Diversity
The Sweeney Agency can help you find the right Speaker on Diversity for your event. Please tell us about your event objectives, your audience dynamics, and your expected outcomes. We can then use your input to do the research to provide you with list of great Speaker ideas that meet your criteria. We will work closely with the Diversity speaker you choose, to make sure they deliver a customized presentation that informs, inspires, and entertains.
Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour
America’s First Black Female Combat Pilot, Former Marine & Cop, Author and Consultant to Business
About
America’s First Black Female Combat Pilot, Former Marine & Cop
Created a “Zero to Breakthrough Mentality” to ensure success in business and in life
Frequently featured on Oprah Winfrey, CNN, Tavis Smiley, and NPR among others
Motivates, inspires, and energizes audiences to see obstacles as opportunities and conquer them at full speed
Past clients include: Accenture, American Airlines, IBM, Lockheed Martin, NASCAR, Oracle, Walmart
About
A Small Man in a Big Man’s Game
To appreciate the Hero’s Journey that is JJ Birden’s life, you must first know a few important facts:
- Less than 6% of high school seniors go on to play college football
- Of the 150,000 draft-eligible college football players, only 253 (less than 1%) are selected in the NFL draft
- The average NFL career is less than 2 years
- The average NFL player is 6’2, 245 lbs.
The odds of making it to the NFL are staggering. The odds of staying in the NFL are even more amazing. The odds of doing both are the most astronomical of all when you’re undersized and play one of the sport’s most physical positions. Good thing JJ Birden never cared about the odds of success.
Despite being the #1 high school wide receiver in Oregon, JJ didn’t receive a single D1 scholarship offer. He was fast enough for sure, but at 5’9 and 133 lbs., JJ was just too small to play with the big boys. At least that’s what the naysayers thought; JJ knew he was good enough, and he set his mind to achieving the impossible. All he needed was an opportunity, no matter how small, even if it meant making his own.
After receiving a scholarship to the University of Oregon for track & field, JJ earned a walk-on spot with the football team his sophomore year. He was at the bottom of the depth chart and nowhere near seeing actual playing time on the field, but his coaches and teammates didn’t know how hard he was willing to work. It didn’t take long for them to find out: JJ became a starter the next season, his junior year.
But like all long-shot stories and underdog tales, JJ’s trials were just beginning. The remainder of his college career was plagued with injuries and unimpressive stats. Still, JJ’s speed and toughness were enough to earn him an invite to the NFL Combine, a yearly gathering of the top 300 college prospects in the nation. Unsurprising to his teammates, coaches, and fans, JJ dominated the Combine. His performance earned him the 216th pick in the 8th round of the 1988 NFL Draft. That’s when the going got really tough.
A series of injuries and failed physicals culminated in one of the darkest moments in JJ’s early career, and one of the hardest weeks imaginable for anyone: JJ was rejected by 4 NFL teams in 5 days. He could have walked away from the game and given up hope in spite of what seemed like insurmountable odds, but JJ didn’t even flinch. Instead, he did what he’s always done when faced with adversity—he found a way to win.
JJ would go on to play 9 seasons in the NFL (remember, the average career is less than a quarter of that) despite never being the biggest, strongest or most physical guy on the field. What kept JJ on the field for almost a decade wasn’t just how he played the game but rather how he approached every day like it was game day. JJ was willing to put in the work and do whatever it took to improve.
Now a motivational speaker and performance coach, JJ shares lessons from his life that help audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and professions realize the most important thing about success—it is never given, but always earned. JJ’s inspiring keynote presentations outline the principles and strategies that helped an undersized wide receiver overcome spectacular odds; the same principles and strategies that can help anyone perform at the highest levels in all walks of life.
JJ is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, husband and father. He has been married to his college sweetheart, Raina, for 30+ years and has 8 children (3 biological and 5 adopted nieces and nephews). He and his family reside in the Phoenix area.
JJ Birden is an engaging communicator, passionate presenter, and a leading authority on helping individuals seize their opportunities in life.
Eric Boles
Consultant and Speaker on Leadership, Peak Performance, and Change Management
About
Speaker on Leadership and Peak Performance
Talks about: Leading Change in the New Reality & Moving to Great
Former NFL Widereceiver for the New York Jets & Green Bay Packers
Past clients include: Dunkin’ Donuts, Nationwide Insurance, AVIVA Insurance, Alaska Airlines, State Farm Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, USAA, MetLife, Novo Nordisk
Click Here to Watch Eric's Virtual Presentation
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.
Prior to becoming an authority on high performance, Eric learned many principles of team dynamics and leadership from his experience playing in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers. While in the NFL, he had the privilege of being coached and mentored by some of the finest coaches and players in the game.
Eric is an avid sports fan, golfer and reader. He is married to his wife Cindy, and they have two daughters, Taylor and Madison.
Walter Bond
Former NBA Athlete, Author and Speaker on Mentorship, Leadership, Teamwork & Motivation
About
Speaker on Mentorship, Leadership, Teamwork & Motivation
Talks about: No One Can Stop You & The Best Team Always Wins
NBA shooting guard for the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and the Detroit Pistons & Host of Food Network’s Giving You the Business
Past clients include: Accenture, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, The Dwyer Group, Allianz, Amway, GNC, Hilton, Medtronic, UPS Store, Radio Shack, Red Robin
Walter Bond is recognized as one of the world's preeminent experts on sales, motivation, 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.
Walter's stories are rich with humour, emotions, and authentic breakthroughs. His inventive phrasing, mannerisms, body language, pacing, and wisdom exert a powerful effect on his audiences - making his message memorable for months and years to come.
Walter has impacted hundreds of thousands of people in his rapid rise to the top of the speaking industry. Through his keynotes, workshops, books and CDs - Walter teaches that when you learn to eliminate excuses, understand the power of mentorship and control your mindset - that confidence and success are possible for all who desire it.
Walter creates an experience that audiences have enjoyed worldwide - and never forget. His dynamic and compelling programs provide both the motivation and the strategies to excel in business and in life.
