Nick Grono is the CEO of the Freedom Fund, a nonprofit working to reduce and eventually eliminate modern slavery throughout the world—one which has already positively impacted well over a million people. After exploring policy change through government work, Grono left behind his law career and worked at the International Crisis Group before eventually joining the Freedom Fund as CEO. In addition to his personal work in the nonprofit sector, Grono is focused on helping other nonprofit leaders grow in efficiency and impact, a mission he hopes to achieve through his forthcoming book How to Lead Nonprofits: Turning Purpose into Impact to Change the World.

Helen Wu came to the U.S. from China when she was 24, armed with a master’s degree in math and a desire for a better life. She experienced many “firsts”, such as going to a modern supermarket and eating pizza, leaned on new American friends to teach her about the nuances of the culture, and soaked in everything she could learn from TV shows, books and advertisements. It was through her own experience living in another culture that she realized that soft skills are just as important as academics, and when she returned for a brief time to China, her business idea was born. She founded a specialized school in Virginia to help Chinese students who want to study abroad in the U.S develop both the academics and life tools they need to succeed, turning her own learning curves into preparing the next generation.

Gerry Sepe is proof that success doesn’t have to follow a traditional path. His first year of college was interrupted by the Vietnam War, and he enlisted in the Coast Guard. After his service, he was recruited by IBM, finishing his college degree through their training program. He was part of the massive machine that was IBM for three decades before starting his own consulting firm. The self-described “boomer” tells us about his simple life growing up in New York, playing sports in the neighborhood and delivering newspapers. Those days have helped him appreciate today’s tremendous growth in technology.

Karl Zottl started his career in the retail sector at Bath and Body Works, then spent 20 years in the automotive industry, started and lost a coffee company, and eventually landed in the hotel industry where he now manages Global Hotel Group, which includes Hampton Inn, Hilton, DoubleTree, Motel 6 and others. Zottl shares with us the lost art of making your way up through the retail sector, investing in people as well as businesses, managing through disruption, and trusting your gut.

Albert Xie grew up in rural China under an authoritative government that had total control over his career. While he studied aircraft engine design in college, he did not stay on that path. He worked as a teacher, salesperson, green technology expert, and ultimately served as a Vice President for General Motors. He shares his experiences learning English by painstakingly translating aviation maintenance manuals and traces his success as a salesman to teaching himself to ride a bike as a child.

Michael Jacoby’s first job out of college was in a Washington, D.C. hotel working the graveyard shift. It only lasted nine months, but it laid the groundwork for a career that has spanned decades. A people person, he was energized by meeting hotel guests from all different sectors and from all over the world. He brings that enthusiasm to his work today as the head of a commercial real estate and investment business. He sees real estate as a way to connect people by designing gathering and meeting places and is using technology to modernize the industry and the future of development.

When Laurie Strongin’s son Henry died of a rare disease at the age of seven, she turned her family’s personal tragedy into a force for good. In 2003, she founded Hope for Henry, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing joy and positivity to very sick children. To date, Hope for Henry has thrown birthday parties, and arranged visits from star athletes, authors, and superheroes for more than 50,000 children, and importantly, helped them navigate their complex medical care.

A company’s executive C-Suite doesn’t usually include a Chief Symbology Officer, but for the billion-dollar jewelry company Alex and Ani, the position was central to their mission and ethos. Marisa Morin traveled the world consulting with rabbis, scientists and village elders about the messages and symbols attached to the company’s jewelry designs to ensure authenticity behind every piece. She credits Alex and Ani’s success to this deep research and listening, and with a market that was “hungry for that level of consciousness.”

Erik Rapprich is a Managing Partner at Engage, a digital public affairs agency that has worked with Fortune-500 companies, including Google, Pfizer, ExxonMobil, and eBay, as well as the Pew Charitable Trusts, US Chamber of Commerce and.U.S. House of Representatives. Before becoming a technology entrepreneur, Rapprich was a grassroots political organizer, and in 2018 was recognized for his contributions to the field as a top “40 under 40” from the American Association of Political Consultants.