Virag Vida is Reporting from Beverly Hills
The second day of the Milken Global Conference spotlighted major voices shaping the future of business, health, and sports—including Jessica Alba, Jensen Huang, Dr. Mark Hyman, Carl Lewis, and Karch Kiraly—just a few names from the mind-blowing list of panelists. Their insights helped shape a day focused on impact, innovation, and human resilience across industries.
One of the day‘s most talked-about sessions was The Wellness Revolution: Building Businesses for Impact and Purpose. Jessica Alba, actress, producer, and founder of The Honest Company, reflected on her journey from passionate parent to CEO of a leading clean lifestyle brand. Jessica Alba shared how her journey began with advocacy for wellness and legislative change around human health. That mission eventually evolved into a business: “I turned advocacy into a for-profit model—and it didn‘t just stay digital, it went mainstream.“
She highlighted the role of mothers as early adopters and ambassadors: “I would say the first best users and then people connected to the most mothers because they were really thinking about their own health and wellness and their babies and not just wanting to protect that thing that happens when you really just wanna protect this little person and make sure that they have the best chance at life, “she said. Alba emphasized the importance of transparent ingredients and mission-driven growth in today‘s wellness economy.
The panel also featured Dr. Mark Hyman, a pioneer in functional medicine and bestselling author, known for his work at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine and as host of The Dr. Hyman Show. Dr. Hyman highlighted a shift in modern healthcare: the power of technology to give people control over their own well-being. “We‘ve now just unlocked the whole comprehensive body imaging and many other imaging as well, and it‘s empowering people to use technology to help be the agents of their own health—what I call the seal of your own health—and have agency, rather than waiting for a disease or a problem, “he said. For Hyman, this isn‘t just theory—it‘s personal. “I‘ve seen where medicine failed me, my family, and my patients. This new path is about changing that.“
Adding a deeply personal dimension, Quentin Vennie, co-founder and CEO of Equitea, spoke candidly about surviving addiction and a suicide attempt, “he said quietly, describing how simple wellness rituals helped him rebuild his life. The room responded with quiet intensity. Rounding out the panel were Pritika Swarup, founder of luxury skincare brand Prakti Beauty, and Moj Mahdara, co-founder of Kinship Ventures—both offering valuable insights on purpose-driven entrepreneurship and the evolving wellness landscape.
In the afternoon, attention turned to technology as Michael Milken welcomed Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, for a keynote conversation in front of a packed audience. NVIDIA, now valued at over $2.8 trillion, has emerged as the world‘s most powerful chipmaker. Milken opened with characteristic humor: “So, tell me, how can we build a chip?” To which Huang responded, “If you want to know how to build a chip, you have to use YouTube.” He added “In the future, the factory will be one gigantic robot orchestrating a whole bunch of robots inside working with people to build products, that are robots, have robots building robots, building robots… and this layer of technology is nearly upon us so that application for manufacturing, industrialization plants, and factories and that entire area needs this new AI called physical AI that we‘re talking about.
Michael Milken closed with a pointed question that made the audience laugh once again due to its honesty. “We might have a lot of people thinking how do I get a job in NVIDIA…? what are the skill set but you are looking for today?” The answer arrived on the same way: “Well, if you can tell me or you learn how to design chip on YouTube… I think that‘s gonna tell me a lot.” But he added, that NVIDIA is recognized as the world‘s first company of its kind, having built the foundation for an entire field. The company‘s board brings together digital biologists, quantum chemists, computer graphics engineers, robotics experts, and language specialists. Their collective expertise spans a broad spectrum of scientific domains and a wide range of industries.
On other, more intimate panel, Kevin Kwan, author of Crazy Rich Asians, spoke about breaking stereotypes through storytelling. “You try to tell stories about multidimensional characters,” he said. “Even if the title might be Crazy Rich Asians, the characters—one by one—are multifaceted. Hopefully, you see them for who they are: the issues they face, their traumas, their flaws, their strengths. That‘s how I believe we break stereotypes,” – the author shared.
Later in the day, the focus shifted to the future of Olympic sports in a panel exploring how college athletics remain a key pipeline for global athletic success. With Los Angeles preparing to host the 2028 Olympic Games, the conversation brought together sports icons like Carl Lewis, nine-time Olympic gold medalist and head track coach at the University of Houston; Karch Kiraly head coach of the U.S. men‘s national volleyball team; and other current and former Olympians and NCAA leaders. Karch Kiraly, who is a legendary Olympian and U.S. Men‘s Volleyball head coach, spoke passionately about the lifelong impact of sport. “Team sports are like life on fast forward—we‘re pushed to our limits, we fail, we grow,” he said.
With the 2028 Olympics returning to Los Angeles, he expressed excitement and purpose: “I want as many young people as possible to have these same opportunities—to discover who they are and set themselves up for success in life.“
Speakers stressed that Olympic sports such as wrestling, volleyball, swimming, and track and field—while producing some of the world‘s top athletes—are often overshadowed by high-revenue college sports. A staggering 330 NCAA athletes from 26 countries competed at the 2024 Paris Games, yet funding and support remain inconsistent.
The day closed with a quieter but impactful discussion – Modern Solutions for Parenting and Work-Life Balance – held in the Whilshire Garden, addressing the realities of motherhood in today‘s professional world. Panelists – Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President, US Social Impact, Sesame Workshop, Becky Kennedy, Founder and CEO, Good Inside, Alexis Ohanian, Founder, Co-Founder and former Executive Chairman, Seven Seven Six, Eve Rodsky, Author, “Fair Play”, Maaren ShahPartner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP – discussed the difficulty of balancing ambition and caregiving, societal expectations, burnout, and the importance of structural support for working mothers. The tone was more intimate, but no less urgent.
From wellness entrepreneurship to AI frontiers and Olympic strategy, Day Two of the Milken Global Conference highlighted a growing desire to connect human values with innovation. With leaders like Alba, Huang, Hyman, and Lewis offering perspectives from vastly different fields, the message was clear: the future will not be built by numbers alone—but by purpose, resilience, and vision.
