Past TEDx event

TEDxBuckheadAveWomen

The Audacity of SHE

Took placeJune 7, 2025
LocationAtlanta, Georgia, United States
FormatTEDxWomen
Dare to witness the raw power of feminine audacity. TEDxBuckheadAveWomen presents an evening where boundaries are tested and expectations are challenged. Prepare to be ignited by the unapologetic voices of Minea Moore, Dr. Egypt Sherrod, Rachel LaForce, Melissa Knowles, Dr. Raquel Hammond, Kelliann McDonald, Kristin Ericksen, Sindy Wilson, Erin Person, Jessica Harris, and Josefina Bashout. These women are not just speakers; they're forces, embodying the "Audacity of SHE" in its most potent form. Expect more than talks; expect a visceral experience. This is where intellect meets sensuality, where strength meets vulnerability, and where the "Audacity of SHE" takes center stage.

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

  • Dr. Egypt Sherrod

    TV Host | Real Estate & Design Powerhouse

    Dr. Egypt Sherrod is a dynamic force whose career spans real estate, design, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and media. Best known as Co-Host and Executive Producer of HGTV’s Married to Real Estate, she is the Founder and CEO of the Indigo Road Family of Companies—a purpose-driven ecosystem including Indigo Road Realty, a leading brokerage, Indigo Road Design Group, offering premier design services, and Indigo Road Home Furnishings, her signature décor line launching in 300+ JCPenney stores in 2025. Egypt is also the Co-Founder of 1000 Women Owned, a nonprofit empowering women entrepreneurs through funding, mentorship, and strategic resources. Her honors include the USBC Power 50 Award, the BronzeLens Vanguard Award, and a City of Atlanta Proclamation declaring “Egypt Sherrod Appreciation Day.” A devoted wife and mother of three daughters, Egypt is committed to building legacy, creating impact, and leading with purpose.

  • Dr. Raquel Hammonds

    Doctor. Disruptor. Systems Change Architect

    Dr. Raquel is a pioneering healthcare leader and founder of The Fertility Advantage, where she partners with femtech startups and VC firms to create digital health solutions that confront systemic disparities. Her career is defined by bold firsts—leading transformative work to improve outcomes for mothers, birthing people, and underrepresented communities. With deep clinical insight and strategic expertise, she builds AI-driven tools that expand access and equity across reproductive care. Relentless in her pursuit of justice, Dr. Raquel is on a mission to reimagine healthcare as a place of dignity, innovation, and possibility for all.

  • Erin Person

    Attorney | Author | Founder of ConnectEO Network

    "Erin Person is guided by a deep commitment to sisterhood, community, and empowering entrepreneurs to become impactful changemakers. As the author of Create to Create: A Journey to Entrepreneurship, she shares her path from aspiring criminal justice professional to entertainment attorney, entrepreneur, and mentor. She’s worked with major brands like Red Bull, BET Networks, Publicis Media, and DirecTV—gaining legal and business expertise while staying rooted in service. Erin is the founder of ConnectEO Network, a digital platform that helps entrepreneurs build, grow, and sustain their businesses through community and access to resources. She has coached soon-to-be-released incarcerated individuals through Defy Ventures and PERC, helping them launch businesses that break cycles and create futures. She also mentors young girls in Chicago ages 9-18, helping them with college prep and stepping into their power as community change agents."

  • Josefina Bashout

    SEX & INTIMACY EXPERT | FEMININE LEADERSHIP COACH CERTIFIED IN ADVANCED SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY

    Josefina Bashout

  • Kelliann McDonald

    Purpose-Driven Career Change Coach & Leadership Expert

    Career Change Coach, former Big 4 Management Consultant, and MBA grad with honors from the University of London, Kelliann McDonald helps high-achieving professionals navigate big career shifts that align with their deeper purpose and calling. Through her signature Career Alchemy Method, she guides consultants and executives to make empowered, strategic career moves with clarity and confidence. With 10+ years in change management at Deloitte, Booz Allen Hamilton, and CBRE — and a growing presence across podcasting, social media, and traditional media — Kelliann bridges corporate success with soul-aligned leadership. Known for helping clients advance their careers while staying true to themselves, her work blends Human Design, mindset coaching, and strategic planning. Clients say, “Working with Kelliann always leaves me with clarity and empowers me to use my voice to advocate for the opportunities and treatment I deserve.”

