Rewriting The Code is gearing up for its flagship Virtual Career Summit on August 13, 2025, designed to empower around 2,000 women in tech students through engaging content and career connections . They are seeking a female keynote speaker for a 30–45 minute virtual session that brings the themes of confidence and perseverance to life. The ideal speaker will blend personal stories of resilience, professional takeaways, and authentic connection, leaving attendees more confident and equipped to navigate the early stages of their tech journeys.
Confirmed Event Details:
Courtney Caldwell is the Cofounder & CEO of recently acquired beauty-tech startup, ShearShare, the largest provider of on-demand salon and barbershop space rentals and the most affordable leases in the market. She is also an award-winning entrepreneur and tech founder and has spent two decades building winning teams in tech marketing.
Speaker Profile: https://www.gravityspeakers.com/speakers/courtney-caldwell
Speaker Website: https://bookthecaldwells.com/
Courtney Caldwell is a powerhouse tech founder who brings unmatched authenticity, energy, and inspiration to every stage she graces. As the Co-Founder and COO of ShearShare—the first B2B mobile platform for beauty and barbering professionals—Courtney went from a corporate marketing career to co-leading a venture-backed tech company that’s been featured by Fast Company and Google. Her journey is filled with pivotal moments of risk, resilience, and self-belief—making her a perfect match for RTC’s Virtual Career Summit theme of confidence and perseverance. Courtney speaks candidly about what it means to pivot boldly, build in the face of doubt, and own your space even when no one else looks like you. With a warm, dynamic style that resonates deeply with Gen Z and early-career audiences, she’ll leave attendees feeling fired up and fully seen.
Fear is universal—whether you’re scaling a business, raising a family, or climbing a literal mountain. In this powerful keynote, Courtney Caldwell will share how fear has been a constant companion on her journey—from navigating the build, scale, and successful exit of an award-winning startup to parenting with purpose an NFL athlete to pushing past physical and mental limits on the world’s toughest climbs as she summited Mount Kilimanjaro. Through real-life stories and hard-earned insights, she challenges the idea that fear is something to avoid. Instead, she shows how embracing fear can be the key to achieving audacious goals. Whether you’re launching a startup, stepping into leadership, making a career pivot or life-changing decision, raising the next generation, or tackling a personal challenge that seems insurmountable, the lesson is clear: the greatest breakthroughs happen when you do it scared.
Audiences will rethink fear, reframe risk, and take bold steps toward their biggest goals.
Three Key Objectives:
"Honestly, she was one of the best speakers I have seen in my career. -- Her story was inspiring, engaging, relevant, and just brought so much joy to me. After hearing her talk, I took to heart some of the things she does and even took a few of them and implemented them in my daily routine. -- I had a banana for breakfast too! Anyhow, this was a fantastic speaker -- Incredible." - Code42
Sheena Allen is a visionary entrepreneur, sought-after keynote speaker, author, and creative architect who has transformed the intersection of technology, social impact, and innovation. As Founder of App It Out, she has expanded her expertise in the mobile app industry for non-technical entrepreneurs and SMBs, and as Founder of Capway, Sheena revolutionized inclusive banking and was the youngest female in the U.S. to own and operate a digital bank.
Flexible fee for non-profits.
Speaker Profile: https://www.gravityspeakers.com/speakers/sheena-allen
Speaker Website: https://www.sheenaallen.com/
Sheena Allen’s story is a masterclass in self-belief and tenacity. A Mississippi native with no formal tech background, Sheena taught herself to code and went on to found CapWay—one of the first digital banking platforms built to serve underrepresented and underserved communities. She became the youngest Black woman in America to launch a digital bank. Her keynote offers a deeply personal and inspiring roadmap of what it takes to succeed when you don’t check every box, don’t have the traditional credentials, and don’t see many people like you in the room. For RTC’s audience of women in tech students, Sheena brings the exact message this summit is built on: persevering in the face of doubt and building confidence from the inside out.
Sheena can customize a specific keynote for this audience. It will draw from her general keynote entitled "Women In Tech / Minorities in Tech".
Description reads:
Women and minorities are still fighting to be respected in the tech world. For a culture that has been dominated by the “bro-code” of mainly white men, having diversity in the room is becoming more and more of a demand, with numbers showing that more diverse teams are more successful. From lack of respect to lack of funding, being a minority in tech has been an uphill battle. Though small victories have been won, there is still a long way to go.
Sheena often has spoken about walking in rooms and realizing she has three strikes against her. She’s black, she’s a female, and she’s from Mississippi, a place a lot of the rest of the world think consists of only racists and poorly educated minorities. If three strikes you’re out is supposed to be the standard, when speaking on women and minorities in tech, Sheena talks motivate, provides resources, and provides a guide on how being a woman and minority in tech breaks the standard.
