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The economy affects every facet of our lives, influencing how we work and play, but many folks have a shaky grasp on what politicians and financial analysts actually mean when they talk shop about global trends and recessions. But you don’t have to be a wealth consultant or bank chairman to understand the ins and outs of economics; an economics speaker can make anyone economically literate. And you don’t need to look far to locate a great one: the fine people on this list are expert economics speakers who can break difficult topics down for any type of audience.

Carla Harris is a top economics speaker, author, podcast host and wealth management executive. Fortune Magazine has named her one of The 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America, and she was recently recognized by Real Leaders as one of their Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World in 2022. With 30 years of experience on Wall Street, she has valuable insights into the technology, media, retail, and healthcare sectors, to name just a few.

Business expert, entrepreneur and best-selling author Grant Cardone is a master salesperson with a passion for helping people build their own paths to economic freedom. A regular guest on Fox, CNBC and MSNBC, he works alongside his dedicated trainers with organizations like Google, Aflac, and Kawasaki.

Peter Zeihan is a geopolitical strategist and global economics speaker with a background in the US State Department. With a worldview marrying  the realities of geography and demographics as well as how politics impact global markets, he simplifies obtuse concepts into relevant takeaways for his audiences, which have included several Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies.

A top financial and economics speaker, Lauren Templeton is an author, investor, and entrepreneur. An expert on behavioral finance and investing, her books have been translated into nine languages, and she heads up her own hedge fund management company, Templeton & Phillips Capital Management.

Economics speaker Daniel Susskind is a Fellow in Economics at Oxford University, a best-selling author, and a former policy advisor to the British Prime Minister. His work explores the impact of artificial intelligence on work and society, and his TED Talk on this subject has garnered over 1.5 million views.

A professor, humorist, and behavioral economics speaker, interdisciplinary expert  Peter McGraw helps struggling organizations with imaginative, memorable branding and  problem-solving insights he’s gleaned from years teaching MBA programs during the day and performing comedy at night.

Dambisa Moyo is a best-selling author, geopolitical expert, and global economics speaker. With a balance between contrarian thinking and measured judgements, she has earned a reputation as a trusted advisor in the fields of technology and macroeconomics, and has been published in, Barrons, WSJ, and Harvard Business Review.

Economics speaker Ron Insana is a best-selling author, senior analyst for CNBC, and trail-blazing journalist. He strives to be the voice of economic reason in turbulent times, looking at them through the lens of history to assess what may come next. With over four decades presenting on television, he is a trusted media presence, and has written four best-selling books on investing.

An expert on international economics, Kocihi Hamada specializes in emerging markets and the Japanese economy. He has been both a professor and economic advisor to the Japanese government, earning him recognition for his work with Prime Minister Shino Abe. An author and editor, he is currently researching international capital movements and money reform.

This article was originally published by BigSpeak Mar 31, 2022.

International Women’s Day is dedicated to the  acknowledgement of the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women worldwide. As an ideal time for both celebration and introspection, we would like to spend ours highlighting our top booked female speakers. These women are inventors and award-winning athletes, and work in every industry from communications to healthcare. They number among our most accomplished speaking partners, and we are proud to collaborate with them to bring their insights to audiences around the globe.

Top leadership and motivational keynote speaker Robyn Benincasa is a best-selling author and adventure racing world champion who works on over one hundred events a year, which have included presentations for Boeing, Starbucks and Aflac. Real Leaders recognizes her as one of the Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World, and she has been motivating business teams for over 15 years.

Award-winning keynote speaker and best-selling author Molly Bloom is the inspiration for the Oscar-nominated film Molly’s Game. An alumnus of the US Ski Team and the former head of the world’s largest, most exclusive underground poker game, her global audiences have included Dell, Cisco and Uber. An authentic, engaged presenter, she is also a passionate mentor for other female entrepreneurs.

Tan Le is a top innovation keynote speaker, an award-winning inventor, and one of the most influential women in technology. As the CEO of Emotiv, she leads research into brain-computer interface, and has been recognized as one of Australia’s 30 Most Successful Women under 30, Young Australian of the Year, and Forbes 50 Names You Need to Know. Her interactive, engaging presentations often also include demonstrations of the new and exciting tech her team is working on.