Book Your Next Great Speaker in 5 Easy Steps
5 Tips to Book your Next Great Speaker
About
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
Kathy Buckley
Hearing-impaired Comedienne, Inspiring and Entertaining Speaker and author.
About
Kathy Buckley is a gifted comedienne, award-winning actress, accomplished author and renowned inspirational speaker - who is a force like no other. Billed as 'America's First Hearing Impaired Comedienne', Kathy is also a five-time American Comedy Award Nominee as Best Stand-Up Female Comedienne. As an actress, she is known for her guest starring roles on shows such as Touched by an Angel, and for her critically acclaimed one woman Off-Broadway show, Don't Buck with Me/Now Hear This!. As a motivational speaker, she inspires hundreds of thousands of people around the world, sharing her story of overcoming some of the most difficult obstacles one can imagine in life - and how she met those challenges with dignity, courage, and laughter.
Kathy's book If You Could Hear What I See will have you laughing and crying as you experience the amazing story of her life. She has received thousands of letters and emails of thanks and praise, regarding both her book and her original PBS special, No Labels, No Limits! She was awarded the CINE Golden Eagle Award as the writer and executive producer of the special, and the Media Access Award for Outstanding Television Special. Her highly acclaimed autobiographical theater play, Now Hear This! had its Off-Broadway premiere at New York's Lamb's Theater - and not only brought the comic actress a legion of faithful new fans, but a wealth of critical praise from New York media.
In record time, she became one of the most popular comediennes in the country with material based on, among others things, her hearing loss. That impairment, however, is only one of the many hurdles Kathy has encountered in her life. Her poor performance in second grade landed her in a school for mentally and physically impaired children. It took school administrators, psychologists, and audiologists nearly a year to discover it was just a hearing loss - and not a lack of mental acuity that was impeding her speech and language development. Today, Kathy shakes her head as she quips to amazed audiences, '... and they called me slow?'
She was featured in the HBO Television Special, 'Women of the Night', shot on location at the U.S. Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colorado. She was included in the E! Entertainment Television Special, The World's Most Intriguing Women. Kathy was also the focus of I Can Hear the Laughter, an Emmy award-winning documentary.
About
A pioneer in the frontier of commercial space sector, former astronaut and International Space Station commander Leroy Chiao captivates audience with his amazing stories on space exploration and brings unparalleled insights on leadership, innovation and technology trends .
A veteran of four space missions and a fifteen-year career with NASA, Dr. Chiao most recently served as Commander and NASA Science Officer of Expedition 10 aboard the International Space Station. He has logged over 229 days in space – over 36 hours of which were spent in Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA, or spacewalks). From June through September 2009, he served as a member of the White House appointed Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee, and currently serves on the NASA Advisory Council.
Leroy holds appointments at Rice University and the Baylor College of Medicine, and is the special advisor for human spaceflight to the Space Foundation. He has worked extensively in both government and commercial space programs, and has held leadership positions in commercial ventures and NASA. Chiao has extensive experience as a NASA Astronaut and prior to that, as a Research Engineer. Dr. Chiao is a fellow of the Explorers Club, and a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and the Committee of 100. Chiao also serves in various capacities to further space education,
A native English speaker, Dr. Chiao also speaks Mandarin Chinese and Russian. He has flown space missions and worked closely with Russian, Japanese and European Astronauts and their affiliated space agencies. Dr. Chiao is uniquely qualified to speak about the United States, Russian, Japanese, European and Chinese Space Programs. A Space Station Commander and Space Shuttle Mission Specialist, Dr. Chiao was also a certified Co-Pilot of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He is an expert in all facets of U.S. and Russian EVA hardware and operations and is EVA certified in U.S. and Russian spacesuits, tools, and training programs. In September 2006, Chiao became the first American to visit the Astronaut Research and Training Center of China. There, he met the first two national Chinese astronauts, Yang Liwei and Fei Junlong.
Dr. Chiao studied Chemical Engineering, earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1983. He continued his studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara, earning his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in 1985 and 1987. Prior to joining NASA in 1990, he worked as a Research Engineer at Hexcel Corporation. and then at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
About
Click Here to Receive Your Customized List of Speaker Ideas
Virtual Events can:
- Reach a wider audience
- Offer a great experience at a much lower cost
- Create long term impact with recorded elements that allow for content to be watched over a period of time
- 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.
About
Click Here to Watch Pandit's Virtual Presentation
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 Workplace Culture, The Future of Work, Resilience, Mental Health and Mindfulness. He is an author and former monk who now speaks at many Fortune 500s and many of the world’s largest organizations such as Google, NASA, The London Stock Exchange, IBM, Chase, Royal Bank of Canada, Novartis, AT&T, Pfizer, Nationwide, Kellogg and many others.
His speeches and workshops aim to create a more mindful workplace culture which improves retention, addresses the challenges of “quiet quitting” and increases productivity.” He provides practical tips on how to maintain positive social connections with colleagues in a hybrid work environment.
He encourages leadership and co-workers to lead by example, prioritize self-care and appreciate the contributions of their colleagues. He provides methods by which we can enhance our communication and learn to listen to understand and not to respond. He concludes by teaching audiences breathing and focusing techniques for staying calm and managing stress in a rapidly changing world
Pandit captures the audience's attention by sharing his journey on why he spent 15 years living as a monk in New York City and why he's no longer a monk.
Dr. Sampson Davis
Inspirational Speaker, Emergency Medicine Physician, New York Times Best-selling Author, and Frequent Medical Expert on TODAY and CNN
About
Dr. Sampson Davis spends his time practicing medicine and traveling the country delivering inspirational keynote speeches with timely messages. Dr. Davis believes that it's important to give education a sense of style and fashion - to glorify and glamorize education is the key. A face must be present, a concrete image - that all individuals across America can draw inspiration from. Dr. Davis considers his 3 D’s: Dedication, Determination and Discipline - the necessary ingredients to success.
