Culture at the Workplace

Shawn Achor
Author and Speaker on Leadership, Performance and Change
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Shawn Achor: Keynote Speaker on Happiness, Positive Psychology & Human Potential | Bestselling Author | Harvard-Trained Researcher
What if one of the biggest opportunities to improve performance, engagement and resilience is changing the way people think about happiness?
Shawn Achor is a bestselling author and internationally recognized keynote speaker on happiness, positive psychology, leadership and human potential.
Known for bringing positive psychology research to life with humor, memorable stories and practical strategies, Shawn challenges the traditional belief that we have to become successful before we can be happy. Instead, he shows audiences how cultivating a more positive mindset can help people improve performance, strengthen resilience and bring greater energy to their work.
Why Book Shawn Achor?
Shawn takes a topic everyone understands—happiness—and connects it directly to the challenges organizations care about: performance, engagement, resilience, leadership and change.
His approach isn't simply about encouraging people to “think positively.” Shawn translates research in positive psychology into practical behaviors people can incorporate into their everyday lives.
The result is a keynote that is funny, thought-provoking and highly actionable—giving audiences a fresh perspective on how they approach work, relationships, challenges and success.
What Makes Shawn Achor Different?
• Leading voice in positive psychology — helped bring the science of happiness into the business world
• Bestselling author — known for books including The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential
• Research-based message — connects positive psychology with workplace performance
• Exceptionally entertaining — combines research with humor and memorable storytelling
• Immediately actionable — practical habits audiences can begin using right away
• Broad audience appeal — relevant to leaders, sales teams and employees across an organization
• Positive and energizing — leaves audiences thinking differently about success and their own potential
Why Is Shawn Right for Your Audience?
Shawn is an excellent choice when you want your audience to leave energized, optimistic and equipped with practical strategies for improving their performance and wellbeing.
He is particularly effective for leadership conferences, corporate meetings, sales kickoffs, association conferences, employee events and organizations focused on engagement, resilience and workplace culture.
Book Shawn when your audience needs to:
• Increase engagement and motivation
• Build greater resilience during challenging periods
• Improve performance without simply increasing pressure
• Create more positive and productive workplace relationships
• Strengthen optimism during uncertainty and change
• Improve collaboration and social connection
• Develop practical habits that support wellbeing
• Recognize how individual behavior can influence team performance
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Understanding the relationship between mindset, happiness and performance
• Equipped with practical positive-psychology strategies they can use immediately
• Better prepared to maintain optimism during challenges
• More aware of how their behavior influences colleagues and teams
• Ready to strengthen relationships and social connection
• Motivated to create habits that support sustainable performance
• Inspired to rethink the traditional relationship between happiness and success
Shawn Achor Keynote Programs
The Happiness Advantage: What if happiness doesn't follow success—but actually helps create it?
Shawn challenges the conventional formula that says we'll be happy once we become more successful.
Drawing on positive psychology research, he shows audiences how developing a more positive mindset can influence motivation, creativity, resilience and performance.
Audiences leave with practical strategies for creating positive habits and bringing greater energy and optimism to both work and life.
Ideal for: Corporate conferences, leadership events, sales kickoffs, employee meetings and workplace wellbeing programs.
Big Potential: Our greatest potential isn't achieved alone. It's influenced by the people around us.
Shawn explores how individuals and organizations can move beyond focusing exclusively on individual achievement and instead create environments where people help one another perform at a higher level.
He demonstrates how stronger relationships, collaboration and positive influence can help teams unlock greater collective potential.
Ideal for: Leadership, teamwork, culture, collaboration and employee-engagement events.
Positive Leadership Through Change: During uncertainty, a leader's mindset doesn't affect only the leader—it can influence the entire team.
Shawn shows leaders how optimism, connection and positive behaviors can help teams remain engaged and resilient when circumstances are difficult or changing.
Audiences gain practical strategies for creating environments where people can continue learning, collaborating and performing despite uncertainty.
Ideal for: Executive meetings, leadership development, transformation initiatives and organizations navigating change.
Why Book Shawn Achor Through The Sweeney Agency?
Shawn Achor's combination of research, humor and practical positive psychology makes him an engaging choice for a wide range of audiences—but the real value comes from connecting his message directly to what you want your people to think, feel and do differently.
The Sweeney Agency can help you:
• Confirm Shawn Achor's availability and current speaking fee
• Determine which Shawn Achor keynote best fits your audience
• Discuss customization around your organization's objectives
• Coordinate format, timing and event logistics
• Compare Shawn with other leading motivational, leadership and workplace-culture speakers
Is Shawn Achor Right for Your Event?
Tell us what you want to improve—performance, engagement, resilience, leadership or workplace culture.
We'll help you determine whether Shawn is the right fit, confirm availability and fees, and make the booking process simple.
Planning a leadership conference, sales kickoff or corporate event? Contact The Sweeney Agency today [email protected] to discuss booking Shawn Achor as your keynote speaker.

Afterburner, Inc.
Fighter Pilots who Teach Leadership, Teamwork, Culture & Motivation Skills
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Afterburner is a diverse team of elite military professionals composed of current and former Fighter Pilots. Their keynote speakers take the mindset and ways of working they learned in the cockpit of their high-performance fighter jets and transfer those lessons into your organization. They inspire teams, align them on their purpose, and help execute their plan to accelerate their performance. They connect strategy to execution with their cutting-edge training programs that include keynotes, team building seminars, workshops, training, coaching, and consulting programs.
Thousands of companies including Microsoft, Google, Home Depot, and Nike have all learned the secrets to accelerating the development of their strategy and execution – and you can too! From executive leaders to the frontline team, Afterburner’s programs are crafted to inspire your leaders and their teams to consistently surpass expectations!
Afterburner’s dynamic, high-energy keynote speakers will inspire your audience to take action and set the foundation for you to build highly engaged, outcome-focused teams. They’ll bring out your inner fighter pilot and show you what it’s like at the edge of the human performance envelope, physically and mentally.

David Allen
Getting Things Done Author and Leading Time Management Speaker
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David Allen: Creator of Getting Things Done® | Bestselling Author | Speaker on Productivity, Focus and Managing Commitments
Why Book David Allen?
His approach gives people a practical way to reduce mental clutter and make clearer decisions about what to do next. Drawing on decades of developing and teaching GTD®, David connects everyday habits with the space people need for focused work, creative thinking and a greater sense of control.
Why Is David Allen Right for Your Audience?
David is a strong fit for leadership meetings, professional development events, association conferences and company gatherings. He is particularly relevant when people are juggling multiple projects, responding to constant incoming requests or struggling to keep track of everything they have agreed to do.
Book David when your audience needs to:
• Manage competing commitments with greater clarity
• Turn vague tasks into specific next actions
• Build a reliable system for tracking work
• Reduce the distraction of unfinished obligations
• Review projects and priorities more consistently
• Create more room for focused and creative thinking
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Familiar with the five GTD® steps: capture, clarify, organize, reflect and engage
• Better able to define the next action on a project
• Ready to move reminders out of their heads and into a trusted system
• Clearer on why regular review supports effective decisions
• Equipped with practical habits they can begin applying at work and at home
Keynote Programs
Getting Things Done®
David introduces the principles behind his approach to productivity, explaining how people can organize commitments and choose their next actions with greater confidence. Ideal for audiences seeking practical ways to handle demanding workloads and maintain focus.
The presentation can provide a starting point for audiences new to GTD® or a deeper discussion of its principles for those familiar with the method. Tell us whether your priority is managing incoming work, clarifying projects or strengthening review habits so we can discuss the most relevant focus for your event.
Is David Allen Right for Your Event?
Tell us about your audience, the demands on its attention and the working habits you want people to improve. We can help discuss the presentation’s focus and format, and confirm David’s availability and fee.
Contact The Sweeney Agency 1-866-727-7555 or [email protected] for more information on this speaker.

