Jordan Michael
Jordan Michael is an accomplished vocalist, theater actor and author. With a truly exceptional voice and an extensive catalog of big band, Broadway and classic songs, he brings new energy wherever he performs. Diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder), he has never let his ‘different ability’ impede his love for music and passion for bringing joy to others.
Jordan sings at corporate and private events, has performed at outdoor festivals and in numerous theater productions. He also can start your event with the National Anthem. He is the author of “Things I Know – My Disability Does Not Define Me”, a booklet of Jordan’s own photography paired with personal life reflections, insights and encouragement for others.
You can’t help but smile when you hear his smooth vocals set to toe-tapping, big band and other classic songs. Jordan is the perfect fit for your Welcome Reception, your Gala, or any spot in your agenda that you need some fun.
Sarah Ciavarri
Sarah Ciavarri, M.Div., PCC, BCC, CDTLF, CDWF-C
Transformational. Playful. Power-packed storytelling. Daring. Authentic. Riveting. = So engaging participants actually put their phones away. = This is how event players and participants often describe Sarah’s presence. Through empathy, vulnerability, and her ability to dance in the moment, Sarah has the rare ability to connect with audiences live and virtually at a deeper level. Sarah is a sought-after creative thought leader on vulnerability and resilience, trained in all of Dr. Brené Brown’s curricula, who leaves her audiences with clear action steps to craft a life they love, minimize regrets through bold strategic action, and to achieve professional excellence in the midst of uncertainty and division.
During the pandemic Sarah worked on a COVID healthcare unit and knows in her bones the resilience and dedication to mission that is needed to stare down stress, fatigue, and fear and do what needs to be done.
Sarah’s programs help you and your team:
- Develop Resilience
- Unleash Kindness and Curiosity to Transform your Culture
- Harness the Power of Authentic Vulnerability
- Tap into Dr. Brené Brown’s Research on Leadership and Courage
- Learn How Empathy Can Increase Sales
- Move from Surviving, Through Striving, to Thriving
All of Sarah’s keynote programs are customized to each audience through a pre-event call to learn your organizations goals and what success looks like for you. Sarah does her research on your industry! Each program can be tailored to be delivered virtually, hybrid or in person. Most of these programs can be presented as a keynote, ½ day, or full-day workshop.
Sarah’s Virtual Experience: We got this! Sarah has facilitated hundreds of virtual events so you can trust your virtual event will go off without a hitch.
About Sarah:
Sarah Ciavarri, founder of Level Up Leadership, LLC, is a gifted keynote speaker, author, and thought leader who has been helping organizations, leaders, and teams achieve professional excellence and craft a life they love through increased resilience and authenticity for over a decade. Sarah is able to quickly connect with audiences large and small and travels the country inspiring participants to be courageous, resilient, and authentic. Sarah wrote, “Finding Our Way to the Truth: Seven Lies Leaders Believe and How to Let Them Go” to inspire leaders through her own relatable and humorous stories and to provide readers easy steps to be more successful in their own skin. Sarah is keenly attuned to the inner life of leaders and regularly presents on resilience, burnout prevention, and compassion fatigue.
Sarah is a Certified Facilitator of all of Dr. Brené Brown’s curricula: Dare to Lead, Daring Greatly, Bold, and The Gifts of Imperfection. Sarah has facilitated over 200 workshops on Dr. Brown’s research and has supported thousands of leaders to dream and live big. Sarah is among those who have been facilitating Brené’s research since the beginning. Sarah has the unique honor of being among just a handful of facilitators dual certified in Dare to Lead and Daring Greatly. In addition to this honor, Sarah was asked by the Daring Way senior leadership to step into greater responsibility eight years ago within Brené’s organization as a Case Consultant supervising candidates through integrating Brené’s research into their context. Sarah is Vice President of Spiritual Life at a large senior healthcare organization headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.
Sarah’s Alphabet Train: Sarah’s got lots of letters behind her name but really why you should care is this means Sarah is always learning and adding rigor to her coaching skills. If you want more details, here they are: Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and is a faculty member with Coaching4Today’s Leaders and LeaderWise, Leadership Agility 360 Assessments, Train the Trainer Certification, 1600 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education, and Board Chaplain Certification. She earned a Masters of Divinity from Luther Seminary where she was a Presidential Scholar. Sarah is an Advisory Board member for the Women in Leadership Program at Mankato State University, Mankato, MN.
Sarah is Vice President of Spiritual Life at a large senior healthcare organization headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.
