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Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour Speaker

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

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

In 2007, FlyGirl launched VAI Consulting & Training, LLC. Through that work, she helps individuals and organizations make gutsy moves and create breakthrough results by applying her “Zero to Breakthrough TM” Success Model –a mindset that helped to propel her career and kept her safe in air combat. FlyGirl regularly takes her message to premier meetings and conferences worldwide and is a Gutsy Confidence Mentor for elite senior executive Women in Tech.

As a Black gay woman and single mom, FlyGirl brings vital experience to her role as a member of the Forbes School of Business & Technology Board of Advisors and COMCAST/NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Council.

FlyGirl has two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards as a pioneering pilot, including honors for her commanding role in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour’s story has been featured in the media including on CNN, MSNBC, The View, FOX News, Oprah Winfrey and many more, along with being a running back for the San Diego Sunfire professional women’s football team and two-time title holder of Camp Pendleton’s Strongest Warrior Competition.

She is currently working on her next book, The Gutsy Move.

VERNICE “FLYGIRL” ARMOUR –HISTORICAL FLIGHT PATH

How did it all start? Vernice was born in Chicago, IL in 1973, and moved to Memphis, TN after her parents divorced when she was three. By the age of four, she knew she wanted to be a police officer that rode a horse downtown. She received her first pony as a gift on the Christmas day following her fourth birthday and her dream quickly started to have afoundation in reality. In 1991, she graduated from John Overton High School for Creative and Performing Arts where she was very active in the music program, class vice president, a member of Mu Alpha Theta (mathematics honor society), and The National Honor Society.

In 1993, the future combat pilot enlisted in the Army Reserves and joined the Army ROTC program while at Middle Tennessee State University. During an Army ROTC career day, the seed of becoming a pilot was planted when Vernice saw the image of a young Black female in an Army flight suit. “Now why didn’t I think of that!” was her first thought!

In June of 1996, after a brief stint as a Nashville Sheriff’s Department correctional officer, Vernice took a break from college to accept an invitation to the Nashville Police Academy. She graduated in December 1996 –and later became the first woman of color on the Nashville Police Department’s motorcycle squad. She graduated from MTSU in December of 1997 with her B.S. in Physical Education: Emphasis in Exercise Science.

With the aviation seed in full bloom, Vernice was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps on December 12, 1998 and on her way to flight school. When Vernice finally earned her wings in July 2001, the ambitious pilot ranked No. 1 out of both her class of 12 and of the last 200 to graduate. She made the Naval Air Station’s prestigious Commodore’s List, received the Academic Achievement Award, was the top graduate in her class, and went on to make history as the Marine Corps’ first African American female pilot.

After flight school, Vernice was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton near San Diego, CA, piloting the AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter. While there she was Camp Pendleton's “Female Athlete of the Year” and two-time titleholder in their “Strongest Warrior” Competition.

Deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, Vernice was recognized by the Department of Defense as America’s first African American female combat pilot. Vernice flew above the deserts of Iraq in her missile-equipped attack helicopter, engaging the enemy and scouting the roads from her cockpit, making sure they were safe for her fellow Marines and soldiers on the ground.

Upon leaving the military after the completion of two tours in Iraq, Vernice launched VAI Consulting and Training, LLC. She now resides in Atlanta, GA with her daughter Noah...her gutsiest move yet.

Jack Becker Speaker

Jack Becker

Decorated U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot, Founder & CEO, Flight Level Solutions, Inc., Leadership, Teamwork, Safety, and Peak Human Performance Expert

 About

Jack Becker is a highly decorated, combat proven US Navy fighter pilot.

Renowned as one of the most dynamic keynote speakers in the industry, Jack Becker has spoken to some of the highest-performing organizations in the world including General Electric, Allied Transportation, the American Heart Association, and Truist Bank.

His keynotes deliver action-packed lessons of fighter pilot combat missions to instill a culture of continual process improvement. Regardless of your business, Jack’s keynotes simply reduce human error. Your team will make fewer mistakes! Within all seven regions of GE Power and Water alone, Jack’s program has reduced OSHA recordable mishaps over 60%.

As one of the Navy’s most highly decorated Landing Signals Officers (LSO), Jack was instrumental in incorporating the process improvement model of CRM to help pilots improve quickly while landing supersonic fighter jets on nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

He was responsible for over 21,000 mishap-free carrier landings. Jack’s unique experience as both an LSO and as the Navy’s top CRM instructor, he saw an opportunity to relay the same skills of Brief-Execute-Debrief-Perfect to the American workplace. From healthcare groups to manufacturing, construction, sales teams, and insurance firms, Jack’s dynamic keynotes, and seminars leave a lasting impression.

Jack earned a BS in Political Science with an emphasis on organizational leadership from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Currently, he serves as CEO of Flight Level Solutions, Inc., a globally recognized human performance and organizational execution consultancy. He lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with his wife, three young daughters, and dopey golden retriever "Captain."

JJ Birden Speaker

JJ Birden

Former NFL Pro Turned Motivational Keynote Speaker

 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.

Amy Blankson Speaker

Amy Blankson

Author, and Expert on the Psychology of Happiness

 About

Amy Blankson is the only person to be named a Point of Light by two Presidents (President Bush and President Clinton). She received a Presidential appointment to serve a five-year term on the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National Service, and was one of the youngest delegates to the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future.

Amy received her BA from Harvard and MBA from Yale School of Management. She went on to co-found the Future of Philanthropy Conference at Yale University, and in 2007, joined GoodThink on the ground floor to develop and scale the company as it sought to bring the science of happiness to life.