Amazing Speakers for Your Events
Customized Speaker Ideas for YOUR Event
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Get Your Customized List of Speaker Ideas
Our mission is simple: We find great speakers for YOUR events.
Simply fill out the form below and we will be in touch with a customized list of ideas for your event.
It's that simple.
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Lior Arussy
Leading Global Expert on Customer Experience & Customer-Centric Transformation
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Lior Arussy: Customer Experience Strategist | Founder of Strativity Group | Speaker on Change and Employee Engagement
Make Change Matter to Customers and Employees
Lior Arussy helps leaders close that gap. As the founder of Strativity Group, he connects customer strategy to the actions employees take and the value customers experience. The Sweeney Agency
Why Book Lior Arussy?
Lior brings a practitioner’s view of change. He has worked with organizations on customer experience and employee engagement, and he shows audiences why a new strategy succeeds only when people can make it real in their work.
His keynotes challenge leaders to look beyond slogans and technology investments. Lior focuses on what customers value and how employees can deliver it consistently.
What Makes Lior Different?
• Experience helping organizations change customer and employee experiences
• A direct connection between culture, execution, and business results
• A human perspective on how AI is changing customer expectations
• Ideas that speak to leaders and customer-facing teams
• An emphasis on making change visible in everyday behaviour
Why Is Lior Right for Your Audience?
Lior is a strong fit for leadership conferences, customer experience events, sales and service meetings, and organizations working through transformation. He is particularly relevant when a team has an ambitious customer strategy but needs greater commitment and consistency across the organization.
Book Lior when your audience needs to:
• Build more valuable, lasting customer relationships
• Connect employee engagement to customer experience
• Respond to changing expectations in the AI era
• Turn a customer strategy into daily decisions and actions
• Strengthen adaptability during ongoing change
• Create a culture that supports exceptional performance
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Clearer about what makes a customer experience valuable
• Ready to identify gaps between their promise and their delivery
• Better able to involve employees in making change work
• Equipped to examine where digital tools help or hinder human connection
• Motivated to take ownership of the experience they create
Keynote Programs
The One and Only: The Gen AI-Empowered Customer
Lior explores how generative AI is changing customer expectations and the ways people engage with brands. He asks organizations to reconsider how they create relevant value for customers who expect more individual attention and choice.
Customer Experience as an Engine for Growth
Lior examines how organizations can make customer relationships a source of lasting business value. Drawing on successes and setbacks from real organizations, he connects customer strategy to execution and growth.
Change Resilience: The New Core Competence
Lior focuses on the human side of transformation and how organizations can become more capable of adapting as change continues. Ideal for teams facing a major strategic shift or repeated disruption. The Sweeney Agency
Why Contact The Sweeney Agency Now?
Tell us about the gap between your organization’s customer promise and what people experience. We’ll help you assess which of Lior’s programs fits your event, discuss customization, and confirm his availability and current fee.
Is Lior Right for Your Event?
Tell us about your audience, the change you are trying to make, and the customer or employee outcome you want. We’ll help you assess Lior’s fit and plan the next step.
To check availability and fee of this speaker, call 1-866-727-7555 or email [email protected].

Mariana Atencio
Peabody Award-winning Journalist, Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur, Inspiring Storyteller, and Host/Moderator
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Mariana Atencio: Peabody Award-Winning Journalist | Bestselling Author | Speaker on Trust, Authenticity and Communication
Build Trust by Showing Up as Yourself
Mariana Atencio brings a journalist’s instinct for finding the human story to that question. The author of Perfectly You helps leaders and teams communicate with greater authenticity, build trust, and recognize the strength in what makes each person different. The Sweeney Agency
Why Book Mariana Atencio?
Mariana combines the energy of a compelling storyteller with experience reporting, interviewing, and speaking to diverse audiences. She connects her own journey with challenges people face at work: finding their voice, communicating through uncertainty, and building relationships across differences.
Her keynotes give audiences practical ways to communicate with clarity and empathy. For leaders, that can help create the trust people need to collaborate and contribute their best work.
What Makes Mariana Different?
• A journalist’s experience telling stories that connect people
• A personal message about authenticity grounded in her own journey
• Practical communication lessons for leaders and teams
• An interactive, energetic style that invites audience reflection
• Versatility as a keynote speaker, host, and moderator
Why Is Mariana Right for Your Audience?
Mariana is a strong fit for leadership conferences, employee events, women’s programs, and organizations working to strengthen communication or culture. She is especially valuable when an audience needs both an inspiring story and a reason to examine how it builds trust day to day.
Book Mariana when your audience needs to:
• Communicate more credibly during uncertainty
• Build trust across teams and with customers
• Lead with authenticity and empathy
• Value individual differences as a source of strength
• Speak up with greater confidence
• Strengthen connection and belonging at work
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• More aware of how authenticity affects trust
• Ready to communicate with greater clarity and empathy
• Better able to recognize and use their own strengths
• More confident sharing ideas and stories that matter
• Motivated to create stronger connections with colleagues
Keynote Programs
Real Matters: Building Trust in an Unreal World
Mariana explores why genuine communication matters when employees and customers are surrounded by polished narratives and AI-generated messages. She gives leaders ways to build credibility, strengthen connection, and guide teams through uncertainty.
Perfectly You: Leveraging the Power Within
Drawing on her book and personal story, Mariana shows audiences how embracing what makes them different can strengthen confidence, resilience, and purpose. Ideal for employee events and women’s leadership programs.
Communicating Confidently: Cut Through the Noise and Get Heard
In this interactive keynote or breakout, Mariana shares techniques for distilling a message, speaking with confidence, and connecting across in-person and digital settings. Ideal for leaders and client-facing teams. The Sweeney Agency
Why Contact The Sweeney Agency Now?
Tell us whether your audience most needs to build trust, find its voice, or communicate more effectively. We’ll help you choose the right program, discuss customization, and confirm Mariana’s availability and current fee.
Is Mariana Right for Your Event?
Tell us about your audience, where trust or communication needs to improve, and what you want people to do differently. We’ll help you assess Mariana’s fit and plan the next step.
To check availability and fee of this speaker, call 1-866-727-7555 or email [email protected].

Joey Aviles
Former Chief of Diversity & Inclusion, Former Director of Recruitment & Retention, and Keynote Speaker
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Joey Aviles is recognized as a 2022 LinkedIn’s Racial Equity Top Voice, 2021 Top 15 Champion of Diversity by Diversity Global Magazine, as a Top 100 Executive Leader by Diversity MBA Magazine, and featured as an Inclusion Innovator by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).
Joey is the Founder and Chief Belonging Officer of MJA & CO, LLC, a Minority-owned consulting firm helping leaders leverage Diversity, Equity & Inclusion as a catalyst to increase engagement, innovation, and retention.
Joey served as the first civilian Chief of Diversity and Inclusion in the history of the US Coast Guard. He is a DEI Thought Leader with over 15 years of experience serving clients like Dell Technologies, Ferrara, University of Phoenix, Highmark Health, Peace Corps, FDIC, FDA, NIH, Department of Defense, Department of Interior, Department of Homeland Security, and other organizations. Miguel is a TEDx speaker, and has been featured at the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, Telemundo, the Change Management Conference, the Human Capital Institute, the SHRM Talent Management and D&I Conferences.
Graduate of the Yale School of Management Fostering Inclusion and Diversity Certificate, Joey is a certified Professional Diversity Coach by the Coach Diversity Institute. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez.
For over a decade he held several leadership positions in 3 major Federal Departments; DOI’s Division Chief of the Office of Recruitment and Retention Programs; DOD’s Deputy Program Manager of the Executive Leadership Development Program, the Defense Civilian Emerging Leaders Program, and the Managerial and Supervisory Training Program. He started his federal career as a Diversity Recruiter intern in Mayaguez, PR and served as an HR Specialist in the DOD’s Recruitment Assistance Division. Miguel is the former President of Young Government Leaders, a 12,000+ member national Affinity Group.

Sarah Aviram
Author, Keynote Speaker on Remote Work & Managing Change
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Sarah Aviram: Change and Motivation Speaker | Former Fortune 500 HR Leader | Author of Remotivation
Help People Find Momentum During Change
Sarah Aviram helps leaders and teams find that momentum. Drawing on her HR leadership experience and her time working across 12 countries in 12 months, she shows audiences how to reconnect with what drives them and take ownership of their next steps. The Sweeney Agency
Why Book Sarah Aviram?
Sarah addresses a challenge leaders recognize: people may understand a change and still struggle to commit to it. Her Remotivation Method focuses on the internal drivers behind engagement, helping audiences identify what motivates them and what they can do when circumstances are uncertain.
Her sessions combine relatable stories with reflection and practical exercises. Audiences leave with a way to discuss motivation more openly and take useful action.
What Makes Sarah Different?
• Experience leading HR and talent development work in large organizations
• A practical framework focused on the drivers of motivation
• A personal story shaped by working across 12 countries in one year
• Interactive sessions that help attendees apply ideas during the event
• A message that speaks to leaders and individual contributors alike
Why Is Sarah Right for Your Audience?
Sarah is a strong fit for leadership conferences, employee meetings, HR events, and organizations navigating restructuring, new technology, or shifting ways of working. She is especially relevant when people feel change happening around them and need to see where they still have agency.
Book Sarah when your audience needs to:
• Rebuild motivation during uncertainty
• Take greater ownership of choices and actions
• Help teams move from hesitation to commitment
• Understand what drives engagement and fulfillment
• Lead change with more empathy and clarity
• Create momentum without waiting for circumstances to settle
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Clearer on the factors that motivate them at work
• Able to recognize where they have influence during change
• Equipped to use Sarah’s six-driver Remotivation Method
• Ready to take a practical step toward renewed momentum
• Better prepared to support colleagues through transitions
Keynote Programs
Get Remotivated: Navigate Change from the Inside Out
Sarah shows audiences how to activate personal agency and reconnect with the internal drivers that support commitment and performance. Ideal for teams facing transformation, disruption, or a demanding new chapter. Available as an interactive keynote or virtual presentation.
Get Remotivated: Team Activation Workshop
This hands-on follow-up gives teams time to apply the keynote’s ideas to their own challenges through exercises and discussion. Ideal for groups that want to turn insight into shared actions. Sarah Aviram
Why Contact The Sweeney Agency Now?
Tell us what changes your people are experiencing and what you want them to do afterward. We’ll help you assess whether Sarah’s approach fits, choose the right format, and confirm her availability and current fee.
Is Sarah Right for Your Event?
Tell us about your audience, the change it is facing, and where motivation or engagement needs support. We’ll help you assess Sarah’s fit and plan the next step.
To check availability and fee of this speaker, call 1-866-727-7555 or email [email protected].

