A TWO-DAY EVENT CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
The Argyros presents Badass Women: Making Waves and Moving Mountains, a powerful two-day event celebrating women who are redefining what’s possible. Join renowned shark expert and ocean advocate Jess Cramp and elite mountaineer Melissa Arnot as they share compelling stories of courage, conservation, leadership, and pushing beyond perceived limits—from the depths of the ocean to the world’s highest peaks.
Through inspiring conversations and personal journeys, this event honors the strength, resilience, and impact of women who continue to shape history and move mountains in their fields and beyond.
ENOUGH: THE POWER OF PUSHING LIMITS, EMBRACING MISTAKES AND FINDING YOUR TRUE STRENGTH | 7:30PM | MARCH 29TH
Speaker: Melissa Arnot
Melissa Arnot Reid has spent her life defying limits—on the world’s highest peaks and within herself. She worked on Mount Everest for nine seasons while living and training in Ketchum as her home base in pursuit of big goals. As the first American woman to summit and descend Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, she has proven that success isn’t about fearlessness—it’s about resilience, perseverance, and knowing when you are enough.
Based on her powerful new book, Enough: A Memoir of Mistakes, Maturation, and the Journey Home, this visual presentation will take the audience on an inspiring journey of grit, failure, growth, and the relentless pursuit of self-belief. Melissa shares deeply personal stories of triumph and setback, revealing the lessons learned through risk, resilience, and redefining success on her own terms. This isn’t a hero’s story. This is a journey of knowing that you can be flawed and still deserving. That true badassery exist inside of anyone willing to be vulnerable.
In a world that often tells us we must do more, be more, and achieve more, Melissa challenges us to shift our mindset—to understand that true success doesn’t come from avoiding failure, but from embracing it. She reminds us that our greatest potential is not found in perfection, but in the courage to keep going, even when the path is uncertain.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Redefining Success: How to measure success by growth, not just achievement.
Embracing Setbacks: Why failure isn’t the opposite of success—it’s part of it.
Pushing Past Limits: How to challenge self-doubt and keep moving forward.
Owning Your Journey: The power of believing in yourself, even when no one else does.
This keynote is perfect for leaders, high-performers, and organizations looking to inspire resilience, bold decision-making, and a fearless approach to growth. Whether you’re navigating the boardroom or the summit of a mountain, Melissa’s story will leave you empowered, motivated, and ready to push past your own perceived limits.
Because sometimes, the hardest thing to realize is this: You are already enough.
MORE ABOUT MELISSA ARNOT –
Jess Cramp is a shark researcher who specializes in conservation policy and engaging communities in the management of their ocean. Jess co-championed a grassroots campaign that resulted in the Cook Islands Shark Sanctuary in 2012, an area exceeding 770,000 square miles. Jess has since advised communities, national governments and international organizations on conservation policy, led marine research expeditions through various island nations, and mentored local youth interested in science. She is the founder and executive director of Sharks Pacific, a non-profit organization that conducts research, outreach and advocacy throughout the Pacific Islands region. Her work focuses on improving fisheries management, human-wildlife conflict prevention, community empowerment, and the development of policies that consider people and the environment in equal measure.
She received her PhD from James Cook University. An accomplished speaker, Jess was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2015 and an AAAS If/Then Ambassador in 2019.