St Louis, MO
March 25-27, 2022
Ignite Women's Conference
Union Station Hotel
Meet Our Speakers
Leslie Nunnery
Lori Wildenberg
Kate Battistelli
Melissa Hannigan
Leslie...
Helping families build connections that last a lifetime is Lori Wildenberg’s passion. Lori, licensed parent-family educator, speaker, and author of six parenting books, leads the popular MOMS Together Facebook page and group and co-hosts the MOMS Better Together Podcast. Messy Hope: Help Your Child Overcome Anxiety, Depression, or Suicidal Ideation is Lori’s most recently published book. The Wildenberg family is experiencing a growth spurt. Lori and her husband, Tom, have 4 adult children with the additional bonus of 3 in-laws and 3 grands. The Wildenberg home is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. A perfect day in Lori’s world is a hike in the foothills with Tom, Toby- the family golden doodle, and any combination or number of additional family members. For more information go to loriwildenberg.com .
Kate Battistelli is living proof God can and will use anyone if they’re willing. She’s the author of the #1 Bestseller, The God Dare: Will You Choose to Believe the Impossible, and Growing Great Kids: Partner with God to Cultivate His Purpose in Your Child’s Life. She’s the mother of GRAMMY® Award-winning Christian recording artist Francesca Battistelli and Mimi to her five children.
As a young actress in New York City, Kate was catapulted from understudy to leading lady starring opposite Yul Brynner as Anna in the Broadway National Tour of The King and I for more than 1,000 performances. Kate and her husband laid down their careers in the Broadway theatre in answer to their first “God Dare”, moving from New York City into a life of homeschooling and home business. She’s been married to her husband Mike for 38 years and blogs about food, faith, and family.
Melissa Hannigan holds a Master’s of Arts degree in counseling from Midwestern Theological Seminary. She is wife to John Hannigan, executive director of Celebrate Kids. They have been married for 16 years and together they have four children Joey, age 15, Maddy, age 13, Ella, age 9, and Charlotte, age 7. Before becoming a full-time homeschool mom, Melissa worked in a young women’s correctional facility as the on-site therapist, helping teen girls overcome abuse, addictions, and trauma. She is passionate about helping people discover God’s best for their lives. Today, Melissa brings her clinical mental health background to the Celebrate Kids team as an associate writer and speaker. She seeks to help parents find joy in raising healthy kids that grow up to be healthy adults, living the abundant life God intended.
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Laura Petherbridge
Heidi Farrell
Ginger Hubbard
Janet Newberry
Laura Petherbridge serves couples and single adults with topics on spiritual growth, relationships, stepfamilies, co-parenting, single parenting, divorce prevention, and divorce recovery.
She is an international speaker and author of four books including, When “I Do” Becomes “I Don’t”—Practical Steps for Healing During Separation and Divorce, and The Smart Stepmom, co-authored with stepfamily expert Ron Deal and endorsed by Gary Chapman (Five Love Languages), 101Tips for The Smart Stepmom—Expert Advice from One Stepmom to Another and Quiet Moments for the Stepmom Soul-a devotional.
Laura has spoken at the Billy Graham Training Center, and for Lifeway, Family Life, Hearts at Home, and Iron Sharpens Iron conferences.
Heidi Farrell (Not Just a Stepmom) is a stepmom of two young adults and mom of three children, whose ages range from 23 down to 5 five years old. She and her husband, Tim, have been married eleven years and during that time they have seen the full range of child development in their house, often all at once! As a life coach and workshop speaker for moms and stepmoms, Heidi loves connecting with women by encouraging them on their parenting journey and in their spiritual walk. She writes about her experiences and lessons learned as a stepmom, and provides practical strategies on her website. Her articles have been published on such websites as Her View From Home, Love What Matters, and Today Parents. A classically-trained musician, Heidi enjoys playing in the local symphony orchestra and teaching private lessons, and she also homeschools her three younger children. You can find her eBook about the joys and complications of adding an ours baby to a stepfamily on her website notjustastepmom.com
Ginger Hubbard, bestselling author of Don’t Make Me Count to Three, Wise Words for Moms, and I Can’t Believe You Just Said That, speaks at women’s events, parenting conferences and home school conventions across the country, and co-hosts the Parenting with Ginger Hubbard Podcast.
An enthusiastic and compelling communicator, Ginger has been interviewed on national television shows, as well as international radio programs, including Focus on the Family, Revive Our Hearts, and Family Life Today.