Chris Bashinelli
National Geographic Explorer & TV Host, United Nations Moderator, Actor from The Sopranos (HBO), Expert on Human Connection & Happiness in Business
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Chris Bashinelli: National Geographic Explorer | Host of Bridge the Gap | Speaker on Human Connection, Trust and Leadership
Why Book Chris Bashinelli?
As host of Bridge the Gap, a travel series featured on PBS and National Geographic Channel, Chris brings global stories and footage to the stage. His energetic presentations combine humor, audience interaction and practical exercises, giving people opportunities to reflect on how they connect with customers, colleagues and the teams they lead.
Why Is Chris Bashinelli Right for Your Audience?
Chris is a strong fit for leadership conferences, sales meetings, company gatherings and culture-focused events. He is especially relevant when an organization wants people to feel more connected, strengthen customer relationships or lead with greater empathy during change.
Book Chris when your audience needs to:
• Build trust with clients and colleagues
• Listen with greater curiosity and attention
• Strengthen belonging across teams
• Lead through uncertainty with authenticity
• Connect individual strengths with shared goals
• Bring renewed purpose to everyday interactions
Audience Takeaways
Depending on the program selected, attendees will leave:
• More aware of how presence and listening influence trust
• Equipped with practical ways to strengthen human connection
• Ready to recognize the person behind a role or transaction
• Better prepared to support colleagues through change
• Motivated to create a culture where people feel valued and heard
Keynote Programs
The Power of Human Connection
Chris explores how understanding people and serving their interests can strengthen relationships with clients and teams. Ideal for sales, customer service and leadership audiences seeking deeper trust.
Leading Through Change
Chris shares stories of resilience and personal growth to explore how leaders can remain grounded and connected during uncertainty. Ideal for organizations navigating change and seeking renewed employee inspiration.
Building Unbreakable Teams
Through global stories and interactive moments, Chris introduces his PACT of Connection: Presence, Authenticity, Care and Trust. Ideal for teams seeking stronger collaboration, belonging and open communication.
The Happiness Effect
Drawing on his travels and mindfulness practice, Chris explores the role of gratitude, perspective and happiness in work and relationships. Ideal for audiences seeking renewed purpose and practical ways to support well-being.
Is Chris Bashinelli Right for Your Event?
Tell us about your audience, the relationships you want to strengthen and what you want people to do differently after the event. We can help select Chris’s most relevant program, discuss customization and audience interaction, and confirm his availability and fee.
Contact The Sweeney Agency 1-866-727-7555 or [email protected] for more information on this speaker.

Jack Becker
Decorated U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot, Founder & CEO, Flight Level Solutions, Inc., Leadership, Teamwork, Safety, and Peak Human Performance Expert
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Jack Becker: Keynote Speaker on Leadership, Accountability & High Performance | Former U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot | Founder of Supersonic Success
Bring Fighter-Pilot Precision to Business Performance
What could your team accomplish if they prepared, communicated and executed with the discipline of elite fighter pilots?
Jack Becker is a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot and dynamic keynote speaker on leadership, accountability, teamwork and high performance.
Why Book Jack Becker?
Jack doesn't simply tell exciting fighter-pilot stories. He translates the disciplines of military aviation into practical strategies business teams can use.
His message focuses on the behaviors that drive consistent performance: preparation, accountability, communication, execution and learning from every experience.
For organizations looking to improve performance rather than simply motivate people for an hour, Jack delivers a keynote designed to help audiences turn lessons into action and action into better results.
What Makes Jack Becker Different?
• Former U.S. Navy fighter pilot — brings lessons from an elite performance environment
• Business-focused message — translates aviation principles into workplace strategies
• Accountability driven — encourages people to take ownership of their performance
• Execution focused — helps close the gap between strategy and results
• Practical debriefing approach — emphasizes learning and continuous improvement
• Team performance — demonstrates why trust and communication matter under pressure
• High-energy delivery — engages audiences with compelling aviation experiences
• Actionable takeaways — gives teams concepts they can apply immediately
Why Is Jack Right for Your Audience?
Jack is an outstanding choice when you want your audience to improve execution, strengthen accountability and work together more effectively.
He is particularly effective for leadership conferences, sales kickoffs, corporate meetings, management events and organizations focused on operational excellence.
Book Jack when your audience needs to:
• Turn strategy into consistent execution
• Strengthen personal accountability
• Improve communication across teams
• Build greater trust and collaboration
• Prepare more effectively for important opportunities
• Learn quickly from wins and mistakes
• Perform more consistently under pressure
• Create a culture of continuous improvement
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Understanding how preparation improves execution
• More willing to take ownership of results
• Better equipped to communicate when the stakes are high
• Recognizing the importance of effective debriefing
• More focused on learning rather than assigning blame
• Better prepared to collaborate across teams
• Ready to apply continuous improvement to everyday performance
Jack Becker Keynote Programs
Supersonic Success: What can business teams learn from the way fighter pilots prepare, execute and improve?
Jack takes audiences inside the world of military aviation to demonstrate how high-performing teams prepare for demanding missions and execute when the pressure is on.
He then translates those lessons into practical business strategies that can help organizations improve communication, accountability and performance.
Ideal for: Leadership conferences, corporate meetings, management teams and organizations focused on execution.
The Fighter Pilot Mindset: High performance doesn't happen by accident.
Jack explores the habits and disciplines that help elite performers stay focused, make decisions and deliver results in demanding environments.
Audiences learn how stronger preparation, clearer expectations and personal accountability can improve performance across an organization.
Ideal for: Sales kickoffs, leadership meetings and high-performance teams.
Debrief to Win: What happens after the mission may be just as important as what happens during it.
Jack demonstrates how effective debriefing can help teams identify what worked, understand what didn't and continuously improve without creating a culture of blame.
Applied to business, this approach can strengthen communication, accelerate learning and help teams perform better on the next mission.
Ideal for: Leadership teams, sales organizations, project teams and companies building a culture of continuous improvement.
Why Book Jack Becker Through The Sweeney Agency?
Jack Becker combines fighter-pilot experience with practical business strategies for improving execution, accountability and teamwork—but the real value comes from connecting those lessons to the performance challenges facing your organization.
The Sweeney Agency can help you:
• Confirm Jack Becker's availability and current speaking fee
• Determine which Jack Becker keynote best fits your audience
• Discuss customization around your event objectives
• Coordinate format, timing and event logistics
• Compare Jack with other leading leadership, teamwork and high-performance speakers
Is Jack Becker Right for Your Event?
Tell us where your team needs to improve execution, accountability or collaboration.
We'll help you determine whether Jack is the right fit, confirm availability and fees, and make the booking process simple.
Planning a leadership conference, sales kickoff or corporate event? Contact The Sweeney Agency today [email protected] to discuss booking Jack Becker as your keynote speaker.

