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Project Athena: The Gift of the Comeback

“It’s not about the setback, it’s about the comeback,” says Project Athena Founder and Adventure Racing World Champion Robyn Benincasa.

Project Athena—named after the Greek goddess of wisdom and the heroic endeavor-is a non-profit organization that helps survivors of medical and traumatic setbacks live out their adventurous dreams.

To get involved, would-be Athenas (or Zeus’s, as male participants are called) write into the website to tell their story and their adventurous dream.“Whatever your dream was when you had your setback–and you said, ‘If I could ever walk or run again, here’s what I would do’–Project Athena, will help you get there,” explains Benincasa.

Past Athenas have accomplished incredible things like running on the Great Wall of China, crossing the Grand Canyon twice on foot, and running their first marathon. Although, the purpose of Project Athena is “not about trying to get back to what you were,” says Benincasa. “It’s about trying to be the best at what you’re capable of today, in this moment.”

Setting a goal and having something to look forward to after a setback can help survivors rediscover the adventurous, capable, and confident person they are. Benincasa knows this from personal experience. After suffering from her own medical setback–five hip replacement surgeries–she created the Project Athena Foundation.

Everyone who works at project Athena is a survivor of some kind of medical or traumatic setback themselves. “One of the neatest things about the organization is that we have survivors helping other survivors,” says Benincasa.

Project Athena also offers six yearly adventures where women and men from different walks of life, with different abilities, come together to accomplish the same goal and help each other every step of the way.

One of Project Athena’s yearly scheduled adventures is a Rim to Rim trek across the Grand Canyon. The feat alone is incredible, but the team and relationship building between the group is what really makes the experience transformational, explains Benincasa:

The reason we cross the Grand Canyon twice is because once is an amazing challenge and a great accomplishment but twice is an epic journey that you wouldn’t ever undertake alone, and that’s where the magic happens. People go home feeling like they can take on the world, and that is the gift that Project Athena gives them.

Sometimes a setback offers a beautiful gift. The gift of the comeback. “The most gratifying thing,” says Benincasa, “is the moment you see someone realize they’re going to make it—when you see the fear disappear and they realize how awesome they truly are.”

You can also get involved with Project Athena as a fundraising God or Goddess. Gods and Goddesses can be family, friends, co-workers of an Athena, or anyone looking to participate in an adventure for a good cause. Visit ProjectAthena.org to learn more.

The content writers at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau are Experts on the Experts. They hold doctoral, masters, and bachelors’ degrees in business, writing, literature, and education. Their business thought pieces are published regularly in leading business publications. Working in close association with the top business, entrepreneur, and motivational speakers, BigSpeak content writers are at the forefront of industry trends and research.

How to Be More Memorable When Networking

As seen on BigSpeak.com

Networking is becoming an increasingly useful and necessary part of business, but with so many people vying for connections at busy offices and hectic networking events, it can sometimes be difficult to make a lasting impression.

Corporate advisor, TED Talks mentor, and international businesswoman Soulaima Gourani reveals a few tips to help you stand out the next time you meet someone.

State your full name

As if remembering names isn’t difficult enough, think of how hard it is for someone to distinguish between the four different Kyles they met and the three different Sarahs. Even if your first name is pretty unique on its own, introducing yourself to people using your full name leaves a more lasting impression and gives people an extra shot at remembering it.

Explain what you do

Job titles only explain so much of what you do; and often, people with the same job title can have two very job descriptions depending on the company and industry they work in. Soulaima recommends, “Instead of introducing yourself with ‘I’m a _____ at _____’ and expecting that to be self-explanatory, give a brief explanation of what you do.” People will remember you better if they understand what it is you actually do. It also opens the door for them to ask follow-up questions about your and your career.

Be interested–not only interesting

Many people think the key to being memorable during a networking situation is to make yourself sound as interesting as possible by spouting off every personal accolade and experience you can think of about yourself. But being interested and engaged in what the other person has to say is equally–if not more–important. Soulaima advises, “Focus on the conversation you are having at that moment, and don’t think about what you will be doing next…People can tell if you’re not present and it will leave a bad impression.”

Tailor your questions

To learn more about others, and to help others learn more about you, Soulaima recommends asking questions along three different levels: professional, technical, and personal.

Ask Questions about the other person’s company and/or industry. For example, as questions like, “What is your industry’s biggest challenge right now?” and “What changes do you foresee happening within the next few years?”

“Ask questions that touch on the other person’s professional skills so you know what they can do, what they want, and what they dream about achieving during their professional career,” Gourani says. For example, “How did you get into ____?” or “What do you like most about your job?”

Ask questions that touch on the other person’s personal life “without getting into their private matters,” Soulaima says. Ask where they are from and, if they are from out of town, how do they like x location so far, she suggests. Or ask how the person got into their career/industry–they might have an interesting story behind it to tell.

Spin your newness

Don’t let your inexperience in a particular industry or newness in a certain position shut you out of meaningful conversations with others.“Everybody has a special competence from which other people can benefit. You just need to identify it and communicate it so that people can remember you,” Soulaima says. “If you are young without much experience, then make an effort to find out what it is that makes you unique. Mention your qualities easily and simply so that the individual you are talking to can quickly get an idea of who you are, what you can do, and your professional goals.”

