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Thursday, October 12, 2017 – Josh Bleill

 
The events of September 11, 2001 that shook the entire nation motivated Josh Bleill to follow his father’s footsteps and serve our country.  A couple years later, Josh enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was deployed shortly thereafter.  It was during his deployment that Josh was involved in a blast, losing two friends and both of his legs.  He spent two years of extensive rehabilitation recovering and currently has 32 pins in his hip and a 6-inch screw holding his pelvis together.
 
“One Step at a Time: A Young Marine's Story of Courage, Hope, and a New Life in the NFL” follows Josh's journey from his enlistment then on to active duty in Fallujah, through two years of rehab, and ultimately to his job as the community spokesman for the Indianapolis Colts. Everyone has had that "one bad day". Josh discovered that life begins when we embrace our bad days and keep going forward, one step at a time. Audience members will be inspired by his undying enthusiasm, infectious joy, and sense of humor.
 
Josh Bleill is not only a polished professional speaker but he is a speaker telling his life story with humor and humbleness that connects with the attendees.  Josh has traveled the country speaking to groups of top executives, professional athletes, associations, corporations and too many youth organizations to mention.  This powerful message will help you believe it is imperative for a never give up, positive attitude to be able to take “One Step at a Time” through difficult times, personally and professionally.  HR Professionals can apply what's learned towards leading companies through challenges and change.

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Friday, October 13, 2017 – Avish Parashar
8:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. 
"Ding Happens! How to Improvise, Adapt, and Innovate in an Ever-Changing World!"

Friday Morning’s Keynote Sponsored by Workday

 
Avish Parashar is an energetic and humorous speaker who uses his 20+ years of experience performing, teaching and studying improv comedy to show organizations and individuals how to deal with the unexpected quickly, effectively, and with a sense of humor. Avish is the author of "Improvise to Success!" and the Amazon best-seller, "Say 'Yes, And!'" He has also created dozens of other products on applying improv skills to business and life.
 
Weaving together humorous stories, jokes, audience interaction, and improv comedy games, Avish keeps the audience engaged while imparting a key lesson: Planning is Important, but Improvising is Essential! No matter how well you plan, things will go wrong, surprises will arise, and the Universe will throw you a curveball. Your success and sanity are directly related to how you respond these challenges. By the end of one of Avish's presentations you will have key tools to flow with all that life throws at you.
 
Avish has spoken to the very creative (actors and directors), the very un-creative (accountants), the very casual (college students), and the very business-like (sales professionals). The end result is always the same - smiles, laughs, and a new way of looking at life and business.
 
Throughout the program, you will laugh your head off watching Avish play a variety of challenging and highly-entertaining improv comedy games – sometimes with volunteer help! Each game not only gets you laughing, but also teaches your critical lessons and skills about how to improvise with the unexpected:
 
You'll learn:

 

You will be captivated as Avish seamlessly combines humorous stories, improvisation, and solid business advice to achieve one goal: show you how they can improvise, adapt, and innovate in an ever-changing world.