Amy Blankson
Author, and Expert on the Psychology of Happiness
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Amy Blankson: Author of The Future of Happiness | Digital Wellness Leader | Speaker on Flourishing and Positive Psychology
Help People Thrive in a Changing World
Amy Blankson helps audiences turn the science of happiness into practical choices at work and in life. As co-founder and Chief Evangelist of the Digital Wellness Institute, she explores how people can use technology well, build positive habits, and create conditions in which they and their teams can flourish.
Why Book Amy Blankson?
Amy brings a constructive perspective to challenges many organizations share: stress, change, engagement, and the impact of technology on well-being. She translates positive psychology into small actions that people can try immediately, while giving leaders a broader way to think about the environments they create.
Her talks can help audiences move from concern about the future toward a clearer sense of what they can influence today.
What Makes Amy Different?
• Author of The Future of Happiness, which examines well-being in a digital world
• Co-founder and Chief Evangelist of the Digital Wellness Institute
• Experience connecting positive psychology with workplace challenges
• Current programs on flourishing, AI, and resilience amid uncertainty
• An engaging style that makes ideas about well-being practical and accessible
Why Is Amy Right for Your Audience?
Amy is a strong fit for leadership conferences, employee events, education and nonprofit gatherings, and programs focused on workplace culture or digital change. She is especially relevant when an audience needs a thoughtful, encouraging way to address uncertainty without dismissing its real pressures.
Book Amy when your audience needs to:
• Navigate change with greater optimism and agency
• Support employee well-being alongside performance
• Build small habits that make positive change more sustainable
• Consider how AI can support human creativity and judgment
• Create healthier relationships with technology
• Make flourishing a meaningful part of workplace culture
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Better able to identify actions within their control during uncertainty
• Equipped with practical ideas for building positive daily habits
• Clearer on how leaders can support people who are adapting to change
• Ready to use technology more intentionally
• Inspired to connect well-being, purpose, and performance
Keynote Programs
The Future is Flourishing: Why Thriving People and Cultures Will Define What’s Next
Amy invites audiences to look beyond simply coping with change and consider what allows people and organizations to thrive. She offers a practical framework for bringing purpose and well-being into decisions about culture, engagement, and performance. Ideal for leadership and workplace culture events.
SuperThinkers: How to Innovate, Lead, and Thrive in an AI-Driven World
Amy explores how leaders can use AI to deepen thinking, ask better questions, and support human creativity. Ideal for audiences looking for a people-centered approach to technological change.
Fearless Positivity: Mastering Mindset in the Midst of Uncertainty
Amy shares ways to reframe challenges, build resilience, and take purposeful action when the path ahead is unclear. Ideal for organizations navigating change, disruption, or sustained pressure.
Additional Workshop: The Joy Game
In this interactive workshop, Amy helps teams make joy a practical part of daily work through small changes in mindset and behavior. Ideal for groups seeking more engagement and connection.
Why Contact The Sweeney Agency Now?
Tell us whether your audience is focused on flourishing, AI, uncertainty, or digital well-being. We can help select the right keynote or workshop, discuss customization, and confirm Amy’s availability and current fee.
Is Amy Right for Your Event?
Tell us about your audience, the pressures it faces, and what you want people to think or do differently afterward. We’ll help you assess Amy’s fit and plan the next step.
To check availability and fee of this speaker, call 1-866-727-7555 or email [email protected].

Lisa Bodell
Global Leader on Simplification & Banishing Complexity, Innovation, Leadership, Change, Collaboration, and Transforming Culture
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Lisa Bodell:  Keynote Speaker on Simplification, Innovation & Leadership | Founder & CEO of FutureThink | Bestselling Author of Why Simple Wins
Simplify Work. Unlock Better Thinking. What could your people accomplish if they stopped wasting time on unnecessary work and focused their energy on what actually matters?
Lisa helps organizations eliminate the complexity, bureaucracy and low-value work that prevent people from thinking, leading and innovating at their best. Her message is provocative, practical and immediately actionable: stop adding more—and start removing what gets in the way.
Why Book Lisa Bodell?
Lisa doesn't just inspire people to work differently. She gives them practical tools to actually do it.
Her keynotes challenge one of the biggest problems facing organizations today: people are overwhelmed by meetings, processes, approvals and unnecessary complexity while leaders simultaneously ask them to innovate, move faster and accomplish more.
Lisa shows audiences how to create capacity by eliminating low-value work, simplifying decision-making and giving people more space to think.
The result is a keynote that can change not just how your audience thinks—but how they work the very next day.
What Makes Lisa Bodell Different?
• Founder & CEO of FutureThink — helping organizations simplify and innovate since 2003
• Bestselling author — author of Why Simple Wins and Kill the Company
• Simplification expert — helps organizations eliminate unnecessary complexity
• Innovation authority — teaches people how to challenge assumptions and think differently
• Highly interactive — incorporates audience participation and live exercises
• Immediately actionable — audiences leave with tools they can actually use
• Human-centered AI perspective — focuses on strengthening the capabilities technology can't replace
• Extensive corporate experience — has worked with leading organizations around the world
Why Is Lisa Right for Your Audience?
Lisa is an outstanding choice when your people are overwhelmed, moving too slowly or spending too much time on work that doesn't create enough value.
She is particularly effective for leadership conferences, executive meetings, innovation summits, transformation initiatives and organizations navigating AI-driven change.
Book Lisa when your audience needs to:
• Eliminate unnecessary complexity
• Create more time for meaningful work
• Make decisions faster
• Reduce bureaucracy and low-value processes
• Give leaders more capacity to actually lead
• Challenge outdated assumptions
• Strengthen innovation and creative problem-solving
• Determine where humans add the greatest value in an AI-enabled workplace
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Identifying unnecessary work they can stop doing
• Better equipped to simplify meetings, processes and decision-making
• Understanding how complexity can undermine innovation
• More willing to challenge outdated rules and assumptions
• Equipped with practical tools they can apply immediately
• Better prepared to create space for higher-value work
• Thinking differently about leadership in an AI-enabled workplace
• Ready to simplify how work gets done
Lisa Bodell Keynote Programs
Unleash the Power of Simple. What if the fastest way to improve performance isn't adding something new—but eliminating what no longer matters?
Drawing from her bestselling book Why Simple Wins, Lisa shows audiences how unnecessary complexity steals time, energy and attention from the work that creates the most value.
Through practical tools, interactive exercises and real-world examples, she helps people identify what they can eliminate, simplify or change so they can spend more time on meaningful work.
Ideal for: Leadership conferences, corporate meetings, transformation initiatives and organizations struggling with complexity.
Let Leaders Lead. How much time do your leaders actually spend leading?
Too often, managers become trapped in meetings, approvals, processes and administrative work that leave too little time for coaching, decision-making and developing their people.
Lisa challenges organizations to remove the bureaucracy preventing leaders from doing what they were hired to do: lead.
She gives managers practical ways to simplify work, remove barriers and create more capacity for the leadership activities that drive performance.
Ideal for: Executive meetings, leadership development, management conferences and organizations focused on improving leadership effectiveness.
Unleashing Innovation: AI-Enabled, Human-Led. As AI becomes more capable, what becomes more important for humans to do exceptionally well?
Lisa reframes the AI conversation around a critical opportunity: using technology to amplify human capability rather than simply replace human activity.
She explores how organizations can use AI to remove lower-value work while strengthening the distinctly human capabilities that drive innovation—including judgment, curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving.
The goal isn't humans versus AI. It's creating organizations where AI handles more of the work while people do more of the thinking that matters.
Ideal for: AI conferences, leadership events, innovation summits and organizations navigating the future of work.
Why Book Lisa Bodell Through The Sweeney Agency?
Lisa Bodell combines provocative thinking with practical tools audiences can use immediately—but the real value comes from identifying where complexity is getting in the way of your organization's performance.
The Sweeney Agency can help you:
• Confirm Lisa Bodell's availability and current speaking fee
• Determine which Lisa Bodell keynote best fits your audience
• Discuss customization around your organization's challenges
• Coordinate format, timing and event logistics
• Compare Lisa with other leading innovation, change and leadership speakers
Is Lisa Bodell Right for Your Event?
Tell us what's slowing your people down—and what you want them spending more time doing instead.
We'll help you determine whether Lisa is the right fit, confirm availability and fees, and make the booking process simple.
Planning a leadership conference, innovation summit or corporate event? Contact The Sweeney Agency today [email protected] to discuss booking Lisa Bodell as your keynote speaker.
 

Kris Boesch
Founder & CEO of Choose People, Author & Keynote Speaker 
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Kris Boesch: Founder of Choose People | Author of Culture Works | Speaker on Workplace Culture and Team Connection
Make Work a Place People Want to Be
Kris Boesch helps leaders and teams answer that question with practical changes to the way they work together. As founder of Choose People and a former company CEO, she combines research on workplace culture with firsthand experience improving morale, collaboration, and retention.
Why Book Kris Boesch?
Kris makes culture specific. She helps audiences see how everyday behaviors—recognition, candid communication, kindness, and shared responsibility—shape the experience of coming to work.
Her ideas grew out of the challenges she faced while leading a moving company with high turnover and a struggling culture. She brings that experience to presentations designed to give participants tools they can use with their own teams.
What Makes Kris Different?
• Experience improving workplace culture as a company CEO
• Founder of Choose People and author of Culture Works: How to Create Happiness in the Workplace
• Research-informed tools for strengthening employee experience
• Interactive presentations that invite people to apply the ideas
• Practical approaches to difficult conversations, trust, and teamwork
Why Is Kris Right for Your Audience?
Kris is a strong fit for leadership conferences, HR events, employee gatherings, and team meetings. She is especially valuable when people want to improve culture but need a clearer picture of what to do differently on Monday morning.
Book Kris when your audience needs to:
• Strengthen trust and camaraderie at work
• Address conflict directly and constructively
• Reduce divisions between teams or departments
• Support employees facing change or burnout
• Make accountability feel shared and constructive
• Build a workplace where people feel their work matters
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Better able to identify behaviors that strengthen workplace culture
• Equipped to approach difficult conversations with care and candor
• Ready to create more connection across team boundaries
• Clearer on how leaders can support shared ownership
• Motivated to take practical steps toward a healthier work experience
Keynote Programs
Social Super Glue
Kris explores how kindness, connection, and shared identity encourage people to collaborate and support one another. Ideal for organizations seeking a more cohesive culture and stronger employee commitment.
Freedom from Funkytown
Kris gives audiences a framework for raising concerns and resolving conflict with communication that is kind, candid, and constructive. Ideal for teams that want less workplace drama and more trust.
Beat Burnout & Renew Vitality
Kris helps audiences examine patterns of overwhelm and find ways to regain energy and enjoyment in their work. Ideal for teams under sustained pressure.
Real Deal Change Management
Kris addresses the human side of change, helping audiences understand resistance, expand their comfort zones, and take part in what comes next. Ideal for organizations navigating a transition.
Break Down Silos & Build Up Trust
Kris helps colleagues recognize how their work depends on one another and build a stronger sense of shared responsibility. Ideal for cross-functional teams and organization-wide meetings.
Why Contact The Sweeney Agency Now?
Tell us what is getting in the way of a stronger culture: conflict, silos, burnout, or change. We can help choose the most relevant program, discuss the format, and confirm Kris’s availability and current fee.
Is Kris Right for Your Event?
Tell us about your audience, the culture you want to create, and the behaviors you want to see afterward. We’ll help you assess Kris’s fit and plan the next step.
To check availability and fee of this speaker, call 1-866-727-7555 or email [email protected]