Dr. Davis was raised as the fifth of six children in Newark, one of New Jersey’s poorest cities. As a child - Dr. Davis grew up in cramped living quarters, surrounded by fragmented families, crime, and drugs. Still, he was a good student, able to strike the fragile balance between being smart - yet socially acceptable on the streets. It was this combination of skills, Dr. Davis says - that were most critical to his survival.
While attending University High School in Newark, Dr. Davis met Dr. Rameck Hunt and Dr. George Jenkins - two fellow students who together made a promise to become doctors. Dr. Davis and his two childhood friends each successfully fulfilled their pact - and today Dr. Davis is a board certified Emergency Medicine Physician.
In February 2013, Dr. Davis released his book Living & Dying in Brick City - An E.R. Doctor Returns Home. The book was reprinted in 2014 under the title Living and Dying in Brick City: Stories from the Front Lines of an Inner-City E.R. In addition to discussing Dr. Davis’ riveting experiences as an ER physician - the books also offers preventative guidance as a means of supporting healthier communities.
Dr. Davis has appeared on numerous talk and radio shows including Oprah, Dr. Oz, The Today Show, The View, PBS News Hour, Tavis Smiley and NPR - as well as print publications including but not limited to Readers Digest, O Magazine, People, Washington Post, NY Times, USA Today, Vibe and Black Enterprise.
Ms. Winfrey also delivered the highest honour - naming Dr. Davis “One of The Premiere Role Models of the World.”
Dr. Davis was honoured in 2000 with the Essence Lifetime Achievement Award - and also named one of their forty most inspirational African Americans in the country. He is the youngest physician to receive the National Medical Association’s highest honour The Scroll of Merit - and was previously honoured on the 2009 BET Awards.
Graduating with honours, Dr. Davis received his Bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University, his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School - and completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at the same hospital where he was born, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
Today, Dr. Davis is a Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physician at St. Michaels Medical Center in Newark NJ. He has been a weekly correspondent on the Tom Joyner Morning Show and a frequent guest on CNN - where he focusses on prevalent and life-changing medical topics. Dr. Davis has also co-authored New York Times best-selling books: The Bond: Three Young Men Learn to Forgive and Reconnect with Their Fathers (2008); We Beat the Street: How a Friendship Pact Led to Success (2006); The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream (2003).
In 2000 during his residency, Dr. Davis along with his best friends felt the burning need to give back to communities in need - and together created The Three Doctors Foundation. This non-profit organization offers a series of free public programs focussed upon health, education, leadership and mentoring.
Daryl Davis
About Daryl Davis – Musician, Author, Compelling Unifier, Klan Whisperer, and Award-winning Conflict Navigator
About
Click Here to Watch Daryl's Virtual Invitation
Daryl Davis is committed to helping people ignite positive change –using conversation to build bridges. His jaw-dropping experiences speak for themselves. For nearly 40 years, he’s engaged leaders of the KKK and White supremacist groups face to face to find the answer to a question: “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” That question stemmed from his first encounter with racism at age ten when he was pelted with rocks, bottles, and soda cans by a handful of White spectators while marching in aparade.
Seeking to understand, not to change minds, Daryl met their hatred with civility, patience, and listening. Those conversations spawned genuine and lasting friendships with many who changed their ownminds and disavowed hateful beliefs. Some even gave Daryl their robes and hoods when they did. As a speaker, Daryl is an extraordinary storyteller who inspires and empowers audiences with tools they can use to make better workplaces, communities, and relations with family and friends. Daryl’s work is chronicled in his book Klan-Destine Relationshipsand the documentary Accidental Courtesy. Daryl’s TEDx talk has over 12 million views.
Daryl graduated from Howard University with his Bachelor of Music Degree. He also holdsanHonorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Post University for the unique work he has done in the field of race relations. He has performed extensively with Chuck Berry, The Legendary Blues Band (formerly The Muddy Waters Blues Band), and many others. While music is his profession, improving race relations is his obsession. He is known to many as “The Rock'n'Roll Race Reconciliator.”
It started during a break between performances with a band at a bar one night. A man approached Daryl and remarked that this was the first time he had ever seen a Black man play piano like Jerry Lee Lewis. Daryl explained that both he and Lewis were influenced by Black Blues & Boogie-Woogie pianists, from which Rock'n'Roll and Rockabilly evolved. The man did not believe in the Black origin of Daryl’s piano style even after he said that Lewis was a friend who had shared this news with him. The man then shared news with Daryl –he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
This meeting, and those that followed, would lead Daryl on a journey all over America, meeting and interviewing leaders and members from KKK, neo-Nazi and Alt-Right groups at both his and their homes as well as their rallies. With his highly acclaimed, nonfiction book, Klan-Destine Relationships, Daryl become the first Black author to write a book on the Klan from in-person interviews. The award-winning documentary, Accidental Courtesy, details his journey and has been shown frequently on PBS. Daryl, who has been to 57 countries on 6 continents, is often selected by the U.S. State Department as a highly respected expert on race relations and conflict, to present programs in various countries around the world dealing with similar situations. His next book, The Klan Whisperer,is anticipated to be released in 2022.
Daryl has been doing this work since 1983 and has become the recipient of numerous Klan robes & hoods and other racist symbols, given to himby people who once hated him when they didn't even know him. Now many of them have become his friends and supporters of his work. On the other side of spectrum, for his work in bridging race relations he is the recipient of numerous awards such as the American Ethical Union's prestigious Elliott-Black Award, Carnegie-Mellon's Carl Sagan Award & Prize, Tribeca Disruption Innovation Award, MLK Award, Search for Common Ground Award, Washington Ethical Society Bridge-Builder Award, among many others. He is often sought for commentary by CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, People magazine, and many other media sources.
In Daryl’s words,“Ever since I graduated from college in 1980 with my degree in music, I’ve been a full-time musician, traveling and performing all over America and around the world. What I’ve come to find to be the greatest, most effective, and successful weapon we can use to combat ignorance, racism, hatred, and violence, is also the least expensive weapon –and the one that is least used by Americans. That weapon is called communication. We can communicate with people in space but many of us have difficulty talking to the person who lives next door because of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their religion, their orientation, their politics, etc. We are living with 21stcentury technology in Space Age times, but there are still too many of us with Stone Age minds.”
