Angela Duckworth is the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studies grit and self-control. A 2013 MacArthur Fellow, Ms. Duckworth has advised the World Bank Group, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 chief executives.

Prior to her career in research, she founded a summer school for underserved children that was profiled as a Harvard Kennedy School case study. She has also been a McKinsey management consultant and a math and science teacher in the public schools of New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.

Ms. Duckworth completed her undergraduate degree in advanced studies neurobiology at Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude. With the support of a Marshall Scholarship, she completed a master of science with distinction in neuroscience from the University of Oxford. She completed her doctorate in psychology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Her first book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, is a No. 1 New York Times bestseller; her TED Talk by the same name is among the most viewed of all time.

James Clear is a writer and keynote speaker focused on habits, decision making, and continuous improvement. His book, Atomic Habits, has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, has been translated into more than 60 languages and was the #1 best-selling book of 2021 and 2023 on Amazon and #1 audiobook on Audible. Clear is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies and his work has been featured in publications such as Time magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and on CBS This Morning and Today Show Australia. He is a MasterClass instructor, alongside the world’s top experts such as Serena Williams, Neil Gaiman and Gordon Ramsay. For the third year in a row, James is in the top 5 most watched MasterClass grouping. His popular “3-2-1” email newsletter is sent out each week to more than 3 million subscribers.

James doesn’t merely report the research of others. He tries out the concepts for himself as he experiments with building better habits as an entrepreneur, writer, and weightlifter. In the end, his talks end up being one-part storytelling, one-part academic research, and one-part personal experiment, forming a colorful blend of inspirational stories, academic science, and hard-earned wisdom.

Michael is Schwab’s Washington-based political analyst. With more than 30 years of Washington experience, he analyzes legislative, regulatory, and political developments to determine how they would affect individual investors, retirement plan participants, and investment advisers.

Michael is the host of Schwab’s WashingtonWise podcast, which explores the intersection between policy, politics, the markets, and the economy. He is a featured speaker at dozens of employee, client, adviser, and industry events each year, where he discusses the impact of the political and policy environment in Washington on investors and the capital markets.

Prior to joining Schwab in 2000, Michael worked at Powell Tate, Inc., a Washington, D.C., public affairs firm, and previously worked for two U.S. senators from Maine. He holds an M.A. in English from George Mason University and a B.A. in English from Bowdoin College.