“Sheena Allen was the perfect speaker to kick-off our two-day conference! Her energy, speech, and engagement really set the tone for our conference attendees.” - Matilda Johnson, The Sadie Collective
Erika Cramer, widely recognized as The Queen of Confidence, is a tour de force in the realms of speaking, empowerment coaching, podcasting, and social influence. With an invigorating blend of American grit, raw vulnerability, and high energy, she has captivated audiences and clients alike, driving them toward unprecedented levels of success and self-belief. Erika stands apart from the conventional, offering a uniquely transformative experience. Her compelling life story, marked by overcoming foster care, surviving a near-fatal accident, being widowed and conquering debilitating self-doubt, sets the foundation for her authentic and transformative message. This unique narrative infuses her with the credibility and authority that leaves others inspired to take action and transform.
Speaking Fee: To be negotiated.
Erika is based in Melbourne, Australia.
Speaker Profile: https://www.gravityspeakers.com/speakers/erika-cramer
Speaker Website: https://thequeenofconfidence.com/
Erika Cramer—better known as The Queen of Confidence—is an electrifying speaker who brings radical honesty, humor, and heart to the stage. A survivor of foster care, abuse, homelessness, and immense personal loss, Erika has transformed her pain into purpose—now leading a global movement that helps women own their voices and reclaim their confidence. Her keynote for RTC would focus on how to build unshakable self-trust in the face of doubt, rejection, and adversity, showing students how to step into their power long before they have all the answers. Erika doesn’t just motivate—she moves people. Her raw storytelling and unapologetic presence inspire audiences to get out of their own way and rise anyway.
How to attract what’s meant for you, own your presence unapologetically, and step into the space you were born to take.
Some women walk into a room, and you feel their presence before they even speak. They don’t hustle for approval or seek validation—they magnetize it.
But let’s be real: too many brilliant, powerful women dim their light, question their worth, and operate from lack instead of abundance. Instead of attracting what’s meant for them, they chase, force, or settle for less than they deserve.
Why? Because magnetism isn’t taught—it’s unlocked.
In this transformational keynote, Erika Cramer—bestselling author of Becoming Magnetic, TEDx speaker, and global confidence coach—guides women through the process of harnessing their energy, owning their presence, and becoming undeniably magnetic in every area of life.
How to rewire your mindset, embrace fear, and build unshakable resilience to reach your highest potential.
Most people think success is about talent, luck, or waiting for the perfect opportunity. It’s not. The biggest thing standing between you and the life you want isn’t external—it’s internal.
Too many people let self-doubt, fear, and past failures hold them back. They hesitate. They overthink. They stay in their comfort zones. But the truth is, you don’t need more talent, more time, or better circumstances—you need to become the version of yourself who refuses to quit.
In this keynote, Erika Cramer—bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and globally recognized confidence and mindset coach—reveals the mental shifts necessary to break through self-imposed limitations, build resilience, and take bold, aligned action toward the life you truly want.
“Erika’s work is a masterclass in confidence and magnetism, offering real tools for real change.” — Amy Porterfield, NYT Bestselling Author & Entrepreneur
“Erika Cramer does not mince words. She lives her truth and is committed to women falling in love with themselves. I fell in love with her the first time we met.” — Kemi Nekvapil, Bestselling Author of POWER
Have you heard about Lolita Taub? Let me tell you, she's not your everyday venture capitalist. Her story is something else – it's like a masterclass in turning life's curveballs into home runs. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, miles away from the glitz of Silicon Valley, Lolita's journey is a real-life example of what it means to see opportunity in every challenge.
Now, Lolita's not just overcoming obstacles; she's redefining them. She's taken what many would see as setbacks – ADHD, PTSD, and anxiety – and flipped them into her superpowers. Her ADHD fuels her out-of-the-box thinking, her PTSD has forged an unshakeable resilience and her anxiety? It's given her a level of empathy that's rare in the cut-throat world of tech and venture capital.
Speaker Fee: To be negotiated.
Speaker Profile: https://www.gravityspeakers.com/speakers/lolita-taub
Speaker Website: https://www.lolitataub.co/
Speaker is based in San Diego, CA
Lolita Taub is a powerhouse in tech and venture capital who built her career by defying the odds—and then turning around to open doors for others. As a first-generation Latina, Lolita has navigated rooms where she was often underestimated and overlooked. Rather than conform, she doubled down on her voice, her values, and her community-first approach to leadership and investing. In her keynote for RTC, Lolita shares what it means to build confidence while being underestimated—and how perseverance is often less about powering through and more about staying grounded in who you are. Her journey from sales leader to startup founder to venture capitalist offers both inspiration and practical guidance for women entering tech, reminding them they belong in every room they step into.
Why Lolita is a strong fit:
Presentations will be customized to fit the audience. Based off her keynote topics:
“Lolita was instrumental in the launch and creation of Cisco’s North America internal gaming community, mobilizing over 60 Cisco account managers in the path to developing a collaboration platform to socialize and enable Cisco’s gaming portfolio.” - William Gustafson, Certified Business Architect