Drawing on over 17 years of management and consulting experience with businesses, foundations, and nonprofits, Amy Blankson brings both passion and practicality to GoodThink. She is currently doing research in partnership with Google to determine how to make positive psychology strategies stick and create sustainable positive change.

Amy is the author of The Future of Happiness: 5 Modern Strategies for Balancing Productivity and Well-Being in the Digital Era (2017), and the award-winning children’s book Ripple’s Effect (2012), and has three beautiful daughters who teach her about the joy of positivity and the importance of gratitude on a daily basis.

Eric Boles Speaker

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.

Book Your Next Great Speaker in 5 Easy Steps 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

Futurist Keynote Speaker Mike Walsh at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

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.

Anthony Bourke Speaker

Anthony Bourke

Former F-16 Fighter Pilot, Popular Speaker on Peak Performance, Leadership, Communication & Sales

 About

  • Anthony talks about how the difference between the winners and the "also rans" comes down to execution.
  • Audiences leave equipped with simple, actionable tools to improve execution and drive better results as individuals and as teams.
  • He is a highly accomplished and decorated F-16 fighter pilot, founder, President & CEO of Afterburner, author & keynote speaker on Peak Performance.
  • Past clients include: Ernst & Young, GE, Cisco, Boeing, Bridgestone, AT&T, Charles Schwab and The Home Depot

Click Here to Watch Anthony's Virtual Presentation

Major Anthony “AB” Bourke is a highly accomplished and decorated F-16 fighter pilot who flew tactical missions in service to our country all over the world. He has accumulated more than 2,700 hours of flight time in various high performance aircraft - and was one of the first pilots to fly an F-16 in homeland defense efforts over New York City in the aftermath of September 11th.

Following his impressive military career, AB applied the tools and techniques that made him one of our nation's premier fighter pilots to the competitive world of business. He ascended rapidly to become the top producing mortgage banker in the Western U.S. for a prominent lending institution. His success in the mortgage banking industry led to an opportunity with a California based start-up - where his team dramatically grew annual revenue from $500,000 to $65M in just three years.

Following these two endeavors, AB combined his love of business with his passion for tactical aviation to build Afterburner Seminars, a global training company based on the lessons he learned in the military. While President & CEO, Afterburner grew into a best-in-class training company that was twice named one of Inc. magazine's 500 fastest growing companies.

Currently AB serves as CEO & Founder of Mach 2 Consulting - and has shared his message of peak performance to more than 100,000 people in twelve different countries. AB brings his tactical knowledge and business acumen to the forefront of the management training world - to share how fighter pilots, and other organizations where performance truly matters, can develop a feedback system to ensure continuous improvement and peak performance. His wealth of experience and ability to connect with audiences landed AB in Inc Magazine’s 100 Great Leadership Speakers for Your Next Conference.

Under AB's leadership as CEO - Mach 2 Consulting consistently delivers dynamic keynote speeches on leadership, communication, sales and teamwork to Fortune 1000 corporations around the globe. AB is a motivational dynamo with a proven ability to energize, enlighten and enrich your team’s experiences - to ensure a successful engagement for you and your client.

AB’s keynotes typically align to the following groups:

  • Fortune 1000 organizations
  • Sales meetings - speeches that extend into actual training
  • Annual meetings - for various organizations such as Trade and Professional Associations
  • Management Retreats - to give your leaders an opportunity to step out of the box and think differently
  • Company off-sites - where teams are looking to improve communication and alignment

AB continues work on his book The Art of the Debrief . A business and leadership book about the significance of how business people can use Debrief to drive continuous improvement in any organization. Anticipated for release late 2019, keep an eye for the release of AB's first book - apt to captivate all!

Dr. Travis Bradberry Speaker

Dr. Travis Bradberry

World-Renowned Expert and Speaker in Emotional Intelligence, Author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0

 About

  • Travis talks about how leaders can learn to capitalize on their emotional intelligence to develop new and powerful ways to manage, adapt, and strike out ahead of the pack.
  • Audiences learn how our brains are hard-wired to make EQ a critical skill and how to increase your EQ using a step-by-step process.
  • Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and the co-founder and President of TalentSmart, as well as a a world-renowned expert in emotional intelligence who will inspire your audience, spark discussion - and motivate change.
  • Past clients include:  Intel, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, Boston Scientific, NY Life, Fortune Brands, Salesforce, and Fortune Magazine.

Dr. Travis Bradberry, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned speaker on today’s competitive world, where each of us is looking for new and powerful ways to manage, adapt - and strike out ahead of the pack. He empowers audiences and leaders to do so by capitalizing on emotional intelligence - a skill set that’s responsible for 58 percent of job performance. Dr. Bradberry is a world-renowned expert in emotional intelligence who will inspire your audience, spark discussion - and motivate change.

Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and the co-founder and President of TalentSmart® - the world’s leading provider of emotional intelligence tests and training serving more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies. His best-selling books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries.

Dr. Bradberry is a LinkedIn Influencer and a regular contributor to Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, The World Economic Forum, and The Huffington Post. He has written for, or been covered by, Newsweek, Time, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Fast Company, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Harvard Business Review.

Jack Canfield Speaker

Jack Canfield

Motivational Speaker and Co-Creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul Book Series

 About

Jack Canfield is founder and former CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul™ Enterprises, which encompasses licensing, merchandising - and global publishing activities around the globe. With more than 250 titles and over 500 million copies sold in 43 languages, Jack is a world-renowned expert at warming hearts and changing lives.

But behind the billion-dollar brand Time Magazine called the “publishing phenomenon of the decade” - is America’s leading expert in creating peak performance for entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, managers, sales professionals, corporate employees and educators.

