Changemaker Talent

We’re excited to welcome Melanie Curtis (Melanie Curtis) to the Changemaker Talent speaker community.

What if the biggest barrier to your next level isn’t talent or ambition, but the way you’re approaching opportunity?

A world-record professional skydiver, peak performance coach, and author, Melanie helps leaders and high performers close the gap between where they are and where they’re capable of going.

Blending science-backed insights, stories from more than 12,000 jumps, and plenty of humor, her presentations challenge audiences to rethink fear, take smart risks, and unlock more of their potential. Attendees leave with practical tools to lead with greater confidence and create results that match their ambition.

🎥 Melanie recorded this message to introduce herself. Take a moment to watch, get to know her, and join us in welcoming her to the lineup.

🎟️ Free Community Event on July 2!

A single photograph has the power to shape how we remember history.

Join Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist Deanne Fitzmaurice for A250: Portrait of a Nation, an illustrated talk exploring nearly four decades of visual storytelling through some of America’s defining moments. From sporting events and social movements to everyday acts of resilience, Deanne’s work offers a powerful look at the people and events that have shaped our collective story.

As part of the Wheeler Opera House’s Changemaker Speaker Series, this special presentation celebrates the power of storytelling to spark reflection, conversation, and connection as we approach America’s 250th anniversary and Colorado’s 150th.

📍 Wheeler Opera House, Aspen CO
🗓️ July 2
🕖 7:00 PM

This event is FREE and open to the public, but advance RSVP is required through the Wheeler Opera House website. Reserve your seat today—we hope to see you there!

We’re honored to welcome fine art photographer, mixed media artist, and writer Brooke Shaden (Brooke Shaden) to the Changemaker Talent speaker community.

Through hauntingly cinematic self-portraiture and deeply personal storytelling, Brooke explores vulnerability, resilience, grief, and the complexities of being human. Her work invites audiences to confront darkness with curiosity and compassion, revealing how creativity can transform inner struggle into meaning, connection, and hope.

For more than fifteen years, Brooke has built a global community around art, reflection, and personal growth — inspiring hundreds of thousands of artists through her photography, writing, teaching, and speaking.

In her talks, Brooke encourages audiences to embrace creativity not just as expression, but as a pathway toward healing, purpose, and deeper understanding.

We’re proud to bring Brooke’s voice to the Changemaker lineup.
Learn more at the link in bio.
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🌍✨ This Earth Day, we’re celebrating a true force for our planet—Cristina Mittermeier

A pioneering conservation photographer, marine biologist, and co-founder of SeaLegacy, Cristina has spent her life telling the stories that matter most—stories that remind us what’s at stake, and what’s still possible.

Tonight, she takes the stage for the closing night of the Boston Speaker Series at Symphony Hall—bringing audiences face-to-face with the beauty, fragility, and resilience of our natural world.

If Earth Day is about action, Cristina is what that looks like.

Let’s end the season inspired!

We’re excited to welcome journalist, broadcaster, and filmmaker Ash Bhardwaj to the Changemaker Talent speaker community.

Ash is an award-winning storyteller who has reported from all over the world, from walking the length of the Nile to covering conflict zones and global frontlines. His work explores the human stories behind geopolitics, travel, and the forces shaping our world today.

Through his reporting, filmmaking, and live storytelling, Ash helps audiences build empathy and communicate with clarity and impact. His talks blend real-world experience with practical tools for storytelling and human-centered leadership.

We’re proud to bring Ash’s voice to the Changemaker lineup. Learn more at the link in bio.