Book Your Next Great Speaker in 5 Easy Steps
5 Tips to Book your Next Great Speaker
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Did last year's speaker knock your socks off? Not sure where to go next? Let our team of experienced professionals help you find your next great speaker. 
Here's a quick guide to help you get started:
Find A Theme
Decide on a theme or topic for your event.
Going through a period of transition? Looking to shake up your creative? Building trust within your teams? We have great speakers on all of those topics.
Having trouble? Check out our IDEA GENERATOR for inspiration.

Get in Touch
Get in touch with your Event Date & Theme.
We will ask you some key questions to find the perfect speaker for your live or virtual event.
We pride ourselves on our personal touch. We are small team of dedicated professionals with over 20 years experience. When you call us, you speak to us directly... and quickly.
 
 
Shortlist
By now, we have a great idea of what you are looking for and will send you a shortlist of exceptional speakers.
Each speaker will be vetted with YOUR event in mind, along with our personal thoughts on how that speaker can inspire your attendees.
Let's talk

From the shortlist, you've narrowed it down to two great speakers. Let's discuss your needs to help make the final decision.
With over 20 years experience, you can trust us to provide all of the information you need to choose the right speaker.
We work with you to find the best format for your presentation, including live streams, Q&A sessions and even follow up programs to ensure maximum engagement for your key stakeholders.
The Details
We will facilitate a call with your leadership team & our speaker to do a deep dive into your business to make sure their presentation really hits home.
As trusted experts, you can rest easy knowing our experience will guide you every step of the way.
get in touch
Get in touch to book your next great speaker.

Peter Bregman
Best-selling Author and Top-ranked Global Speaker on Leadership & Personal Growth
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• Peter teaches leaders how to lead with emotional courage by increasing their confidence, ability to connect with others and embrace change

• Audiences leave with the tools to engage on with their teams on an emotional level to guide change and support performance

• Peter is an author and contributor to more than 16 books, and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Business Week, Forbes, Fast Company and The Financial Times

• Past clients include: Allianz, American Express, Brunswick Group, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, FEI, GE Capital, Merck, Clear Channel, Nike, and UNICEF
Peter Bregman is recognized as the #1 executive coach in the world by Leading Global Coaches. Peter coaches CEOs and senior leaders in many of the world’s premier organizations. Having started his career teaching leadership on wilderness and mountaineering expeditions, Peter is CEO of Bregman Partners - an executive coaching company that helps successful people become exceptional leaders and stellar human beings.
Peter is ranked as a top 30 thought leader by Thinkers 50 Radar - and selected as one of the top 8 thought leaders in leadership. He is the award-winning, best-selling author and contributor of 16 books - including, most recently, Leading with Emotional Courage: How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability, and Inspire Action on Your Most Important Work. His book, 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done, was a Wall Street Journal best-seller, winner of the Gold medal from the Axiom Business Book awards, named the best business book of the year by NPR - and selected by Publisher’s Weekly and the New York Post as a top ten business book. He is also the author of Four Seconds: All the Time You Need to Replace Counter-Productive Habits with Ones That Really Work, a New York Post "Top Pick for Your Career" in 2015, and Point B: A Short Guide to Leading a Big Change.
Peter is the host of the Bregman Leadership Podcast, which offers insightful conversations with industry thought leaders - on how to become more powerful, courageous leaders. He is also a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and his articles and commentary appear frequently in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, The Financial Times , PBS, ABC, CNN, NPR, and FOX Business News.
Peter created and leads the Bregman Leadership Intensive, a four-day program that transforms the way people lead - by increasing their confidence in themselves, their ability to connect with others, their commitment to what’s most important, and their emotional courage.
Peter designed the Bregman Partners proven, proprietary Big Arrow process - to align people to work together to accomplish an organization’s most important work. The Bregman Arrow Measurement tool (BAM)©tm - quantifies the leadership and organizational gaps that block successful execution.
He has implemented his proprietary solutions with CEOs and senior leaders in many of the world’s premier organizations, including Allianz, American Express, Brunswick Group, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, FEI, GE Capital, Merck, Clear Channel, Nike, UNICEF, among others.
Peter earned his B.A. from Princeton University and his M.B.A. from Columbia University.

Blake Brewer
Founder of Legacy Letter Challenge, Inspiring Speaker
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Blake Brewer is a visionary leader and founder of Legacy Letter Challenge, an organization with a mission to help 1 million people write at least one Legacy Letter.
Blake's powerful story and mission have touched the hearts of many, and he continues to share it with organizations, businesses, and communities across the country. Most recently, he was featured on the "Dads Got This" segment on NBC's Today Show.

Kevin Brown
Marketing Executive and Speaker on Accountability & Leadership
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Kevin Brown: Creator of The Hero Effect® | Bestselling Author | Speaker on Leadership and Customer Experience
Why Book Kevin Brown?
Kevin brings the message to life through stories and business experience. As part of the leadership team that helped grow SERVPRO into a major franchise brand, he saw how culture, customer loyalty, and individual commitment work together. His keynotes give audiences a memorable reason to show up at their best when it matters most.
Why Is Kevin Brown Right for Your Audience?
Kevin is a strong fit for leadership conferences, franchise meetings, sales kickoffs, customer service events, and company gatherings. He is especially valuable when an organization wants employees at every level to feel responsible for the experience they create for customers and colleagues.
Book Kevin when your audience needs to:
• Take greater ownership of daily actions and results
• Strengthen customer relationships through personal service
• Build a culture where people look for ways to help
• Connect individual purpose with organizational goals
• Turn stated values into visible behavior
• Leave energized and ready to make a positive difference
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Clearer on how small actions shape a customer’s experience
• Ready to take responsibility for the moments they can influence
• More aware of the difference between meeting expectations and exceeding them
• Equipped to build stronger relationships with customers and teammates
• Motivated to follow through on what they say matters
Keynote Programs
The Hero Effect®: Being Your Best When It Matters the Most
Kevin’s signature keynote shows how people in any role can create meaningful moments for those they serve and work beside. Ideal for broad employee, sales, and customer experience audiences.
The Hero Effect® for Leaders: Creating a Culture of Extraordinary
Kevin focuses his message on leaders who want to help people perform at their best. Drawing on his executive experience, he explores how to build commitment, connect personal and organizational goals, and develop others. Ideal for management and leadership events.
If It Matters, Prove It!™
Kevin challenges teams to close the gap between good intentions and consistent action. Ideal for audiences that need stronger accountability, follow-through, and visible progress toward their goals.
Is Kevin Brown Right for Your Event?
Tell us about your audience, the experience you want people to create, and what you want them to do differently after the event. We can help select Kevin’s most relevant program, discuss customization, and confirm his availability and fee.
Contact The Sweeney Agency 1-866-727-7555 or [email protected] for more information on this speaker.

Marcus Buckingham
Global Expert in Leadership, Management, Strengths-based Talent Development & Reinventing an Organization
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• Marcus talks about how managers can create environments in which individuals thrive, discover their talents and use their best selves daily.

• Audiences learn the four key demands a manager must fulfill in order to provide the kind of environment that enables people to achieve peak performance on a regular basis.

• Marcus Buckingham is the author of more than 10 books and is the author of two of the best-selling business books of all time. He is the co-creator of the StrengthsFinder tool, and CEO and found of The Marcus Buckingham Company.