Human Resources (HR) Keynote Speakers

Human resource (HR) keynote speakers are experts in establishing and driving talent management initiatives, performance management processes, career development, executive staffing, coaching, and diversity and inclusion efforts of the world’s top companies. They also pioneer the latest trends in human resources and talent management. Human resource keynote speakers help you attract and retain the most competent, motivated employees and show you how to create organizations that add value to customers, build capabilities, remove boundaries and align HR strategies, practices and competencies, resulting in higher levels satisfaction and performance.

Robert Richman

Robert Richman is a culture strategist and was the co-creator of Zappos Insights, an innovative program focused on educating companies on the secrets behind Zappos’ amazing employee culture. Robert was at Zappos.com before, during, and after the Amazon.com acquisition. As one of the world’s authorities on employee culture, Robert is a sought after human resources keynote speaker at conferences around the world and has been hired to teach culture in person at companies like Google, Toyota, and Eli Lilly. He has pioneered a number of innovative techniques to build culture, such as bringing improv comedy to the workplace and started the first co-working space in America.

Chester Elton

Chester Elton has spent two decades as a human resources keynote speaker helping clients engage their employees to execute on strategy, vision, and values. In his provocative, inspiring and always entertaining talks, #1 bestselling leadership author Chester Elton provides real solutions to leaders looking to manage change, drive innovation, and lead a multi-generational workforce. Elton’s work is supported by research with more than 850,000 working adults, revealing the proven secrets behind high-performance cultures.

Adrian Gostick

Gostick is a global workplace expert and thought leader in the fields of corporate culture, leadership, and engagement. He is founder of the training and consulting company The Culture Works and author of the #1 New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestsellers All In and The Carrot Principle. His books have been translated into 30 languages and have sold 1.5 million copies around the world.As an Authority on Workplace Engagement, Adrian will share how the transformative power of purpose-based recognition produces astonishing increases in operating results

Kim Scott

Kim Scott is the co-founder and CEO of Radical Candor, Inc which builds software tools for managers. Known for her ability to generate billions of dollars in revenue from millions of small customers while keeping her team happy and margins high, her unofficial title was High Priestess of the Long Tail. She is the author of a book called Radical Candor: How To Be a Kickass Boss without Losing your Humanity, which focuses on important human resources aspects such as giving and getting feedback as a way to learn and develop better relationships with coworkers

Paul Moya

Harvard Multi-Generational Expert Paul Moya is best known for his role as CEO of Millennial Labs—a global consulting firm focused on segmentation marketing and generational behavior. His discoveries have impacted leaders in audiences as large as 54,000 and have helped brands such as Visa, Microsoft, General Motors, and the Department of Defense to interpret and act on human behavior in the workplace, marketplace, and voting booth. Paul blends Harvard Strategy with Cowboy Practicality to present viable solutions that deliver quantifiable results. His research takes insight from psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, and plain old-fashioned ‘cowboy wisdom’ to close the gap between the big-data strategies.

Seth Mattison

Seth Mattison is an internationally renowned expert on workforce trends and generational dynamics. As Founder and Chief Movement Officer of FutureSight Labs, Seth advises many of the world’s leading brand and organizations on the key shifts happening around talent management, change and innovation, leadership, and the future of work. As a professional human resources keynote speaker, Seth blends storytelling from his own personal experience working with category leading brands while leveraging cutting edge research to develop fresh perspectives on the key strategic issues most relevant for today’s leaders.

Jamie Naughton

Jamie Naughton joined Zappos.com, Inc. in 2004. As Speaker of the House, Jamie works directly with CEO Tony Hsieh, focusing on the culture for which the company has become known. Her role is essential in creating and driving the architecture of the dynamic culture as well as focusing on culture R&D to ensure Zappos.com always stays relevant to both the employees and their customers. As a human resources keynote speaker, Jamie travels the country to work with world-renowned companies, authors, researchers, and business leaders to help spread the concept that by focusing on your employees and customers, good companies can become legendary companies.

Ben Casnocha

Ben Casnocha is an entrepreneur, author, and executive in Silicon Valley. He is co-author with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman of the recent New York Times bestseller The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age, which has become one of the most sought-after management frameworks on how to recruit, manage, and retain entrepreneurial employees. Ben’s research in The Alliance is focused on creating mutually beneficial relationship between your organization and employees assuring retention, and results. As a seasoned professional human resources keynote speaker, and talent development and human capital speaker, Ben delivers customized programs integrating proven methodologies, modern strategies, and technologies.

To learn more about these and other Human Resources (HR) Keynote Speakers contact us at Keynote Speaker Experts.

Top Female Business Keynote Speakers

While there are many top female business keynote speakers, these women are among our favorites. They have overcome adversity and obstacles to deliver their unique brand of insight and perspective to the corporate world, and now engage global business audiences on a wide range of topics

Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel is a businesswoman ahead of the curve, who has always identified and capitalized on business opportunities. She was runner up on Martha Stewart’s The Apprentice, a star on the Real Housewives of New York, the founder of Skinnygirl, and virtually created the low-calorie cocktail category. She is also a five-time New York Times bestselling author. Bethenny speaks on the topics of leadership, branding, and work-life balance for female business moguls.