Jack is an in-demand speaker who has brought stadiums of 50,000+ to their feet, cheering his message of The Success Principles - inspiring them to achieve greater success in everything they do by taking on greater challenges, upleveling their efforts, strategic alliances, relationships, attitudes, behaviours, and more.

If more success, career fulfillment, and personal achievement is what you seek as a result of your next meeting – Jack Canfield can help.

Dorie Clark Speaker

Dorie Clark

Leadership, Strategy & Entrepreneurship Keynote Speaker

 About

Dorie Clark has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50, and was recognized as the #1 Communication Coach in the world by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards. Clark, a consultant and keynote speaker, teaches executive education at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School.

Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine, she is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long GameEntrepreneurial YouReinventing You, and Stand Outwhich was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine and one of the Top 10 Business Books of the Year by Forbes. It was also a Washington Post bestseller. Her books have been translated into Russian, Chinese, Arabic, French, Polish, Korean, Spanish, Italian, Vietnamese, and Thai.

Clark, whom the New York Times described as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives,” is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review. She consults and speaks for a diverse range of clients, including Google, the World Bank, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, the Ford Foundation, and Yale University.

A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Clark has also taught for Spain’s IE Business School, HEC-Paris, Babson College, Smith College Executive Education, UNC’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business, and more.

She has guest lectured at universities including Harvard Business School, the Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Georgetown, NYU, the MIT Sloan School of Management, and the University of Michigan.

Her work has been published in the Harvard Business Review Guide to Getting the Right Job and the Harvard Business Review Guide to Networking, and she is quoted frequently in the worldwide media, including NPR, the BBC, and MSNBC. She has been a regular commentator on Canada’s CTV and was named one of Inc. magazine’s “100 Great Leadership Speakers for Your Next Conference.”

A former New England Press Association award-winning journalist, Clark directed the environmental documentary film The Work of 1000, and was a producer for a multiple-Grammy-winning jazz album. She is a Broadway investor, as well as a member of BMI’s Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop, widely considered the premier training ground for musical theater lyricists and composers.

Conference Plans Changed? Speaker

 About

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

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.

Andy Core Speaker

Andy Core

Speaker and Author on Work-Life Balance, Productivity & Well-being

 About

Andy Core is a credentialed, award-winning thought leader on increasing employee engagement, productivity, and wellness motivation. His talent lies in helping hard-working, conscientious adults thrive at work and in their personal lives.

He has a master’s degree in the science of human performance and has spent the past 15 years researching ways to become better equipped to thrive in today’s hectic society. Thus helping organizations build teams that cost less, have better attitudes, and accomplish more.

Author of several books including Change Your Day, Not Your Life, Healthy Motivation, and Master Your Body, Andy has also received numerous awards and recognition on his work. He was also the Co-host of the PBS affiliate television show “Fighting Fat”.

Alisha De Lorenzo Speaker

Alisha De Lorenzo

Human Connection Expert, High Performance Coach, and Positive Disruptor

 About

After decades spearheading groundbreaking initiatives in the education space, Alisha De Lorenzo's ascent into the corporate world is nothing short of remarkable. She has emerged as a guiding force in reshaping the way companies cut through the noise, lean into positive disruption, and solve for the disengagement, disconnection, disparities and declining morale plaguing our organizations. Alisha has come to believe that the only way we fight overwhelm and burnout is not lowering our standards or doing less, rather, unleashing a level of aliveness in our people.

An acclaimed international speaker, award winning educator and therapist, Alisha has shared her thought leading insights and frameworks with hundreds of thousands of audience members from the US to Africa. Her work has been featured on PBS, NBC and NJ Spotlight News while her influence has impacted organizations like Mondelez, Wawa and the US Army as well as the NJ Department of Education and many government officials.

Alisha's profound understanding of the human spirit sets the foundation for companies to unlock innovation, differentiation and growth to drive engagement, productivity and high performance. Stepping into the realm of the extraordinary requires leaders to create cultures where people feel seen, heard and valued and that is the foundation to the aliveness we all seek.

Chip Eichelberger Speaker

Chip Eichelberger

Speaker on peak performance, motivation and sales strategist.

 About

Click Here to Watch Chip's Virtual Presentation

Chip Eichelberger believes audiences are craving engagement, not another speech. For 5½ years as world-renowned business leader Tony Robbins’s international point man, he spoke over 1,300 times throughout the US, UK, and Australia. This immersive experience sharpened his skills and created a unique style. It is high-energy, humorous, and persuasive and gets results. Chip promises to be THE energy source at your event.

He is a proven pro with 1,000+ successful events for clients like Genentech, Ford, Hyatt, AXA, Harley Davidson, Proctor & Gamble, Exxon, State Farm, Dun & Bradstreet, RE/MAX, and over 100 diverse associations. He will do his homework on your organization and industry, conduct phone interviews, and customize his message to help ensure his message sticks! He will work hard to make you look like a genius as the decision maker who hired him.

Chip is one of only 7% of the members of the National Speakers Association to earn the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional designation. He has created numerous audio, video and printed products. His newest book is The Smart Guide To Accomplishing Your Goals.

He specializes in high-energy, interactive and customized opening, after meal, and closing presentations. Chip is consistently told by the organizations that hire him that most speakers were a "rental", and that he was a true partner in making their event a success.

Chip will set the tone for the day at your opening session. The energy, spirit of interaction, and engagement will energize the vitality of the entire day. After lunch is a crucial spot to energize and engage the audience for the rest of the day or before your awards ceremony.

The last and maybe the most important impression at your event is your closing session. There must be energy and a call to action! Many conventions fizzle out at the end. He is famous for his closing team building activity The Board Break Experience – Breaking Barriers program.

