It was a mandatory highschool public speaking class that convinced Michele Cushatt to find a career that didn’t involve delivering presentations. She never wanted to do that again, if she could help it. With a heart for hurting people and a deep faith, she pursued a career in service rather than speaking, and graduated Cum Laude from Eastern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.

But life seldom goes according to plan. In the years that followed, Michele experienced several unexpected personal losses that led her to leave hospital rooms for board rooms. A young, rising talent on a national telecom sales team, she discovered a new love for business strategy, growth, and team culture and development. Eventually, this business-savvy would lead her to start several businesses of her own, including a thriving executive and presentation coaching business that continues to this day.

And, much to Michele’s surprise, these experiences—both the gains and the losses—led her back to the world of public speaking.

For more than 15 years, Michele Cushatt has inspired and challenged both corporate and faith-based audiences with her story of trauma, faith, and resilience. She has spoken internationally to a wide variety of audiences including Ramsey Solutions, Women of Faith, Compassion International, Michael Hyatt & Co (now Full Focus), Cru, LifeToday TV, Belay, Colorado Christian University, Family Life, John O’Leary Inspires, Dynamic Communicators International, as well as numerous other business, church, and ministry events. In addition, she has appeared on hundreds of podcasts, radio, video, and audio recording mediums. With this wealth of experience, Michele coaches hundreds of speakers on how to design and deliver powerful and memorable presentations (oh, the irony).

From 2014 to 2016, Michele partnered with Michael Hyatt as the weekly co-host of his popular podcast, This is Your Life With Michael Hyatt. In addition, she and Michael produced Get Published, a 21-session audio program for aspiring writers. Then, from 2017 to 2020, Michele co-hosted the hilarious and practical Communicator Academy podcast with her good friend Kathi Lipp, “helping writers and speakers become the communicators God made them to be.” And from 2019 to 2022, Michele worked as a consultant and then executive at Full Focus, a performance coaching, achievement and productivity company known for their Full Focus Planners.

Pulling from her uncommon story, Michele has authored four books with Zondervan Publishing (a division of HarperCollins Christian) including Undone, I Am, and Relentless. Her fourth book, A Faith That Will Not Fail, is due to release March 2023.

Michele lives with her family, including her six children, on eight acres outside of Denver, Colorado. She enjoys historical fiction, a long hike in the Rocky Mountains with her black lab, and a kitchen table filled with people.

Mary Carver is a writer, speaker, and recovering perfectionist. She lives for good books, spicy queso, and television marathons, but she lives because of God’s grace. Mary writes with humor and honesty about giving up on perfect and finding truth in unexpected places on her blog, MaryCarver.com. She is also a regular contributor to incourage.me, MomAdvice.com, and MothersofDaughters.com. Mary and her husband live in Kansas City with their two daughters.

Now graduated from her role as a homeschooling mom of eight, Dawn Camp devotes her time and love of stories to writing her first novel. She contributes to DaySpring’s (in)courage website and writes about family, faith, Photoshop, and life in an ever-emptying nest on Substack. Dawn has been featured on Adobe’s website for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software. She enjoys movie date nights, cups of Earl Grey, and cheering on the Braves. Dawn lives with her family in metro Atlanta.

Becky Keife is the community manager for DaySpring’s (in)courage, an online community where women gather to build community, celebrate diversity, and live courageously for Jesus. In addition to their daily content on incourage.me, (in)courage also offers Bible studies, devotionals, and a podcast to help women grow in their faith!

Becky is also a beloved speaker and is the author of No Better Mom for the Job: Parenting with Confidence (Even When You Don’t Feel Cut Out for It.) Through humorous stories, practical tools, and biblical insight, she loves championing parents in the thick of it.

Keife’s newest book is The Simple Difference: How Every Small Kindness Makes a Big Impact, along with a Bible Study called Courageous Kindness. As a leader and Bible teacher, Becky is passionate about helping others see more of the people in front of them, more of God’s kindness toward them, and more of His power within them. She and her husband live near Los Angeles, where they enjoy hiking shady trails with their three spirited sons. Connect with Becky on Instagram @beckykeife or at beckykeife.com.