Daryl has come in closer contact with more members of the Ku Klux Klan than most White people, and certainly most Blacks, short of being on the wrong end of a rope. What's more surprising? He intentionally continues to do so because as he says, “Ignorance breeds fear. If you do not keep that fear in check, that fear will breed hatred. Becausewe hate those things that frighten us. If you do not keep that hatred in check, that hatred in turn will breed destruction because we want to destroy those things that we hate. Why? Because they frighten us.”
When he speaks, Daryl Davis’s impact on an audience is sobering yet inspirational. More than a few members in every audience remember and ask him about the fictional character in Dave Chappelle’s comedic skit in which he plays a blind Klansman who didn't know he was Black and attends Klan rallies. Daryl shares stories that would be comical, if he weren’t putting his life on the line for a purpose. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction might ever be in Daryl’s case. People will also point out how courageous Daryl was to actually turn up at Klan rallies himself. Inevitably they bring up Spike Lee’s film BlacKkKlansman. That film depicts a Black police officer who infiltrated the KKK over the telephone and would send a White subordinate officer to Klan rallies in his place to gather damning intelligence against the Klan. The difference is not lost on the audience. Daryl had his feet on the ground in the lion's den and tells the story first-hand.
Through his work, Daryl has discovered a successful method of transforming enemies into friends. His stories of his encounters with –and transformations of –White supremacists have inspired people all over the U.S. and abroad.
His audiences leave his presentations empowered to:
- Overcome Their Fears
- Confront Their Prejudices
- Recognize Similarities
- Appreciate Differences
- Navigate Diversity
- Improve Relationships with Others
- Better Their Lives While Creating a Positive Impact on Others
In addition to his career as a performing musician, Daryl is the owner of Lyrad Music, a music publishing and licensing business. He is also an actor of stage and screen and has appeared in HBO's highly acclaimed series The Wire.
About
Click Here to Watch Dr. DeVolder's Virtual Presentation
Mark DeVolder is the Change Specialist and a pioneer in the field of transition management. Unique in the industry, DeVolder is one of the few speakers who teaches leaders how to change. He is a frequent presenter at top management meetings around the world, both live and virtual … from coaching NASA rocket scientists how to re-create themselves to the cultural transformation of a $42 billion merger; from pivoting to a safety-first culture in Qatar’s oil industry to preparing Egypt’s largest company to restructure itself. Mark teaches leaders about Perpetual Pivot, the process of adapting to continuous change through reinvention, innovation and anticipation.
In addition to cutting-edge content, Mark brings high-energy, humor and audience interaction to all his presentations. He uses his skill as a master storyteller to draw people into the essence of his message. Whether live or on a virtual stage, Mark has the ability to connect deeply with people: “Mark kept us glued to our screen” and “Mark was inspiring and kept the audience charged.”
Across five continents and in over 25 countries, Mark has worked with a myriad of impressive and diverse organizations, large and small, including NASA, McDonald’s, GE, Autodesk, Coca-Cola, Marriott, Siemens, Medtronic, PepsiCo, Bristol-Myers Squibb, PWC, HILTI, Verizon, Orascom Construction and Monsanto. Mark has engaged and delighted audiences from Monaco to Dubai, from Singapore to London and from Istanbul to Barcelona.
As a researcher, consultant and author, Mark has written the multi-disciplinary book on managing change, entitled, Perpetual Pivot: How the Best Leaders Adapt to Exponential Change. His second book, Get Engaged, is a practical guide for improving employee engagement. Mark’s first publication was his doctoral dissertation which studied the elements of diversity, inclusion and teambuilding, entitled Unity in Diversity Through Synergy.
About
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About
An award-winning diversity consulting and communications speaker
Talks about: Diversity & Inclusion, Building an Inclusive Culture
Featured in Forbes, The Financial Times, Off Script, Bloomberg Media, Black Enterprise, Engage Magazine, Radioactive Radio, Take the Lead Radio
Past clients include: Discove, Samsung, Cox Communications, Wells Fargo, USAA Diversified Financial Group, Boy Scouts of America, U.S. Airforce, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, University of Oklahoma
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 through different media including Risha Talks, her online courses and in her book, That’s BS! How Bias Synapse Disrupts Inclusive Cultures and the Power to Attract Diverse Markets.
Motivated by her passion to correct societal “isms” like racism, sexism, classism and plain old stupidism, it is Risha Grant’s personal mission to expose the subtleties and values of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion while shining a light on the impacts they create. From her race, gender and lifestyle choices, to growing a small business and tackling economic, moral, and business issues, every area of her life intersects diversity.
Risha uses honest, humorous, and vulnerable storytelling to motivate audiences to embrace the inner tough work of Radical Acceptance while honoring diversity, equity, and inclusion without evoking feelings of judgement or assigning blame. Her audiences leave with shifted hearts and minds that lead them to treat others with empathy, kindness and compassion.
These audiences have included Google, Levi Strauss, Nestle Purina, Xerox, YouTube, Procter & Gamble, Discover Card Financial Services, Samsung Electronics America, Cox Communications, Wells Fargo, USAA, U.S. Airforce, U.S. Navy, Intuit, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, and Harvard University, to name a few. She’s been featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, HR News, The Financial Times, Glamour magazine UK, Off Script, Bloomberg Media, Black Enterprise, Radioactive Radio, Take the Lead Radio, The Dream Catcher podcast, Money for Life podcast, among other local, national and international media.
Risha has received numerous honors such as being named one of the Top 10 Most Powerful Women Leaders in HR by PeopleHum in 2021, 40 Top Women Keynote Speakers by Real Leaders, NBA OKC Thunder Changemaker Award and Top 100 HR Expert as well as 1 in 9 Speakers Turning Crisis into Opportunity by Entrepreneur magazine in 2020, three years consecutive Engagedly Top 100 HR Influencers in 2019, 2020 and 2021, 2018 Inclusive Leadership Award, and Entrepreneur of the Year 2017.