Top change management speaker, executive coach and award-winning author Libby Gill is the former communications leader Sony, Universal, and Turner Broadcasting. With a dynamic style and decades of expertise in the corporate world, she has helped leaders from Zappos, Deloitte, Honda and Warner Bros guide their teams through change and chaos.

DE&I consultant, author and international speaker Risha Grant is an empowering presenter who has been featured by Forbes, The Financial Times, and Bloomberg Media. Her interactive keynotes and deep-dive training sessions leave attendees with a new selection of tools for increasing their businesses’ bottom lines, confront their biases, and create inclusive work cultures.

Former Marine Vernice “Flygirl” Armour is an author, top inspirational keynote speaker, and America’s first Black woman combat pilot. Gusty and bold, her resume comprises an impressive collection of firsts, and throughout her career, she’s been a cop, a diversity liaison, and an entrepreneur. Her work has been spotlighted by CNN, FOX, and Oprah Winfrey, and she was recently named one of the Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World by Real Leaders.

Innovation keynote speaker Natalie Nixon is the founder and president of Figure 8 Thinking and an award-winning author. Selected by Real Leaders as one to the Top 40 Women Keynote Speakers, she has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, and INC. Sought after for her accessible and actionable insights on creativity, transformation, and the future of work, she’s been dubbed “the creativity whisperer of the C-Suite.”

Nancy Giordano is a strategic futurist, keynote speaker, and the curator for TEDx Austin. One of the world’s top female futurists, she is also a guest lecturer at Singularity University and a best-selling author. In her over 100 presentations, she has assisted both startups and major global brands in building a better future.

Best-selling author, business influencer and future of work speaker Heather McGowan presents regularly to Fortune 500 companies, including Biogen, Citi, and The World Bank. A #1 global voice for education, her sessions help teams prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and adapt to the rapid changes in the business world and job market.

Tiffani Bova is an innovation and business growth keynote speaker and Salesforce’s global growth evangelist. A regular contributor to Forbes, Huffington Post, and Harvard Business Review, she’s been ranked as one of the world’s Top 50 Business Thinkers by Thinkers50. The veteran of over 500 keynotes, she has presented to over 400,000 people worldwide.

Summer has reached its zenith. Days are long and temperatures are soaring, ensuring plenty of folks are blasting the AC, getting outdoors, and, for those of us lucky enough to live along the coasts, heading to the beaches to beat the heat.

But the sea doesn’t exist solely for human enjoyment. It is home to a myriad of ecosystems that house disparate, fantastic creatures from tiny, vibrantly colored mandarin dragonets to 60,000 pound grey whales and produces more than half of the world’s oxygen. It is vital that we work to protect our sea-dwelling neighbors, who are at risk from overfishing, climate change and pollution.

Our speakers bureau has been a proud partner of Heal the Ocean Santa Barbara, which combats harmful ocean dumping practices that lead to pollution as well as contributing data to studies on sea level rise due to global warming. We would also like to recognize and highlight some of the amazing keynote speakers who dedicate their lives to conserving and protecting our beautiful, mysterious seas.

Guy Harvey is an artist, keynote speaker and conservationist who has been fascinated by the ocean since he was a small boy. A skilled underwater photographer and videographer, he has contributed to several documentaries, and even founded the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation to help fund educational programs and engage the public in environmental efforts.

Lecturer of Polar Marine Ecology at the University of Canterbury, Michelle LaRue is an accomplished keynote speaker on sustainability, studying and reporting on how climate change effects the lives of predator animals in the Southern Ocean. Her dual passions for science and communication make her a speaker you don’t want to miss.

A record-setting freediver who has instructed over 500 others in the art, Johannesburg native Hanli Prinsloo has become a passionate advocate for ocean conservation, founding the I AM WATER Ocean Conservation Trust and putting to use her former career as a documentary filmmaker. In recent years, she has also become a sought-after keynote speaker.

Jean-Michael Cousteau has spent over sixty years studying the world’s oceans and sharing his knowledge via over 80 films and a multitude of articles, books and lectures. The Founder of the Ocean Futures Society, Jean-Michael is invested in bringing about positive change in partnership with the public, speaking on the connections between humanity and nature, the lives of sharks and killer whales, and the vital role the sea will play in our continued survival.

