Emmy Award-winning journalist, documentarian, and author Laura Ling has dedicated her intrepid career to reporting from dozens of countries on the most critical issues facing the world today. As Head of Programming for Hearst Television’s Streaming Video Services, Ling oversees content development and strategy for Hearst’s new OTT platform Very Local. While Director of Development for Discovery Digital Networks, Ling produced and created original web series that received hundreds of millions of views. A consummate host and moderator, Ling helms the web series Going Off the Grid, Rituals with Laura Ling, the mini-documentary series The Power of Kindness, and her podcast Everyday Bravery, eloquently blending her principles of gratitude and perseverance. In 2009 while reporting on the trafficking of women, Ling was arrested and held captive in North Korea. She recounts her experience in a memoir written with her sister Lisa, Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home. Ling captivates audiences with anecdotes from her storied career and powerful lessons learned with a global perspective.

Ling has received many accolades for her work, including an Emmy Award and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for her work as a correspondent for SoCal Connected and a Gracie Award. Under her leadership as Vice President of the journalism department, Current TV’s Vanguard received the prestigious Alfred I. DuPont Award and several Emmy nominations. Her work has appeared on ABC‘s Nightline, NBC, and PBS, and she has written editorials for the Los Angeles Times and CNN.com.

Voted one of the Top Ten best motivational speakers in North America by Meetings and Conventions Magazine, Allison Massari’s quintessential story of courage and perseverance resonates with participants long after an event has finished. Hailed as “life-changing” “riveting” “extraordinary” “bold” and “deeply moving”, Allison instills the essential tools to quickly access grace and resilience in the face of challenges.

Allison found remarkable success, happiness, and an undeniable “fire” within after overcoming two horrific car accidents that nearly took her life. In one, she was hit at 60 mph, burned alive, conscious the entire time, and sustained severe burns on over 50% of her body. She collectively spent hundreds of days in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and physical therapy centers, and learned to navigate her way to true healing, eventually creating an extraordinary life beyond anything she had dreamed possible. Amazingly, Allison views her experiences as a tremendous gift, one that gave her the tools and understanding to share with others. Her breathtaking keynote blends powerful life lessons with compelling, insightful, and awe-inspiring, stories, and offers actionable takeaways for people to immediately transform and manage their lives. “The truth is, the same internal fire and ‘command of self’ that I needed to heal my life is exactly what has given me success professionally.”