment building while still in high school, and has since acquired and developed hundreds of properties across the U.S. and abroad. His personal portfolio, valued at about $350 million AUM, focuses on industrial and retail assets. Nikita’s experience spans historic restorations, mixed-use development, land entitlements, adaptive reuse, build-to-suit projects, national ground leases, subdivisions, condo conversions, and luxury home construction. He has completed 500+ brokerage transactions and holds CCIM, SIOR, and ALC designations. He is the author of Expandability of Investment Real Estate and founded the Nikita Zhitov Foundation, a nonprofit supporting North Carolina students pursuing real estate careers. A respected leader and speaker, he enjoys family time, meditation, tennis, horseback riding, and flying.

• Patrick C. Giarelli

  Patrick C. Giarelli is a lifelong action seeker who lives by the Lao Tzu quote: “When you are content to be simply yourself and do not compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” Driven by a zest for life and a desire to create meaningful impact, he has built a diverse career spanning certified diamond grading, real estate investing, and work as a REALTOR. His goal is simple: leave every room brighter than he found it. Patrick’s influence also extends beyond his professions. As the co-host of the “5 Minute Motivation” podcast, he aims to inspire listeners through concise, uplifting messages. As an ordained minister, he has officiated several weddings, bringing sincerity and grace to each ceremony. Whether running for political office or performing in live theater, Patrick believes in proving that anything is possible with intention and effort—and he hopes others are inspired to believe the same.

• Robyn Godfrey

  Robyn Godfrey is an RRCA-certified running coach and author of Running the World, a memoir chronicling her journey from self-doubt to completing all six World Marathon Majors. After two decades in high-pressure sales and technical fields, she left corporate America to pursue a meaningful path as a writer, coach, and speaker. A member of the Wilmington Road Runners, Robyn began running at 47 with just 30 seconds on a treadmill—a moment that sparked a global journey across the world’s most iconic finish lines. Along the way, she faced her husband’s battle with stage 4 cancer, injuries, COVID-19 isolation, and natural disasters, yet continued moving forward one step at a time. She now helps others achieve their goals and transform their lives, teaching that even the smallest step can create unstoppable momentum and extraordinary change.

• Rudi Riekstins

  Rudi Riekstins is a leadership visionary and high-performance mentor who helps founders, executives, and impact-driven leaders unlock their highest potential by blending the science of success with the power of energetics. With two decades of experience guiding entrepreneurs and creatives, he’s known for seeing what others can’t and saying what others won’t—reprogramming self-perception and elevating leadership from the inside out. Recognized by LA Weekly, Business Insider, and Thrive Global, Rudi’s credibility is built on lived experience, including building three companies by age 25 yet feeling unfulfilled, which sparked his transformation. Today, he helps leaders integrate purpose, power, and peace into how they live and lead through the InPowered Life Podcast, Community, and his transformational coaching programs.