Our Panel of Judges

Our esteemed panel of judges knows what it takes to be a woman of influence. These women are committed to authenticity and display boundless determination to make a difference in the world—and we know they will help us elevate the changemakers, industry leaders and unsung heroes that comprise this inaugural class of Women of Influence.

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KRIS CARR
New York Times bestselling author
and member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100

Kris Carr is a New York Times bestselling author and a 20-year cancer thriver. She’s been called a “force of nature” by O Magazine and was named a “new role model” by The New York Times. Kris is also a member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, recognizing the most influential thought-leaders today. Her work has also been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Glamour, Good Morning America, the Today show, Super Soul Sunday, OWN and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Kris teaches people how to take back their health and live like they mean it. Her work will change the way you live, love and eat! You can find her at kriscarr.com.

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Kiersten Saunders
SUCCESS PODCAST NETWORK HOST,
CO-CREATOR OF RICH & REGULAR, AUTHOR

Kiersten Saunders is co-creator of the award-winning blog and podcast, rich & REGULAR, and author of the bestselling book, Cashing Out: Win The Wealth Game By Walking Away. She is also the producer and host of the original digital series, Money on the Table with her husband Julien which blends their passion for food with conversations about money. Together, they paid off $200,000 in debt and their story has been featured in The NY Times, Forbes, CBS This Morning, Marketwatch and more. Her mission is to inspire other women of color to use money as a tool to improve their quality of life.

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Erin King
Global keynote speaker, bestselling author, and
the Chief Digital Officer of Strikepoint Media

Erin King is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and one of the world’s leading personal energy management experts. SUCCESS Magazine named her one of their “Top 10 Must-See Motivational Speakers of 2023” alongside Jay Shetty and Mel Robbins. As Chief Energy Officer of Strikepoint Media (which was twice named one of Inc. 5000’s 'Fastest Growing Companies in America'), King has been hired by everyone from The Academy Awards and Disney to VISA, Adobe, and even the United States Navy to unlock what she calls their “Big Deal Energy®”. As the bestselling author of “You’re Kind of a Big Deal”, she has helped over one million ambitious achievers from Bali to Amsterdam level up how they show up online, offline, and all the time.

She’s been featured in Forbes among other global publications, and her podcast consistently ranks in the top 10% of all downloads on iTunes.

While the big arenas are fun, Erin actually prefers smaller middle school stages, where her "Big Deal Energy® Academy" volunteer team shares the importance of “believing in your big”.

Off-duty you’ll find her playing all the outside sports with her husband Hartman, or hanging out with her huge, crazy Irish family. And finally: if kissing your cavapoo (Miss Betty White) directly on the mouth is wrong- Erin does not want to be right.

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anne grady
Resilience expert, best-selling author,
TEDx speaker, and mental health advocate

Anne Grady is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, and an expert in building resilient teams, leaders, and organizations. She is also a two-time TEDx speaker, trainer, survivor, optimist, and inspirer.

Anne has a master’s degree in organizational communication and has spent the last twenty years working with some of the largest organizations around the globe, including: Microsoft, Dell, Lockheed Martin, Johnson & Johnson, ADP, and Google. Anne is featured in press and media and contributes to Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, FOX Business and more.

Anne is known for her ability to intertwine storytelling, neuroscience, and psychology with wit, humor, and authenticity. She shares inspiring personal stories, cutting edge, research-based content, and implementation tools to transfer learning into real life. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it.

In her first two books, Anne provides practical strategies to improve relationships, increase productivity, and reduce stress. Her latest book, Mind Over Moment: Harness the Power of Resilience, outlines a science-based approach to build a resilient mindset, skill set, and the ability to reset.

Anne is a mental health advocate and donates a portion of all book proceeds to the National Alliance on Mental Illness and was recently named as one of SUCCESS Magazine’s Best Motivational Speakers to Know in 2022.

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Carolyn merchant
chief marketing office, exp realty
 
Carolyn Merchant brings nearly 20 years of marketing, brand and communications experience with a proven track record of driving business growth. Prior to joining eXp, Merchant led global brand and communications at Colliers. Earlier in her career, Merchant worked at Aimia, a marketing and loyalty analytics firm, as well as communications marketing agencies including Edelman where she delivered award-winning client campaigns.
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ritu bashin
Award-winning life coach, empowerment
speaker, author, and inclusion expert

Ritu Bhasin is an award-winning speaker, author and the founder and CEO of bhasin consulting inc. (bci), a leading global diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm.

Ritu is known for being a high-energy and dynamic speaker who leaves audiences with practical strategies for living, working, and leading in a more meaningful way.

She has presented to hundreds of thousands of people globally on cutting-edge topics including: unconscious bias, unlocking belonging, cultural competence, inclusive leadership, authentic leadership, allyship, and racial inclusion.

Ritu’s new book We’ve Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Belonging will be released in June 2023. Her bestselling book The Authenticity Principle: Resist Conformity, Embrace Differences, and Transform How You Live, Work, and Lead was released in 2017.