Keynote

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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

A woman with medium skin tone and long black hair, wearing a black blazer and a pink blouse, is smiling at the camera against a plain light-colored background.
By

Angeline Stanislaus, MD

Angeline Stanislaus, MD, is a board-certified forensic psychiatrist who has been practicing psychiatry for more than 25 years. Since 2014, she holds the position of the Chief Medical Officer for the Missouri Department of Mental Health. In this role, she has been a part of several mental health services and addiction services initiatives in Missouri. She played an important role in improving access to care with those suffering from Opioid Use Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder. Dr. Stanislaus has given talks on several national conferences on topics related to serious mental illnesses and addiction.

Presentation(s): 

Keynote: Sleep and Mental Health

Preventing Relapse with SMI

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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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By

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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By

Keynote: Sleep & Mental Health

Room: Paradise Ballroom

Speaker(s): 

Angeline Stanislaus, MD

Presentation: Sleep is an important part of our mental wellness and health. Without sleep the human body cannot function – new learning does not occur, memory does not consolidate and immunity is affected. Sleep disturbance is very common in mental illnesses. In this talk, Dr. Stanislaus will discuss the physiology of the healthy sleep cycle, the role of each component of the sleep cycle, the circadian rhythm and its effect on the neurotransmitters, and the need to optimize sleep to maintain good mental health. She will also discuss the different types of sleep disturbances that occur in mental illness like depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD etc., and the importance of sleep data in identifying early signs of relapse.

Objectives:

  • To learn the physiology and functions of sleep
  • To learn about the role played by neurotransmitters in sleep
  • To understand changes in sleep patterns that occur in mental illnesses

Slides and Handouts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By

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

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

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Keynote – Neurobiology of Addiction: What Does the Use of Substances Do to Our Brains?

Room

Speaker(s): 

Angeline Stanislaus, MD

Chief Medical Officer, Missouri Department of Mental Health

Description: 

Neurobiology of Addiction: What does the use of substances do to our brains?

Advances in neuroscience and addiction research have helped to describe the neurobiological changes that occur when a person transitions from recreational substance use to a substance use disorder or addiction.

In this talk, Dr. Stanislaus will discuss the neurobiological changes in the brain when substances such as alcohol, opioids and methamphetamine are used regularly and their long impact on the brain. She will also discuss the mechanisms by which medications used to treat substance use disorders bring changes in addiction.

Objectives:

  • Understand the dopaminergic reward pathways that promote addiction
  • Learn about the changes in the neurocircuitry of the brain from substance use
  • Learn the mechanism of action of medications used to treat substance use disorders

 

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Keynote: Unbreaking Broken Trust – a Holistic Approach to Trauma Healing and Prevention.

Paradise Ballroom ABC

 

Speaker(s): LJ Punch, MD

Description:

Power4STL is the home of The Bullet Related Injury Clinic and The T, a holistic harm reduction program. During this presentation, founder and executive director, Dr. LJ Punch, will share the Power4STL theory of trauma and approach to holistic healing care. This includes a narrative shifting approach to the impact of bullets and needles in the lives of communities experiencing acute and chronic violence.

Objectives

  • Identify the unique impact of community violence
  • Define Bullet Related Injury
  • Acknowledge symptoms of broken trust
  • Identify opportunities to create a healing environment for those experiencing community violence