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ELEVATE & EDUCATE:
TRANSFORMING NURSING EDUCATION
JUNE 16-20, 2025
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
The Heartbeat of Resilience:
Nurturing Nurse Educators to Thrive and Inspire
Empowering and actionable session that equips nurse educators to lead with purpose, balance, and renewed energy. Attendees will learn practical techniques to protect their well-being, inspire the next generation of nurses, and sustain their commitment to education.
Jenn Adamson
BSN, RN
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Opening Keynote
Wednesday June 18th 11am - 12pm
(time subject to change)
Tara Rynders RN, MFA, BSN, BA
The Revolutionary Art of (Re)Brilliance:
When Educators Dare to SHINE
Sometimes the most powerful lessons come when we’re stripped of everything we thought defined us. For Tara Rynders, this wasn’t a lesson learned in nursing school, but rather one she lived - not at the bedside giving care, but as a patient receiving it. In that moment of vulnerability, stripped of her identity as a nurse, she discovered something powerful: transformation begins when we dare to reflect the brilliance we see in others until they can own it themselves.
Join Tara in her journey from patient to dancing nurse, as she demonstrates how to empower us all through her signature SHINE method to finally step into our own light and revolutionize healthcare education from the inside out.
Tara “the dancing nurse” Rynders, she/her, RN, MFA, BSN, BA is a speaker, nurse researcher, executive director and a dancer. Rynders has been a registered nurse for over twenty years and received her Master’s in Fine Arts in Dance and Somatic Practices in 2011 from The University of Colorado at Boulder. Rynders, an Advanced Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, is the Executive Director of The Art and Heart of Healthcare, providing workshops and research around burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Rynders is extremely honored to have been named, A Blade of Grass Fellow, a three time Arts in Society grantee, a 2019 Colorado Nightingale Luminary, the recipient of Rose Medical Center’s Excellence in Nursing Award in Compassionate Care, a Hamilton Awardee in Arts & Resiliency from the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH), the 2022 EY Next Wave Leader Award from the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts and a Fulbright Specialist where she recently returned from Amsterdam finishing up her research in arts, health, and resiliency. She has recently been published in the AMA Journal of Ethics (2022) and American Journal of Medical Quality (2022). Fun fact: Tara is a mother to 9 year twins who keep her heart soft and curiosity wild.
Join Tara for a special breakout session on Thursday
(Time -TBD)
Dancing Through the Stars:
An Intergalactic Tea Party for Nursing Educators
Where Professional Development Meets Cosmic Joy
Join Tara Rynders for a revolutionary professional development experience that transforms traditional teaching methods into an adventure of discovery. Through guided movement explorations, cosmic tea ceremonies, and stellar storytelling, you’ll discover how incorporating joy and playfulness into your teaching practice creates deeper learning connections.
Closing Keynote
Friday June 20th 8am - 9am
(time subject to change)
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Jenn Adamson BSN, RN
The Heartbeat of Resilience
Nurturing Nurse Educators to Thrive and Inspire
This interactive keynote offers nurse educators tools to prevent burnout, stay connected to their passion, and cultivate resilience amidst the challenges of modern healthcare. Drawing on proven strategies like HeartMath’s "heart-brain coherence," attendees will learn practical techniques to protect their well-being, inspire the next generation of nurses, and sustain their commitment to education. With her unique blend of corporate and healthcare leadership experience, Jenn Adamson delivers an empowering and actionable session that equips nurse educators to lead with purpose, balance, and renewed energy.
Jenn brings a unique blend of corporate and healthcare leadership experience, paired with a deep understanding of resilience and high-performance living. Before entering the healthcare field, Jenn spent nearly a decade consulting Fortune 500 companies, achieving remarkable results but ultimately facing burnout from the constant hustle and high-pressure demands. That experience became a pivotal turning point, leading her to reevaluate her priorities and discover her true calling in nursing and leadership coaching.
As a practicing RN and charge nurse, Jenn has led teams of up to 75 nurses and CNAs on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic—one of the most challenging times in healthcare history. Thanks to the lessons she learned during her corporate burnout, Jenn was equipped to navigate the emotional strain and chaos, modeling resilience and offering compassionate leadership to her team.
Now, as a TEDx speaker, bestselling author, and high-performance coach, Jenn dedicates herself to helping high-achieving executives, healthcare leaders, and business owners optimize their professional success and personal fulfillment. Her coaching methodology empowers clients to access a state of flow, achieve results without burnout, and thrive in both career and life. Her clients have secured significant promotions, reached ambitious goals, and reclaimed balance by moving away from hustle-driven habits.
Jenn’s commitment to well-being and leadership is also shaped by her early exposure to HeartMath principles during her nursing education. The science of heart-brain coherence profoundly influenced her understanding of emotional resilience and has become a cornerstone of her work with leaders. She believes this knowledge has the power to transform how leaders care for themselves and inspire others.
Jenn’s mission is clear: to support and empower leaders to create meaningful change, sustain their well-being, and lead with passion and purpose in an ever-evolving world.