Ginger is transparent and captivating as she shares empowering truths from God’s Word. She has a special talent for delivering personal and often humorous stories and then tying in wisdom well beyond her years. Engaging every audience with charisma and warmth, Ginger’s unforgettable and life changing messages enlighten and inspire women from coast to coast.
Jesus saved and southern raised, Ginger enjoys reading, writing and spending time on Lake Martin with her husband. Ginger is a veteran homeschooling mother of two children and stepmom to two stepsons. She and her husband, Ronnie, reside in Opelika, AL, where they enjoy working together from home.
Janet Newberry is a stepmom to three adult daughters (31, 39, and 41) and a mom to a daughter (37) and a son (33.) Janet and her husband Doug have been married for 10 years and thoroughly enjoy nine grandchildren (ages 1-16.) Janet and Doug launched the Love Is Fearless podcast in 2017, offering Biblical inspiration and practical next steps for living free from fear and embracing a lifestyle of love. Janet is the founder of John 15 Academy, a co-learning online community that teaches homeschool families the transformational power of fearless learning. Her book, “Education by Design, Not Default - How Brave Love Creates Fearless Learning” has helped families and step-families embrace the hope of their identity in Christ and cherish meaningful relationships, even in difficult times. Janet and Doug traveled for 3 years in an Airstream named Freedom, sharing conversations “At The Table With America” with families across the country. They’re both incurable baseball fans who also love hiking, reading, traveling.
Stepmom Pre-Conference
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Stepmom Pre-Conference
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Stepmom Pre-Conference
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Stepmom Pre-Conference
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Tricia Goyer
Ginny Yurich
Tricia Goyer writes out of her passion for God and her love for family and others. The author of more than 70 books, she writes both historical fiction and nonfiction related to family and parenting.
This USA-Today Best-selling Author has also won a two Carol Awards and a Retailer’s Best Award. She was also an ECPA Gold-Medallion Nominee and a Christy Award Nominee and won Writer of the Year from the Mt. Hermon Christian Writers Conference.
Tricia’s contemporary and historical novels feature strong women overcoming great challenges. She recreates historic wartime eras with precise detail through comprehensive research and is a beloved author of Amish fiction, as well, having written the Big Sky and Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series.
Ginny Yurich is a Michigan-based mother of five and the founder of the global movement 1000 Hours Outside. She is a thought-leader in the world of nature-based play and its benefits for children and adults alike. One of her top priorities is to inspire parents and teachers to invest in spending time outdoors with their children and students. Her 1000 Hours Outside Challenge spans the globe and many people from all walks of life look to her for inspiration as well as practical tips on how to put down the screens and get outside. Ginny has a BS in Mathematics and a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Michigan and is also a speaker, author and illustrator. Her children’s book, The Little Farmhouse in West Virginia was published in February, 2019 and her latest book, 1000 Hours Outside Activity Book: Low-Tech Nature Activities in a High-Tech World was released in April, 2021.
More Speakers to be announced soon!
More Speakers to be announced soon!
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Workshop Speaker
Workshop Speaker
Workshop Speaker
Renee Lawless
Megan Almon
Jannique Stewart
Sally Baucke
Laura Petherbridge serves couples and single adults with topics on spiritual growth, relationships, stepfamilies, co-parenting, single parenting, divorce prevention, and divorce recovery.
She is an international speaker and author of four books including, When “I Do” Becomes “I Don’t”—Practical Steps for Healing During Separation and Divorce, and The Smart Stepmom, co-authored with stepfamily expert Ron Deal and endorsed by Gary Chapman (Five Love Languages), 101Tips for The Smart Stepmom—Expert Advice from One Stepmom to Another and Quiet Moments for the Stepmom Soul-a devotional.
Laura has spoken at the Billy Graham Training Center, and for Lifeway, Family Life, Hearts at Home, and Iron Sharpens Iron conferences.
Megan has trained tens of thousands of individuals in the U.S. and abroad to articulate and defend the pro-life view since joining Life Training Institute as a speaker in 2009. As a wife, mom, athlete, artist, avid reader, and teacher, she has a unique perspective that endears her to any audience. Megan was part of the 2002 SEC championship women’s gymnastics team at the University of Georgia. She worked as an award-winning journalist until 2008, and was awarded a Master of Arts degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University in 2011. Megan and her husband, Tripp, who serves as Director of Programs and Semester with Summit Ministries, have been married since 2003 and have two children, Neely and Rogan. Megan enjoys spending time with her family at their home in Manitou Springs, Co., and is still known to practice handstands in her kitchen. She has served as faculty at Summit Ministries and Impact 360. She has spoken to high school-and-college assemblies and classrooms, conferences, youth organizations, women’s groups, and congregations across the nation.
