Because EVERYTHING is interesting…

THE BIG THINK

August 7 and 8, 2019

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Hosted at Hilliard Bradley High School

Keynote Speakers Include:

Kate Fagan

Kate is a columnist and feature writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, as well as on-air talent for ESPN. Kate can currently be seen on Outside the Lines and E:60 and is a core member of The Friday Four. She has also made 150 appearances on Around the Horn, where she served as the show's first female host in 2017.

Kate is also the author of WHAT MADE MADDY RUN, which spent one month as the #1 New York Times best-seller on the Sports list. The 2017 book addresses the important issues of anxiety, depression, and suicide in a perfectionist, social-media driven society. She is also the author of the memoir THE REAPPEARING ACT about her experience coming out while at the University of Colorado.

In addition to her work with ESPN, Kate is a sought-after speaker on athlete mental health, LGBT issues within sports, and the variables facing female athletes. Kate recently served as the commencement speaker at her alma mater in May of 2017, and routinely hosts events and moderates panels both for brands and for non-profits. 

Kate and her wife, international yoga teacher and best-selling author Kathryn Budig, together host the podcast “Free Cookies,” which blends wellness, food, and humor and she was named a 2018 Webby finalist for "Best Sports Podcast." 

Inky Johnson

September 9, 2006. It started as a normal college football game in Neyland Stadium. If anything, the event was an afterthought, dropped into the schedule at the last minute.

 For Inky Johnson, though, the game changed everything. A routine tackle turned into a life-threatening injury, and nothing has been normal for Inky ever since. Not with a paralyzed right arm. Not with daily pain. Not with constant physical challenges.

His dream had always been to play professional sports. You might think his injury would have destroyed his motivation and crushed his spirit. But that’s only because you don’t know Inky.

Who is Inquoris “Inky” Johnson? He could be described as the survivor of an underprivileged past. He could be described as a refugee of poverty and violence. He could be described as a success story stained by tragedy. But if you look deeper, you’ll discover something else.

You’ll see a man who looks in the face of defeat and says, “Am I really failing, or is God prevailing?” You’ll see a man gripped by the promise that God has purposes and plans far beyond our own. And you’ll be inspired by his relentless determination, which he loves to impart to others through his dramatic story.

Inky has a master’s degree in sports psychology from the University of Tennessee. He devotes much of his time to mentoring athletes and underprivileged youth. He and his amazing wife Allison live in Atlanta, Georgia with their beautiful children, Jada and Inky Jr.