In her no-holds-barred style, renowned diversity and inclusion thought leader Risha Grant teaches and empowers attendees about unconscious bias, micro-aggressions and other actions that perpetuate discrimination and inequality. Audiences leave with easily applied principles for finding respect, understanding and inclusion both personally & professionally.
Jason O. Harris
U.S. Air Force Officer Special Operations Pilot, U.S.A.F. Academy Instructor, Motivating Speaker on Leadership & Teamwork
About
Click Here to Watch Josh's Virtual Presentation</h4
Jason Harris is a third-generation military member. Jason follows in the footsteps of his mother, an enlisted U.S. Army veteran and her father, a U.S. Army enlisted retiree, that served in the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War.
Jason has served continuously in the Air Force, on active duty and as a reservist, since graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 2001. He has flown multiple aircraft over the course of 11 combat deployments, having logged more than 2,000 combat hours over 470 combat missions.
Jason is a thought leader, a best-selling author, a documentary film host and an internationally qualified commercial airline pilot. He has helped organizations such as the Air Force Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development, Fortune 500 companies, startup companies, companies in transition and top universities build cultures of commitment, accountability and trust. He has also been featured as a host for a PBS/NOVA special and as an aviation expert for multiple History Channel programs.
In his spare time, Jason enjoys cooking gourmet meals at home, traveling the world with his family and showing his commitment to building trust, starting at home, by enjoying Daddy Daughter Donut Dates on Fridays! His proudest accomplishments are being a committed husband and father.
Frans Johansson
Author of The Medici Effect, speaks on Diversity and Innovation.
About
Frans Johansson is the best-selling author of The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts and Cultures (Harvard Business Press, Republished 2017). Translated into 22 languages, The Medici Effect was named one of the top 10 best business books by Amazon.com. His acclaimed follow up, The Click Moment (Penguin Portfolio, 2012), obliterates the idea that in business we can plan and strategize our way to success. Known for his provocative, high-octane delivery style, Johansson is a widely sought-after leadership speaker. His presentations cover topics such as:
- how to successfully execute innovative ideas
- leverage different perspectives in an organization to create and execute new ideas
- how to apply ideas from other industries and cultures to drive innovation, growth and profit
- why and how diversity drives innovation
In his role as thought leader and CEO of The Medici Group, Frans has advised executive leadership at Fortune 500 companies such as Disney, IBM, Nike, and Synchrony (formerly GE Financial).
Johansson has lived all his life at the intersection where ideas from different fields and cultures meet and collide. He was raised in Sweden by his African- American-Cherokee mother and Swedish father. Johansson earned his B.S. in Environmental Science from Brown University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He founded both a Boston-based software company and a medical device company operating out of Baltimore and Stockholm, Sweden. He has written articles on healthcare, information technology and the science of sport fishing and has been featured on CNN's AC360, ABC's Early Morning Show and CNBC's The Business of Innovation series along with Jack Welch and Muhammad Yunus. Frans currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the New York Hall of Science.
The Click of the Moment: Seizing Opportunity in an Unpredictable World is Johansson's latest book.
Omar Johnson
Culture, Diversity, Marketing and Branding Speaker, Former CMO at Beats by Dre, and Former VP of Marketing at Apple
About
Omar talks about how brands can use curiosity and creativity to create stand out brands that authentically connect with consumers.
Audiences leave inspired to think about branding from a new perspective that involves the consumer to drive exponential growth and sustainability.
Omar is the former Chief Marketing Officer at Beats by Dre and former VP of Marketing at Apple, and the creator of the Nike+ sports music platform, establishing Nike’s first revenue-generating relationship with record labels.
Past clients include: Nike, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods and Campbell's Soup.
As the former Chief Marketing Officer at Beats by Dre and former VP of Marketing at Apple, Omar Johnson has created strong consumer connections with the brands he’s represented. He drove explosive growth at Beats, leading groundbreaking campaigns with celebrities such as LeBron James, Chris Rock, and Eminem – helping to take a $20 million company to a $1.1 billion dollar global icon and category leader.
Johnson drove explosive growth in the headphone category through groundbreaking campaigns including #ShowYourColor Solo Campaign, Powerbeats starring LeBron James and The Pills featuring Chris Rock and Eminem. He used “ambush marketing” and influencers to expand the brand—giving athletes and musicians free headphones at private company parties—which helped turn Beats into the headphone of choice for the best musicians and athletes in the world.
Previously, Johnson led innovative marketing programs for international brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, and Campbell Soup. As an advertising lead at Nike, Johnson produced some of Nike’s most memorable TV commercials including “Rise,” starring LeBron James, “All Together Now,” featuring Kobe Bryant, and “The Most Valuable Puppets”.
Johnson also built the Nike+ sports music platform, establishing Nike’s first revenue-generating relationship with record labels. Johnson and his team created an industry-first sports music program with Universal, Interscope, Sony, Capitol, Def Jam and more than 25 independent labels. This collaboration sold +5 Million tracks and deepened the connection between music and sports.
Johnson is from Brooklyn, NY. He received a BS in Biology and Chemistry from Georgia State University and an MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
Dr. Ivan Joseph
World-renowned Leadership Expert & Keynote Speaker on Resilience, Grit & Building High Performance Teams
About
Dr. Ivan Joseph is an internationally renowned speaker, bestselling author, award-winning performance coach, in-demand consultant, prominent educator and accomplished leader. He has spent his career leading cultural transformation, inspiring people to believe in themselves, creating cohesive teams, and unlocking the secret to surpassing expectations. He has also shared his remarkable story as an immigrant who has excelled and led a shift to inclusivity wherever he has gone.
Ivan travels extensively, helping organizations and teams around the world harness the power of self-confidence and belonging in leadership, career and life. Ivan also contributes regularly to publications like University Affairs, The Huffington Post and The Globe and Mail.
From the beginning of his career, Ivan has focused on understanding how self-confidence and belonging drive performance. He also learned firsthand the nuances, challenges and complexities related to diversity and inclusivity. While serving as a professor and coach at Graceland University, Ivan developed the soccer program from the ground up, leading both the men’s and women’s teams to #1 national rankings. He also guided the men’s team to the first national championship in Graceland’s history—in just five years. For this accomplishment, he was chosen as National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Coach of the Year.
