Shermin Kruse is a globally recognized author, law professor, and TEDx producer whose work in empathy, Stoicism, and leadership has influenced audiences from corporate boardrooms to university classrooms and international stages. Born in Tehran during profound social and political upheaval, Shermin began her writing journey at age 10, penning poetry in Farsi as a means of processing life under the pressures of war and governmental oppression. Her family later immigrated to Canada, marking the beginning of a journey that would see her rise from a young immigrant to a celebrated thought leader and global voice. With a background in philosophy and neuropsychology from the University of Toronto and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, Shermin spent 17 years as a partner at Barack Ferrazzano, representing Fortune 500 clients in high-stakes international negotiations. This experience became the foundation for her pioneering work in tactical empathy—a method that combines cognitive empathy with strategic action to create lasting impact. Shermin is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Butterfly Stitching, which interweaves her family's experiences in Iran with themes of resilience, love, and survival. She is also the author of Stoic Empathy, a transformative guide that blends neuroscience, philosophy, and personal narrative to help readers cultivate influence, self-leadership, and emotional regulation. Her textbook Global Transactions and Regulation serves as an essential resource for law students and business professionals. As founder and executive producer of TEDxWrigleyville, Shermin has produced over 80 TEDx and TED talks with millions of views. She has delivered three TEDx talks herself and frequently speaks on Stoic empathy and leadership through outlets including NPR, PBS, and influential podcasts. A professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where she teaches Stoic empathy, negotiations, and leadership, Shermin also serves on the boards of organizations including the ACLU and RefuSHE. Her humanitarian work has earned her recognition as one of the nation's top 100 "Women to Watch" by BizWomen Magazine. The Calm Inside is her first children's book, bringing Stoic philosophy to young readers with warmth, wisdom, and accessibility. Shermin lives in Chicago with her four children.

Bece Luna is an illustrator and art-educator from São Paulo, Brazil. Fascinated by the possibilities of storytelling since she was a kid, she would usually be found doodling as many characters as she could fit in the margins of her notebooks, or obsessing over cartoons, a passion that led her to pursue a career as a freelance illustrator. She studied Visual Arts at the University of Campinas, and works mainly through digital paintings. Trying to encapsulate the feeling of sunny afternoons in her drawings, she gathers inspiration from her hometown, nostalgic memories of her childhood and unlikely heroes from her favorite films.