Claire Nouvian is a film-maker, environmentalist and speaker who is devoted to protecting the deep sea. An advocate who works to protect the ocean from deep-sea fishing and trawling, Claire has been named “the planet’s guardian angel” by GEO Magazine, and her message has reached over one billion people.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

Last night, we saw a powerful use of keynote speaking that reminded us why we are so proud to be in the industry. The 2020 Academy Awards list of nominees looked…traditional…and by traditional we mean white. However, the overall tone of the 92nd Academy Awards—from opening sketches to closing acts and the speeches and performances in between—was critical of the lack of diversity in the nominee selection.

The beauty of keynote speaking is how each individual uses his or her platform to tell a story. The most impactful moments on stage are the ones where an unseen story is brought to light by a powerful, authentic voice.

Janelle Monae shocked our systems with an opening tribute to the extravagance of the movies this year. With dancers dressed as characters from The Joker, Midsommar, Dolemite Is My Name, Us, and Queen and Slim surrounding Monae, she set the tone for the evening. Monae said, “Tonight, we celebrate the art of the storyteller; those voices long deprived.”

From there, Chris Rock and Steve Martin took over with a bit of comedy. They called out every way the Academy blew it—from deciding not to nominate any woman for Best Director to only having one black nominee in all the categories. In a moment of poignancy, Martin asked Rock what the difference was between this Academy Awards ceremony and the very first ceremony in 1929. The answer: In 2020, we now have ONE black nominee. “Amazing growth,” Martin added sarcastically.

Once the awards started flowing, we saw a few notable winners use their 45 seconds to leave a lasting impact on the audience. Hair Love, the Oscar recipient for Best Short Animated Film on its own was a testament to the importance of diversity in media and film. This animated short follows an African-American father attempting to style his young daughter’s hair. When the executive producer Matthew A. Cherry received his award, he explained the purpose behind his film was to promote diversity, especially in animated films. Since children are viewing animated movies in their formative years, he wants everyone to grow up with self-love in their hearts.

Cherry also encouraged his audience to explore the Crown Act and get behind the cause. After a quick Google search, it’s clear how closely-knit his film and the Crown Act are. The Crown Act would outlaw housing and employment discrimination based on hair. It encourages people of all races to embrace their natural hair without penalty of discrimination based on race or ethnicity.

From there, we saw a strange mix. Actors celebrating the few diverse members of the award ceremony while others speaking about the lack of diversity tried to detach themselves from the embarrassment of the award ceremony. Taika Waititi, a native Maori from New Zealand (and director of Jojo Rabbit), called on other indigenous people and people of color to tell their story because they are the original storytellers.

In times of such drastic exclusion, we admire those who use the art of keynote speaking to shed light on the issue. As Diversity Expert Risha Grant explains, “Diversity is who you invite to the party; inclusion is who you ask to dance.”

Looking at this year’s list of nominees, it is clear the Academy did not have diversity and equal representation in mind when it sent out invites. But through the performances and winner’s speeches, we see a glimmer of hope. People in the film industry (and maybe outside of the Academy) are looking to include new dance partners who can teach us all some new steps.

Jessica Welch is a freelance writer, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

Jose Morey’s keynote speaking is the stuff sci-fi movies are made of. He’s spent his medical career learning about artificial intelligence, big data, and space travel making him the leading authority as… well… pretty much an intergalactic space doctor. His expertise has woven these industries together to theorize how our world, and undiscovered worlds, will change (and augment) the human experience.

Morey, M.D., is a health and technology keynote speaker and has consulted for NASA, IBM, Hyperloop Transportation, and Liberty Bio Security. His talks focus on the future of health and medicine in terms of emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, 3D printing, hyperloop travel, and space exploration.

His expertise in big data and innovation have made him a much sought-after consultant in industries ranging from biotechnology to transportation (both land and space).  As Chief Engineering Council in charge of Innovation for Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, he aided in the development of the augmented reality window technology to alleviate passenger discomfort. And as the Medical Technology and Artificial Intelligence Adviser for NASA iTech, he helped evaluate research initiatives that would develop novel biotechnology to meet the 2030 Mars Mission objectives and deep space exploration.

Currently, he works as the Chief Medical Innovation Officer for Liberty BioSecurity where he helps drive innovation in genetic intelligence, national defense biotechnologies, precision medicine and augmented human performance.

Morey sits on several AI advisory boards and has over 50 peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and lectures. He also has a seat on the Informatics Leadership Council for the American College of Radiology.