Chip is passionate about delivering a "sticky and interactive" experience that grabs the attention of the audience immediately, and engages them to not just talk about change but to be committed to it. He is married, and the proud father of three. He lives in Knoxville, TN, is an avid golfer, traveler, reader, dancer, and difference maker in the community.

Mike Evans Speaker

Mike Evans

Thought Leader & Speaker on Organizational Accountability and Personal Leadership

 About

Mike Evans has developed a unique perspective from 20+ years of working alongside a star studded list of world-renowned thought leaders. He served in senior leadership and consulting roles with Kotter International, FranklinCovey, and Tom Peters Company. In addition to being a leading authority on Leading Change and Disruption, clients rely upon Mike’s solutions to; Shape Their Optimal Culture, Unleash Personal and Organizational Accountability, Ignite Leadership Capacity at all Levels, Amplify Employee Engagement, and Cultivate Peak Performance.

Mike works with organizations around the globe and in virtually every arena, from the tech sector to financial services, manufacturing, health care, hospitality, entertainment, retail, and the US Government. Clients include: Intel, Capital One, Apple, BNY Mellon, Pfizer, The United States Navy, Fidelity Investments, Johnson & Johnson, Symantec, Cigna Corporation, PharMerica, Oracle, Astra Zeneca, Baxter International Inc., Shell Oil, Cargill, American Airlines, DuPont USA, and NASA.

Mike consults with senior teams, facilitates custom workshops, delivers keynote speeches and provides coaching and consulting on all of these subject areas. He uses his unique insights, passion, experience, and humor to positively affect individuals, teams and organizations around the world. He is experienced with executive leadership teams and groups at all organizational levels.

His style is engaging, upbeat, entertaining, thought-provoking, compelling, and most importantly educational, relevant and impactful. Individuals, teams and organizations yield immediate results by applying what they learn.

His personal mission is to help individuals, teams and organizations accelerate their ability to achieve more than they ever believed possible. Clients describe him as inspiring, motivating and a ball of energy with an unequaled focus and passion for helping them achieve their desired results.

Connor Fields Speaker

Connor Fields

World Champion and Speaker on Resiliency and Peak Performance

 About

Through authentic and engaging storytelling, three-time Olympian and two-time World Champion Connor Fields provides real-world strategies for peak performance, inspires resiliency, and motivates audiences toward tremendous success.

Connor Fields is the first American to win Olympic BMX Gold. As one of the world's all-time greatest BMX racers, Connor has represented the United States 50+ times in 25+ countries. 17 Connor became the youngest rider to ever podium a BMX World Cup.

However, his racing career was not always marked by triumphs. At the 2021 Tokyo Games, as the number one seed in his semi-final and on pace to battle for another medal, Connor went down in one of the worst crashes in Summer Olympic history. Based on previous results, Connor still qualified for the 2021 Olympic BMX final, but instead of competing in that final race, he fought for his life in an ambulance.

Connor sustained multiple injuries - broken ribs, a collapsed lung, torn shoulder and bicep ligaments, brain swelling, and four life-threatening brain hemorrhages.

The road to recovery took him through surgery, therapy, and intense physical and cognitive rehabilitation. Connor had to regain the energy to do simple tasks, strengthen short-term memory, relearn vocabulary, and even learn how to speak correctly.

He learned firsthand that Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivors go through physical, mental, and emotional changes throughout their recovery. Not only did he face the unbearable pain of being denied the chance to defend his Gold Medal, but Connor also has no memory of competing in his final Olympics – the moment he trained his entire life for.

Connor realized that, just like in training, life is not about being perfect or getting everything 100% correct. People focus on the last 1% when it’s the 99% that creates champions. It wasn’t the last 1% - a second Olympic Gold - that would make Connor a champion. The 99% of who he already was made him a winner.

After 11 months, he was fully recovered and cleared to ride again.

Determined not to let his final race define 22 years of riding, he jumped on his bike and rode again on day one to conquer the fear that threatened to keep him off the track. Understandably anxious to hit routine jumps, he took them on and beat the demons that chased him.

In his words: “Don’t let adversity define you.”

Connor continues to ride and coach BMX, with no passion for the sport, and lost to the worst Olympic scenarios.

The Today Show, Sports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair Magazine have featured his story. He was part of the Polo Ralph Lauren Sport campaign, has been a guest at the White House, and was nominated for a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award.

In his presentations, Connor opens the curtains to a rarely seen experience of winning sport's most fantastic prize and overcoming extreme adversity. He openly shares his journey of recovery and self-discovery with audiences and the practical applications of hard-won lessons learned.

Molly Fletcher Speaker

Molly Fletcher

Inspiring Speaker on Leadership, Business Development, and Peak Performance

 About

  • Molly shares stories from her experiences as one of the only female sports agents in the industry as well as lessons from some of the top athletes and coaches in the game in her inspiring keynote.
  • Audiences leave with Molly's  5-step process to unleashing your potential and achieving peak performance.
  • Molly is hailed by CNN as hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” and spent two decades as one of the world’s only female sports agents. She is also a best selling author of four books, and agent to some of the world's top athletes.
  • Past clients include: AT&T, Cox Communications, ITA Group, Kraft, Morgan Stanley, and Porsche.

Hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” by CNN, Molly Fletcher made a name for herself as one of the first female sports agents. During her almost two-decade career as President of CSE, Molly negotiated over $500 million in contracts and represented over 300 of sports' biggest names, including Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, PGA TOUR golfer Matt Kuchar, broadcaster Erin Andrews and basketball championship coaches Tom Izzo and Doc Rivers.

As a World's Top 50 Keynote Speaker, she delivers her inspiring message to audiences around the world. She is the author of five books, including The Energy Clock and Fearless at Work, and her latest TED Talk, “Secrets of a Champion Mindset,” has more than one million views.