Padmasree Warrior

Cisco Chief Technology & Strategy Officer Padmasree Warrior is charged with aligning technology development and corporate strategy to enable Cisco to anticipate, shape, and lead major market transitions. Prior to Cisco, Padmasree was executive vice president and CTO of Motorola. Forbes has named her one of the “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” for two years running.

Kim Scott

Kim Scott is the co-founder and CEO of Radical Candor, Inc which builds software tools for managers.Known for her ability to generate billions of dollars in revenue from millions of small customers while keeping her team happy and margins high, her unofficial title was High Priestess of the Long Tail. She is also the author of Radical Candor: How To Be a Kickass Boss without Losing your Humanity. As a top female business keynote speaker, Kim speaks on the topics of leadership, human resources (HR), and communication.

Joan Kuhl

Joan is the Founder and President of Why Millennials Matter, an international keynote speaker, consultant on career and leadership trends. Why Millennials Matter is a training, research and consulting agency based in New York City that focuses on raising awareness to employers about the value of investing in their future workforce. Joan has over 13 years of corporate management experience working in the roles of sales, marketing, organizational effectiveness, training and development at Eli Lilly, Forest Laboratories and Actavis (now Allergan).

Juliet Funt

Juliet Funt is the CEO of WhiteSpace at Work, a training and consulting firm that helps organizations, their leaders and employees flip the norms of business in order to reclaim their creativity, productivity and engagement. Juliet helps attendees learn the pivotal difference between activity and productivity. She teaches them a streamlined method for personal process improvement – leading to more creativity and engagement.WhiteSpace can change the negative patterns and behaviors that prevent them from achieving optimum results. As a top female business speaker, Juliet speaks on topics like corporate culture, focus and productivity, and creativity.

Dambisa Moyo

Dambisa Moyo is a global economist and author who analyzes the macroeconomy and international affairs. Dambisa Moyo serves on the boards of Barclays Bank, the financial services group, SABMiller, the global brewer, and Barrick Gold, the global miner. She was an economist at Goldman Sachs and a consultant to the World Bank in Washington, D.C.She is a four-time New York Times bestsellers author of Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working, How the West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly and the Stark Choices Ahead, and others. This top female business keynote speaker, speaks on global shifts in economics, politics, and business, global resources, and emerging global markets.

Patty McCord

Patty McCord is a top female business keynote speaker. She served as Chief Talent Officer of Netflix for fourteen years and helped create the Netflix Culture Deck. Sheryl Sandberg called Patty’s Netflix Culture Deck “the most important document to come out of Silicon Valley.” Her background includes staffing, diversity, communications, and international human resources. Her book, “Powerful. Teams, Leaders and the Culture of Freedom and Responsibility” was recently published in the fall of 2017.

Jamie Naughton

Jamie Naughton is the Chief of Staff and Speaker of the House at Zappos. She works directly with CEO Tony Hsieh, focusing on the culture for which the company has become known. Her role is essential in creating and driving the architecture of the dynamic culture as well as focusing on culture R&D to ensure Zappos.com always stays relevant to both the employees and their customers. She speaks on culture, branding, and engaging both customers and employees.

Sara Blakely

Sara Blakely is the founder and CEO of Spanx. She came up with the concept when she wanted footless bodyshaping pantyhose to wear with her cream-colored pants and open-toed shoes, but she couldn’t find them anywhere. Frustrated consumer turned entrepreneur, Blakely took $5,000 in savings and began her adventure in the $2 billion male-dominated hosiery industry. Sara Blakely’s SPANX revitalized an industry in a 10-year slump. Her SPANX footless pantyhose even captured the attention of Oprah and landed on Oprah’s “Favorite Things” list. All of this makes her one of our favorite female business keynote speakers.

Polly Labarre

Polly Labarre is a founding member of Fast Company Magazine. A top female business speaker, Polly helps make organizations more resilient, innovative and inspiring–and to embolden and equip leaders at every level to make a meaningful impact. She also co-authored the bestselling book Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win which has been published in 16 languages. She speaks on leadership, innovation, and cultural and organizational change.
To learn more about these and other top female business speakers, contact the Keynote Speaker Experts. We’ll help you find the perfect speaker for your next event.

Human Resource Keynote Speakers

Human Resource Keynote Speakers are recognized experts, executives, researchers and authors in the fields of leadership, communications, interpersonal skills, and much more. They’ve are often responsible for establishing and driving the talent management initiatives, performance management processes, career development, executive staffing, coaching, and diversity and inclusion efforts of the world’s top companies, as well as pioneering the latest trends in human resources and talent management.

Robert Richman

Robert Richman is a culture strategist and was the co-creator of Zappos Insights, an innovative program focused on educating companies on the secrets behind Zappos’ amazing employee culture. Robert was at Zappos.com before, during, and after the Amazon.com acquisition and helped the company grow from 1200-1700 people during his time there (50% growth). Robert built Zappos Insights from a small website to a thriving multi-million dollar business teaching over 25,000 students per year. Robert is a top human resources speaker and through his work, he has been helpful at improving the employee culture at hundreds of companies like Google, Toyota, Eli Lilly, and Inuit.

Chester Elton

One of today’s most influential voices in workplace trends, Chester Elton has spent two decades helping clients engage their employees to execute on strategy, vision, and values. In his provocative, inspiring and always entertaining talks, #1 bestselling leadership author Chester Elton provides real solutions to leaders looking to manage change, drive innovation, and lead a multi-generational workforce. Elton’s work is supported by research with more than 850,000 working adults, revealing the proven secrets behind high-performance cultures.

