February 2, 2026

Marc J Defant PhD

I’m Marc J. Defant, a professor of geology and geochemistry at the University of South Florida, with a research career that spans volcanology, Earth history, and—more recently—evolutionary psychology and the public misuse of science. I’ve published peer-reviewed work in both the physical sciences and psychology, examining topics such as patriarchy, social constructionism, the gender pay gap, and the methodological weaknesses underlying much of contemporary feminist scholarship.

My research has also focused on how Earth’s continents formed and more recently, evidence for an impact at the Younger-Dryas Boundary approximately 13,800 years ago. I identified and named a rock type -- adakite -- that provides a rare modern analog for the granitic continental crust that formed over 2.5 billion years ago. That work has been funded by organizations including the National Science Foundation, National Geographic, the American Chemical Society, and the National Academy of Sciences, and published in journals such as Nature. I’ve served as Editor of Geology and Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research, and I’ve been invited to speak at institutions including MIT, Columbia, UCLA, Woods Hole, and others worldwide.

In recent years, I’ve shifted much of my public work toward science communication—especially how scientific concepts are distorted in modern cultural and political debates. I’m the author of Voyage of Discovery: From the Big Bang to the Ice Age, a popular-science book that traces the origins of the universe, Earth, and human civilization. I’ve written for Skeptic, Free Inquiry, Aporia, and Popular Science, and I’ve appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, the Dinesh D’Souza Podcast, and several other shows.

Potential conversation topics could include:

How evolutionary biology is misused -- or ignored -- in contemporary debates about gender and social policy

What volcanology and deep time tell us about how continents form

Why some modern academic fields struggle with replication, rigor, and ideological capture

Why we may be alone in the galaxy (a topic of my TEDx talk)

What it was like conducting scientific fieldwork in places like the Kamchatka Peninsula during the late Soviet era

The history of the universe, earth, and life.

If this sounds like a fit for your audience, I’d be happy to come on and adapt the discussion to the themes you’re most interested in exploring.

Thanks for your time, and I appreciate the work you do.

Best regards,
Marc J. Defant
Professor of Geology & Geochemistry
University of South Florida

Earth & Space, Education, Philosophy, Psychology, Science, Biology & Chemistry, Climate Change, Sex, Society and Culture

United States

Marc J. Defant is a professor of geology and geochemistry at the University of South Florida whose work spans the physical sciences and evolutionary psychology. In recent years, he has published several peer-reviewed articles in psychology journals examining the patriarchy, social constructionism, the gender pay gap, and the methodological weaknesses underlying much of contemporary feminist scholarship. Before turning his attention to the misuse and misunderstanding of science in society, Defant built a distinguished research career in volcanology – focusing especially on the origin of the continental crust. I am currently also working on evidence that suggests there were several impacts at the Younger-Dryas Boundary approximately 13,800 years ago.

A major contribution of his geological research is the discovery and definition of a rock type he named adakite, produced in certain modern volcanic arcs. Adakite provides a rare contemporary analog to the granitic continental crust formed more than 2.5 billion years ago, offering insights into how Earth’s early continents were generated.

Defant has received funding from the National Science Foundation, National Geographic, the American Chemical Society, and the National Academy of Sciences, and has published in leading scientific journals including Nature. His popular-science book Voyage of Discovery: From the Big Bang to the Ice Age complements numerous articles he has written for Skeptic, Free Inquiry, Aporia, and Popular Science. He has also appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, the Dinesh D’Souza Podcast, along with several other podcasts.

He has served as Editor of Geology and Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research and has been an invited speaker at institutions such as MIT, Columbia University, Université de Bretagne (Brest, France), UCLA, the University of Georgia, the University of Tennessee, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The Chinese government invited him as a keynote speaker at a symposium on continental crust formation.

As one of the first American scientists permitted to work in the remote and militarily sensitive Kamchatka Peninsula during the late Soviet era, Defant conducted pioneering research through a joint grant between the Soviet Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation. His fieldwork has also taken him to Costa Rica, Greece, Indonesia, the Lesser Antilles, Panama, and the Philippines. He has delivered a TEDx talk titled Why We Are Alone in the Galaxy.

In addition to academic research, Defant has consulted internationally on gold and diamond geology for De Beers, Placer Dome, Falconbridge, Anglo American, Aurcana Gold, Diamond Fields, and other mining companies in West Africa and Russia.

