Valeriya Hjertenaes is a globally recognized expert, PhD researcher, and keynote speaker who specializes in the intersection of neurodiversity, sustainability, and leadership. Based in Europe, she reframes cognitive diversity as a powerful strategic advantage for organizations and boards, moving far beyond mere inclusion toward sustainable human performance.

Melanie Curtis is a Keynote Speaker, World Record Pro Skydiver, Peak Performance Coach and Comedy Content Creator. Melanie teaches sales teams and leaders in the finance and insurance industries how to access results and impact to match their ambition.

Melanie delivers mind-bending keynote experiences inspiring driven professional women across industries into the far edges of their potential. She has 12,000 skydives, has competed at the highest levels and has traveled the globe as a headlining professional athlete coaching thousands of people over the last 30 years. She challenges audiences to “do ridiculous things” and consider the unfathomable extremes of their ideas, vision and goals to unlock true outlier results.

Melanie has spoken for MasterCard, BCG, PNC Bank, Brown & Brown Insurance, Scott Insurance, NJ Conference for Women, Athleta, NatGeo, Cornell University, Middlebury College (her alma mater), and more.

Melanie has worked with Weird Al Yankovic, Megan Rapinoe, the RedBull Air Force and more. She has spoken on the same TED-Ed stage as Gloria Steinem. She has emceed ahead of Jameela Jamil and in front of 20,000 in the Angel City FC stadium. Melanie has also landed a parachute in that stadium, as well as Dodger Stadium, Lumen Field in Seattle, and the Great Pyramids in Egypt.

Melanie has been tapped as an expert on CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, NBC Know Your Value, Forbes, Entrepreneurs on Fire, Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman the Founder of LinkedIn, and more.

Melanie has authored 3 books, including How to Fly: Life Lessons From a Professional Skydiver.

Melanie co-founded Highlight, an all-female parachute demonstration team, using skydiving as a vehicle to champion equality. She also received the first-ever Mentorship Award for the entire Parachute Industry Association.

Melanie offers immersive digital challenges and science-backed tools to help those that resonate with her energy and message to dig in and actually DO what it really takes to get there.

Melanie does all this in parallel with a fierce and rebellious commitment to her own creative expression and leadership by example. She is a cat Mom and rising comedy content creator on Instagram – follow her @melaniecurtis11. She has done large-scale art installations and is consistently using her public platform championing women and girls to take up unapologetic space in the world.