Liz Wiseman

Liz Wiseman is a leadership and human resources keynote speaker to executives and emerging leaders around the world. She is the President of the Wiseman Group, a leadership research, and development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley. She is the author of three best-selling books: Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work, Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter and The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools. She has conducted significant research in the field of leadership and collective intelligence and writes for Harvard Business Review and Fortune.

Paul Moya

Harvard Multigenerational Expert Paul Moya is best known for his role as CEO of Millennial Labs—a global consulting firm focused on segmentation marketing and generational behavior. His discoveries have impacted leaders in audiences as large as 54,000 and have helped brands such as Visa, Microsoft, General Motors, and the Department of Defense to interpret and act on human behavior in the workplace, marketplace, and voting booth.

Seth Mattison

Seth Mattison is an internationally renowned expert on workforce trends and generational dynamics. As Founder and Chief Movement Officer of FutureSight Labs, Seth advises many of the world’s leading brand and organizations on the key shifts happening around talent management, change and innovation, leadership, and the future of work. With his finger on the pulse of today’s changing human resources workforce, Seth blends storytelling from his own personal experience working with category leading brands while leveraging cutting edge research to develop fresh perspectives on the key strategic issues most relevant for today’s leaders.

Sports Keynote Speakers

Magic Johnson

Known for his 13 year professional basketball career, which includes 12 NBA All-Star games, and Olympic gold medal win, Earvin “Magic” Johnson is also one of our most requested business speakers. After retiring from professional basketball, Magic turned his interest toward entrepreneurship and became a leading spokesperson for HIV education. After leaving the ballcourt, Magic turned to the board room. He established the Magic Johnson Development Corporation, which builds commercial property in long-neglected minority urban and suburban neighborhoods. Magic Johnson now runs his own company, Magic Johnson Enterprises, which is constantly evolving, acquiring and selling businesses frequently. It owns, or has owned, franchised branches of Starbucks, Burger King and T.G.I Friday’s. Johnson also stayed true to his sports roots by investing in both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dominique Dawes

Dominique Dawes was a part of the 1992 bronze-winning women’s Olympic gymnastic team. She was the first African American gymnast to qualify and compete in an Olympic game. Dawes is also the most decorated gymnast on the U.S. women’s Olympic team. Since her Olympic glory, Dawes hasn’t rested on her laurels. Her dedication, determination, and desire have served her well as a positive role model to people across the nation. Appointed co-chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, she is a popular speaker who shares insights about leading a healthy, balanced life, and achieving confidence and self-esteem through both athleticism and citizenship. Dawes is also a sought after sports keynote speaker and a sports broadcaster who has commentated on the Olympic Games in both Beijing and Vancouver for Yahoo! Sports.

Bill Walton

Bill Walton has a prolific basketball career. He was a member of the 1977 Portland Trailblazers NBA Championship team. Walton was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 1978, on the NBA All-Star Team in 1977 and 1978, and won NBA Playoff’s MVP in 1977. Walton is one of only four players in the history of basketball to have won multiple NCAA and multiple NBA Championships. After retiring from basketball Bill began his broadcasting career in 1990 as an analyst for the then Prime Ticket Network. Walton worked for CBS Sports in the early 90’s and then for NBC for many years, including work on the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games. Walton has been nominated for numerous Emmy Awards and in 2001 won an Emmy for Best Live Sports Television Broadcast.

Amy Van Dyken

Amy is a six-time Olympic gold medal swimmer, who has the distinction of being one of the few Olympians whose medals are all gold. Some of her many accolades include being inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame as well as the International Swimming Hall of Fame, winning an EPSY for Female Athlete of the Year, and breaking several world swimming records. Amy has retired from swimming after an ATV accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. She continues to inspire through her public speaking about sports, leadership, and overcoming adversity. Amy is also a sports keynote speaker who speaks on peak performance, overcoming adversity, and work-life balance.

Peyton Manning

Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning is the NFL’s only five-time MVP and 14-time Pro Bowl selection. Most recently he led the Denver Broncos to win Super Bowl L making him the first starting quarterback in NFL football history to win more than one Super Bowl with two different teams. In 2012, after missing the entire 2011 campaign due to a neck injury, Manning finished as the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year and runner-up for the league’s MVP. Peyton is a sought after sports keynote speaker though he doesn’t speak much throughout the year.

Robyn Benincasa

Robyn Benincasa is a World Champion Eco-Challenge Adventure Racer, a CNN Hero, and a full-time firefighter with a background in corporate marketing who advises organizations on how to build a world class team of their own. She and her teammates have competed at the front of the pack in the most unique and compelling locations on earth–the jungles of Borneo, the Himalayan peaks of Tibet, the rivers of Fiji, the rainforests of Ecuador and the desert of Namibia–studying the good, the bad, and the not-so-pretty in extreme teamwork. Through these challenges, she has mastered the skills required to inspire a group of semi-exhausted people through a seemingly endless series of checkpoints, in pursuit of a seemingly impossible goal. Motivational business speaker Robyn Benincasa offers a refreshing and truly unique perspective on what it takes to build the kind of world class team that succeeds against all odds.