January 28, 2026

Darryn Van Den Berg

We are not just experiencing a technology revolution — we are facing a workforce design crisis. AI is transforming roles faster than organizations can adapt, while aging populations, disengaged employees, and outdated training models are exposing deep cracks in how we develop skills.

In this powerful keynote, [Your Name] explores the collision between AI, demographic shifts, and the global skills system — and why traditional approaches to learning and development are no longer enough. Drawing on expertise in gamification, behavior change, tech adoption, and workforce strategy, this session reveals why the real challenge isn’t a skills gap, but a skills system failure.

Audiences will discover how leading organizations are moving beyond courses and compliance to build adaptive, multi-generational, AI-ready workforces. This keynote challenges leaders to rethink how learning happens, who it’s for, and how to design systems that help people evolve as fast as the world of work.

News, Careers, Management, Courses & Training, Education Technology, Other Games

South Africa

Darryn is a future-of-work adventuer seeker, exploring specialist ways to maximise AI, skills transformation, and workforce strategy. He helps organizations redesign learning and people systems to build adaptable, multi-generational, AI-ready (seekers of new ways comfortable with change) workforces. 

Known for linking technology, behaviour change, and the Silver Economy, he continously challenges leaders to move beyond training and rethink how skills are developed in a rapidly changing world.

January 25, 2026

Eva Posner

As the 2026 election cycle heats up, a quiet question is emerging: what are voters already telling us?

I'd love to introduce Eva Posner, CEO & Founder of Evinco Strategies, who has spent her career building campaigns that break toxic systems instead of reinforcing them. She’s helped first-time candidates flip races, managed million-dollar campaigns, and called out the burnout culture that’s quietly eroding the political world from the inside out.

Eva brings sharp insight into:

What early 2026 races are already revealing about voter trust, turnout, and fatigue Why traditional campaign strategies are losing their grip and what’s quietly replacing them How local and down-ballot races are shaping the real 2026 battleground What candidates don’t realize until it’s too late

Here's her media kit for more info: https://mediakit.heartcastmedia.com/eva-posner

News, Politics & Government

A political Renaissance woman, Eva has filled roles in field, fundraising, management, operations, and communications in dozens of Democratic campaigns and political organizations across California and the South. She’s overseen million-dollar races with national attention, grassroots school board races with no staff, and everything in between.

Eva opened Evinco Strategies in 2016 to focus on electing candidates who increase representation in government — specializing in first-time candidates from diverse backgrounds who face barriers in traditional campaigns, as well as issue campaigns that tackle systemic injustice.

Eva is passionate about social and criminal justice, local and state-level campaigns, diverse representation in politics, and training the next generation of political operatives. Prior to her work in politics, Eva worked as a journalist, with a focus on government and human trafficking. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee.

January 25, 2026

Frank Spring

Frank’s behavioral frameworks have guided political leaders, corporate teams, and social movements to be grounded in data, psychology, and neuroscience. His primary storybuilding work has been with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Congresswoman Katie Porter, and former Austin Mayor Steve Adler.

Today, as founding partner at Altum Insight and managing partner of Undaunted Ventures, he's currently finalizing a new study focused on rural voters in Nebraska, and one finding stood out immediately: a deep, under-discussed fear of AI. Not the sensational, sci-fi version but real concerns about accountability, trust, and who’s responsible as AI starts affecting daily life.

What’s striking is the political opening this creates:

For Republicans, it presents an opportunity to lead on accountability. For Democrats, it’s a chance to talk about smart, practical policies that actually close the trust gap with rural voters instead of talking past them.

Frank can also unpack the following:

Why logic doesn’t change minds but stories do. What behavioral data tells us about belief systems. How audiences decide who to believe and why. How artificial intelligence amplifies or manipulates human bias. Applying campaign psychology to leadership, marketing, and social impact.

Philosophy, Politics & Government, Psychology

Frank A. Spring is a founding partner with Altum Insight, a public sentiment research firm dedicated to understanding the deep narratives that drive people's attitudes, values, and behaviors. He also serves as Managing Partner and cofounder of Undaunted Ventures, operating as the in-house mad scientist for both organizations.

With more than fifteen years of senior leadership across progressive campaigns and candidates on both sides of the Atlantic, Frank spent over a decade developing the unique science-based methodology that Altum and Undaunted employ to decode and construct political narratives that resonate.