• Past clients include: Toyota, Facebook, lululemon, Coca-Cola, Box, Master Foods, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, and Disney.
Marcus Buckingham has dedicated his career to addressing the complex issue of a workplace ruled by efficiency and competency - and where personal strengths fit in. Using his nearly two decades of experience as a Senior Researcher at Gallup Organization, he has challenged entrenched preconceptions about achievement to get to the core of what drives success. As a speaker, Buckingham offers important insights into maximizing strengths, understanding the crucial differences between leadership and management, and fulfilling the quest for long-lasting personal satisfaction in work and in life.
The definitive treatment of strengths in the workplace can be found in Buckingham's best-selling books: First, Break All the Rules (co-authored with Curt Coffman); Now, Discover Your Strengths (co-authored with Donald O. Clifton); The One Thing You Need to Know; Go Put Your Strengths to Work; The Truth about You and Find Your Strongest Life. His latest book Nine Lies about Work: A Freethinking Leader's Guide to the Real World (co-authored with Ashley Goodall) speaks about how the time has come for a manifesto for truth and change at work - and reveals the unimpeachable data about how humans actually work.
A recent project and best-seller listed on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, StandOut, is a book and strengths assessment combination that uses new research methodology to reveal your top two strength roles - your areas of comparative advantage. StandOut goes beyond description to give people practical innovations that fit their strengths and provide managers with quick insights on how to get the best from each of their team members.
The goal is to move companies toward greater success and productivity by creating a workplace culture in which employees spend more than 75% of each day on the job using their strongest skills and engaged in their favorite tasks, basically doing exactly what they want to do. Companies that focus on cultivating employees' strengths rather than simply improving their weaknesses stand to dramatically increase efficiency while allowing for maximum personal growth. If such a theory sounds revolutionary, that's because it is. Buckingham calls it the strengths revolution - and he founded The Marcus Buckingham Company (TMBC) in 2005 to help jump-start a worldwide conversation about how to get people focused on their strengths.
As he addresses more than 250,000 people around the globe each year, Buckingham touts this strengths revolution as the key to finding the most effective route to personal achievement and the missing link to the efficiency, competence, and high performance for which companies constantly strive. He challenges conventional wisdom and shows the correlation between engaged employees and business fundamentals such as turnover rates, customer satisfaction, profits and productivity.
In his role as an author, independent consultant and speaker, Marcus Buckingham has been the subject of in-depth profiles in The New York Times, Fortune, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show, and is routinely lauded by such corporations as Toyota, Coca-Cola, Master Foods, Wells Fargo, Microsoft and Disney - as an invaluable resource in informing, challenging, mentoring and inspiring people to find their strengths and sustain long-lasting personal success.
Marcus Buckingham graduated from Cambridge University in 1987 with a master's degree in social and political science.

Michael C. Bush
CEO of Great Place to Work, Entrepreneur, Investor, Former member of President Obama’s White House Business Council
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Michael C. Bush is a global chief executive with over 25 years of experience leading small and mid-sized organizations through transformational growth. Driven by a love of business and an unwavering commitment to fair and equitable treatment, in 2015 Michael acquired ownership and currently serves as global CEO of Great Place to Work® headquartered in Oakland, California with operations in more than 60 countries worldwide. Great Place to Work® is a global people analytics and consulting firm that helps companies of all sizes produce better business results by focusing on the work experience for every employee. Through certification programs, Great Place to Work® recognizes outstanding workplaces and produces Fortune’s annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, the World’s Best Workplaces™ list, the 100 Best Workplaces for Women™ list, the Best Workplaces for Diversity™ list and dozens of other distinguished workplace rankings around the world.
Originally hired to help the founder of Great Place to Work® exit the business, Michael accomplished this successful exit and within six months of taking control set an aggressive new course for the business and brand. This new, market-shifting course began with setting a clear mission for the company: to build a better world by helping every organization become a Great Place to Work For All™ by the year 2030. Re-building the business out of virtual bankruptcy, he created a valuable new set of algorithms and globally launched a new methodology known as “Great Place to Work For All™.” This bold move expanded the market for employee surveys to improve business performance and productivity from employee surveys only for the sake of employer branding. This new For All™ methodology analytically captured renewed interest in the business value that diversity and inclusion bring to innovation. A new SaaS product, “Emprising™” was born in 2018 to enable Michael’s vision for the market shift and transformation of Great Place to Work®’s financial trajectory. Emprising’s remarkably rapid customer adoption rate has resulted in a 15% annual revenue increase with the entire business currently exceeding 100 million dollars annually with EBITDA of 25%.
In addition to the book Michael Bush authored “A Great Place to Work For All™” (2018, publisher Berrett-Koehler), he is a sought after keynoter and regular contributor to Fortune and has been featured along with Great Place to Work® in numerous publications including Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., ThriveGlobal, Chief Executive Magazine, Huffington Post, CNBC, and TED.
Prior to his current role, from 2003 to 2015, Michael led private equity backed turn-arounds. In two different businesses he became the CEO and managed both exits that substantially rewarded all investors and stakeholders. In addition, Michael founded an online training platform for small business entrepreneurs that led to him becoming a member of President Obama’s White House Business Council where he focused on Inner City Job creation.
During this time, 2002-2012, Michael served on the Board of Inner City Advisors – a non-profit helping small business create jobs and pay a living wage. He also founded the non-profit private equity firm Fund Good Jobs in 2012. This fund provides capital to small business who cannot attract capital from the traditional sources.
From 1996 to 2003, Michael spent one year as the COO of Whalen and Company a global telecommunications project management firm that was purchased in 1997 by Tetra Tech Communications. Following that acquisition, Michael was promoted to CEO of Tetra Tech Communications, where revenues grew from 40 million dollars annually to 300 million, until 2003.
Michael was a member of the Board of Directors at Workday, Inc. until September 2021 when Great Place to Work was acquired by UKG, Inc.
Michael Bush received his MS in Management from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in 1994. Michael is a student and teacher of business having taught Entrepreneurship at Stanford University and Mills College from 2003 to 2015.

Conference Plans Changed?
How to Plan a Great Virtual Event
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Click Here to Receive Your Customized List of Speaker Ideas
Virtual Events can:
1. Reach a wider audience
2. Offer a great experience at a much lower cost
3. Create long term impact with recorded elements that allow for content to be watched over a period of time
4. Have an increased impact over time, as viewers re-watch, discuss and connect over social media and other channels
And, most importantly: offer the ability for inspiring and impactful presentations to connect in a one-on-one way, directly to the attendee.
WHO is your audience?
Who are your virtual event attendees? Are they across a specific group within your organization, or are you serving clients across a wide range of levels? Determining who you are speaking to will help you determine a format for your event that will captivate your audience.
WHAT is your key message?
Are you focusing on change? Innovation? Leadership?
Creating a single focus or mission will allow you to hone in on the type of speaker(s) you need to engage your audience and help event producers to format the event into a dynamic program that balances inspiration with information and audience interaction.
WHAT type of event suits your audience?
• Virtual Conference
• Webinar
• Hybrid Event
Virtual event technology has come a long way over the last few months, offering a huge range of different options from pre-recorded webinars, to multi-day virtual conferences, to hybrid events with some attendees in the audience while the event is live streamed.
OUR ADVICE
A COMBINATION of live and pre-recorded elements will allow your virtual event to run smoothly and stay on time.
Many of our clients are also opting for multi-day virtual conferences with shorter segments spaced over a few days.
This allows some flexibility for attendees in different time zones and accommodates different teleworking situations for attendees, allowing them to tune in when it is convenient.
WHERE? It’s all about Tech.
Virtual meeting technology has exploded over the last few months as teleworking became the norm.
Consider your needs:
• Interactive elements like breakout rooms, polls & Q&A
• Seamless blend of live & pre-recorded elements
• Ability to replay segments
• Live tech support
If you plan for rain, it’s likely the sun will shine…
Tech isn’t perfect so don’t forget to test, rehearse and have a back up plan ready to go for your virtual event.
Pro Tip: Think of a virtual presentation like a podcast. Viewers can view the content multiple times and refer back to it.
  WHEN? A Date… or Dates?
As we have all noticed, our attention spans for meeting in real life versus meeting online are a lot longer.
When deciding on a date, consider spreading your virtual event out over a few days, with a variety of speakers, interactive elements and information.
The benefits of a multi-day format:
• Viewers watch content fresh for a short period every day
• Allows attendees in different time zones to stay on top of the content
• Attendees can review & re-engage with content
Virtual Event Checklist:
Is your event?
• Interactive?
• Informative?
• Able to be rewatched?
WHY? Pandemic 2020
Just because you are online instead of in person, it doesn’t mean you are missing out on connection.
Using the technology that we have become so accustomed to over the last few months, our keynote speakers have the ability to connect to your viewers one-on-one, in a way that was impossible in live events.
FIND YOUR WHY…
What do you want the audience to leave thinking at the end of the presentation?
Apply this question to all the presentations and segments in your event to create a cohesive, impactful virtual event.
  HOW? Virtual Event Checklist
To wrap it all up
• TECH: Find the right tech platform & don’t forget to test drive before your event
• AGENDA: Use a mix of live and pre-recorded segments, mixed with interactive elements, to ensure a smooth flow of events & audience engagement
• ANTICIPATION: Build up your event with emails, teasers and sneak peeks into what content will be offered
• NETWORKING: Create and encourage online chat functions, an event specific hashtag or even a dedicated event page to allow attendees to network virtually. Maximize the networking opportunities offered by your tech platform.
• EXTEND YOUR IMPACT: A dedicated social media page is a great place for attendees to connect after an event to discuss ideas and implement some of the learnings from the event.
Offer a password protected, limited time recording of keynote presentations to continue the conversation long after the virtual event has ended.
Continue the conversation with post-event touch points like emails or questions based on the key presentations.
To find a GREAT Speaker for your Virtual event, get in touch.

