Every Speaker Slam® panel is built from people who have done the work: speakers, coaches, publishers, and business leaders who donate their time, their feedback, and their prizes. These are the judges who scored Conquered on November 20, 2019 at Lyric Theatre, Toronto.
See who they chose in the results.
Salim Sader
Judge, 2019 Grand Slam: Conquered 2019
Salim is the co-founder of Goalcast, one of the fastest-growing personal development brands in the world. With over 40M fans and 500M video views a month, Goalcast empowers millions of people to live life with purpose. Before launching Goalcast, he worked for many years as a physics teacher where he couldn’t bear the thought of putting students into a box and limiting the extent of their potential to exams and grades. Through Goalcast now he gets to embrace his dedication for development as well as his main interests and passion for business and educational development through technology more specifically.
Cyrus Gorjipour
Judge, 2019 Grand Slam: Conquered 2019
Cyrus is the Co-Founders of Goalcast, the most impactful personal development brands online. With over 40M fans and 500M video views a month, Goalcast empowers millions of people to live life with purpose. When Cyrus created Goalcast in 2016, he was disillusioned by the academic system. Cyrus had suffered through years of low self-esteem and depression before discovering a psychological concept called the internal locus of control, the belief that you are responsible for your own success. This powerful mindset reframe helped him turn his life around, and made him wonder why principle and tool was not taught in schools.
Theresa Beenken
Content Curator, Speakers Agent, Lifelong Learner
Theresa is one of the most experienced and passionate leaders in the public speaking industry with a 25+ year career, including her role as CEO of National Speakers Bureau; on a mission to be a catalyst for new ideas by connecting audiences with speakers who inspire, inform and engage. Her speaker roster's included astronauts, former Prime Ministers, Gold medal Olympians, and passionate advocates with a wide range of areas of expertise. Her industry roles have included that as global President of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB), & Learning Chair with Entrepreneurs Organization in Toronto.
Adam Roa
Judge, 2019 Grand Slam: Conquered 2019
Adam Roa is an internationally touring artist and speaker who was listed by Goalcast as one of the “Top 33 Gamechangers to Watch in 2019". His viral poem, “You Are Who You’ve Been Looking For" has been viewed more than 180 million times.
Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski
Judge, 2019 Grand Slam: Conquered 2019
Sadowski started rock-it promotions out of her parents’ spare bedroom with a dream and a lot of chutzpah. Now, almost 20 years later, rock-it is a leading Canadian lifestyle PR firm that resides in the heart of downtown Toronto. As the company’s CEO / Founder and an innovator within the industry, Debra has appeared as a PR expert on shows like eTalk, ET Canada and Global News and has been featured in Toronto Life, The Globe and Mail, and Forbes.com. Current clients include adidas, L'Oréal Paris, FIJI Water, Club Med, GUESS, The JUNO Awards, Toronto Fashion Week and many more. Over the past quarter, rock it promotions was shortlisted as PR Agency of the Year by Strategy Magazine; was ranked in the inaugural Report on Business list of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail; and made history by being the only PR agency to be included in the Canadian Business and Maclean’s Growth 500 list for the past four years in a row.
Chris Winfield
Co-Founder and CEO of Super Connector Media
Chris Winfield is the Co-Founder and CEO of Super Connector Media (SCM) based in New York City. Chris has successfully built SCM on the concept of Helping One Person Everyday (H.O.P.E.), which has earned him the title of, “The Super Connector,” by many in the media and entrepreneurial worlds. As a serial entrepreneur, Chris created Unfair Advantage Live, the world's premier publicity event connecting entrepreneurs to the media and the Unfair Advantage Accelerator program, supporting entrepreneurs through publicity and marketing into the next level of their businesses. Prior to starting Super Connector Media, Chris worked with executives from many of the world’s best known companies, including Disney, Virgin, Macy’s, Viacom, Conde Nast, Intuit, NBC & many others. To put it simply, Chris gives entrepreneurs an “unfair advantage” when it comes to getting more publicity, making connections and growing their companies. Chris currently lives in New York City with his daughter, Vivienne, his life and business partner, Jen Gottlieb, and their three dogs.
Jen Gottlieb
Judge, 2019 Grand Slam: Conquered 2019
Co-Founder and Chief Mindset Officer of Super Connector Media Jen Gottlieb is the Co-Founder and Chief Mindset Officer at Super Connector Media. Jen’s plethora of experience in health and wellness coaching, 14-season run as co-host on VH1 and a Broadway national tour, has naturally lead into her role as host of Unfair Advantage live, the world's premier publicity event connecting entrepreneurs to the media. Under the Unfair Advantage Accelerator program, Jen supports and works with entrepreneurs to elevate personal mindset into achieving goals beyond their expectations. Prior to Co-Founding Super Connector Media, Jen used the media to build a multi 6 figure coaching business in the health and wellness space. Drawing on her vast media network and successful background in television, Jen has become an influencer in the mindset community. Jen also speaks to entrepreneurs across the country, impacting the trajectory of already successful entrepreneurs into a winner mindset. She currently lives and works in New York City with her life and business partner Chris Winfield and their three dogs.