Grace P. Cho is a Korean American writer, poet, speaker, and the editorial manager at (in)courage. Through her words, she creates space for people to be nurtured, challenged, and transformed and believes storytelling can create movements that change the world. Grace mentors leaders, coaches writers, and desires to elevate women of color’s voices in the publishing industry and the church. Learn more at @gracepcho and at gracepcho.com.

Whether on the page or in person, author and speaker Robin Dance exudes a warmth and winsomeness that makes you feel like an instant friend. A lifelong Southerner now living in the heart of Georgia, she's written or contributed to over 20 books and has work featured in Guidepost, Parent Life, Everyday Faith, Mature Living, Crosswalk, and HomeLife magazines. Robin is also a regular contributor to DaySpring's popular (in)courage community. She often writes about faith, family, and aging purposefully, and as an established Life Plan Advisor, she's committed to serving those in life's Third Act.

Married to her college sweetheart, mom to three children, and now an empty nester, she's passionate about educating seniors about their options and on important decisions they need to make in retirement. Recovering people-pleaser, Gospel-loving ragamuffin, and celebrator of (extra)ordinary miracles, Robin hopes you, too, thrill to the magic of life.

Tasha Jun is an author who has spent her life navigating cultural collisions and liminal space. She believes the middle spaces and the margins teach us how to see one another as poetry and treasure. She is passionate about stories, curiosity, and helping others embrace themselves as wholly beloved image bearers. She writes about ethnic identity, belonging, and everyday life, with nuance, melancholy and grace. Writing has always been the way God has led her out of hiding and towards the hope of shalom.

She lives in Indiana with her husband and three kids.

Dorina chases God’s glory as a mama of three girls, foodie, runner, podcaster, and a weaver of words. With an MFA in Children’s Literature, Dorina has published four multicultural children’s books with one more releasing in Spring 2024. Her book, Cora Cooks Pancit, received the Asian American Librarian’s Association Picture Book of the Year. Dorina also has experience teaching college students, speaking in elementary schools, and coaching youth.

Dorina is passionate about raising up women from diverse backgrounds to thrive in their God-given callings. Dorina writes for (in) courage and Proverbs 31 devotional teams. Her essays have been published at Kindred Mom, For Every Mom, The MOPS blog and in more than 20 newspapers. She specializes in helping people discover God's glory through adversity and flourish in community. Her gift is delivering authentic, Biblically-sound messages that engage audiences through story. She has published two Bible studies, Glory Chasers: Discovering God's Glory in Unexpected Places and Flourishing Together: Cultivating a Fruitful Life in Christ with two coming, Create in Me a Heart of Mercy and Reclaiming Ruth. Dorina is the president of the Redbud Writers Guild and the director of the Lead Loved ministry.

Dorina is the granddaughter of Filipino-Hawaiian and Italian immigrants. Raised in Chicago, she was transplanted to Fresno, California in 1999. She considers herself a California girl now as she raises three daughters to love the cultural diversity, wonder-filled landscapes and unique food of the state. After her husband died from cancer in 2014, Dorina married a long-time friend, Shawn Young. When Dorina is not writing or traveling with her family, she’s out on the trails running and chasing God’s glory.

Connect with Dorina at www.DorinaGilmore.com, where you can sign up for her Glorygram. You can also find her as @DorinaGilmore on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

Rachel Marie Kang is a New York native, born and raised just outside New York City. She is founder of The Fallow House and her writing has been featured in Christianity Today, Proverbs 31 Ministries, and (in)courage. A mixed woman of African American, Native American (Ramapough Lenape Nation), Irish, and Dutch descent, she is a graduate of Nyack College with a Bachelor of Arts in English with Creative Writing. Rachel lives and writes in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Connect with her at rachelmariekang.com and on social media @rachelmariekang.