Bob Costas

Bob costas has been a significant part of sports broadcasting for the past three decades, from presenting Baseball Game of the Week with Bob Costas to hosting the Olympics. He is the only person to win Emmys in the three categories of news, sports, and entertainment, winning 26 Emmys in total–more than any other sports broadcaster. Bob is a seasoned sports keynote speaker and currently hosts Football Night in America on NBC and as well contributes to NBC News programs such as Nightly News, Rock Center, and The Today Show. He also continues to be the primetime host of NBC’s Olympic coverage.

Diana Nyad

At the age of 64, Diana Nyad successfully fulfilled her lifelong dream of completing the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida on September 2, 2013. Never one to quit, this marked her fifth and final attempt. It was in July of 2010, at the age of 60, when she first began her quest of swimming from Cuba to Florida, a task she had failed to finish thirty years prior that. Nyad was unsuccessful in 2010 and tried two more times 2011 and 2012 before completing her historic and victorious swim in 2013. When asked her motivation, she replied, “Because I’d like to prove to the other 60-year-olds that it is never too late to start your dreams.” If Diana’s story doesn’t motivate you to keep working towards your dreams, then nothing will.

J.B. Bernstein

J.B. Bernstein is one of the most respected marketing experts in the world of sports. His story was portrayed by Jon Hamm in the Disney movie Million Dollar Arm. A few years ago, inspired by the increasing popularity of reality television in the United States and the global phenomena that NBA player, Yao Ming generated, Bernstein saw an untapped opportunity to change the game. He then traveled to India, motivated to find the first Indian born player in professional baseball history and created a contest that would reward one lucky contestant with $1 million and a chance to play for a professional baseball team in the U.S. A talented sports keynote speaker, Bernstein captivates audiences with valuable insight on business, marketing, selling, and achieving success in unpredictable and unprecedented circumstances.

Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick is a professional racecar driver and one of the most recognizable female athlete in the United States. In 2013, she became the first female NASCAR driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole, turning in the fastest qualifying lap since 1990 and qualifying for the Daytona 500.Over the course of her career, Danica has earned respect in a male-dominated sport and has become an international sensation.

Peter Guber

Peter Guber is a vanguard in the sports and entertainment industries. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, the co-owner of the Golden State Warriors and owner of the L.A. Dodgers. He is an owner and and the Executive Chairman of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC). He is also the author of the #1 New York Times Bestselling book “Tell to Win” and a professor at UCLA. Guber has transformed each company he’s been a part of. His management is credited with overhauling the Warriors and had a significant part in their Championship wins in 2015 and 2017. Guber is an expert sports keynote speaker who speaks on the topics of teambuilding, leadership, and innovation.

Email us to learn more about one of these sports keynote speakers or to book them for your next event.

Infrastructure and Smart City Keynote Speakers

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 62.7 percent of the population lives in cities and the population density in cities is more than 46 times higher than the territories outside of cities. As this number continues to increase, new city infrastructure, sustainability practices, and transportation systems will need to be engineered to accommodate the number of people living, working, and moving about the city. These infrastructure and smart city keynote speakers can help you plan the smart city and smart infrastructure of the future.

Chris Barker

Chris Barker is a smart city, connected car, and transportation technology consultant and Founder of CBC. /he is focused on advocating the role of technology in advancing the modernization of transportation and urban mobility. Chris provides business, communications and public policy consulting support to automakers, aerospace companies, suppliers, technology companies, investment firms and government organizations around the globe. He has worked with cities such as Las Vegas to improve autonomous shuttles and city-wide wi-fi connectivity, to deploy a vehicle/ green light tracking system, and launch vehicle/pedestrian detection and safety programs.

Parag Khanna

Parag Khanna is a geostrategist and CNN Global Contributor. His latest book “The Future of Globalization: Strategic Trends, Economic Competition & Technological Innovation” which looks at how biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, and the rise of smart cities will reshape city life as well as the global balance of innovation. As an infrastructure and smart city keynote speaker, Khanna frequently gives keynotes on the subjects of global trends and scenarios, systemic risks and technological disruptions.

Jeremy Rifkin

Jeremy Rifkin is an economic and social theorist and political advisor. He also advises on the building and scaling of the Internet of Things digital infrastructure to develop a sustainable low-carbon economy and ecological society. Rifkin is currently advising the European Commission on the development of Smart Cities in Europe. Rifkin is the author of three bestsellers including “The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, The Economy, and The World” and “The Zero Marginal Cost Society: The Internet of Things, The Collaborative COmmons, and The Eclipse of Capitalism.”

Glen Hiemstra

Glen Hiemstra is an infrastructure and smart city keynote speaker who is dedicated to spreading knowledge about how technology can assist individuals, organizations, and industries in cities through effective strategic planning. He is the author of “Millennial City: How a New Generation Can Save the Future”. In his keynote’s, Hiemstra zeros in on emerging trends in economic demographics, energy, the environment, Internet and communication technology, housing, and transportation to offer solutions to many city and infrastructure problems.

Peter Zeihan

Peter Zeihan is a geopolitical strategist who specializes in global energy, demographics, and security. His worldview combines the realities of geography and populations to offer a deep understanding of how global politics impact markets and economic trends. Zeihan’s focus is geopolitics but his specializations of energy, demographics, and security are applicable to infrastructure and smart city planning. His clients represent a vast array of sectors including energy sectors, financial institutions, business associations, agricultural interests and city planners.