Molly is the founder and host of the Game Changers with Molly Fletcher podcast, where she interviews experts and celebrities in every field including Arthur Blank, Dabo Swinney, John Mackey, Matthew McConaughey, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Simon Sinek. Her insights have been featured in prestigious media outlets, including CNN, ESPN, Forbes, Fast Company, InStyle, and Sports Illustrated.

Molly recently launched her first on-demand course, Up Your Game, to help people unlock their drive and up their game. Her company Game Changer Performance Group helps clients unlock peak performance through training experiences on Energy, Negotiation and High Impact.

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 About

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Michelle Gielan Speaker

Michelle Gielan

Founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and Positive Communication Expert

 About

Michelle Gielan, founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research, researches the science of positive communication and how to use it to fuel success. She works with Fortune 500 companies and schools to raise employee engagement, productivity and happiness at work. Michelle is a partner at GoodThink, a positive psychology consulting firm, and she holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Michelle is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” Special on PBS, and she formerly served as the anchor of two national newscasts at CBS News. Her research and advice have received attention from Forbes, USA Today, CNN, FOX and NPR.

Felipe Gomez Speaker

Felipe Gomez

Virtuoso Pianist, Renowned Peak Performance & Entrepreneurial Mindset Expert

 About

With more than 1,000 performances in 23 countries, Felipe Gomez has dazzled audiences at corporate events, association conventions, and global leadership conferences. His bold ideas, flawless delivery, and thought-provoking sessions consistently bring audiences to their feet in spirited standing ovations. He is the author of the best-selling book, Attitude-E: The Method for Being Entrepreneurial and Fulfilling Your Dreams. He also hosts “Thinking Out Loud,” a weekly interview program with global thinkers.

Today, companies are facing unique transformational challenges that demand innovative and audacious ways of creating a collective can-do mindset and a shared passion for reaching extraordinary performance. Felipe’s work has been delivered in over 23 countries which validates its global relevance and has received high praise from his clients and participants. You can be sure that Felipe will deliver a memorable, different, and fresh experience which will provide your clients with relevant, applicable and valuable content.

As a pianist since he was four, music has played a very important role is his life. That led him to find ways to blend it in his keynotes, leveraging the power of music to enhance his business and leadership ideas. Felipe Gomez has an MBA from the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland where he also did a program on Leading Digital Business Transformation. He is the author of Attitude-E, his bestselling book, hosts Pensando en Voz Alta, a weekly interview program and is currently writing his third book: Virtuoso. His Hispanic roots bring a global perspective to his presentations and valuable diversity to your event.

Felipe Gomez is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of global entrepreneurial and general management experience. He has led organizations like Compass Group and Farmacity and co-founded Azurian and Scala. Over the last fifteen years he has developed a solid narrative and portfolio of products and services that gives individuals, teams and organizations reliable and proven tools to shift their mindsets, and refine their behaviors to expand their thinking patterns, take risks, learn from failure and do what they do with mastery.

 

Scott Greenberg Speaker

Scott Greenberg

Business Motivational Speaker Helps Leaders & Franchisees Engage Employees, Serve Customers and Grow their Business

 About

  • Talks about customer service, management, and employee engagement, and how the human factor drives bottom-line results in business.
  • Audiences learn how to operate in a way that makes the most impact on customers and colleagues and ultimately, the most money, your culture must excel in three critical areas: the way people think, the way they lead, and the way they serve.
  • Author of The Wealthy Franchisee: Game-Changing Steps to Becoming a Thriving Franchise Superstar
  • Past clients include: McDonalds, Great Clips, Anytime Fitness, GNC, Wyndham Hotel Group, National Shoes Retailers Association, Re/MAX, Lyft, Columbia Sports Wear,  Principal Financial Group, National Property Management Association.

At the core of every thriving business lie the human elements of leadership, culture, and employee engagement. Scott Greenberg is the catalyst for a new kind of business transformation—one that balances the scales between strategic prowess and human empathy, the interconnectedness of profit and people.

Author of Stop the SHIFT SHOW and The Wealthy Franchisee, Scott delves into the human factors of business that directly impact performance. He helps leaders think at a higher level with a peak performance mindset that keeps emotions in check and yields the clearest, most productive perspective possible for business growth. He helps them lead more effectively so they can hire, train and develop their teams into a high-performance workforce. Improving business from the inside out, he co-created an innovative management diagnostic and leadership tool, 30-Second Leadership™, that enhances employee mindset, skillset and performance.

As a former multi-unit, international award-winning franchise owner for best management and customer service, Scott’s programs are a harmonious blend of wit, business acumen and human-centric leadership. He stands at the intersection of hard strategy and emotional intelligence, offering a holistic approach to business transformation that is practical and relatable.

Scott’s books, keynotes and online trainings aim to elevate not just the metrics, but the people behind them. As a sought-after author and international speaker, Scott ignites audiences with engaging, high-energy and customized programs that leave audience members with proven strategies and long-lasting inspiration. He is the expert organizations call on to boost performance and elevate their teams.

Suneel Gupta Speaker

Suneel Gupta

Expert, Connecting Well-Being and Performance; Healthcare Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author; Host, American ExpressBusiness ClassDocuseries; Visiting Scholar, Harvard Medical School

 About

  • Suneel talks about how organizations can increase performance, innovation, and creativity by showing why high-potential people and teams fizzle out.
  • Audiences leave with actionable takeaways to understand why managing energy is as important as managing time to avoid burnout while boosting morale and engagement.
  • Suneel Gupta is a bestselling author and Harvard Medical School visiting scholar. He is the founder and CEO of RISE, a breakthrough company that was named “App of the Year."
  • Past clients include: Walgreens, Dow Jones, NYSE, Deloitte, The Association of Union Constructors and SACRS.