His expertise bridges neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and narrative design—helping campaigns, institutions, and progressive movements understand not just what voters think, but why they think it and how to change hearts and minds authentically.

A native New Mexican, Frank lives with his family in the Land of Enchantment, where he maintains his daily green chile ritual and continues to push the boundaries of political communications strategy.

January 25, 2026

Peter Imburg

Peter Imburg, Founder & CEO of Elfster. What started as a holiday mix-up at a family lunch has since grown into the world’s largest online Secret Santa and gift exchange platform trusted by over 40 million users in 50+ countries.

What makes Peter’s story compelling isn’t just the scale of Elfster, but the way he built it by growing a lasting business without the backing of venture or angel investors. His journey shows entrepreneurs that there’s another way to scale a company while staying true to personal values and identity rather than chasing outside capital.

Peter can bring valuable insights to your audience, including:

The Spark Behind Elfster – How a family gift exchange mishap inspired a global platform. Bootstrapping at Scale – Lessons from growing a company to 40M+ users without outside funding. Sustainable Entrepreneurship – Why founders don’t need to sacrifice values for growth. The Future of Gift-Giving – How tech can bring more meaning (and less stress) to traditions. Redefining Success – Why creating joy and connection is a business model that lasts.

Here's his media kit for more info: https://www.heartcastmedia.com/peter-imburg/

Business, Entertainment, Self Help, Society and Culture, Technology

What makes Peter Imburg's story compelling isn't just the scale of Elfster—it's the way he built it. With over 40 million users worldwide, Elfster stands as one of the most widely used Secret Santa and gift-exchange platforms globally, yet it was built entirely without venture capital or angel investors.

Peter's journey demonstrates that there's another path to scaling a company—one that prioritizes staying true to personal values and identity over chasing outside capital. His approach to sustainable entrepreneurship offers a refreshing counter-narrative in today's startup landscape, proving that mission-aligned growth and massive scale aren't mutually exclusive.

For entrepreneurs tired of the traditional VC playbook, Peter's story provides both inspiration and a practical roadmap for building lasting businesses on their own terms.

January 25, 2026

Jim Ferry

Have you noticed that everyone assumes OpenAI will win the AI search wars without ever asking how AI search actually makes money??

Jim Ferry has a contrarian take: Google wins, and the reason has everything to do with ads, distribution, and human behavior, not model quality.

Jim is a Partner at Volition Capital, a $1B+ growth equity firm behind companies like Chewy, Swoogo, and RealSelf. He rose from analyst to Partner in under a decade and leads investments across marketplaces, ad tech, logistics tech, and digital insurance.

He’s a strong fit for conversations around:

Why Google ultimately beats OpenAI The future of CTV, digital video, mobile in-app, and open web What it really means to be an “AI-first” startup (and when it’s just a label) Why being a growth equity investor and board member is part psychologist Growth equity trends and where capital is flowing in 2026

Business, Technology

Jim joined the team at Volition in 2014 and is responsible for evaluating and executing new investment opportunities on the Internet & Consumer team and assisting with current portfolio operations. He focuses on consolidation platforms, mobile, supply chain & logistics, ad tech, marketplaces, and other high-volume internet transactional businesses.

January 22, 2026

Sue Elliott

Sue Elliott used to be a pretty “normal” person. She was a successful magazine editor and writer. For 30+ years, she specialized in creating brand-new automotive-enthusiast and chef-recipe food magazines. Then she launched her “baby”: a personal-transformation magazine called Law of Attraction that was sold on newsstands nationwide.

In the midst of all that — about 20 years ago — Sue began hearing messages from the Angels. Not long after that, the Angels started training her to coach people in a unique way: by allowing the Angels to ask questions and provide guidance through Sue.

For the last two decades, Sue served as a successful and beloved Angel Coach. But recently, the Angels guided her to stop doing private coaching. Instead, they told her to make their most potent messages accessible to far more people through a book called My Angel Coach: Receive Your Divine Guidance & Feel the Angels’ Love, which contains 63 messages to support and uplift people.

Sue says, “This book is like having your own personal Angel Coach available anytime, day or night … at a fraction of the cost of private coaching.”

The book makes it easy to open up your intuition, learn how to ask the Angels for help, and awaken to the truth of your own power. With the Angels’ love and support, you’ll move from resistance, worry and anxiety to more calm, clarity and flourishing.