CEO Keynote Speakers

CEO keynote speakers are true leaders and visionaries of industry. They bring their vast entrepreneurial experience to your company’s event and also a fresh perspective. These CEO speakers are renowned for their innovative ideas and ability to turn any company in any industry around. Bring one of these CEO keynote speakers to your company’s next event or bring them in for corporate advising.

Mitch Lowe

Mitch Lowe invested in and became CEO of MoviePass in June 2016. MoviePass is a movie theater subscription service and is headquartered in New York City. The company has recently gained much media attention over its decision to reduce its monthly subscription fee from $30 to $10, allowing users to watch a movie everyday for an entire month at the cost of a single movie ticket. Prior to MoviePass Mitch served as the President of Redbox in 2003 and was a founding executive at Netflix.

Peter Guber

Peter Guber is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group. Mandalay’s most recent film, The Birth of A Nation, premiered at Sundance Film Festival and swept up top prizes. Prior to Mandalay, Guber was chairman and CEO of SOny Pictures Entertainment, chairman and CEO of Polygram Entertainment, co-founder of Casablanca Record and Filmworks and President of Columbia Pictures. Currently, Guber is the operating owner and co-managing partner of the Golden State Warriors (2015 and 2017 NBA Champions) and owner of the L.A. Dodgers. Peter is a highly sought after CEO keynote speaker.

Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel is the founder of Skinnygirl Cocktails in 2011, a low-calorie cocktail brand. Since the company’s founding, Bethenny has expanded the Skinnygirl brand into a lifestyle empire offering women practical and healthy solutions. Some of the many Skinnygirl products include non-alcoholic beverages, and low-calorie popcorn, candy, salad dressing, coffee, tea, sweeteners, and water flavor enhancers. A star on Bravo’s of Real Housewives of New York City, Bethenny was also a runner-up on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. She is also a five-time author and was named one of Forbes “100 Most Powerful Celebrities”.

Daymond John

Daymond John is a self-made business mogul. He is the founder and CEO of clothing brand FUBU. He pioneered the art of integrating fashion, culture, and music into branding nearly twenty years ago. Daymond is also a “shark” on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank and a two-time author. Daymond continues to set standards of excellence while expanding his interests in fashion, branding, marketing, consulting, entertainment, and beyond. This industry leader, best-selling author, and ground breaking entrepreneurial expert has evolved into a highly sought after business and motivational and CEO keynote speaker.

Tan Le

Tan Le is the founder and CEO of Emotiv, a bio informatics tech company. Emotiv’s brain-computer interface technology incorporates human communication cues into human-computer interactions through the use of a wireless headset. The headset makes it possible to control virtual objects as well as physical electronics with mere thoughts and a little concentration. Le was named Young Australian of the Year and voted one of Australia’s 30 Most Successful Women Under 30. Tan is a sought after tech and CEO keynote speaker who also has an inspirational personal story.

Frits Van Paasschen

Frits Van Paasschen is a seasoned global executive. He served as the CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts from 2007-2015 and later served as the CEO of Coors Brewing Company for three years. In addition, Frits has also held executive positions at Nike. Frits is also the author of the Amazon #1 Bestseller The Disruptors Feast. As a CEO keynote speaker, Frits is also passionate about advising and consulting on strategic direction.

Marissa Mayer

Marissa Mayer is the former president and CEO of Yahoo. Her first job out of college was with Google in 1999, where she became the company’s first female engineer and involved work on some of the company’s most recognizable features to date, such as Google Maps, Google Earth, Street View, Google News, and Gmail. In 2012 she was appointed the president and CEO of Yahoo and was tasked with course-correcting the company besieged by declining stock prices. She was also one of only 20 women to run a Fortune 500 company.

Celebrity Motivational Speakers

Celebrity Motivational Speakers are actors, athletes, bestselling authors, and award winning entertainers who are well known for their talent but also have a motivational message to tell about how they overcame adversity or achieved success.

Jon Dorenbos

Jon Dorenbos is a former NFL player with the Philadelphia Eagles and current magician and celebrity motivational speaker. When Jon Dorenbos is on stage, he emphasizes, through his unbelievable magic tricks, the importance of choice and openly shares his childhood tragedy. When he was twelve, his family was torn apart after his father murdered his mother. Jon chose to rise through adversity by setting goals, no matter how high, and taking the necessary steps to accomplish these goals. He started learning magic at the age of twelve and is now considered a “master magician”, earning the respect of top magicians everywhere including casinos in Las Vegas. Most recently, Jon “wowed” America with his performance on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Jon made it to the finals and placed third amongst tens of thousands of competitors.

Bethany Hamilton

Bethany Hamilton is a source of inspiration to millions of people through her story of determination, faith, and hope. During a surf in 2003, Bethany was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark, which bit off her left arm. But one month after the attack, Bethany returned to the water and just over a year later she won her first national title. Bethany’s story has been told in the New York Times bestselling autobiography, Soul Surfer, and in the 2011 film with the same title. She is also involved in numerous charitable efforts, including her own foundation, Friends of Bethany, which reaches out to encourage amputees and youth by offering hope to overcome through Christian faith.