Stephen M. R. Covey
Compelling speaker and advisor on trust, leadership, ethics, and high performance, author of groundbreaking The Speed of Trust.
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Stephen M. R. Covey is a cofounder of FranklinCovey's Global Speed of Trust Practice and CoveyLink. A sought-after and compelling keynote speaker and advisor on trust, leadership, ethics, and high performance, he speaks to audiences around the world. He is the New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The SPEED of Trust, a groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting book that challenges our age-old assumption that trust is merely a soft, social virtue and instead demonstrates that trust is a hard-edged, economic driver. He and business partner Greg Link recently co-authored Smart Trust: The Defining Skill that Transforms Managers into Leaders, which shares enlightening principles and anecdotes of people and organization that are achieving unprecedented success from high-trust relationships and cultures. Stephen advocates that the ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders is the critical leadership competency of the new global economy. He passionately delivers this message and is dedicated to enabling individuals and organizations to reap the dividends of high trust throughout the world. Audiences and organizations alike resonate with his informed, practical approach to real-time issues that affect their immediate and long-term performance.
He is the former CEO of Covey Leadership Center, which, under his stewardship, became the largest leadership development company in the world. Covey personally led the strategy that propelled his father's book, Dr. Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine. A Harvard MBA, he joined Covey Leadership Center as a Client Developer and later became National Sales Manager and then President & CEO.
Under Covey's direction, the company grew rapidly and profitably, achieving Inc. 500 status. As President & CEO, he nearly doubled revenues to over $110 million while increasing profits by 12 times. During that period, both customer and employee trust reached new highs and the company expanded throughout the world into over 40 countries. This greatly increased the value of the brand and company. The company was valued at only $2.4 million when Covey was named CEO, and, within three years, he grew shareholder value to $160 million in a merger he orchestrated with then Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey.
Over the years, Covey has gained considerable respect and influence with executives and leaders of Fortune 500 companies as well as with mid- and small-sized private sector and public sector organizations he's consulted. Clients recognize his unique perspective on real-world organizational issues based on his practical experience as a former CEO.
Covey currently serves on the board/advisory board of several entities, including the Human Performance Institute - the leader in energy management technology - where he serves as Advisory Board Chairman.
Covey resides with his wife and children in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains.

Dr. Daniel Crosby
President of IncBlot Organizational Psychology, Speaks on Leadership, Organizational Development, and Behavioral Finance
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Dr. Amy Cuddy
Social Psychologist, Award-Winning Harvard Lecturer, and Bestselling Author
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Dr. Amy Cuddy is a social psychologist, bestselling author, and keynote speaker. Her writing, research, teaching, and speaking focus on presence and performance under stress, the causes and outcomes of feeling powerful vs. powerless, prejudice and stereotyping, nonverbal behavior, the delicate balance of projecting trustworthiness and strength, and most recently, the psychology of bullying, bystanding, and social bravery.
After earning her Ph.D. at Princeton University, she was a professor at Harvard Business School (2008-2017) and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (2006-2008). Throughout her academic career, she’s been honored with some of the highest commendations for both her teaching and her research, including the Excellence in Teaching Award from Harvard University (2018) and the Scientific Impact Award from the Society for Experimental Social Psychology (2022) for her extensive research on intergroup conflict. She continues to teach as a guest lecturer in Executive Education at Harvard Business School and at UCLAAnderson School of Management.
Her 2012 TED Talk, “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are,” is the second-most popular of all time, with more than 70 million views. Her NYT bestseller, Presence, described in the NYT Sunday Book Review as “…concrete and inspiring, simple but ambitious - above all, truly powerful,” has sold more than half a million copies and been published in 35 languages. In 2025, she will publish her next book, Bullies, Bystanders, & Bravehearts (HarperCollins), on the psychology of bullying among adults — and how we find the courage and tools to stop it. She’s also an avid roller skater and skier, live-music lover (actually, a devoted Deadhead!), adventuring partner to her husband Paul, and hype mom to her son, Jonah, a guitarist, producer, songwriter, and student at Berklee College of Music. She lives in Venice, California.

Pandit Dasa
Mindful Leadership Expert, Motivational Speaker and Author
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• Mindful Leadership Expert, Motivational Speaker

• Talks about: Creating a Mindful and Positive Workplace Culture

• Author of the memoir, Urban Monk

• Past clients include: Google, Citibank, IBM, State Farm, SAP, Intel, WeWork, Novartis, Comcast, JPMorgan Chase
Pandit Dasa is a keynote speaker on leadership, organizational culture, and navigating change with resilience and clarity. A former monk of 15 years and accomplished author, he has advised Fortune 500 companies and some of the world’s most recognized organizations on strengthening performance without compromising well-being.
In an era of constant transition, Pandit helps leaders shape cultures that remain steady under pressure. His keynotes and workshops provide practical tools to reduce stress, strengthen trust, and sustain engagement — especially in hybrid and high-demand environments. He addresses challenges such as retention, disengagement, and workplace burnout by showing how culture forms daily through behavior, communication, and example.
Pandit challenges leaders and teams to model composure, practice intentional appreciation, and build environments rooted in accountability and collaboration. Drawing from his transformative 15-year monastic experience in New York City, he offers rare insight into focus, emotional regulation, and leading through change with credibility and calm.
He has spoken to organizations including Google, NASA, London Stock Exchange, U.S. Navy, Citi, IBM, Toyota, AT&T, State Farm, Federal Reserve Bank, Kellogg’s, HP, ADP, Nationwide, Whirlpool, Pinterest, SAP, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, AMC Theatres, Intel, Royal Bank of Canada, AMC Networks, Novartis, Comcast, JPMorgan Chase, The World Bank, World Government Summit, SHRM, Oracle, and many others.
Click Here to Watch Pandit's Virtual Presentation

Dr. Susan David
Renowned Psychologist, and Expert on Emotions, Happiness, and Achievement.
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Susan David, Ph.D. is one of the world’s leading management thinkers and an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist. Her focus is on defining and executing effective strategy, especially in the areas of engagement, high-performance leadership, and culture change. Susan's new #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Emotional Agility - Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life based on the concept Harvard Business Review heralded as a Management Idea of the Year and winner of the Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award, describes the psychological skills critical to thriving in times of complexity and change. Susan’s TED Talk on the topic went viral with over 1 million views in its first week of release.
She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and guest on national radio and television. Named on the Thinkers50 global list of the top management thinkers, Susan is a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant, with clients that include the World Economic Forum, EY, United Nations, Google, Microsoft, NASDAQ, and many other national and multinational organizations.
Susan is the CEO of Evidence Based Psychology, a boutique business consultancy, is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, a Co-founder of the Institute of Coaching (a Harvard Medical School/McLean affiliate), and on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Thrive Global and Virgin Pulse. Susan lives outside of Boston with her family.

Alisha De Lorenzo
Human Connection Expert, High Performance Coach, and Positive Disruptor
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Over 15 years ago, working in public education, Alisha De Lorenzo was charged with helping her failing school district improve culture and performance. A challenge that would pave the way for her to guide industries, organizations and individuals to solve seemingly intractable problems through a deceptively simple approach - Positive Deviance, which stands on one belief, in every organization there are people whose outlier practices are generating remarkable outcomes despite facing the same barriers and obstacles as everyone else. With their innovative ways living outside of the conditioned, cultural norms of the community, their solutions remain hidden in plain sight.
After years of experiencing burnout and the isolation that comes from challenging conventional thinking, Alisha recalls the feelings of hope and aliveness that came from being given the agency to discover and scale the solutions that mattered most. This changed EVERYTHING about how she viewed problems, their solutions and how to engage people in a way that brings them alive.
While Alisha’s efforts went on to transform the system of education across NJ, her influence began to spread across industries. In 2019 she was invited to speak to corporate audiences to help address the toxic work cultures, escalating mental health issues, disengagement, siloed innovation, resistance to change and ineffective leadership strategies that were plaguing companies.
Leaning on more than 20 years of combined experience as a speaker, high-performance coach, educator and therapist, Alisha shares a proven framework to help leaders uncover and scale positive disruption.
Her riveting keynote speeches and workshops provide the tools and frameworks to help teams infuse aliveness back into their work, revolutionize corporate culture and amplify the solutions.