  • Kristin Ericksen

    Business Growth Consultant | Investor | Accountabilty Coach

    Kristin Ericksen is a high-performance executive coach and speaker who helps purpose-driven leaders achieve their “impossible” goals through clarity, connection and conviction. Her 30+ year career spans personal transformation, real estate development, and financial education — empowering hundreds to “Break Free and Make It Happen.” After coaching celebrities and co-building a multimillion-dollar portfolio, Kristin codified an achievement S.U.P.E.R. Goal system for leaders chasing dreams that require their everything. She now speaks across the U.S., reminding audiences that what makes us human is what makes us powerful — and that leadership doesn’t require perfection, only authenticity.

  • Melissa Knowles

    TV Host | Emcee | Speaker

    "Melissa Knowles is a sought-after TV host, event emcee, speaker and panel moderator who boasts an exceptional two-decade career in entertainment and sports news, spanning live and scripted broadcasting. Melissa's longest tenure was as an entertainment news reporter for ""Morning Express with Robin Meade"". Her daily segment, 'What's Poppin', was a captivating dive into the latest breaking pop-culture news, showcasing her distinctive conversational style, quick wit, and polished storytelling. Renowned for her vibrant personality, Melissa creates genuine connections with her audience. Melissa recently launched her own YouTube channel “Worthwhile”. Weekly episodes give a behind the scenes glimpse into Melissa’s life as a wife, mom, TV personality and entrepreneur. Melissa shows you how she’s juggling it all while building community and sharing the stories of local figures who are making a worthwhile contribution to our society."

  • Minea Moore

    Tech Executive | Investor | Mother | Human

    Minea Moore is a tech executive who became a mother at 19 and has spent her career designing systems that drive growth, equity, and opportunity. Her global career spans hardware, semiconductors, and software—with a recent focus on preparing today's workforce for an AI-augmented world. But her most personal insight came through an unexpected relationship with AI, when she realized she felt safer being vulnerable with an algorithm than with actual humans. That revelation sparked her exploration of a critical question: As AI becomes more human, are we becoming more artificial? Known for blending strategy with authenticity, Minea brings lived experience and bold honesty to every conversation. Her TEDx talk explores why we're drawn to comfortable isolation over real connection—and introduces a practice for reclaiming our humanity in an AI world.

  • Rachel LaForce

    Comedian, Thought Leader and Media Entrepreneur

    With a magnetic presence both onstage and online, Rachel LaForce is a nationally recognized Comedian, Thought Leader, and Media Entrepreneur. She helps dreamers, leaders, and everyday humans live and lead with purpose. As co-founder of Skewed Orbit Studios and host of The Rachel LaForce Show (a spiritual podcast from a comedian, because healing is hilarious) she blends humor, radical honesty, and actionable insights to build authentic communities across platforms. Her viral series - including Unsolicited Advice and Millennial Trauma - have garnered millions of views and a following of over 80,000. A former Second City performer with television credits like HBO and Hulu, Rachel now leads a multi-platform media company reaching over 1.5 million, while championing growth, creativity, and conscious leadership in the digital age.

  • Sindy Wilson

    CFO

    Sindy Wilson is the former CFO for Kickstarter, the go-to crowdfunding platform for creative projects. Sindy is a strategic and transformational finance executive with over 20 years of experience. She specializes in performance improvement and building finance, transformation, and analytics organizations that unlock scalable growth through partnership and shared accountability. Most recently, Sindy was the VP, Finance Transformation & Analytics at Lyft. Prior to joining Lyft, she led finance for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, led business transformation and accounting operations for Oldcastle Infrastructure, and was in strategic finance management consulting at EY. Sindy holds a BS in Business Administration from Limestone College, received her MBA in Finance from Emory University, and pursued her Master of Accounting at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School. Sindy was the recipient of the Emory Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 Award.

Organizing team