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Top 10 Speakers to Celebrate Black History Month

In honour of Black History Month, we want to celebrate these 10 outstanding Keynote Speakers.

Eric Boles | President of Game Changers Inc., Speaker on Leadership and Peak Performance

Leadership Speaker Eric Boles at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Eric Boles is the president of The Game Changers Inc., a training and development company dedicated to maximizing the human asset. Through assessment, consulting, coaching and corporate training, The Game Changers Inc. has set the standard for helping organizations enhance their culture and develop greater levels of commitment and performance.

Eric Boles is also a highly acclaimed keynote speaker and consultant for some of the most recognized and respected organizations in the world. His insights on Leadership, Peak Performance, Team Dynamics, and Managing Change has been shared with clients such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Nationwide Insurance, AVIVA Insurance, Alaska Airlines, State Farm Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, USAA, MetLife, and Novo Nordisk . Eric also speaks to a variety of organizations and associations, including those in sales, education, government, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/eric-boles/

Heather R. Younger | Speaker on Diversity, Resilience & Overcoming Adversity

Heather R. Younger Keynote Speaker on Diversity & Resilience at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Heather R. Younger is the Founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a leading employee engagement and consulting firm. She is a sought-after keynote speaker who brings revealing insights to the stage from over 25,000 employee experiences. A diversity, equity and inclusion strategist, and the world’s leading expert on listening at work, she is the host of the Leadership with Heart Podcast. Heather is a regular contributor to Forbes and Fast Company and is the best-selling author of The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty, which hit the top of the “Forbes Must-Read List for HR Professionals.” Her latest best-selling book, The Art of Caring Leadership, teaches the radical power of caring support in leadership and in the workplace.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/heather-younger/

Shola Richards | Bestselling Author & Expert on Workplace Culture

Shola Richards Workplace Culture Speaker at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Shola Richards is an advocate, a one-man counsel, and a humanitarian hardwired for positivity, who (ironically) speaks, coaches, consults, and authors books on the shadowy, often underground, and underestimated subject of workplace bullying, a pernicious reality that, when overlooked, corrodes trust, distorts communication, and ultimately usurps equity from the bottom line by using up a company’s most valuable resource: its people.

His approach is to open eyes to the staggering price we pay for normalized, toxic behavior, because we can’t address what we don’t see. His result is people equipped with tangible, doable solutions because we can’t accomplish what we can’t make actionable. His conviction is that everyone deserves a healthy work environment because the quality and meaning of our work suffers when we do.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/shola-richards/

Cassandra Worthy | Change Enthusiasm Global Keynote Speaker on Change

Change Keynote Speaker Cassandra Worthy at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

With contagious energy that radiates throughout every room she steps into, Cassandra Worthy is the world’s truly DISRUPTIVE thought-leader on CHANGE that companies need to build organizational resilience and adaptability. During times of major shift such as merger, acquisition, organizational restructure, new systems integration, and market disruption RARELY do businesses ever face the tumultuous emotional landscape of the organization head-on. Only 10% of successful change adoption is about know-how…the other 90% is squarely centered on an organization’s motivation and willingness to embrace the change. Without addressing the emotions standing in the way of motivation, any transformation journey is stopped in its tracks. This is where Cassandra steps in. She has created and cultivated the unique strategy of Change Enthusiasm® which is arming individuals around the world with the means to harness the power of emotion, a resource in infinite supply, to embrace and accelerate change and transformation journeys. Cassandra’s message nurtures highly resilient and adaptable organizations beginning at the heart of the individual.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/cassandra-worthy/

Ryan Leak | Keynote Speaker on Creating Inspiring Workplace Cultures & Leadership

Leadership & Workplace Culture speaker Ryan Leak at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

What has fear ultimately cost you, your team, your organization? In times of challenge and great uncertainty it’s easy to feel paralyzed by fear, but what if you could stand in the face of fear and know that these are the exact moments in life where you can rise to be your best self. Ask yourself, “What would I do, if I knew I could not fail?” What decisions would you make at work and in your life if you could side-step your fears? These are the questions that leadership expert Ryan Leak is addressing with leaders in Fortune 500s, all-stars in the NBA and over 50,000 people that he reaches monthly through his keynotes. 