He has given talks to NASA360, the Radiologic Society of North America, HIIMS, Academy Health, Health Datapalooza, Tech.Co, Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange, Stifel Nicolaus Healthcare Investment Conference, the Chinese Medical Association and the Senate of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Morey Speaks About…

• AI and the Future of Medicine
• Healthcare Challenges on Earth and Beyond
• AI and the New Machine Age
• The Future of the Space Industry

Jessica Welch is the Content Marketing Associate at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

“The Xpill experience created the environment for people to tell the truth, to connect based on what’s most important to them, and to understand each other in a deeply empathetic way.”

— Nathan Cheong, Managing Director, Designs for Health.

What would happen if in real life you could take the red pill from the Matrix movie and wake up to the real world? Robert Richman, former Culture strategist of Zappos, decided to find out. So he created his own red pill, called the Xpill, and tested it on volunteers at Burning Man, at workshops, and with friends. The results were amazing. The Xpill changed lives.

What is the Xpill?

The pill had various incarnations. At Burning Man, Richman used red  Tic Tacs. Later, he made red pills filled with non-gmo, brown rice powder. And for fun, he created a purple pill in deference to the red AND blue pill of Matrix (so you could wake up to a new world and stay in the same at the same time).

Sometimes getting the Xpill was a whole experience: Richman would send people a package that contained a secret book container, which included the pills, a journal, and instructions inside. No matter what the pills looked like, they had two things in common: no active ingredients and the power to change lives.

After taking the Xpill, people became better organized, started businesses, or found love. For each person who believed in the Xpill’s power, it changed their life.

How does the Xpill change lives with no active ingredients?

Simple. It wasn’t just the pill that changed their life, it was the whole experience of taking the pill.

Richman had each person who swallowed the Xpill follow a four-step process. Before swallowing, Richman requested each person set an intention (their goal), choose a date for completion, explain why they had this intention, and then share it publicly.

For example, one man who started a business said his goal was to start one in two weeks, and his reason why was so he could be rich and leave a legacy. Once he took the pill, he was so motivated he got his business ideas going in two days, not two weeks.

While these four steps are the same steps you would take when setting any goal, swallowing the Xpill made a difference in the outcome. Once you swallow the pill with an intention, Richman said, you can’t take it back.

To get the Xpill experience, contact BigSpeak Speakers Bureau today to book Robert Richman.

Kyle Crocco is the Content Marketing Coordinator at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, and the lead singer of Duh Professors. He regularly publishes business book reviews and thought articles on Medium, Business 2 Community, and Born 2 Invest.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

When Eric Termuende started looking for work, he was overwhelmed by the lack of interest from the business community. Despite being Vice President of the University of Calgary’s Students’ Union, serving as Class Ambassador for his graduating class, and having a Bachelors in Commerce in Business Process Management, only one company wanted so much as an interview with him. They were simply…not…interested.

But it wasn’t just Termuende who was having a problem with work. His peers were landing jobs but quickly realizing the job wasn’t for them. Top companies would hire these new recruits, train them for months, give them all the skills they needed to succeed in the workplace, and then they would quit.

This situation wasn’t just bad for workers but also for companies. After investing time and money in new candidates, companies would have nothing to show for the effort and have to start the hiring process again.

Termuende knew something was wrong with the hiring process—good quality candidates weren’t being hired, and those who were hired were leaving jobs after being trained. Something needed to be fixed.

The story we tell about work isn’t working

Termuende decided to investigate the issue. Instead of continuing his fruitless job search, he co-founded his own work consulting company (which has lead to NoW Innovations), to help workers and companies understand each other, tell a better story, and improve the experience at work.

After consulting with companies and interviewing workers and human resource personnel, Termuende saw there was a disconnect. Companies were telling one story about work at their company in the recruiting process and workers were finding a different story when they began their jobs.

One of the problems Termuende saw was companies were only offering applicants a limited view of a job’s duties. For example, if a company posted a job listing for an accountant, the skills and qualifications for the position would be remarkably similar across companies and industries. However, the real story of the job for an accountant in a startup versus a nonprofit versus a Fortune 500 company would be vastly different. One company might have more family-friendly policies and a pleasant company culture of recognition whereas another company might have high pay, isolation, and anonymity. Same job listing, two vastly different stories.

Furthermore, job advertisements did not take in account the holistic story of work. Before the invasive technology of today, work had been compartmentalized. Our workday began at 8 and ended at 5. When we went home, our home life started. With text, emails, notifications, and updates, our work and home life now bleed into each other. This reality—the expectations of being available outside of work hours—was never accounted for in the job description.

