As uncertainty reshapes industries, leaders, from sidelines to boardrooms, are seeking mindsets and strategies to stay resilient, relevant, and respected.
PHOENIX, AZ, UNITED STATES, April 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A group of business and sports leaders gathered for an early breakfast in a new, fun and unique venue—Dink and Dine Pickle Park in Mesa, Arizona. On Friday, April 3, 2026, many were unsure of what to expect. But, after a first quarter year of political, social, economic, and psychological chaos, they were hopeful of getting, at least, a little of the promised inspiration. They left the World’s Best Connectors‘ (www.thewbcs.com) “Unstoppable: Preparing for the Long Game Breakfast” excited, enthusiastic, and determined not to give up on their individual, varied, and invaluable business and personal visions, determined to remain “unstoppable.”
The idea of “unstoppability” has been popular in USA movie culture. It is usually related to sports. Movies, such as Rudy, Karate Kid, Creed, Hoosiers, The Natural, Rocky, and 2024’s Unstoppable (about Dr. Judy Robles and her son Anthony, who became an ASU champion wrestler, despite being born with one leg) have inspired generations of Americans.
Throughout her 40+ years of breaking ceilings as a leader in government, academia, nonprofits, and business, Denise Meridith–CEO of the public and community relations companies Denise Meridith Consultants and World’s Best Connectors–has encouraged people not to give up. “It takes faith and perseverance to succeed in both business and sports,” she says. Meridith has been leading a campaign to provide business education for student-athletes for years.
The NCAA’s Women’s Final Four being held in Phoenix that weekend had come at the end of a long struggle for recognition and respect by women in basketball. They are just now finally getting the recognition, viewership, respect and monetary rewards they deserve.
“I wanted to host an event where, despite the many current challenges, athletic, community and business leaders could share resources, references, and referrals to encourage each other to be unstoppable,” says Meridith.
Dr. Joel Martin, an internationally known public speaker, author, business leadership consultant, and founder of the Positively Powerful Develøpment Corporation, moderated an impressive panel that shared their personal challenges and triumphs. (Email: Jpmartin@triadwest.com)
Included on the panel were:
-Lauren Hopps, who oversees adaptive sports and fitness programs for Ability360 (https://www.ability360.org) in Phoenix, is a former 5-time Collegiate Wheelchair Tennis National Team Champion with the University of Alabama (Email: laurenh@ability360.org)
-AC Caswell, a former NFL player, and well-known founder of the Million Dollar Mingle -a community engagement and event organization in Arizona (Email: milliondollarmingle@gmail.com)
-Kenja Hassan, the Associate Vice President of Social Embeddedness and Civic Engagement for Arizona State University, described the goals and services available for college student-athletes.
(Email: kenja.hassan@asu.edu)
-Michael Hingson-a national ambassador for the Braille Literacy Campaign, a blind survivor of 9/11, author, and podcaster (The Unstoppable Mindset) (Email: michaelhi@accessibe.com)
The keynote speaker was Derrick Boles, a former college champion and NBA player, whose nickname and tagline is “Unstoppaboles.” He describes how his faith and drive have overcome twelve near-death challenges, engaging and inspiring youth. This speaker, coach, mentor, and podcaster is launching a tour to spread the message of hope, courage, and redemption, as described in his book Courage to Lead, available on Amazon (Email: unstoppaboleslivingthelegacy@gmail.com)
In addition to Boles’ book, several other valuable products for athletes were promoted, including the Left Brain Performance Program (https://leftbrainperformance.com), AthleticSOS (an AI product to help athletes and parents quickly identify the best colleges to meet their talents and goals (www.authenticSOS.com), and X-39 stem cell patches (Email: www.livinghealthy09@yahoo.com). Athletes, coaches, business people, and community leaders who want more information on these speakers or products can contact worldsbestconnectors@gmail.com.
The breakfast also recognized Alfredo J. Molina, the CEO and Chair of Molina Fine Jewelers in Phoenix, Arizona, a family business dating back to the Italian Renaissance. Molina was lauded for his philanthropy and encouragement of sports and music culture in Arizona. (Visit: https://www.molinafinejewelers.com)
There was so much excitement and interaction after breakfast that it was hard to get the attendees to leave the venue.
Meridith will continue her efforts to encourage businesspeople to get and remain unstoppable in pursuit of personal success with her national “UnMute Yourself! Tour” of talks, training sessions, and book-signing appearances with her latest book published on Amazon: “Regaining Your Voice When You’re on Mute: How Executives Over 40 Can Regain Resilience, Relevance and Respect.” (Email: denise@denisemeridith.com)
From economic uncertainty to workforce shifts, pressure on leaders has never been higher.
But amid the noise, a new mindset is taking hold: one focused on resilience, relevance, and being unstoppable.
Denise Meridith
World’s Best Connectors LLC
+1 480-790-1395
worldsbestconnectors@gmail.com
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