Aiko Bethea has held executive roles in government, philanthropic, nonprofit, and private sectors, including the City of Atlanta and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She oversaw the development of leadership strategies for the Brene Brown Education and Research Group, which she continues to support. Bethea is the founder of RARE Coaching & Consulting, which provides leadership development to Fortune 100 leaders and global nonprofits. Recognized by Forbes and CultureAmp as a top anti-racism educator, her work has been published in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and the NYT Best Selling anthology, You Are Your Best Thing. She holds a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a bachelor's from Smith College.

Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She also holds the position of Professor of Practice in Management at The University of Texas at  Austin McCombs School of Business. Brené is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers and co-host of The Curiosity Shop podcast with Adam Grant. Brené spends most of her time working in organizations around the world, helping develop braver leaders and more courageous cultures. In 2024, she was named Executive Chair of the Center for Daring Leadership at BetterUp. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and Charlie, and a weird Bichon Frisé named Lucy.