How to change the work narrative

After doing hundreds of interviews, the basis of his bestselling book Rethink Work, Termuende discovered that people’s psychological needs were not being addressed. Loosely based on Maslow’s hierarchy, Termuende saw part of the problem was a lack of community and a lack of a sense of belonging in the workplace. While diversity and inclusion were important for our work cultures, he saw a pressing need for more connection and trust at work.

To create this connection, Termuende suggests companies do two things. First, they need to tell a better story of their environment and expectations. Job descriptions should include the reality of the workplace, its culture, and its mission. Termuende points out when companies keep putting out the same ads, as with accountants, they will end up with the same problem of hiring workers who don’t fit the culture or conversely, workers whose needs are not met by the position.

Second, companies need to optimize their workplace to create the connection and trust employees are looking for. Termuende works with companies to improve their mission statements, to clarify work policies, and better design their work environment. For example, he helps clarify work policies for when people are expected to be on and off work so people can better understand the work-life balance.

He also suggests creating work environments that encourage collaboration and interaction rather than isolation. Not necessarily open office environments, but finding the right mix of privacy and collaboration spaces so people can be part of the community and also concentrate enough to get their work done.

In the end, Termuende says, the story of work comes down to basic human needs. Once employees feel more connected, they will feel a sense of belonging, be more engaged, and stay with their company longer. But this will only happen when companies change the story they are telling about work.

Kyle Crocco is the Content Marketing Coordinator at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, and the lead singer of Duh Professors. He regularly publishes business book reviews and thought articles on Medium, Business 2 Community, and Born 2 Invest.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

This article was originally published in West Jet Magazine

After her best friend was wounded while serving in Afghanistan, author and motivational speaker Barb Stegemann was moved to find a way to help the war-torn country rebuild. In 2010, she started her social enterprise, The 7 Virtues, and began turning imported Afghan orange blossom oil into perfume. The Halifax entrepreneur hoped to offer local farmers a fair-trade, sustainable source of income. After becoming the first woman from Atlantic Canada to ink a deal on
Dragons’ Den, Stegemann exported her idea to more struggling countries and began importing other essential oils—vetiver from Haiti and patchouli from Rwanda. Beyond being fair trade, all 7 Virtues perfumes are vegan and phthalate, sulfate and paraben free. Today, her original line of six scents is available at Hudson’s Bay, and a recent collaboration with Sephora has led to the release of a brand-new line of contemporary perfumes that stay true to her original vision.

Q:What is the aim of your new line of scents?

A: I wanted to create something new using the same oils, but also something that my 18-year-old daughter would wear.

Q:Your new line of perfumes hit Sephora’s shelves in February. How is it going?

A:We were the No. 1-selling fragrance for the entire month of February in my hometown store and have remained in the top five to date. I think people are ready for vegan, cruelty-free, clean and conscious fragrances.

Q:What’s behind the name The 7 Virtues?

A:Ten years ago, on International Women’s Day, I launched a book called The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen. The book helps women launch companies, end bullying and run for office; that’s where the brand came from.

Q:What is a social enterprise?

A:The core of a social enterprise is an issue you feel committed and passionate about resolving. For me, it was trying to build peace by sourcing essential oils from farmers.

Q:Any advice for budding social entrepreneurs?

A:Find a mentor. I’m blessed to have W. Brett Wilson, who I met on Dragons’ Den. Go and sit with local venture capitalists in your community; tell them you’re not necessarily looking for money, but for wise counsel to prepare your social enterprise.

Q:You’ve been visiting Sephora stores across the country. Do you enjoy travelling?

A:I was a flight attendant for nine years and I love being on planes. People ask me all the time, “Don’t you find flying tiring?” I say, “No, [because] now I get to sit down.”

Q:How do you pass the time while flying?

A:I look forward to getting on a plane and having that quiet time to put my headset on, listen to some jazz and just write.

Q:What’s your best travel tip?

A:Bring your eye mask, a neck pillow, some aromatherapy roller balls for calming and lots of water.

Q:What’s next?

A:The Sephora USA launch in August is very exciting and then Sephora Europe in 2019, after we knock it out of the park in the States. Every minute is thrilling. We’ve spent seven years working for this.

—Fabian Mayer