Peter Guber

Peter Guber is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, and the owner of the Golden State Warriors and the L.A. Dodgers. He is also the author of the #1 New York Times Bestselling book “Tell to Win” and a professor at UCLA. Guber has transformed each company he’s been a part of. His management is credited with overhauling the Warriors and had a significant part in their Championship wins in 2015 and 2017.

Les Brown

Les Brown is an internationally recognized speaker and one of the nation’s leading authorities in understanding and stimulating human potential. As a celebrity motivational speaker, author and television personality, Les Brown has risen to national prominence by delivering a high energy message, teaching audiences how to shake off mediocrity and live up to their greatness. It is a message Les Brown has learned from his own life and one he is helping others apply to their lives.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson

Known for his 13 year professional basketball career, which includes 12 NBA All-Star games, an Olympic gold medal win, Earvin “Magic” Johnson is also one of the most requested motivational speakers. After retiring from professional basketball, Magic turned his interest towards entrepreneurship and became a leading spokesperson for HIV education. He also established the Magic Johnson Development Corporation, which builds commercial property in long-neglected minority urban and suburban neighborhoods. As a celebrity motivational speaker, Johnson delivers a passionate message about his life story, what motivated him, and how we can all make a difference in our community.

Jennifer Arnold

Jennifer Arnold is a pediatrician and neonatologist and the Medical Director at Texas Children’s Hospital. She is also that co-star of TLC’s Little Couple and a cancer survivor. She is an advocate for spreading cancer awareness, supporting those on the road to recovery, and engaging others with her motivational story of survival. A celebrity motivational speaker, Jennifer has spoken at events for the March of Dimes and at the Texas Conference for Women.

Tracee Ellis Ross

Tracee Ellis Ross, actress, performance artist, and celebrity motivational speaker, is the star of the new ABC comedy series Black-ish. She is also known for her role on the show Girlfriends which ran for eight seasons and as the daughter of famous singer Diana Ross. Ross is a dedicated and passionate motivational speaker. She teaches a workshop called Tapping Into Your Creative Well which encourages people to discover and utilize their inner joy to keep their lives on course. She is also a committed volunteer intent on making a difference in the lives of teenage girls. She works closely with Aviva Family and Children Services in Los Angeles and The Big Brother Big Sister Program, where she has held self-esteem workshops nationwide.

Jack Canfield

The originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and a prolific self-development author, Jack is recognized as America’s number one motivational speaker and a celebrity in the speaking industry. From Jack’s motivational keynote audiences will be inspired to participate more fully in life, show more compassion and caring in their professional relationships, dream bigger, replace blaming and complaining with responsibility, and how to persevere in the face of fear, obstacles, and setbacks. A keynote presentation from motivational speaker Jack Canfield is a once and a lifetime experience not to be missed.

Motivational Business Keynote Speakers

Motivational speakers are a great way to inspire and spark the flame in your team, but sometimes, all that built up inspiration and drive has no direction moving forward and then eventually dissipates. This is why motivational business keynote speakers are often the better choice for corporations.

An article defines motivational business keynote speakers as a speaker who motivates your team with their story of overcoming adversity to reach their dreams and achieve success while reinforcing their message by providing “actionable insights from their highly tuned business acumen.”

Motivational Business keynote speakers have beat the odds and have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, though they also usually have a background in or prior experience with the business world, which makes their motivational story particularly applicable to a business-centric audience.

Here are some of the top motivational business keynote speakers:

Isaac Lidsky

Isaac Lidsky played “Weasel” on the 1990’s “Saved by the Bell” spin-off series, graduated from Harvard College at the age of 19, and later graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude. He served as a supreme court clerk for Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, started a tech company that sold for $230 million and transformed a struggling $15 million concrete subcontractor into an industry-leading $150 million construction services company in five years. Perhaps most striking, Lidsky is only 37, and he is blind. He was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease of the retina, though neither his youth nor his blindness has limited him. Motivational business speaker, Isaac Lidsky has been recognized for his achievements dozens of times and his leadership is routinely sought after for keynotes and corporate consultations.

Robyn Benincasa

Bert and John Jacobs

Motivational speakers, and brothers, Bert and John Jacobs have an inspirational story of turning their dream into a socially conscious business. The duo launched their retail company, Life is Good, with $78 in their pockets, by selling T-shirts on the streets of Boston. Today, Life is Good is a $100 million positive lifestyle brand sold by over 2,000 retailers across the US and Canada. The founding of Life is Good is more than just an inspiring tale, it’s also a lesson in building a business in the 21st century. The brand has built itself on the tenants of co-creation with its customers and focusing on corporate social responsibility (CSR) as ways of building a loyal community of customers. This makes Bert and John the perfect combination of motivational and business speakers.

Colin O’Brady

In 2008 Colin suffered a tragic accident. He was severely burned in a fire, with burn injuries covering nearly 25% of his body and primarily damaging his legs and feet. Doctors told him he may never walk again, but Colin beat the odds, and then some! Last year Colin broke two world mountaineering records (three if you count Snapchatting from the summit of Mt. Everest!): conquering the speed records for the Explorers Grand Slam and Seven Summits, which entail climbing the tallest mountain on every continent including Mt. Everest and skiing the last degree of latitude to the North and South Poles. Before attempting the Explorers Grand Slam Challenge Colin built social media buzz and gained sponsorship from Nike and Columbia, among others, through a series of well orchestrated social media marketing campaigns. As a motivational business speaker, Colin will motivate your team while also providing them with insights into social media marketing.

