Meet Our Speakers for the 2026 Youth Athlete Summit!
We’re thrilled to present an incredible lineup of speakers, each bringing valuable expertise and insight to help empower the next generation of athletes. These leaders are dedicated to supporting athletes, coaches, and families as they navigate the complexities of sports and prepare for what comes next.
CEO/Co-Founder
CHAOS Foundation
Over the past 15 years, Gina Wilson has been deeply involved in managing grassroots programs and has assisted over 100 boys and girls in achieving their goals of playing college basketball. She has also supported teams and programs that have consistently ranked among the top nationally. This hands-on experience has given her a deep understanding of the journey young athletes take, from their early days in the sport to competing at the highest levels.
What sets Gina apart is her perspective as a parent of college scholarship athletes who also went on to play professionally. She has personally navigated the challenges and triumphs of the athletic journey from the sidelines.
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ICF-Certified Coach
Founder, Supreme Coaching Group
Former NFL Athlete
John Youboty’s journey is one of bold reinvention. After a career in the NFL, he faced a devastating Achilles injury that could have ended his momentum for good. Instead of letting it define him, John used the setback as fuel to reinvent himself. He pulled himself back up, transitioned into entrepreneurship, and built successful ventures in real estate, hospitality, and executive coaching. Today, he works with executives, athletes, and entrepreneurs to help them navigate high-stakes transitions and reach their next level.
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Psychiatrist + Founder
Choulet Performance Psychiatry®
Brook Choulet, M.D. is a board-certified concierge psychiatrist who works with children, adolescents, and adults. She specializes in Performance Psychiatry®, helping busy professionals, high achievers, and athletes at all levels optimize their mental health and enhance their performance, both personally and professionally.
Dr. Choulet founded Choulet Performance Psychiatry®, a boutique private practice focused on enhancing people's performance in all facets of life. With locations in Scottsdale, Arizona as well as Beverly Hills and San Diego, California, Choulet Performance Psychiatry® is the premier destination for mental excellence.
Nationally known as The Performance Psychiatrist™, Dr. Choulet is a thought leader in the area of sports and performance psychiatry, as she is a Contributing Writer for Forbes, The Washington Post, and Psychology Today. She has a blog channel titled Sports and Performance Psychiatry and has extensive experience working with professional sports organizations, as she has been the Consulting Team Psychiatrist for the NBA Phoenix Suns and WNBA Phoenix Mercury and currently is a provider on the NBPA, USOPC, MLBPA, USSF, and NFLPA's Mental Health Directories.
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Outpatient Therapist
Founder & CEO, Stay N The Game, LLC
Alisha Lassiter is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate, Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist Associate, and the Founder & CEO of Stay N The Game LLC, providing holistic sports therapy to athletes and their families. Alisha is also a content contributor/chat consultant for AthleteTalk, a mental health and wellness app for athletes. Additionally, Alisha serves as an outpatient mental health therapist and event speaker. Her critical thinking approach promotes conflict resolution and problem-solving analysis equipping her clients with the tools and strategies necessary to succeed in every environment.
Alisha holds a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Children and Families from Walden University as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Art with a certification in Education from Elizabeth City State University. Alisha also attended the Certified Clinical Sports Social Work Institute (CCSSWI) where she completed the coursework for their CCSSW Immersion Program. She has a background in crisis counseling and suicide prevention. Additionally, Alisha served as an art educator and mentor embodying 12 years of educational leadership.
Alisha’s experience allows her to work with diverse populations to provide creative and clinical strategies. Alisha believes in helping athletes see their worth while guiding them in cultivating a desire for self advancement, advocacy, and becoming an influential person in their families and communities.
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Founder/CEO
GFFR LLC - Get Fit Fly Right
Coach D. is a dynamic coach, known as "The Mental Hygienist," she strives to approach things differently. At times she's described as unorthodox, yet effective and her methods salubrious. Her mission is to change the current approaches to youth mental health by engaging youth coaches and leaders educating them on mental hygiene. A Brooklyn, NYC native, Coach D has made waves as founder of GFFR LLC, a motivational speaker, International MC, master facilitator, and athletic coach. She uses mindfulness, CBT, and breathe meditation that focuses on performance and emotional intelligence development.
Since 2018, her company GFFR LLC (Get Fit Fly Right) has collaborated with numerous youth, sport, and community organizations to bring mental health resources to youth programs. In the last 3 years Coach D has been featured as a guest speaker at NBA, Jr. NBA, and NYC Department of Education events to share the TAP method and 533 Meditation.
Presently, Coach D. consults with schools, community-based organizations, and leading sports-based youth development organizations to train youth and youth leaders on the TAP method. GFFR LLC since 2020, has trained over 500 youth leaders in TAP mental hygiene and served 2000 youth with 533 meditation, Athletic Yoga, and TAP workshops.
