International Wealth Builders Association Lions Den | August 6, 2026
On August 6, 2026, entrepreneurs, real estate professionals, investors, business leaders, educators, speakers and community partners came together at the San Diego Real Estate Investing & Business Expo, presented by the International Wealth Builders Association (IWBA).
Held at the Handlery Hotel San Diego, the event was designed to be more than another business conference.
It was a place to BUILD opportunities, PROMOTE one another's vision, REFER trusted relationships, and GIVE back through the connections and resources we create together.
Those four principles represent the foundation of the IWBA community.
Throughout the day, more than 60 attendees participated in presentations, conversations, roundtable discussions, networking and recognition—creating an environment where people weren't simply exchanging business cards.
They were learning about one another.
They were discovering opportunities.
And most importantly, they were building relationships.
Welcome to the IWBA Lions Den
The lion represents courage, leadership, strength and the willingness to step forward.
That spirit was present throughout the San Diego Real Estate Investing & Business Expo.
The International Wealth Builders Association Lions Den brought together individuals from different industries, backgrounds and areas of expertise under one roof.
Real estate professionals met business owners.
Investors met entrepreneurs.
Educators met industry leaders.
Speakers met potential collaborators.
People who may never have crossed paths in their normal business circles suddenly found themselves sitting across the table from one another and asking:
“How can we build something together?”
That is what the Lions Den is intended to create.
Learning From People Who Are Doing the Work
The Expo featured an outstanding group of presenters, moderators and panelists who shared their experience, expertise and perspectives with our attendees.
The conversations extended across real estate, investing, business development, branding, leadership, media, education, entrepreneurship and wealth building.
Our presenters and participating leaders included:
Thomas J. Inserra
Lloyd Segal
Michael Polin
David Schmidt
Steve Matley
Lorna McFarlane Reed
Eric Campbell
Janie Seltzer
Theresa Wells
Jim McLaughlin
Manny Lopez
Sir Kaya Redford
Patrick Franz
Daniela Deutsch
Chiao-Ling Hsu, Ed.D.
Each person brought something different into the room.
That diversity of experience is important to IWBA because wealth building does not happen through one profession, one strategy or one way of thinking.
It happens when knowledge, people and opportunities intersect.
From Presentations to Conversations
One of the most important elements of the Expo was moving beyond the traditional conference format.
A person can listen to an excellent speaker and walk away inspired.
But something different happens when that same attendee gets to sit across the table from experienced professionals and participate in the conversation.
That was the purpose behind our IWBA Roundtable Discussions.
The discussions centered around three important areas:
From Workshop to Wealth
How do we take knowledge, ideas and education and turn them into something that produces measurable value?
Media That Multiplies
How can media become an asset that extends a person's credibility, visibility and reach beyond the room they are currently standing in?
Live Events to Legacy Brand
How can events, speaking, relationships and community engagement become part of building a brand and reputation that lasts?
Our moderators helped transform these topics into conversations where attendees could contribute their own experiences, ask questions and connect with people who could potentially help move their ideas forward.
That is an important distinction.
IWBA does not simply want people sitting in an audience.
We want them participating in the room.
The Power of Connection
One of the strongest pieces of feedback we received from the Expo was about the quality of the connections people made.
That matters deeply to us.
Business opportunities do not always begin with a sales presentation.
Sometimes they begin with a conversation.
Sometimes they begin with an introduction.
Sometimes they begin because someone hears what another person is trying to accomplish and says:
“I know someone you should meet.”
Those moments are difficult to measure on the day of an event.
Their real value may appear weeks, months or even years later.
A referral becomes a client.
An introduction becomes a partnership.
A conversation becomes an investment.
A speaker becomes a collaborator.
A relationship becomes a lifelong friendship.
That is why IWBA places such a strong emphasis on creating the right environment for people to genuinely get to know one another.
Our Sponsors and Community Partners
Events like the San Diego Real Estate Investing & Business Expo are never created by one person or organization alone.
We are grateful for the organizations and individuals who believed in the vision and helped us bring the community together.