Dr. Ken Dychtwald
Futurist, Best-Selling Author, Entrepreneur, Psychologist, Gerontologist and Recognized Speaker on the Aging Population.
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Over the past 40+ years, Dr. Ken Dychtwald has emerged as North America’s foremost visionary and original thinker regarding the lifestyle, marketing, health care, economic and workforce implications of the age wave.
Ken is a psychologist, gerontologist, and best-selling author of 18 books on aging-related issues, including Bodymind, Age Wave: The Challenges and Opportunities of an Aging Society, Age Power: How the 21st Century Will Be Ruled by the New Old, Healthy Aging, Gideon’s Dream: A Tale of New Beginnings, A New Purpose: Redefining Money, Family, Work, Retirement, and Success and What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life’s Third Age (an Amazon #1 bestseller in both the retirement and business marketing categories). He also released a memoir in April 2021: Radical Curiosity: One Man’s Search for Cosmic Magic and a Purposeful Life (an Amazon #1 New Release in the psychologist biographies category). He was the executive producer and host of the highly rated/acclaimed PBS documentary, The Boomer Century: 1946–2046 which aired over 2,000 times on PBS stations nationwide and his new Public Television special is titled Life’s Third Age. Ken also conceived and hosted the innovative new American Society on Aging series “The Legacy Interviews,” featuring interviews with the legendary pathfinders of the field of aging.
Since 1986, Ken has been the Founder and CEO of Age Wave, an acclaimed think tank and consultancy focused on the social and business implications and opportunities of global aging and rising longevity. His client list has included over half the Fortune 500. He has served as a fellow of the World Economic Forum and was a featured speaker at two White House Conferences on Aging. Ken has twice received the distinguished American Society on Aging Award for outstanding national leadership, and American Demographics honored him as the single most influential marketer to baby boomers over the past quarter century. His article in the Harvard Business Review, “It’s Time to Retire Retirement,” was awarded the prestigious McKinsey Award, tying for first place with the legendary Peter Drucker. He was honored by Investment Advisor as one of the 35 most influential thought leaders in the financial services industry over the past 35 years. Ken and his wife, Maddy, recently received the Esalen Prize for their outstanding contributions to advancing the human potential of aging men and women worldwide. In 2018 he was awarded the Inspire Award from in the International Council on Active Aging for his exceptional and lasting contributions to the active-aging industry and for his efforts to make a difference in the lives of older adults globally. In 2020, he was the first recipient of the Pioneer Award from the Retirement Coaches Association.
During his career, Ken has addressed more than two million people worldwide in his speeches to corporate, association, social service, and government groups. His strikingly accurate predictions and innovative ideas are regularly featured in leading print and electronic media worldwide and have garnered nearly fifteen billion media impressions.

Maddy Dychtwald
Speaker on Generational Marketing Trends, Co-founder and Senior VP of Age Wave
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Maddy Dychtwald is a national bestselling author and Co-Founder and President of Age Wave, the world’s leader in understanding the social, lifestyle, and economic implications of longevity. For decades, she has been a pioneering voice in aging and longevity—bringing both a seasoned perspective and a forward-looking lens to how longer lives are reshaping our world.
Recognized by Forbes as one of the top fifty female futurists globally, she is the author of four books, including the national bestseller Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan, which is being published in 12 languages, and the award-winning Influence: How Women’s Soaring Economic Power Will Transform Our World for the Better. Her work blends breakthrough science with real-world insights to help individuals and organizations thrive in a longer-lived, more chaotic world.
Through Age Wave, Maddy has partnered with almost half of the Fortune 500 in industries ranging from healthcare and medical technology to financial services and consumer products.
With women at the forefront of the longevity revolution, Maddy has dug deep into their specific longevity-related wants, needs, challenges, and opportunities. As a thought leader and researcher, she has led numerous acclaimed studies, including the landmark Women, Money and Power sponsored by Allianz and Women and Financial Wellness: Beyond the Bottom Line for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In addition, she has been involved in more than 25 thought leadership research studies worldwide on longevity, aging, retirement, health and wellness, family and social connections, purpose, caregiving, finances, and leisure, which have garnered over twenty billion media impressions.
As a member of The Wall Street Journal’s Expert Panel, her insights on leadership, longevity, and wealth management have ranked among their most-read lists. Her expertise has been featured in prominent media outlets, including Fortune. Forbes, LA Times, Newsweek, Time, CNBC, NPR and more.

Meridith Elliott Powell
Award-winning Author, Keynote Speaker and Business Growth, Sales & Leadership Expert
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Meridith Elliott Powell: Hall of Fame Speaker | Business Growth Strategist | Speaker on Change, Sales, and Leadership
Why Book Meridith Elliott Powell?
Meridith brings energy, audience interaction, and a practical plan to her presentations. She shows leaders how to develop people who think for themselves, take ownership, and spot opportunities as conditions change. For sales teams, she connects that same approach to winning customers in a shifting marketplace.
Why Is Meridith Elliott Powell Right for Your Audience?
Meridith is a strong fit for leadership conferences, sales kickoffs, executive meetings, and company events. She is especially valuable when an organization needs to keep growing while its customers, workforce, or competitive landscape changes.
Book Meridith when your audience needs to:
• Respond to uncertainty with greater confidence
• Find opportunities during disruption
• Build accountability throughout the organization
• Develop the next generation of leaders
• Adapt sales strategies to changing buyer expectations
• Leave with a plan they can put into action
Audience Takeaways
Attendees will leave:
• Better able to identify where uncertainty creates opportunity
• Ready to give team members more ownership and room to contribute
• Clearer on how to stay focused while adapting their approach
• Equipped with ideas for building a stronger leadership pipeline
• Motivated to take a specific action that supports growth
Keynote Programs
THRIVE: Turn Uncertainty To Your Competitive Advantage
Meridith shares research, business stories, and a practical method for finding opportunity in changing conditions. She helps audiences stay flexible, focus on what matters, and create a personal plan for moving forward. Ideal for leadership conferences and organizations navigating disruption.
Sales Redefined: Dominate, Differentiate, Deliver
Meridith shows sales teams how to adjust when customer expectations and buying decisions change. She explores ways to reach decision-makers, build credibility, ask better questions, and give customers a clear reason to choose them. Ideal for sales kickoffs and client-facing teams.
Succession Planning Redefined: Closing The Succession Gap
Meridith challenges leaders to develop talent throughout the organization, including managers, sales professionals, and people in critical specialist roles. She offers practical ways to build a stronger bench before a key departure creates a crisis. Ideal for executive and leadership meetings.
Is Meridith Elliott Powell Right for Your Event?
Tell us whether your priority is navigating uncertainty, growing sales, or developing future leaders. We can help select Meridith’s most relevant program, discuss the event format, and confirm her availability and fee.
Contact The Sweeney Agency at 1-866-727-7555 or [email protected] for more information on this speaker.

Chester Elton
Best-selling Author, Keynote Speaker on Developing an All-In Culture & Engaging your People
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Chester Elton delivers results when he asks "how do today’s best leaders accelerate business results?" By engaging their employees to execute on strategy, vision, and values. Chester has spent two decades helping clients engage their employees in organizational strategy, vision and values. In his inspiring and always entertaining talks, Elton provides real solutions for leaders looking to build culture, manage change and drive innovation. His work is supported by research with more than a million working adults across the globe, revealing the proven secrets behind high performance cultures and teams.
Elton is co-founder of The Culture Works, a global training company, and author of multiple award winning, #1 New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-sellers, All In; The Carrot Principle and Leading with Gratitude. His books have been translated into 30 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies. Leading with Gratitude is Elton's newest book (from HarperCollins, released March 2020) - which addresses results from a survey of 1 million people to understand employee engagement & talent retention.
He has been called “fascinating” by Fortune and “creative and refreshing” by the New York Times. Elton has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS 60 Minutes, and is often quoted in Fast Company, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal.
In 2019, Global Gurus research organization ranked Chester #11 among the world’s top leadership experts and #8 among the world’s top organizational culture experts. The Employee Engagement Awards 2019 named him a Top 101 Global Employee Engagement Influencer; and Engagedly named him Top HR Influencer of 2019.
He is a member of Marshall Goldsmith’s #MG100 Global Coaches, member of the Fast Company Impact Council, and serves as a board member for Camp Corral, a non-profit for the children of wounded and fallen military heroes.
Some of Elton’s clients include globally recognized organizations, GE, Hard Rock Café, and Novartis. And as an executive coach, he has helped high potential leaders at American Express and The World Bank.
Click Here to Watch Chester's Virtual Presentation
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