Tan Le

Tan Le is an innovator, entrepreneur, and the co-founder and CEO of the bioinformatics company EMOTIV. In her motivational keynote speech, “My Immigration Story,” Tan recounts her childhood experiences fleeing from war-torn Communist Vietnam with her mother, and sister at the age of 4, to their life in Australia as refugees. Despite immense financial and emotional hardships, Tan explains how her single mother was able to support her and her sister and provide them with a good education. Audiences will be motivated by the tenacity of this young entrepreneur and all that she has accomplished, and inspired by her courage and grace in any situation.

Hiring the Right Keynote Speaker

When hiring a keynote speaker, factors such as the event date, location, and your budget will play an important role in determining the pool of keynote speakers available to you.

Date, location, and budget

Your date, for example, will affect which keynote speakers are available, whereas your budget will limit who you can and can’t afford to hire. In order to save on the cost of the keynote speaker’s travel, you may want to consider the distance between where he or she resides and where your event will take place.

Sync up the type and time of the keynote

Determine the type of presentation you want and the time of day it will take place. Some speakers are skilled at delivering workshops, while others excel at providing keynotes. After-dinner speakers should incorporate humor into their talks, where morning speakers should be energizing.

Clarify why you want to hire a keynote speaker

Some common reasons include the desire to educate, motivate, shift behavior, and initiate a change, and entertain. Consider which keynote speakers have been successful in the past with your group or a group similar to yours.

Get references

Call your friends and associates. Asking for references can be a great way to narrow down your search. Establish who the core decision makers are regarding a keynote speaker and tap into their vision.

Consider the demographics of your audience

Do you need a keynote speaker who will appeal to a general audience or one who will interest a specific demographic group?

Consider all of these factors and reach out to the Keynote Speaker Experts, we’ll help you hire the perfect keynote speaker for your event

Faith Keynote Speakers

Faith keynote speakers inspire audiences with their real life stories of perseverance and how they kept their faith in the face of great adversity. Here are some of the top faith keynote speakers:

Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic was born without arms or legs. He has had to learn to adapt to this, and he has learned to become almost entirely independent. He loves to swim, fish and play soccer. Nick has brought back that refreshing positive focus to many employees of companies who value the importance of keeping their team motivated. He has spoken at annual conferences and at business-related seminars. He is also a powerful Christian and faith keynote speaker and has spoken at churches across the country. Nick Vujicic shares the key turning points in his attitude from depression to joy to truly inspirational. Nick is the author of Life Without Limits, and the founder of Attitude Is Altitude and Life Without Limbs.

Bethany Hamilton

Bethany Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination, faith, and hope. During a surf in 2003, Bethany was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark, which bit off her left arm. But one month after the attack, Bethany returned to the water and just over a year later she won her first national title. Bethany’s story has been told in the New York Times bestselling autobiography, Soul Surfer, and in the 2011 film with the same title. Bethany is a strong Christian and a stirring faith keynote speaker. She is also involved in numerous charitable efforts, including her own foundation, Friends of Bethany, which reaches out to encourage amputees and youth by offering hope to overcome through Jesus Christ.

Adam Christing

Adam Christing is an interactive entertainer, comedian, and magician. His keynotes are a unique mix of leadership, humor, and creative communication. Adam also has a clean comedy routine that “replaces vulgarity with variety” so that you don’t have to worry about embarrassing your organization or upsetting your company’s HR department. Adam is also the author of Comedy Comes Clean: A Hilarious Collection of Jokes, Quotes, and One-Liners; and Your Life is a Joke.

George Foreman

George Foreman was first recognized as a champion boxer who worked his way up from a difficult and disadvantaged childhood. Only to lose it all. He went from broke and disheartened to fight again, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing. He ventured on to become the wildly successful businessman behind the George Foreman Grill, a preacher, best-selling author, and motivator. He went from broke and disheartened to fight again, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing. He ventured on to become the wildly successful businessman behind the George Foreman Grill, a preacher, best-selling author, and keynote speaker.

Doc Hendley

While bartending to pay the bills, Doc Hendley noticed the men and women sitting on the stools seemed to want to be part of something bigger and was hit with an idea. He began hosting wine tasting events where people could donate money that would go to charities providing people with clean drinking water, and that’s how Wine to Water got its start. By using wine events to raise money and awareness about the lack of clean drinking water in the developing world, Doc Hendley has harnessed a powerful social force and multiplied the generosity of many. Doc Hendley’s keynote speeches center around the values of charity, community, humility, and generosity.

Inquoris “Inky” Johnson

Fulfilling his childhood dream, Inquoris “Inky” Johnson played college football at the University of Tennessee. One game changed his life forever when a routine tackle turned into a life-threatening injury that paralyzed his right arm. While the injury ended Johnson’s football career, it did not kill his spirits. A man of faith, Johnson is gripped by the promise that God has plans far beyond our own. His book, Inky: An Amazing Story of Perseverance and Faith, details his amazing story and steadfast faith. As a keynote speaker, Inky’s keynotes brings together the topics of faith, perseverance, leadership, and football.

To bring one of these or other faith keynote speakers to your next event contact us here.