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Managing Partner
The Riden Law Firm
Whitnie Riden is the Managing Attorney at Riden Law Firm. She is a graduate of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School with a J.D and obtained a B.A in Journalism and Sports Media Management from Georgia State University.
Prior to starting the firm, Whitnie worked at a boutique IP firm in Atlanta where her clients ranged from entrepreneurs to professional athletes and celebrities protecting their businesses and brands. She was able to gain the expertise and knowledge to help hundreds protect their business via trademarks, copyrights, contract review and negotiating.
Given her passion for the entertainment and sports industry, Whitnie was appointed to the American Bar Association (ABA) Young Lawyer Division Chair for the Entertainment and Sports Industries for the 2022-23 bar year and subsequently again for the 2023-24 year. She was also selected as an ABA Legal Scholar for 2022-24. Her passion doesn’t stop there. In an effort to continue to advocate in the sports industry and bridge the gap between the sports world and the law, Whitnie also served as an Associate Athletic Director of Compliance for a NCAA Division II institution. This allows her to continue to gain the knowledge and expertise to advocate for clients in the sports world, whether it is for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), endorsement deals, or protecting their brand to ensure they are protected legally and still in compliance with their governing body legislation, such as the NCAA.
Currently, Whitnie's practice areas include Intellectual Property (such as trademark law and copyright law), business law, and estate planning. Whitnie believes "It’s never too late to get your business and/or personal affairs in order." She is committed to working hard to provide the best legal representation to her clients and put their best interests in mind.
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Licensed Social Worker
Founder, NoFlagNoFoul LLC
Ongeleke Turner is a licensed clinical social worker in the states of Michigan and Pennsylvania with over a decade of experience across multiple levels of care in mental health and substance use treatment. After making an intentional pivot in her career, she now focuses her work on athlete mental health — a population where she believes her impact can be most meaningful.
In May 2023, Ongeleke founded her own athlete mental health consulting company. To further deepen her clinical understanding of the unique needs of athletes, she completed a Sports Social Work Certification through New York University’s School of Social Work in Spring 2024.
Ongeleke is deeply passionate about supporting athlete mental health and well-being, and through her work she is committed to helping build and sustain healthy individuals and sport communities.
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Founder & CEO
House of Philanthropy
Tenisha is a seasoned philanthropy consultant with a unique blend of grassroots and institutional experience. As the founder and CEO of the House of Philanthropy, she partners with athletes, sports teams, and organizations to design, manage, and implement transformative giving strategies. Her work focuses on aligning her clients’ personal values with community needs to create measurable, lasting impact.
Her career began in grassroots community development, where she gained firsthand knowledge of how organizations and stakeholders collaborate to address social challenges. She later honed her skills working with established nonprofits and foundations, developing expertise in governance, strategic planning, grant writing, and event management.
This diverse background allows her to navigate the complexities of philanthropy while maintaining a deep commitment to authentic, community-centered solutions.
Under her leadership, the House of Philanthropy has supported high-profile clients like AJ Terrell Jr., Diamond DeShields, and Hannibal Navies, earning accolades such as the NFLPA Community MVP Award. Her data-driven approach, paired with her passion for empowering others, ensures her clients’ philanthropic initiatives are not only impactful but also sustainable.
Tenisha’s mission is simple: to help her clients build legacies beyond the game by fostering meaningful connections and driving real change in the communities they care about.
Founder
Unify Athletes
Ashley is the Founder of Unify Athletes, an organization dedicated to helping student-athletes continue playing their sport while earning a degree in the UK once their eligibility has ended. With a strong belief that athletics and education should go hand in hand, Ashley is passionate about creating international opportunities and guiding athletes toward meaningful next steps in their academic and athletic careers beyond their eligibility.
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Professional Athlete
NBA G League | International
Tiwian Kendley is a professional basketball player with experience across U.S. leagues and international competition. A native of Harlem, New York, Kendley played two years at Lamar Community College, where he scored over 1,000 career points. As a junior at Morgan State University, he was named First Team All-MEAC and graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications.
After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Kendley competed in the NBA Summer League and played for multiple NBA G League teams, including the Capital City Go-Go and the Windy City Bulls. He has also taken his game overseas, gaining valuable international professional experience.
Sports Industry Professional
Former Division I Athlete (Basketball)
Jaden Walker is a former Division I basketball player who competed for six years at Saint Joseph’s University and University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance and a master’s degree in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Leadership, and is now building a career in the sports industry focused on enhancing the athlete experience, supporting organizational growth, and giving back to the environments that shaped her.