As the founding CEO of RISE, a breakthrough wellness company, Suneel Gupta helped thousands of people build better habits for life and work. Now as a bestselling author and Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, Suneel has taken his mission one step further – helping people reset, reignite, and find meaning in their work by bolstering emotional resilience and engagement. Suneel asks, “How can an organization excel on the outside if its people are exhausted on the inside?” Grit and hustle are simply not a long-term answer to dealing with non-stop change and stress. Suneel offers leaders and teams a better way to work; one that results in sustainable innovation, productivity, and fulfillment. He arms people with science-based habits that will avoid burnout, boost energy, and improve their professional and personal lives.

Suneel is a business survivor and the author of the international bestselling book Backable (2020). That book is rooted in his inner journey from twice-failed entrepreneur to becoming a leader behind two IPOs and being named “The New Face of Innovation” by the New York Stock Exchange. The book reveals the mindset shifts and hidden habits of people who are extraordinary at pushing new ideas forward.

In his transformative book, Everyday Dharma (2023) codifies Suneel’s mission to help people reset, reignite, and re-engage through a timeless practice called Dharma. Simply put, Dharma brings “who you are” and “what you do” into alignment. When we’re aligned, we’re able to produce our best work and lead ourselves and others effectively, experiencing true joy along the way.

As visiting scholar at Harvard Medical School, Suneel researches and teaches the interconnection between inner well-being and outer leadership. He is also emissary for Gross National Happiness between the United States and the Kingdom of Bhutan.

As CEO of RISE Suneel helped thousands of people establish a way to personalize their physical and mental health journey while connecting with certified nutritionists and trainers at an affordable price. The company was named “App of the Year” and partnered with then first-Lady Michelle Obama before being acquired by the NASDAQ-listed company One Medical Group. In 2022, with its acquisition of One Medical Group, RISE is now part of Amazon.

Suneel is currently the host of Business Class, a docuseries created by American Express where he showcases entrepreneurs and business visionaries who embody struggle and resilience. He is joined on the show by guests like Top Chef's Tom Colicchio, former monk Jay Shetty, and Martha Stewart.

He has partnered with The Second City comedy theater to teach students and executives how to innovate "on-your-feet'' during times of rapid change.

Suneel has also personally backed ventures including Impossible Foods, AirBnB, 23&Me, and SpaceX. He was one of the very first investors in CALM, which now helps millions of people achieve a greater sense of work/life balance. When a reporter once asked Suneel about his purpose, his response was to “find good people, and inspire them to do what inspires them.”

Dr. Heidi Hanna Speaker

Dr. Heidi Hanna

Expert on nutrition and exercise in energy management for increased productivity, engagement and performance.

 About

  • Dr. Heidi Hanna talks about redefining how we perceive stress using a new framework built upon recent neuroscience research.
  • Audiences leave understanding the different types of stress and stress reactions, and the techniques needed to train whole-brain skill sets that transform experiences of stress.
  • Best-selling author on stress mastery and brain-based health and performance.
  • Past clients include: Google, Starbucks, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, WD40, the PGA Tour, the National Football League

As an experienced speaker, Dr. Heidi Hanna has been featured at many national and global conferences, including the Fortune Magazine Most Powerful Women in Business Summit, ESPN Women’s Leadership Summit, and the Million Dollar Round Table. She is the Chief Energy Officer of Synergy Brain Fitness, a company providing brain-based health and performance programs to individuals and organizations, a Founding Partner with the Brain Health Initiative, and a Fellow and Advisory Board Member for the American Institute of Stress. Dr. Heidi is also an instructor at Harvard and a regular lecturer at Canyon Ranch Resort and Spa. She is a NY Times bestselling author who has written seven books, including The Sharp Solution, Stressaholic, Recharge and What’s So Funny About Stress?

Dr. Heidi has been featured at many global conferences including the Fortune Magazine Most Powerful Women in Business Summit, ESPN Leadership Summit and the Million Dollar Round Table. Her clients have included Google, Starbucks, Microsoft, Principal Insurance, Morgan Stanley, Ameriprise and WD40 as well as the PGA Tour and the National Football League. Dr. Heidi is also a Certified Humor Professional with the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor although she won’t admit she’s funny.

Dr. Rebecca Heiss Speaker

Dr. Rebecca Heiss

Keynote Speaker on Fearless Leadership & Accountability

 About

  • Rebecca talks about becoming self-aware to overcome instinctual limitations – the ancient, often subconscious fears -- that hold us back from our optimal performance and our happiest lives.
  • Audiences learn to find new ways of understanding their fears, their strengths, their shortcomings, and all of the ways that their brains keep sabotaging them from being the most effective leaders they can be.
  • Rebecca is the Founder and CEO of the leadership, continuous 360-review mobile application, icueity.
  • Past clients include: ADP, Charles Schwab, Consolidated Assurance, Global Credit Union, Lockheed Martin, Visa, and Vistage.

Rebecca knows fear. As an evolutionary biologist and stress expert, Dr. Rebecca Heiss is dedicated to helping us become self-aware and overcome our instinctual limitations – the ancient, often subconscious fears that hold us back from our optimal performance and our happiest lives. Her research has been designated “transformative” by the National Science Foundation and it is waking up audiences around the world.

As an author of the newly acclaimed book Instinct, founder and CEO of the leadership 360- review mobile application, icueity, and highly sought-after professional speaker, Rebecca has found her calling in helping others recognize the power of biological applications in their lives. A former educator, Dr. Heiss spent much of her earlier career in the classroom at both the high school and college levels and was recruited to be a founding member of an innovative charter school with a focus on entrepreneurial thinking and impact-based learning.

