Madison, WI — Michael J. Fox, Laila Ali, and Rob Lowe are going to be making an appearance this year at IDDBA 19 ready to share their inspirational journeys with you! Join them at IDDBA 19’s General Session to hear about how they overcame life’s obstacles to achieve their dreams. Get to know them and understand how to transform challenges into opportunities between June 2-4 at the Orlando Orange County Convention Center.
Session times and details are available on our website.
Michael J. Fox – Actor
Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist
Michael J. Fox began his career as a television actor, and soon after went on to film. From being on the show Family Ties to the Back to the Future trilogy, Fox’s career continued to grow, where he appeared in dozens of features showcasing his keen ability to shift between comedy and drama. In 1991 Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease. Fox has since committed himself to the campaign for increased Parkinson’s research.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s drug development in the world, was called “the most credible voice on Parkinson’s research in the world” by The New York Times. Fox has spoken and written extensively about his predisposition to look at challenges, including his Parkinson’s disease, through a lens of optimism and humor.
Gather around with Michael J. Fox, an incurable optimist, as he shares his gripping stories that keep him always looking up.
Rob Lowe – Actor
Stories I Only Tell My Friends
Rob Lowe began his acting career in local television and theatre at the age of eight. Today, Lowe’s charismatic talent and palpable success have radiated far beyond the realm of television. His most recent project, Stories I Only Tell My Friends: LIVE, based a memoir, gives a glimpse behind the curtain at Hollywood, fame, fatherhood, and marriage. From the Brat Pack to The West Wing to Parks and Recreation and beyond, this one-person show is packed with fun, witty one-of-a-kind insights spanning over an iconic four-decade career.
Lowe published his memoir, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, in the spring of 2011. The book was an instant hit, spending consecutive weeks in the top four of The New York Times best sellers list, and made it onto GQ’s “Best of 2011” book list.
Join us to learn about the path that led Rob Lowe to his successes and where he is today.
Laila Ali, Boxing Icon – Chef and Lifestyle Brand Expert
Going The Distance
Laila Ali is a world-class athlete, fitness and wellness advocate, TV host, home chef, and founder of the Laila Ali Lifestyle Brand. The daughter of late beloved global icon and humanitarian, Muhammad Ali, she is a four-time undefeated boxing world champion, whose stellar record includes 24 wins (21 of which were “knockouts”) and zero losses.
A cooking enthusiast, Laila previously appeared twice on Food Network’s celebrity edition of Chopped and emerged victorious as the champion. Continuing her passion in the cooking space, Laila was the host of Late Night Chef Fight, an exciting food truck cooking competition on the FYI Network. Laila has also appeared in various cooking segments on Rachael Ray and The Chew, along with having cooked her famous “oven baked fried chicken” on Steve Harvey’s hit daytime talk show.
Laila is most excited about her cookbook published cookbook Food For Life, which she will be doing a book signing of at 4:00 pm near our Expert Neighborhood.
Join Laila Ali as she walks us through her journey to where she is today.
About IDDBA: IDDBA is a nonprofit membership organization serving the dairy, deli, bakery, cheese, and supermarket foodservice industries. Member companies enjoy exclusive benefits and services including the annual tradeshow, leading-edge research, training programs, management tools, and an annual trends report. For more information contact IDDBA at 608-310-5000 or visit iddba.org.