We especially recognize U.S. Bank, with the support and participation of Jamaal K. Jackson, as an important sponsor of the event.
Jamaal did more than sponsor the Expo. He brought six people from his organization to participate in our roundtable discussions and engage directly with our attendees.
That kind of participation represents what partnership means to IWBA.
We also extend our appreciation to Beach Cities Commercial Bank for its support and participation.
And we were honored to welcome leadership from the NewSchool of Architecture & Design, including President Chiao-Ling Hsu, Ed.D. and Chief Academic Officer and Dean Daniela Deutsch.
Bringing education, business, finance, real estate and entrepreneurship together creates possibilities that extend far beyond a single event.
Recognizing the People Who Make a Difference
The Expo also gave IWBA an opportunity to recognize individuals whose leadership, service, accomplishments and contributions deserve to be celebrated.
Through the International Wealth Builders Association Lions Den Recognition, we honored people who have demonstrated leadership not only through what they have achieved, but also through how they contribute to others.
Recognition matters.
Too often people spend years building businesses, serving communities, mentoring others and creating opportunities without stopping to recognize how much their work has affected the people around them.
The Lions Den gives us an opportunity to say:
We see you.
We see the work.
We see the contribution.
We see the perseverance.
And we see the impact.
Celebrating Our Superheroes
There was another spirit behind this year's recognition.
Superheroes.
Not the fictional kind.
The real ones.
The entrepreneurs who continue building when things become difficult.
The leaders who show up for other people.
The professionals who share their knowledge.
The mentors who open doors.
The people who make introductions without expecting anything in return.
The individuals who believe in someone else's vision enough to support it.
Those are the superheroes we wanted to recognize.
Because behind every successful organization, business, event or movement are people who chose to show up.
BUILD. PROMOTE. REFER. GIVE.
Everything that happened throughout the Expo ultimately comes back to four words.
BUILD
We build relationships, businesses, ideas, opportunities and communities.
PROMOTE
We help people become more visible by sharing their work, expertise and vision.
REFER
We connect people we know and trust because one introduction can sometimes change the direction of a business—or a life.
GIVE
We believe success becomes more meaningful when what we build can create opportunities for someone else.
These are not simply words used at an IWBA event.
They represent the culture we are continuing to build.
A Day That Wasn't Perfect—and Didn't Need to Be
Like every live event, August 6 came with challenges.
Technology did not always cooperate.
Some things did not happen exactly as planned.
There are areas we already know we can improve for the next event.
But perhaps that is also part of entrepreneurship.
You adjust.
You solve problems.
You keep moving.
And at the end of the day, what people remembered most was not whether every cable worked perfectly.
They remembered the people they met.
They remembered the conversations.
They remembered the energy in the room.
They remembered being recognized.
And they remembered the possibilities that came from bringing the right people together.
That is the part we are most proud of.
More Than an Expo
The San Diego Real Estate Investing & Business Expo was never intended to end when everyone walked out of the ballroom.
The event was the beginning of new conversations.
Some attendees are already connecting with one another.
Introductions are being made.
Business discussions are continuing.
New collaborations are developing.
And relationships created inside the Lions Den are moving beyond the event.
That is how we measure the long-term value of what we are building.
Not simply by how many people attended.
But by asking:
What happened because those people met?
Thank You for Being Part of the Lions Den
To every sponsor, presenter, moderator, panelist, volunteer, partner, attendee and supporter who contributed to the San Diego Real Estate Investing & Business Expo, thank you.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thank you for sharing your relationships.
Thank you for supporting other people's visions.
Thank you for believing that business can be about more than transactions.
And thank you for helping us continue building a community where entrepreneurs, investors, professionals and leaders can come together to create opportunities for one another.
The International Wealth Builders Association will continue bringing people together through education, media, events, introductions and relationships.
Because we believe wealth is not simply what you accumulate.
Wealth is also what you are able to build, create, share and leave behind.
Welcome to the International Wealth Builders Association Lions Den.
Where we BUILD. PROMOTE. REFER. GIVE.
And where relationships can become opportunities, opportunities can become wealth, and wealth can become legacy.
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