Jannique Stewart was born and raised in Europe and after her family moved to the United States for her high school years, Jannique competed for an Illinois State Title in a National Pageant and chose two issues that she felt most passionate about: Abortion and the sexualization of teens. After winning her first title at the age of 15, Jannique began speaking in schools and churches on topics including Raising up a Pro-life Generation and Sexual Integrity—The New Sex Revolution. After graduating from Greenville Liberal Arts College, she entered the field of Pharmaceuticals and quickly rose up the corporate ladder to the position of Corporate Sales Training Manager. Although she loved her job, she felt restless—she felt a passion to return to her first love: Speaking out for those who can’t speak for themselves. Jannique left the pharmaceutical industry in 2005 and has never looked back. Jannique joined First Care Family Resources, the leading Crisis Pregnancy Centers in South Florida in 2005 as a ‘sexual purity’ speaker and educator for their Prevention Department. In 2010, Jannique became the Center Director for First Care’s Boca Raton Pregnancy Care Center, leading a team of women to provide counseling and ultrasounds to women faced with unplanned pregnancies and financial hardship.Jannique founded Love Protects in 2011, a ministry focused on biblical sexuality. She speaks to thousands of teens each year in order to help them connect sexual activity with abortion and to discover the importance of sexual chastity (purity).
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WonderWomen Apologetics
WonderWomen Apologetics
Keynote and Workshop Speaker
Workshop Speaker
Sally's Pajama Party
Trillia Newbell
Dr. Kathy Koch
Todd Wilson
Jill Savage
Trillia Newbell is the author of the kids’ books Creative God, Colorful Us and God’s Very Good Idea, a Bible study on Hebrews 11, A Great Cloud of Witnesses, and a Bible study on Romans 8, If God Is For Us, as well as several other books. Her writings on issues of faith, family, and diversity have been published in Desiring God, Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and more. She was also a commentator for World Radio (a sister platform for World Magazine). She has spoken at numerous conferences, churches, women’s retreats, colleges and seminaries. She spent seven years serving as the Director of Community Outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention. She is currently an acquisitions editor for Moody Publishers.
Her greatest love besides God is her family. She is married to her best friend and love, Thern. They reside with their two children near Nashville, TN.
Dr. Kathy Koch (pronounced "cook") founded Celebrate Kids in 1991 in Fort Worth, TX. An expert on children and parenting, she is the author of 6 books and is a frequent guest on popular radio shows, podcasts and at various events. Dr. Kathy’s practical, relevant, and results-oriented concepts and engaging and humorous speaking style draw enthusiastic raves from children, teens, parents, and educators. They leave her events armed with new beliefs, attitudes, practical tools, and increased hope to build healthy relationships and increase success in family, life, and school.
Dr. Kathy earned a Ph.D. in reading and educational psychology from Purdue University. She has a love for Jesus, a deep faith and desire to serve and glorify God, this is the foundation of her ministry.
Todd Wilson, author of Help! I’m Married to a Homeschooling Mom and The Official Book of Homeschooling Cartoons, is a dad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and gut-honest realness have made him a favorite speaker at conventions across the country and a popular guest on Focus on the Family.
His articles have appeared in various magazines. Christianity Today also posts his weekly column (The Familyman Weekly) on their website.
Todd and his wife Debbie, along with their eight children spend several months of the year traveling the country encouraging moms and dads. His humor, realness, and straight talk to men (& women) have become his trademark.
Jill Savage is an author and speaker who is passionate about encouraging families. She is the author or co-author of fourteen books including Professionalizing Motherhood, My Hearts At Home, Real Moms…Real Jesus, Living With Less So Your Family Has More, No More Perfect Moms, No More Perfect Marriages (with her husband Mark), and her most recent release Empty Nest Full Life.
Featured on Focus on the Family, Crosswalk.com, Family Life Today and Today’s Christian Woman magazine, Jill is the founder of Hearts at Home, an organization that encouraged moms from 1994-2017. Jill and her husband, Mark, have five children, three who are married, and eight grandchildren. They make their home in Normal, Illinois.
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