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Whitney Guison, BA, MA

Whitney Guison is a dynamic speaker, facilitator, and community leader known for her engaging approach to leadership development and conflict resolution. As President of the Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce, she equips business leaders and teams with tools to grow and thrive.
Whitney’s speaking experience spans keynote addresses, workshops, and emcee roles across the region. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and a Master’s degree in Communication with an emphasis in Conflict Resolution and is also a trained mediator, giving her both the academic foundation and practical skillset to guide others through conflict with confidence.
Blending research-based insights with real-world experience, Whitney equips audiences with actionable strategies for turning conflict into connection. Her passion lies in showing leaders and teams that conflict isn’t something to fear: it’s an opportunity to foster understanding, strengthen relationships, and spark meaningful change.
 

Presentation(s): 

Keynote: The Language of Conflict

By

Elaine Kochanowicz, BA

Elaine Kochanowicz is a wife, a mother of six, and someone who firmly believes laughter is sometimes the most underrated survival skill. She homeschooled her children for 15 years, started a homeschool co-op that grew to 150 families, finished four triathlons, ate a lot of chocolate and survived loads of laundry!
Today she co-owns BridgeCom Systems with her husband — a company ranked three years in a row on the INC 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America. But behind the growth charts and achievements is a woman who understands pressure, burnout, and the art of holding it all together with duct tape and determination.
She is a motivational speaker, podcaster, and the author of Mom of Six Dies Laughing — a reminder that sometimes the bravest thing we can do is keep showing up… and keep laughing.

Presentation(s): 

Duct Tape & Determination: The Power of Small Wins

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Keynote: The Language of Conflict

Room: Paradise Ballroom

Speaker(s): 

Whitney Guison, BA, MA

Presentation: Being able to communicate effectively through conflict requires effort similar to learning a second language. Starting out on that journey requires patience, time, practice and the acceptance that you will never “make it”, you will always have room to grow.

This keynote addresses some of the common pitfalls we face when we are in conflict, and gives practical, actionable alternatives that can put you on a path to improving your communication during and around conflict scenarios. Attendees will be educated, entertained, and most importantly- empowered.
Dedicating ourselves to learn the language of conflict will help us set aside destructive communication habits and build meaningful relationships.

Objectives:

  • Identify the common communication pitfalls we face during conflict
  • Discuss best practices to replace the pitfalls
  • Review appropriate responsibility during conflict

Slides and Handouts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Keynote: Duct Tape & Determination: The Power of Small Wins

Room: Paradise Ballroom

Speaker(s): 

Elaine Kochanowicz, BA

Presentation: You show up every day to do serious work — often while running on caffeine, compassion, and sheer determination. In this energizing and humor-filled keynote, Elaine Kochanowicz offers a new way to measure success that doesn’t require perfection or superhero status. You’ll learn how small wins can free you from unrealistic expectations, quiet those relentless inner critics, and remind you why you started this work in the first place. Through laughter, relatable stories, and practical mindset shifts, you’ll leave lighter, encouraged, and guaranteed to see your impact in a whole new way.

Objectives:

  • Identify unrealistic expectations that contribute to stress and emotional fatigue in professional practice
  • Reframe negative or self-critical thought patterns into constructive, healing perspectives
  • Recognize and document small wins as indicators of meaningful impact in client care
  • Apply practical strategies for incorporating appropriate humor and perspective to reduce personal stress
  • Implement a daily mindset shift practice that reinforces resilience and professional sustainability

Slides and Handouts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Alcohol and Harm Reduction for Risky Alcohol Use

Paradise Ballroom ABC

Speaker(s):

Rottnek, Fred, MD, MAHCM

Description

After the COVID public health emergency, opioid overdose rates have started decreasing. But death and illness related to problematic alcohol remain significantly elevated. In this session, Dr. Fred Rottnek, Program Director of the SSM Health/Saint Louis University Addiction Medicine Fellowship, will discuss where we are today in prevention, screening, and treatment for individuals who want to abstain or just cut down their alcohol use. As a native Missourian, Dr. Rottnek understands the challenges we face in our state regarding culture and practices around alcohol use. All of us have a role to play in addressing problematic substance use, so this session is for all those involved in the delivery of services and support of these services along the full continuum of care.

Objectives

1. Discuss the impact of risky alcohol use on the U.S.in 2025
2. Identify risks factors for risky alcohol use in youth, adults, and older adults
3. Implement medication treatments for individuals with alcohol use disorder and problematic use
By

Bader, Shannon, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Shannon Bader has maintained a forensic private practice and been a Senior Project Associate at Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA) since 2023. Dr. Bader works on many SAMHSA projects at the GAINS center and is involved in research, technical assistance, and training. Dr. Bader received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed an internship and post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at Patton State Hospital in California. Prior to joining PRA, Dr. Bader was the Chief of the New Hampshire Office of the Forensic Examiner and provided oversight over psychological evaluations ordered in criminal court. In this capacity, she earned the New Hampshire Psychological Association’s 2019 Distinguished Contribution Award. Before coming to New Hampshire, she was a founding member of the Analytics and Research Team in the California Department of State Hospitals implementing state-wide research programs related to reducing inpatient violence. Dr. Bader has over ten peer-reviewed publications related to violence and risk assessment and has taught courses in forensic psychology at the undergraduate and graduate level. She is board certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Forensic Psychology and has served on the American Academy of Forensic Psychology’s board of directors.

Presentation(s):

Sequential Intercept Mapping for Clinicians 

Violence Prevention in Mental Health Settings 

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The Sequential Intercept Model – Keynote

Room: Paradise ABC

Speaker(s): 

Bader, Shannon, PhD, ABPP

Description: 

Dr. Bader will review the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) and its utility for understanding our complex mental health systems. She will also explain what occurs during a SIM mapping and the role that mental health professionals play in the larger system. Lastly, she will highlight the ways that all practitioners, from solo and small group practices to large mental health centers are integral to the stability and improvement of mental health treatment across Missouri.

Objectives

1. Identify the purpose of the Sequential Intercept Model
2. Describe the steps of a SIM mapping
3. List how a solo mental health practitioner could benefit and support a SIM mapping