In his presentation, based on his new book, Chasing Failure: How Falling Short Sets You Up for Success,  Ryan shares the blueprint for chasing failure, rather than running from it. He gives leaders and their people the tools they need to see their biggest obstacles as their greatest opportunities.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/ryan-leak/

Vernice FlyGirl Armour | America’s First Black Female Combat Pilot, Former Marine & Cop, & Author

Vernice Armour, leadership & diversity speaker, at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Combat tests you. Being a beat cop tests you. Life tests you. Three brothers and being the only girl…tests you. Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour has been tested her whole life. A gutsy trailblazer, her resume is an impressive collection of “firsts” including America’s first Black woman combat pilot. She served two tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine. She was also a diversity liaison officer to the Pentagon for Headquarters Marine Corps. After her military service, FlyGirl revved up her career in the private sector as an entrepreneur, consultant to business, and author of Zero to Breakthrough, The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter. As a speaker, FlyGirl unleashes hard-hitting advice and amazing anecdotes from her adventures on the battlefield and in business. She helps individuals and organizations Get Gutsy and build a sustainable inner force and conviction, that results in accomplishing significant goals.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/vernice-armour/

Kaplan Mobray | Internationally Acclaimed Best-selling Author, Motivational Leadership Speaker

Leadership speaker Kaplan Mobray

Kaplan Mobray was recognized by Meetings & Conventions Magazine as “one of the nation’s top business speakers.” He is one of the world’s most dynamic and inspirational speakers and best-selling author of The 10Ks of Personal Branding – (K)reate a Better You. An innovative mastermind, Kaplan has inspired and transformed countless lives through his insightful and groundbreaking approach to personal branding and leadership development. Kaplan inspires audiences with practical strategies, “ah-ha moments”, that powerfully create real results to immediately elevate one’s career and improve one’s life.

A highly sought after, vibrant and energetic business speaker, professional musician and entrepreneur – Kaplan Mobray learned early in his career that “to master quality of life you must first master quality of effort”. He uses this personal philosophy to develop his extraordinarily creative insights and unique presentation content. Wharton-educated, Kaplan draws from his over 15 years of corporate experience as a successful business executive – where he led corporate marketing, advertising, and brand development initiatives for Fortune 500 companies. Through his unconventional and innovative presentation style – he teaches organizations how to transform their business, increase their brand reputation and motivates individuals to become effective leaders at all levels.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/kaplan-mobray/

Risha Grant | Author and Expert on Diversity & Inclusion

Communication Risha Grant The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Risha Grant is Founder & CEO of Risha Grant LLC, an award-winning diversity consulting and communications firm, as well as an edgy, educational and motivational speaker – author Risha Grant is an internationally renowned diversity, inclusion and bias expert. She covers these topics as NBC KJRH TV News 2 for You community correspondent and host of the JustUs series, through her Tulsa World column, Risha Talks, as a columnist for Black Enterprise Magazine and in her book, That’s BS! How Bias Synapse Disrupts Inclusive Cultures.

Risha is motivated by her passion to correct societal ‘isms’ – like racism, sexism, classism and plain old stupidism! It is her personal mission to expose the value of Diversity & Inclusion – while shining a light on the economic impact it creates. From her race, gender and lifestyle choices, to growing a small business and tackling economic issues – every area of her life intersects diversity.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/risha-grant/

Daryl Davis | Musician, Author, Compelling Unifier, Klan Whisperer, and Award-winning Conflict Navigator

Daryl Davis Communication & Diversity Keynote Speaker at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

“How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” As the only Black Cub Scout marching in an otherwise all-White parade, Daryl Davis formed that simple yet powerful question after he was pelted by rocks, bottles and soda pop cans by a handful of White spectators. This was his first encounter with racism at age ten. Pursuit of an answer led this career performing musician on a surreal journey stemming from a chance encounter with a man who turned out to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Seeking to understand, not to change minds or judge, Daryl actually built bridges with leaders from a group that professed hatred for him. Some came to quit the Klan and gave Daryl their robes and hoods when they did. In the process he has unearthed truths about conflict, hate, intolerance, and communication that are valuable today. His extraordinary journey is chronicled in his first book, Klan-Destine Relationships and the documentary about his encounters, Accidental Courtesy. As a speaker, Daryl’s impact on audiences is profound –his TEDx talk has over 10 million views.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/daryl-davis/

Walter Bond | Former NBA Athlete, Author and Speaker on Mentorship, Leadership, Teamwork & Motivation

Walter Bond sales speaker at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Walter Bond is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent experts on salesmotivation, high performing teams, and leadership – and has been helping people turn self-limiting beliefs into self-empowering strategies for more than a decade. Like many young men growing up in Chicago, Walter dreamed of becoming an NBA athlete. Facing injuries and other challenges with unusual determination, he rose from being a reserve player coming off the bench – to become the first rookie free agent to start for the Dallas Mavericks. This astonishing journey provides the foundation for the powerful principles Walter teaches today. Walter’s stories give listeners a roadmap they can follow to reinvent themselves – and recover the confidence they need to level up in their professional lives. Drawing on lessons learned in the trenches both in sales and as an entrepreneur, Walter’s presentations open up new ways of looking not only at business challenges – but also the world.

Video: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/walter-bond/


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