Beginning in 2008, Ivan spent a decade as Director of Athletics at Ryerson University in Toronto, where he helped lead his department—and the university—to national prominence.
Ivan later took up a new post as Vice-Provost, Student Affairs at Dalhousie University, a 200-year-old research institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In this senior role, he led the university’s effort to promote interconnectedness and belonging among a diverse student body drawn from across the country and around the globe. Ivan actualized this shift in culture by creating innovative programs including: Access & Pathways, Together at Dal, International Student Work Support Program and chairing the International Student Support Task Force.
Ivan is also regularly called on to support national team programs. Most recently, he was asked to serve as Head Coach for the Women’s National Soccer Team in his native Guyana. In 2017, he was the high-performance coach for the Canadian men’s basketball team that won the country’s first ever FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.
Ivan grew has a bachelor’s in Physical Education and Health, a Master’s in Higher Education Administration, and a PhD in Sport Psychology.
Julia Landauer
Two-time Champion NASCAR Driver, Advocate for STEM Education and Inspiring Speaker on Women’s Empowerment
About
Julia Landauer is a NASCAR driver and two-time champion from New York City. Since making history as the first and youngest female champion in the Skip Barber Racing Series at age 14 - Julia has amassed dozens of wins in many different racing series. After becoming the first woman to win a NASCAR Track Championship at Motor Mile Speedway in her division in 2015, Julia graduated to the televised NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in 2016. In the K&N series, Julia finished 4th in the championship - becoming the highest finishing female in the series’ 64-year history. Julia shares an inspiring story of her experience and insights, that audiences admire.
In January of 2017, Julia was selected as an honoree for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Sports category. Julia was also the only female member of the highly selective NASCAR Next class of 2016-2017.
Julia graduated from Stanford University in 2014, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Science, Technology, and Society. Julia has since purposefully built her brand where technology, community and racing intersect and fuse. During college Julia was a contestant on season 26 of CBS’ reality TV show SURVIVOR. It was also in college that Julia started her motivational speaking career with a TEDx talk - and she is now a sought-after speaker for corporations, universities, and conferences, including Fortune’s Most Powerful Women. Julia also served as an external advisor to Hyundai Motor Corporation’s Center for Robotic-Augmented Design in Living Experience.
As she climbs the NASCAR ladder Julia uses her racing platform to continue advocating for STEM education and women’s empowerment.
Carey Lohrenz
First Female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot, Author and Motivational Speaker on Leadership & Teamwork
About
Carey Lohrenz knows what it takes to win in one of the highest pressure, extreme environments imaginable: in the cockpit at Mach 2. The same challenges are found in business: markets change, customer needs evolve and if you do not adapt quickly your company is at risk.
Carey is a powerhouse in the field of delivering engaging leadership, high performing organizations and diversity training - that directly impacts a company’s ROI and bottom line. Her experience in the all-male environment of fighter aviation and her ability to pass on the lessons learned in her career allow her to deliver insight and guidance from a credible platform on women’s leadership issues.
Carey has been requested by name from some of the top Fortune 100 businesses. Her ability to connect with both an audience and on a one-on-one level, coupled with her knowledge and experience in leading high-performing, diverse teams, has made her highly sought after as a business consultant and speaker.
As the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy, having flown missions worldwide as a combat-mission-ready United States Navy pilot, Lohrenz is used to working in fast moving, dynamic environments, where inconsistent execution can generate catastrophic results.
In her motivating and engaging keynote presentations, Carey shares her fascinating experiences operating in one of the world's most challenging environments - an aircraft carrier. She is uniquely qualified in the fundamentals of winning under pressure, reducing errors and overcoming obstacles. Her mastery of these fundamentals can help your team triumph in this high-risk, time crunched world.
Carey Lohrenz's timely message about high performing teams and developing a culture of learning is based on the best-practices of high reliability organizations. The process 'prepare, perform, prevail' helps businesses manage risk while becoming a high performing organization. This message resonates with diverse audiences at every level of the company.
Carey has delivered her leadership and strategy experience to such companies as Cisco, Dell, TEVA, Deloitte, Underwriters Laboratories, Verizon, AT&T, Kimberly Clark, State Farm Insurance and Sea Ray Boats, to name a few.
Carey graduated from the University of Wisconsin where she was a varsity rower, also training at the pre-Olympic level. After graduation, she attended the Navy’s Aviation Officer Candidate School before starting flight training and her naval career. She is currently working on her Master’s in Business Administration in Strategic Leadership.
About
Click Here to Watch Allison's Virtual Presentation
While most speakers have a story to tell, there are a select few with one so impactful and poignant that the audience is forever changed. That is what happens when Allison Massari speaks. She has been named one of the Top Ten Best Motivational Speakers in North America by Meetings and Conventions Magazine and has forged her path to success with creativity, tenacity, and deep gratitude.
Having survived two devastating and near fatal car accidents, one where she burned alive and suffered severe burns on over 50% of her body, Allison views her experiences as a tremendous gift that allowed her to find strength and a fiery passion to reach pinnacle achievements both in business and personally.
Allison has dedicated her career to catapulting individuals and organizations toward total success, mastery, and fulfillment. As an international keynote speaker, executive coach, and interdisciplinary artist, Allison provides an exceptional blend of business acuity, clarity, creative perspective, and real understanding. Her highly effective methods have enabled her to form bonds as a trusted confidante to CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs.
As an international keynote speaker, executive coach, and award winning visual artist, Allison Massari ignites vitality, inspires confidence, and offers essential tools for self-mastery to audiences worldwide. Prepare to be inspired, moved, and energized. Prepare to be taken on a journey.
Kaplan Mobray
Internationally Acclaimed Best-selling Author, Motivational Speaker, Career Consultant, Founder of The Kaplan Mobray Leadership Institute
About
Kaplan talks about the ten principles for leadership excellence at all levels.