My Angel Coach is filled with super-simple practices and fun, memorable stories that illustrate the life-changing power of the Angels’ wisdom. But unlike most self-help books, with My Angel Coach, you don’t have to do all the work yourself. Each chapter in My Angel Coach begins with a colorful “Angel Attunement,” which Sue and the Angels have energetically attuned to dissolve limiting beliefs, subconscious programming, and other “gunk” for you … effortlessly.

Once the gunk is gone, you’ve been restored to your “original factory settings”: as a magnificently unique being who’s fully present in the moment, receiving your Divine guidance, and experiencing ease, grace, and flow. As Sue says, “This book is less about learning … and more remembering and returning to the Truth of Who You Are.”

Sue and the Angels have filled My Angel Coach with Divine Unconditional Love: both the Love that the Angels feel for you and the Love and compassion that the Angels help you feel toward yourself. In fact, an entire section of the book is devoted to helping you Love Your Emotions, rather than fighting them, denying them, or getting stuck in them. The book shows you how to value each emotion as a messenger: an aspect of you that’s crying out for your Love.

Of course, you can read My Angel Coach all the way through, like a regular book. You also can treat each chapter like a daily practice. Or you can ask a question and let the book open to a “random” page to receive your answer from the Angels (like an angel card reading in book form).

Sue adds, “The Angels are always with you, ready to comfort, inspire, and uplift you. And we’ve co-created this book to embrace you … like getting a huge Angel hug!”

Inspirational, Motivational, Spiritual, Angel Communication, Divination

Sue Elliott is an ancient soul who’s here to help humanity rise up into a higher level of consciousness based in Divine Unconditional Love. Through her decades of work as a coach, writer, and speaker, Sue has already helped millions of people heal old patterns, connect with Divine guidance, and live with greater ease, joy, and peace.

While Sue has always been highly sensitive, she led a pretty “normal” life before she started receiving messages from the Angels. For 30+ years, Sue was a magazine editor and writer. She specialized in creating brand-new automotive enthusiast magazines and chef-recipe food magazines, before launching a personal transformation magazine that was sold on newsstands nationwide.

Along her (non-linear!) journey, Sue also has owned a couple marketing agencies, served as a spokesperson for the automotive aftermarket, ghost-written two books for actor/environmentalist Ed Begley Jr., and held leadership roles at health technology and education technology startups.

All of that experience has enabled Sue to help countless people, as they release limiting beliefs, trust their intuition, and feel the profound support that’s always available from the Angels and the Divine. 

January 20, 2026

Monica Hopkins

News, Local News, World News, Politics & Government, Local, National, World, Regional, Non-Profit

Monica Hopkins has served as the executive director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia (ACLU-DC) since 2014, where she oversees critical advocacy efforts defending constitutional rights for over 700,000 District residents. As the organization's principal spokesperson, she has become a trusted voice in national conversations on civil liberties, frequently featured in major media outlets including the Washington Post, the New York Times, NPR, and Politico.

Before leading the ACLU-DC, Monica directed the ACLU of Idaho from 2008 to 2014, where she championed transformative statewide victories in criminal justice reform, LGBTQIA equality, immigrants' rights, and First Amendment protections. Her extensive nonprofit leadership background positions her uniquely to address today's most pressing civil rights challenges.

A graduate of Boise State University and 2012–2013 Rockwood Institute LGBT Advocacy Fellow, Monica also serves on the board of the National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens, demonstrating her commitment to justice beyond her executive role.

January 20, 2026

Zahra Amanpour

News, Local News, World News, Politics & Government, National, World, Islam

Zahra Amanpour is a lifelong human rights advocate and a proud supporter of the Iranian Resistance movement. Born during the 1979 Iranian Revolution in Tehran, Zahra's life has been defined by the struggle for freedom and justice. Her father, a prominent advocate with the MEK/PMOI, was killed in 1988—a summer marked by the mass killing of 30,000 political prisoners following the end of the Iran-Iraq war.

Raised by her mother within the Iranian Resistance community, Zahra grew up surrounded by the courage, clarity, and conviction of those who refused to be silenced. She draws deep inspiration from the many women who have led the movement for a free, secular, and democratic Iran.

As a Board Member of the Women's Freedom Forum, Zahra works to amplify the voices of women fighting for their rights under repressive regimes and to shine a global light on their stories of resistance. Her work bridges continents, connecting the struggle for human rights in Iran with economic empowerment initiatives in the United States.