CONTENT
APEX is Unbound’s annual young adult conference.
Planned by a student leadership team called the National Student Cabinet, APEX is an event designed by young adults, for young adults.
This year, we are committed to creating an event that encourages Christian young adults in their God-given purpose through keynote sessions, small group discussions, and team activities. Attendees will dive into three core aspects of purpose: Identity, Responsibility and Accountability, and Courage.
Our hope is that APEX 2026 will help young adults understand their God-given purpose and be inspired to live with the unshakeable hope we have in Christ.
WHAT TO EXPECT
- 2 Keynote Speakers Per Day
- 2 Venue-Wide Team Activities Per Day
- Encouraging Small Group Discussions
- 3 Meals Per Day (ask the Cabinet about the pantry...)
- Breathtaking Michigan Summer Scenery
- Opportunities to Build Relationships that Last Far Beyond APEX
MEET THE APEX SPEAKERS
A good speaker can offer perspective, inspire deeper thinking, and challenge their audience to grow.
We hope the sessions at APEX will do that for you.
SKYE PETERSON is a singer-songwriter from Nashville, TN who loves Jesus and daffodils. As much as she likes answers, her music is a journal entry full of questions, stories, and doubts. Even as she wrestles and wonders, she feels an urge to sing about spring in December, light on darker days, and love during lonely weeks. She released her first album Where The Winter Was in 2023 after studying theology in England and Kentucky. Splitting her time between touring and writing hymns for Getty Music, Skye also finished recording her second album All The Difference, which was voted “Best Christian Album” by The Gospel Coalition. During that time, Skye’s hymn “I Am Not My Own” was nominated for a Dove award, and she released many other songs for the local church while continuing to tour her solo album. In late 2024, Skye and Addison Agen launched a new band called Fielder, an alternative-folk duo with songs that are spirited, heartfelt, and thoughtful. The full album was released on August 2025, and they spent the rest of the year touring the country opening for The Arcadian Wild. In the margins of Fielder’s first tour, Skye finished recording her fourth album, Through Line, and released it in May 2026.
MIKE RITLAND is a distinguished former Navy SEAL, author, entrepreneur, and host of the popular Mike Drop podcast. After enlisting in the Navy in 1996, Mike went on to serve as a SEAL for 12 years, completing multiple combat deployments and later becoming a trainer for SEAL selection and the Multi-Purpose Canine Program. Following his military service, Mike founded Trikos International, where he has trained elite working dogs for military, law enforcement, and private security clients. He is also the founder of the Warrior Dog Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing care, rehabilitation, and retirement support for military and law enforcement working dogs. As a speaker, Mike brings a direct, honest, and practical message about leadership, discipline, service, and personal responsibility. Drawing from his experience in special operations, dog training, business, and media, Mike challenges young people to reject excuses, build strong character, lead with conviction, and take ownership of the choices that shape their lives. Mike’s message speaks directly to the next generation of leaders — encouraging them to develop courage, accountability, resilience, and a clear sense of purpose rooted in faith, responsibility, and service to others.
ASHER WILD is the youngest of the Wild Brothers — reality TV personality, speaker, and lifelong missionary kid. Raised deep in the jungles of Indonesia, Asher spent his childhood living among an unreached tribe, watching firsthand what it looks like to say yes to God’s call no matter the cost. That upbringing shaped everything: today, Asher is head of social media and customer relations for Wild Brothers Productions, using film and story to invite the next generation into the same adventure he was raised in.Asher’s message is simple and unshakable: you don’t have to be someone special for God to use you — you just have to be willing. Whether he’s on screen, on stage, or in the field, Asher’s passion is stirring young people to see that following Jesus isn’t a safe, boring choice — it’s the ultimate adventure, and the Great Commission is still calling.
SCOTT GRANT has been married to his wife, Alison, for 35 years and is a proud dad of six. He values time with God, time with family, and time in the outdoors, especially hiking, backpacking, and camping. Over the years, he’s worn a lot of hats: Army flight medic, lab chemist, science teacher, Army pilot in the California Counterdrug Program, CHP officer, training pilot, and Chief Helicopter Pilot. Much of his career has centered on search and rescue, serving people in some of their most critical moments. He’s traveled to 19 countries and 36 states—and while he’ll tell you he doesn’t have time for hobbies right now, he’s confident he’ll have time “when he dies.”
NATHAN RITTENHOUSE’S main activities in life are teaching, preaching, growing food, and helping people build and fix things. He spent a decade in professional Christian apologetics and academic exploration of the Christian faith. Today, he continues that work, but has shifted his focus from theoretical to applied apologetics. He, his wife Erin, and their four children are neck deep in the life of their small town and church community, where he is part of the leadership. He is the Executive Director of Thinking Out Loud. He and his family deeply enjoy outdoor life, good books, and collecting hobbies.
TAMI NANTZ is the Communications Director for The Andy Andrews Group and lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with her husband and their two German Shepherds.She began her writing career as a political commentator and activist and has spent more than two decades writing across a variety of genres. Tami has ghostwritten for New York Times bestselling authors, contributed content featured on the Jerry Jenkins website, and interviewed prominent voices including Andy Andrews, Vince Flynn, Dinesh D’Souza, Katie Pavlich, and numerous members of the U.S. House and Senate.Her work has spanned news coverage, book reviews, human-interest stories, educational content, and opinion pieces.Tami is also the author of This Isn’t the Life I Prayed For, a study of the Book of Job written for those navigating unexpected hardship and enduring faith. She continues to write and publish her own work, blending biblical insight, clear teaching, and thoughtful storytelling.
DOUGLAS BOND is an award-winning author of more than thirty-five books of historical fiction, biography, devotion, and practical theology. Two-book Grace Award finalist (The Revolt and The Battle of Seattle, 2016), Bond is director of the Oxford Creative Writing Master Class, has served as adjunct instructor in church history and creative writing at three institutions of higher learning, and leads Church history tours in Europe. He is father of six children and ten (and counting) grandchildren. He also serves as a copy editor for individual authors and publishing houses.
MESSAGES FROM THE CABINET
The Unbound National Student Cabinet plans APEX from start to finish. From theme to activities to speakers, all with young adults just like you in mind.
BRADEN BRUSH
“I’m excited to help create an event that brings glory to God and draws all of us closer to Him. My goal is that you would leave emboldened to live out the plans that God has for you. I am so excited to see you at APEX!”
EVAN MOORE
“Cabinet considers it a great honor and privilege to run APEX. We hope that you are challenged, changed, and strengthened during the few days of excitement, and upon returning home, to be encouraged to do hard and wonderful things.”
DESTINY MIRANDA
“This event is being shaped with care, prayer, and a genuine love for this community. I hope you’ll feel welcomed and encouraged, and that your time at APEX will be one of reflection, growth, and support as you take your next steps with God.”
SARAH SIGWARTH
“Cabinet is STOKED to be putting together APEX for you all! We are all praying & working hard to create an event that inspires you, encourages you, and challenges you. Know we are praying for each and every one of you.”
SILAS JACKS
“Our team is creating this event with the goal of pursuing Christ and creating a community that encourages one another. My hope is that at APEX you feel challenged and ready to step boldly into what God is calling you to next.”
SOPHIE VILLAR
“This team has a deeply heartfelt passion to create an APEX that impacts you, intentionally, for the glory of God. I’ll be praying for you to have an absolutely incredible experience. We’re so excited to see all of you there!”
TYUS WANG
“I hope you enjoy the results as much as we enjoy putting the pieces together. My prayer for this APEX is that God would use it to help root us deeper in His truth, and we would be encouraged to walk together in a manner worthy of the calling God has called us to.”