Pitching Our Stories and Ourselves in a Time of COVID-19

Damon Brown helps side hustlers, solopreneurs, and other non-traditional creatives bloom. As a best-selling author, two-time startup founder, and three-time TED Speaker, Damon co-founded the popular platonic connection app Cuddlr and led it to acquisition within a year, all while being the primary caretaker of his infant first son. He now guides others through his one-on-one coaching, Inc. Magazine column, and public speaking on platforms like TED. He also teaches speechwriting at the premier performing school Heroic Public Speaking. Damon’s latest book is Bring Your Worth: Level Up Your Creative Power, Value & Service in the World, the follow-up to his best-seller The Ultimate Bite-Sized Entrepreneur: 76 Ways to Boost Time, Focus & Productivity on Your Big Idea. He was the first Entrepreneur-In-Residence at the Toledo Library. Join his community at JoinDamon.me.

Jack El-Hai, a past president of ASJA, is the author of many books (most recently The Lost Brothers: A Family’s Decades-Long Search). He has contributed to The Atlantic, GQ, Discover, Scientific American Mind, Wired, and many other publications, and is the writer and host of the true-crime podcast Long Lost.

Robin Marantz Henig is a long-time freelance writer and author of nine books, most recently “Twentysomething” (co-authored with her daughter, Samantha Henig), “Pandora’s Baby” (about early efforts at in vitro fertilization), and “The Monk in the Garden” (about Gregor Mendel and the founding of genetics). She is a frequent contributor to The New York Times Magazine, where she is a contributing writer, as well as National Geographic, Scientific American, and others. She is also the proud recipient of ASJA’s Career Achievement Award.