Today she shares her work from stages around the world as a full-time speaker and facilitator of her Fearless Accelerator program and Year of Happy – an experience that delivers programming and physical subscription boxes with challenges and community to move otherwise successful people from a state of languishing in “meh” to finally finding HAPPY.

Rebecca’s “fearless” message inspires hope and actionable insights to train our brains to work for us, rather than against us in times of uncertainty. With surprising humor and palpable energy, no matter if Dr. Heiss is delivering virtually or on stage, she wins over her audiences with interactive, inspiring, and timely takeaways.

Rebecca lives in South Carolina with her spoiled rotten dogs named Guinness & Murphy and every day tries to live her life motto: “spread happy.”

Todd Henry Speaker

Todd Henry

Speaker on Leading a Culture of Creativity 

 About

  • Talks about how leaders and organizations can establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance.
  • Audiences leave with practical takeaways on how leaders can be become more creative in their day to day, and lead their teams to brilliance by peak performing cultures.
  • Todd Henry is a best selling author of three books, and an internationally renowned speaker across a variety of industries.
  • Past clients include: Cisco, IBM, P&G, Merck, Crayola, Estee Lauder, Mattel, Intuit and Kimberly-Clark.

Todd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of three books ( The Accidental Creative, Die Empty , and Louder Than Words ) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.

His book Die Empty was named by Amazon.com as one of the best books of 2013.

His latest book, Louder Than Words, is about how to develop an authentic voice that resonates and creates impact. Bestselling author Tom Rath called it "...one of the best guides to living a meaningful life I have ever read."

Chris Johnson Speaker

Chris Johnson

Founder of On Target Living, Speaker on Health and Wellness.

 About

Chris Johnson is the leading authority on small steps to healthy living. As Founder/CEO of On Target Living, Chris is a highly respected expert and accomplished executive, who has spent over 30 years researching and building optimal health and performance programs for individuals and corporations. He is the architect of the Food Target® that shifts from counting calories to concentrating on the nutrient values of foods that guide healthy choices.

Chris likes to say he was 'raised by wolves'. Growing up struggling with terrible skin and chronic health issues, he had no idea how his lifestyle affected his health. The doctors couldn't help him, and despite all the medications they prescribed, his health did not improve. By his mid-20's, deeply frustrated and feeling hopeless, Chris set out to heal himself. On his quest, he learned how food affects the body, the importance of sleep, and why people need to move. These discoveries transformed his life. Conditions which plagued him for years disappeared, and his energy and attitude reached new heights. Amazed at how good he felt, Chris knew he’d found his calling, and needed to share his discoveries.

Today, Chris works with organizations to transform their performance from the inside out. He applies the principles of REST-EAT-MOVE to educate, engage and motivate teams around the world. Chris graduated from Michigan State University with a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology, and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Economics from Western Michigan University. He holds certifications from The American College of Sports Medicine, The National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise and Certified Natural Health Professional. Chris earned and maintains a reputation of providing groundbreaking lifestyle modification strategies with integrity, humor and passion.

Dr. Ivan Joseph Speaker

Dr. Ivan Joseph

World-renowned Leadership Expert & Keynote Speaker on Resilience, Grit & Building High Performance Teams

 About

Dr. Ivan Joseph is the Vice President, Student Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University known for its exceptional student experience. He is also an internationally renowned speaker, bestselling author, award-winning performance coach, in-demand consultant, prominent educator and accomplished leader. Ivan’s TEDx Talk has over 25 million views and was named by Forbes as one of the Top TED Talks about The Meaning of Life.
Ivan 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. He 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. Among his many accomplishments at Ryerson, Ivan spearheaded the landmark $100M renovation of the historic Maple Leaf Gardens, created a culture of belonging, spirit and pride across Ryerson’s diverse urban campus, and inspired student-athletes to break records in their athletic, academic, and outreach accomplishments. Under his leadership, Ryerson teams won the first provincial and national championships in the university’s history.

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.
Born in Guyana, Ivan grew up north of Toronto, where he was a nationally ranked high school track and field athlete. He has a Bachelors degree in Physical Education and Health, a Masters in Higher Education Administration, and a PhD in Sport Psychology.

Victoria Labalme Speaker

Victoria Labalme

Performing Artist and Performance Strategist for Top Leaders & Brands

 About

Victoria Labalme helps people perform at their highest levels by unlocking their hidden genius and unleashing their unique creativity.

With more than 20 years in the Performing Arts - from Broadway to comedy clubs, landmark films to high-profile television - Victoria’s electrifying, custom-crafted Keynotes awaken innate talents in individuals and teams.

Her proprietary systems and strategies have been embraced by C-suite executives at Starbucks, Microsoft, PayPal, as well as Hollywood celebrities, best-selling authors, and top teams in over 700 organizations.

With breathtaking stage skills, gripping stories, and comedic highlights, Victoria takes audiences through a profound experience they'll never forget. Along the way, she shows people how to distinguish their brand, gain competitive advantage, focus their communications and achieve sustainable growth through a surprising blend of art and business.

Her creative projects have been recognized by The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, BBC, and ABC Good Morning America.

A graduate of Stanford University, Victoria is also a director and critically acclaimed film producer, the creator of two online learning programs, and an inductee into the Speaker Hall of Fame.

Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo Speaker

Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo

Transformative Keynote Speaker on Positive Psychology, Acclaimed Clinical Psychologist & Coach

 About

  • Elizabeth takes the audience on a journey to explore the Red Zone, her research-driven approach which breaks down the emotional obstacles we face each day and provides strategic tactics to better manage them.
  • Audiences learn her methods and strategies to understand how mindset can change in the Red Zone vs. the Green Zone, and how individuals can identify when a shift is needed, and how it can be leveraged for greater communication success at work and home. 
  • Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo is a a Ph.D in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Physical therapy and has been called Shaquille O’Neals “Head Coach for Happiness." She is also a best selling author and regular guest on Good Morning AmericaDr. OzThe TODAY Show, and more.
  • Past clients include: Zappos, Westinghouse, SOLO, SHRM, Vistage, Canyon Ranch and Lexis Nexis.

With a Ph.D. in Psychology and over two decades helping celebrities, high performing executives, entrepreneurs and athletes address stress and access untapped reserves of potential, it is no surprise that Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo is often referred to as “America’s Most Trusted Celebrity Psychologist.” She has even been called NBA star Shaquille O’Neal’s “Head Coach for Happiness.” As a sought-after keynote speaker, author and coach, Dr. E is helping people identify where they are on the Red Zone spectrum of stress, how to quickly scale back the negative thoughts that put them there, and ultimately use communication strategies that create better relationships, more productivity and overall success.

What if there was a better way to help your people manage stress, and develop effective ways to communicate and optimize their lives professionally and personally? At the end of the day, we all want to feel productive and happy. We want to know that we are doing valuable work and that we are being valued, but if we are all approaching each day with varying levels of stress that often cause us to shut down and shut people out, where does that leave our true potential?  

That’s where Dr. E comes into action. With deep experience as a Clinical Psychologist and Transformative Speaker on Positive Psychology, she draws upon research from her latest book, Get Out of The Red Zone: Transform Your Stress and Optimize True Success, to help audiences identify and overcome what is uniquely holding them back and stressing them out. But more importantly, she gives them a new language to use in high moments of stress that helps realign them for better outcomes.

Beau Lotto Speaker

Beau Lotto

Neuroscientist, Entrepreneur, and Author of Deviate

 About

  • Beau talks about how we adapt and thrive in times of change to find solutions to questions that haven’t been asked yet.
  • Beau's interactive, and fun presentation will equip people to challenge their own assumptions and beliefs and come away better able to innovate, collaborate, lead, and adapt to new realities.
  • Beau Lotto is a three-time TED speaker, a best-selling author, professor and the founder and CEO of two companies –Lab of Misfits, the world’s first neuro-design studio, and Ripple, which holds several highly influential patents in Augmented Reality (AR).
  • Past clients include: Cirque du Soleil, L’Oreal, Asurion, Microsoft, Edelman, and The UAE’s Crown Prince’s Court.

Click Here to Watch Beau's Virtual Presentation

The only way to thrive in a rapidly changing world is to change with it. We know that. But the biggest barrier is in our heads. Neuroscientist and entrepreneur Beau Lotto shows why adapting –moving from A to B –means first moving from A to not-A. We needto let go of the assumptions and beliefs that keep us from seeing the world differently. A world-renowned expert in the science of perception, Beau reveals why trading certainty for doubt increases our capacity to adapt, lead, innovate, and thrive in the darkness of “I don’t know.”

A professor with deep academic credentials and critical scholarly works on the subject, Beau is also founder and CEO of two companies –Lab of Misfits, the world’s first neuro-design studio, and Ripple, which holds several highly influential patents in Augmented Reality (AR). A three-time mainstage TED speaker with over 9,000,000 views, Beau has spoken around the world, delivering totally unique, visually stunning, interactive, and fun presentations that help people act differently in the face of change. His message is an ideal conference kick-off –providing powerful, positive, creative context that sets a tone for the content and collaboration that follow. Beau’s latest book is Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently.

A professor with deep academic credentials and critical scholarly works on the subject, Beau is also founder and CEO of two companies – Lab of Misfits, the world’s first neuro-design studio, and Ripple, which holds several highly influential patents in Augmented Reality (AR). A three-time mainstage TED speaker with over 9,000,000 views, Beau has spoken around the world, delivering totally unique, visually stunning, interactive, and fun presentations that help people act differently in the face of change. His message is an ideal conference kick-off – providing powerful, positive, creative context that sets a tone for the content and collaboration that follow. Beau’s latest book is Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently.

In 2001, Beau Lotto founded the Lab of Misfits Studio,the world’s only neuroperception creative studio that is also a real neuroscience lab. The Lab’s goal is to foster adaptability and creativity. Their unique process of experiential experiments unites neuroscience expertise and measurement with digital technology and immersive design. They study humans “in the wild” -in theaters, public spaces, even across entire cities -using a combination of digital, virtual, and physical techniques and neuroscientific methodologies. By unveiling the essential truths that drive human decisions, their work deepens connections and creates innovations. Pragmatically, their insights are scientifically unique and quantified, commercially valuable to thestakeholders, and emotional and actionable to public audiences. They havesince created public experiences around the world, including London’s Science Museum, Hayward Gallery on London’s South Bank, and a public art installation in London’s famous Silicon Roundabout. Their past clients include Cirque du Soleil, L’Oreal, Asurion, Microsoft, Edelman, The UAE’s Crown Prince’s Court, and others. Lab of Misfits currently powers the neuroscience offering at Burson Cohn & Wolfe, one of the world's largest public relations and communications firms.

Beau is also CEO and founder of Ripple Inc, which holds five highly influential patents in Augmented Reality (AR) with two further patents pending. Using its technology and exclusive patented IP, the Lab creates digital platforms and custom, proprietary digital interactions that layer the world with immersive digital content. Examples include the GPS-based AR apps Traces, Acoustigram, and W_nder, all of which focus on location-tied storytelling, adding a layer of meaning to the world that has hitherto been impossible.