Teaches audiences ready-to-implement knowledge on how to become strategic thinkers, embrace accountability, leverage disruption and change for growth, and learn tools to drive operational excellence in how they engage with their team.
Kaplan is an internationally Acclaimed Best-selling Author, Motivational Speaker, Career Consultant, Founder of The Kaplan Mobray Leadership Institute.
Past clients include: Proctor & Gamble, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Shell, Xerox, Paypal, Qantas Airways, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Playboy Enterprises and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Click Here to Watch Kaplan's Virtual Presentation
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.
Kaplan has received worldwide acclaim and numerous awards for his leadership and branding insights. He has been featured on CNN, FOX, Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal, Ad Age and shared his message to NFL players at Super Bowls forty-four and forty-five. Through his latest venture - Kaplan is revolutionizing high performance online learning with his virtual interactive Kaplan Mobray Leadership Institute. All of his innovative presentations have been described as life changing events.
Freddie Ravel
Celebrated Performer, International Expert and Keynote Speaker on Business & Communication
About
Freddie talks about how leaders can challenge and inspire organizations to discover their untapped potential through the power of Active Listening & The Music of Leadership, using music focused stories to help leaders build stronger teams.
Audiences learn how to enhance interpersonal and professional leadership skills, amplify engagement and clarify their desired goals and outcomes.
Bilingual Speaker (English & Spanish) Freddie Ravel is a GRAMMY nominated maestro & performer, Founder of "Life in Tune," and Business Success Expert. His clients have described his keynotes & emcee services as the "ideal balance of entertainment and content."
Past clients include: IBM, Toyota, Red Bull, NASA, Apple, Blue Cross, Prudential, Google and Citi.
Click Here to Watch Freddie's Virtual Video
Freddie Ravel is the GRAMMY-nominated Keynote Maestro - who combines his expertise for business breakthroughs and virtuoso piano performances with a clear and concise application of music’s communicative and scientific powers to inspire, ignite and lift the minds, hearts and potential of audiences around the world.
Backed by number one hits and collaborative successes with Madonna, Earth, Wind and Fire, Prince and Carlos Santana to leading the teams of J Lo, Jimmy Kimmel and Lady Gaga - the #1 chart-topping composer is the Founder of “LIFE IN TUNE," a worldwide program that delivers customized peak performance experiences - to reveal how the structure of music enhances leadership, innovation and productivity for entrepreneurs to major corporations alike. Dubbed the “Keynote Maestro” by the City of Los Angeles, Ravel received the city’s Award of Recognition for creating a music-based system to “renew the national and international economy” - while his film, TV, radio and recording credits include CBS, FOX, CW, Universal, iHeart and XM Sirius. Straddling sectors across Media, Tech, Healthcare and Wellness, Diversity and Inclusion, Communications, Social Impact and Financial Services - clients refer to him as “The ideal balance of Entertainment and Content”.
These include IBM, Toyota, Red Bull, NASA, Apple, Blue Cross, Prudential, Google and Citi where he continues to serve as a captivating access point through which to transform corporations, education, entertainment and the human condition. Based on decades of entrepreneurial and corporate training, scientific research and directing and performing with many of the music legends of our time - conference planners often engage Freddie and his team in the program planning process to help design and incorporate their meeting objectives into a rich, harmonious and rewarding experience. Having performed in over eighty countries, Freddie is in tune with cultural nuances and sensitivities delivering the universal language in both English and Spanish - as well as collaborating with translators to uplift your audience to success.
Shola Richards
About Shola Richards – Bestselling Author & Expert on Workplace Culture:
About
Shola talks about the challenges we faced this recent year--a deadly pandemic is barreling through the world, there are deep divisions that have been exposed within our country, parents are being asked to balance working and homeschooling their kids simultaneously, and according to recent studies, Americans are the unhappiest they have been in the past 50 years--and strategies to become more resilient in the face of it all.
Audiences learn how creating a resilient mindset, regardless of the circumstances using strategies to build unshakable strength within themselves and within their teams.
Founder & CEO, Go Together Global, Bestselling Author.
Past clients include: the GAP, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, SHRM
Most organizations have a version of "joyful peak performance" somewhere in their mission statement. But how many are actually achieving it? Across the US, 65M people are experiencing some form of toxicity at work every day. Many of these employees resign themselves to the pitiful fate of spending each day dodging the bullies, accepting deep-seated job dissatisfaction, fighting back clinical depression, or worse, succumbing to it.
Shola Richards was one of them. The workplace bullying he experienced, which went unaddressed even after he complained to HR, drove him into clinical depression, and the unimaginable. Shola intentionally swerved off the interstate in an attempt to take his own life. As his car clipped the guardrail on I-405, something changed...
This catalyst has since become Go Together™ Movement - a transformational roadmap of mindset, behaviors, and tools that transform workplace cultures. Sholas mission is to help every workplace in America become one where joyful peak performance is lived every day and where engagement and satisfaction become the new norm.
Shola Richards’ life’s mission is an ambitious one: To end generations of professional suffering, simply by changing how we treat each other at work.
Shola 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.
Through his books--Go Together and Making Work Work and featured articles that have reached readers in over 160 countries, and through his presentations with institutions that range from Silicon Valley businesses to the Department of Homeland Security, Shola is spearheading a timely revolution that teaches us how to protect the professionalism of our company cultures, the preciousness of our time, the strength of our talents, the dignity of ourselves, and the mutual respect of one another.
Deborah Rosado Shaw
About Deborah Rosado Shaw – Leadership & Peak Performance Speaker
About
Deborah talks about shaping workplace cultures to elevate performance.
Audiences learn strategies to create vibrant and healthy workplaces where people think powerfully, act courageously and invent collaboratively, while offering mindset shifts to sustain a high performance culture.
Fortune 50 Trusted Advisor, Award-winning Entrepreneur, Author, Former SVP, Chief Global Diversity & Engagement, PepsiCo.
Past clients include: PepsiCo, ING, UPS, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, P&G, RiteAid and American Express.
