2025 Brilliance Summit | November 6 | New Vintage Place
New Vintage Place | 889 Broadway Ave. NW, Grand Rapids
Connect, elevate and find inspiration at the half-day Brilliance Summit! Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from and dive deeper with our expert panelists—Brilliance Awards finalists or top honorees—in sessions intentionally designed to spark personal and professional growth.
At the 2025 Brilliance Summit, attendees will learn tangible ways to make meaningful connections, how to shift from default to deliberate thinking, what it looks like to overcome adversity and create the life you’ve dreamed of and more.
Revisit the 2024 Brilliance Summit! Explore the 2024 presenters and moderators and view more photos from the event.
1:30 - 1:40 - Welcome from West Michigan Woman
Welcome remarks by Jennifer Feuerstein.
1:40 - 2:00 - Presenting Your Best Self and Making Meaningful Connections
2:05 - 2:30 - Finding and Elevating Your Personal Branding and Style
Presentation by Michelle Krick and Elise Kutt.
2:30 - 3:00 - Pursuing Passions and Finding Your Mission
Panel discussion with Tammy Myers, Kasie Pickart and Arlen Gaddy.
3:00 - 3:30 - Break
3:30 - 3:50 - Overcoming Adversity and Creating the Life You Dreamed Of
Q&A with Catherine Ripley, 2025 Brilliant Woman of the Year.
3:50 - 4:15 - Rewire Your Brain for Success: Shifting from Default Thinking to Deliberate Thinking
Presentation by Carrie Holland, MD, CPT.
4:15 - 4:40 - Audience Q&A
Featuring an audience Q&A with Tasha Blackmon, Michelle Krick, Elise Kutt and Carrie Holland, MD, CPT.
4:40 - 4:45 - Closing Remarks
4:45 - 5:30 - Networking Reception
Arlen-Dean Gaddy
2021 Best Supporting Man
Arlen-Dean Gaddy serves on the Leadership Team as Vice President of Erhardt Construction, a leading Commercial General Contractor with offices in Ada and Muskegon.
Carrie Holland, MD, CPT,
2025 Brilliant Mentor
Dr. Carrie Holland is a board-certified family physician with additional certifications in personal training, health coaching, and life coaching.
Catherine Ripley
2025 Woman of the Year
Catherine Ripley is a trailblazing entrepreneur, mentor, and advocate for women in technology and business. Overcoming immense personal challenges, including homelessness as a young mother, she built a thriving career and founded Symplicity Communications at age 39—without prior entrepreneurial experience.
Elise Kutt
2019 Brilliant Social Change Agent Finalist
A multi-passionate artist and entrepreneur, Elise Kutt has spent the last decade running a portrait studio centered around women empowerment and self-expression through art. She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she studied art history and photography.
Kasie Pickart
2025 Brilliant Emerging Leader
Kasie Pickart is the new Executive Director of i understand love heals, a nonprofit dedicated to providing compassionate comfort, hope, and understanding to those affected by suicide or mental/brain health illness and pain.
Michelle Krick
Owner, Michelle Krick Style
"Changing your world, one outfit at a time."
With over 30 years in the fashion industry—including executive buying and leadership roles at Nordstrom, Meijer, and more—Michelle Krick brings deep expertise and contagious energy to her work as a personal stylist and professional speaker. As the founder of Michelle Krick Style, she helps women across the country build wardrobes that reflect their personality, simplify their lives, and boost their confidence.
Tammy Myers
2025 Brilliant Social Change Agent
Tammy Myers is a legislative advocate, creative director, and breast cancer survivor who played a pivotal role in modernizing Michigan’s surrogacy laws. Diagnosed with breast cancer at 33, she turned her journey into a movement, creating the Forgotten Fighters campaign to amplify awareness for young women facing breast cancer.
Thank You to Our 2025 Sponsors!
Presenting Sponsor
Session Sponsor
Team Sponsors
To sponsor this event, contact Susan at [email protected] or (616) 458-8371.