A few fun things:
- Sarah got her afrave on this summer when she sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a nationally televised Twins game.
- Sarah lives on 10 gorgeous acres with her family, a small herd of goats, and two horses that are the best therapy money can buy.
- Sarah and her spouse designed and built their home. She can use a plumb bob, wire a house, and hang drywall with the best of ‘em.
- Sarah put herself through grad school by singing and dancing.
Chad Ellsworth
Chad Ellsworth is an author; professional keynote speaker; career, leadership, and life coach who empowers people to cultivate courageous cultures in their workplaces and organizations. In 2018, he published, “Building up without tearing down: How to cultivate heroic leadership in you and your organization.” On December 29, 2018, he was featured in a story in the Star Tribune, “Coaching us to purposeful lives.” In 2007, Chad was named an Anti-Hazing Hero by HazingPrevention.Org, and in 2010, he received one of two national awards that year for outstanding professionals by the Fraternity Information & Programming Group (FIPG).
Chad served the University of Minnesota community for more than 15 years as a Career Coach for the Carlson School of Management, where he was recognized in 2018 as Staff of the Year; an Academic Advisor and interim Pre-Health Career Coach for the College of Biological Sciences; an Academic and Career Coach for the Center for Academic Planning & Exploration; Adjunct Faculty for the College of Biological Sciences, Leadership Minor, and Office of Undergraduate Education; Program Director for the Office for Fraternity & Sorority Life; and Student Activities Advisor.
Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Chad received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in 2001, and his master’s degree from the University of Maryland in 2004. He currently serves Carleton College as the Program Director for Employer Relations. He lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area with his wife, Kristin, and two sons, Joey and Paul.
Lindsey Seavert
Lindsey Seavert is an Emmy, Edward R. Murrow, and Alfred I. duPont award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker fueled by a calling to bring untold stories to light.
The legacy of teaching in her family inspires Lindsey to use stories as a vehicle to empower, educate, create empathy and spark systemic change. Her parents were Minnesota public school teachers who gave her the gift of curiosity, so with a book and pencil often in hand, she began writing as a young child, and hasn’t stopped since.
She worked as a reporter at five news stations stretching from Northern Minnesota, Nevada, and Ohio before coming home to the Twin Cities and working as a reporter at WCCO-TV and KARE-11 TV.
In 2020, Lindsey moved to a freelance journalist and filmmaking role after releasing her first award-winning documentary, Love Them First.
The feature-length documentary, created at KARE 11, features a courageous Minneapolis principal fighting to get her students off the list of ‘failing’ schools while grappling with Minnesota’s vast achievement gap between Black and White students.
Love Them First has received hundreds of screening requests from school districts across the country and continues to change the conversation among educators when it comes to racial inequities in schools, the injustices of standardized testing and the best practices to teach children experiencing high levels of stress and trauma.
The film, which received one of journalism’s highest honors with the 2020 Alfred I. duPont award, has been applied into collegiate educational curriculum, featured at national education conferences and utilized at countless education staff development workshops.
The impact is only beginning, and Lindsey hopes to continue this advocacy, raising consciousness about the intersection of race and education, as she explores future film projects. Her work often focuses on women, families and children in underrepresented communities. Much of her inspiration comes from her late father, who spent his career advocating for teachers.
Lindsey is dedicated to mentoring young journalists and volunteering in the Twin Cities community. Her hobbies include running, fitness and creative writing.
The greatest chapters of her own story feature her family, her husband Ian, her son Stellan and daughter, Phoebe. They live in southwest Minneapolis.
Gaye Lindfors
Gaye approaches life as a front row observer of celebrations, messy places, and you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me! moments. Not afraid to poke fun at her own mishaps, she shares life and business lessons, hope, and humor from her own experiences: successful corporate and non-profit leader, business owner, a city girl with a small-town heart, caregiver, and self-proclaimed Chief Encourager.
Whether you’re working, volunteering, taking care of things at home, or showing up for your friends, your heart wants to feel alive. With her stories and the welcoming style and wit she’s known for, Gaye will encourage your heart, help you rediscover the joy in your everyday, and remind you that your life makes a difference.
Gaye led a human resources department that supported 11,000 airline employees, served as Special Assistant to a university president, and has an M.A. in Industrial Relations. She has served in leadership roles in associations, non-profits, and volunteer and professional women’s organizations. She is past-president of the National Speakers Association/Minnesota chapter, and was Regional Director for Christian Women in Media. Gaye is the author of several books, including “This is Livin’!” and “Getting My Ducks in a Row and Other Stories of Faith.”