Deborah Rosado Shaw is a leading and powerful voice, who founded and led PepsiCo’s transformational global leadership program that provided leaders with strategies to guide their people beyond limitations. Deborah’s New Realm of Mastery program helped employees see beyond their constraints in order to pave a path toward their best levels of performance.
This is an entirely new area of prowess that Fortune 50 leaders are seeking in this era of company culture that requires a focus on commitments, goals and personal values. When leaders focus on their people in this deeper way, they transform them into self-starters, risk-takers and people who know how to find their voice and path even in the most challenging times.
As Deborah shares with global leadership audiences, the best leaders help people learn how to motivate themselves in times of uncertainty and challenge. She helps leaders and organizations elevate to new heights by sharing the strategies of the New Realm of Mastery, which former Chairman of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi praised: “Deborah took our company-wide conversation about diversity from one focused on inclusion to a broader dialogue about the engagement of all employees with each other and with the diverse world around us.”
Alex Sheen
Founder of ‘because I said I would’, a Humanitarian, Social Entrepreneur, Leader and TEDx Speaker
About
Alex Sheen is the founder of because I said I would, an international social movement and non-profit dedicated to the betterment of humanity through promises made and kept. Sparked by a tragedy in his life, Alex created a concept called the Promise Card, and began mailing cards to anyone who requested them at no cost. Since 2012, over 9.81 MILLION Promise Cards have been distributed to over 153 countries. In 2013, Alex left his Corporate Strategy Lead position at a leading software company to dedicate himself entirely to the non-profit.
Alex authored his first book because I said I would (Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press), released in January 2019. Noted as an Amazon best-seller in Philanthropy & Charity.
Alex’s unique perspective on accountability, leadership, commitment, and self-control developed both from his responsibilities in leading a global effort about keeping promises -- and his personal experience fulfilling his own promises.
Alex’s personal promises include:
- Walking 245 miles across the entire state of Ohio in under 10 days to fulfill a promise to the three Cleveland women who were held captive for 10 years
- Volunteering at 52 different non-profit organizations in a single year
- Promising children with cancer trips to Disneyland and personally delivering 100 tickets
Alex’s work has been featured on CNN, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, TODAY Show, Good Morning America, NPR, Fox News, Los Angeles Times, CBS Nightly News, and many other programs. He has been featured on the cover of Spirit Magazine, and honoured as a Steve Harvey “Harvey’s Hero”. Alex’s efforts in social media have been featured in BuzzFeed’s annual “Most Important Viral Videos”, and his viral posts have made the #1 spot on the front page of Reddit.com over 10 times. As a nationally respected thought-leader who has been featured at multiple TEDx conferences, Alex has spoken at over 527 events since 2013.
Speech Thomas
2x Grammy Award Winning founder & lead singer of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
About
Speech was born Todd Thomas in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The youngest of parents Robert & Patricia Thomas. He grew up on two sides of life: the ghetto of Milwaukee (one of the nation’s roughest cities for African Americans) and (Wauwatosa) Milwaukee’s suburbia. Speech learned how to draw from the pains and beauty of both. He would absorb the plights of his people and the retreat of a middle-class black boy in a primarily white neighborhood. He lost his grandmother to a heart attack and his older brother, Terrence Thomas to an Asthma attack within the same week, and through spirituality, learned to recalibrate his inner anger through dynamic music. To celebrate the lives of those he lost, he coined his sound “life music”. Speech wrote the hit song Tennessee as a dedication to his grandmother and brother. In the early nineties, Speech and his mother started the Terrence Thomas Scholarship and to date, the scholarship has raised over a million dollars helping young black students further their educations.
Speech started and produced the hip-hop group, Arrested Development. Based in Georgia, from humble and rural beginnings; they became a pioneering force in the music world. Arrested Development received two Grammy Awards (Best new artists & Best rap single 1993) for the album, 3 years, 5 months, and 2 days in the life of…” Their second album “Zingalamaduni” was met with critical acclaim and was also nominated for a GRAMMY award.
In 1995, the group disbanded and Speech signed a solo record deal with EMI. His first single “Like Marvin Gaye Said” shot to #1 on the Japanese Tokio 100 charts for 7 consecutive weeks. Speech has released 5 solo albums since, all of which have spawned Top 10 hit singles in Japan. His album “1998 Hoopla” and Spiritual People” (2000) were certified gold. “Spiritual People” was awarded the Best black music album of the year 2000 by the acclaimed ADLIB magazine. Speech supported each album with sold-out tours.
Speech has also toured as a solo performer with the United States Vice President Al Gore, First Lady Hillary Clinton, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Youssou N’dour, James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, Jason Mraz, Hootie & the Blowfish, and The Roots.
In 2020 Speech partnered with Resonant Pictures and Pipeline Entertainment to release the full-length documentary “16 Bars” where Speech goes into a maximum security jail to write music with inmates. This stirring documentary has won numerous film festival awards and is now available through Lightyear Entertainment on streaming platforms worldwide
Heather R. Younger
Inspiring Speaker on Diversity, Resilience & Overcoming Adversity
About
Heather taps into her own personal and professional experiences as well as stories of strength and perseverance to share empowering proven tools for resetting the resilience of every attendee.
Audiences learn the three steps to strengthening resilience & reframe adversity to unlock new mindsets for empowerment and positive self-worth.
Heather is the founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, an International TEDx speaker on Adversity, Leadership Podcast Host, Business Coach, Facilitator and Attorney, who has earned a reputation as “The Employee Whisperer”. She holds a law degree, is a regular contributor to "Forbes" and "LinkedIn" and is the best-selling author of The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty
Past clients include: Harvard Business Review Brasil, FirstBank, Salas O'Brien, Stark Aerospace, and Colorado Bankers Association.
Click Here to Watch Heather's Virtual Presentation
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.
A former attorney who worked for years in corporate America, what is most important to know about Heather is that she brings a breadth of experience - extensive quantitative and qualitative research - and a truly deep passion for advocacy, resilience, human relations, and connection - to every audience, every workshop, every consultation.
When not working, she is a mother of four and a self-proclaimed soccer mom who eats tons of chocolate for self-preservation.