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Mike Abrashoff Speaker

Mike Abrashoff

Inspiring Story of Leadership from Former Commander of USS Benfold

 About

  • Real-life Leadership advice from the former captain of the best ship in the U.S. Navy—the U.S.S. Benfold
  • First book, It’s Your Ship, has sold over 1.1 million copies to date
  • Fresh ways to build trust, harness people’s passion and achieve extraordinary results; common-sense ideas to stay focused only on the things you can control/influence
  • Past clients include: Cox Communications, Disney, Exxon Mobil, JP Morgan, Microsoft, Starwood Hotels, Toyota

Click Here to Watch Mike's Virtual Presentation

Mike Abrashoff was the most-junior officer in the Pacific Fleet when he took command of the near-worst performing ship. Twelve months later, the USS Benfold was the best ship in the entire Navy –using the same crew. The story of that stunning transformation has lessons for every organization: leadership matters –and culture is everything. Mike’s written three books –his first, It’s Your Ship, has sold over 1.3million copies. His Leadership Roadmap offers clear, battle-tested, and actionable steps. Mike shows people at every level of the organization how to engage and take incremental steps toward change that can make a dramatic difference at work. Mike is clear, “I didn’t turn the ship around –my crew did that. What I did was to create an environment where they feltsafe, empowered and supported. When you do that, anything is possible.”

In many ways, what Mike was able to do with the USS Benfold was an extreme example of the same problems facing many organizations today. That’s why dozens of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company have cited Mike’s story as an inspiring lesson for business. Leaders especially identify with Mike’s being accountable for the results in an environment where he couldn’t make the rules.

“When my crew came to me with a problem, I’d say ‘It’s your ship –how would you fix it?’.” Mike focused on the one thing he could influence: his crew’s attitude, because culture is the ultimate competitive weapon for any organization.

Mike’s established a set of management principles that he calls The Leadership Roadmap. At the core of his leadership approach on Benfoldwas a process of replacing command and control with commitment and cohesion, and engaging the hearts, minds, and loyalties of workers with conviction and humility. “The most important thing that a captain can do is to see the ship through the eyes of the crew. The idea is to empower every individual to share the responsibility of achieving excellence.”

By every measure, these principles achieved breakthrough results: turnover decreased to an unprecedented 1%; the rate of promotions tripled; and the crew slashed operating expenses by 25%. Regarded as the finest ship in the Pacific Fleet, Benfoldwon the prestigious Spokane Trophy for havingthe highest degree of combat readiness. This remarkable turnaround was accomplished by the very same crew that had performed so poorly just months before.

Mike is author of three books. His first, It’s Your Ship, has a timeless message: don’t use outside forces that stand in your way as excuses –control the things you can influence and amazing results will happen. His next books, It’s Our Ship and Get Your Ship Together, showed how these principles have been put into action by business leaders in their own organizations.

A popular keynote speaker for audiences looking to ramp up organizational performance, Mike has spoken to every industry and kind of audience –from board retreats to front line personnel; from sales groups to universities; from Fortune 500s to startups. He inspires audiences to rethink their beliefs about leadership and organizational culture and tailors the message to focus on engagement, execution, change, safety, diversity, leadership, teamwork, innovation, accountability and more. Prior to commanding USS Benfold, Mike served as the Military Assistant to Secretary of Defense William J. Perry. He also helped draft the air defense plan for naval forces in the Persian Gulf in 1990, coinciding with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait; and served as the executive officer of the Cruiser Shiloh, where he deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of United Nations sanctions against Iraq.

Mike Abrashoff is the founder of Aegis Performance Group, a consulting firm which works with and supports leaders as they address leadership, talent and performance challenges within their organizations. Mike and his team prompt leaders at all levels to re-imagine their leadership thinking and create new ways to elevate individual,team and organizational performance.

Shawn Achor Speaker

Shawn Achor

Author and Speaker on Leadership, Performance and Change

 About

  • World’s leading expert on the connection between happiness and success.
  • Talks about: Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises Our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-Being
  • Popular TED Talk speaker with over 4 million online views
  • Past clients include: Microsoft, American Express, BlueCross BlueShield, KPMG, UBS, AT&T, RE/MAX, Johnson & Johnson, Genentech, HP, Frito-Lay

Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, spent over a decade at Harvard University where he won numerous distinguished teaching awards for his work. Shawn's research on happiness and human potential has received attention from the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Forbes, CNN, and NPR. His keynotes help organizations to improve performance, leadership and manage change.

Shawn graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and earned a Masters from Harvard Divinity School in Christian and Buddhist ethics. In 2006, he was Head Teaching Fellow for Positive Psychology, the most popular course at Harvard at the time.

In 2007, Shawn founded Good Think Inc. to share his research with a wider population. When the global economy collapsed in 2008, Shawn was immediately called in as an expert by the world's largest banks to help restart forward progress. Subsequently, Shawn has spoken in 45 countries to a wide variety of audiences: bankers on Wall Street, students in Dubai, CEOs in Zimbabwe.

Afterburner, Inc. Speaker

Afterburner, Inc.

Fighter Pilots who Teach Leadership, Teamwork, Culture & Motivation Skills

 About

Afterburner is a diverse team of elite military professionals composed of current and former Fighter Pilots. Their keynote speakers take the mindset and ways of working they learned in the cockpit of their high-performance fighter jets and transfer those lessons into your organization. They inspire teams, align them on their purpose, and help execute their plan to accelerate their performance. They connect strategy to execution with their cutting-edge training programs that include keynotes, team building seminars, workshops, training, coaching, and consulting programs.

Thousands of companies including Microsoft, Google, Home Depot, and Nike have all learned the secrets to accelerating the development of their strategy and execution – and you can too! From executive leaders to the frontline team, Afterburner’s programs are crafted to inspire your leaders and their teams to consistently surpass expectations!

Afterburner’s dynamic, high-energy keynote speakers will inspire your audience to take action and set the foundation for you to build highly engaged, outcome-focused teams. They’ll bring out your inner fighter pilot and show you what it’s like at the edge of the human performance envelope, physically and mentally.

David Allen Speaker

David Allen

Getting Things Done Author and Leading Time Management Speaker

 About

David Allen is an author, consultant, international speaker, Founder and Chairman of the David Allen Company. He is widely recognized as the world's leading authority on personal and organizational productivity. His thirty years of pioneering research, motivation and education of some of the world's highest-performing professionals, corporations and institutions - has earned him Forbes' recognition as one of the top five executive coaches in the United States, and as one of the Top 100 thought leaders by Leadership magazine. Fast Company hailed David Allen One of the world's most influential thinkers in the arena of personal productivity, for his outstanding programs and writing on time and stress management, the power of aligned focus and vision in the face of change - and his groundbreaking methodologies in management and executive peak performance. Time Magazine labeled his first book, Getting Things Done, as the defining self-help business book of the decade.

David Allen is the author of three books; the international best-seller, Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-Free Productivity (GTD - as the method is popularly known), Ready for Anything, and Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life. Getting Things Done has been a perennial business best-seller since it's publication in 2001, and is now published in 28 languages.

Getting Things Done has spawned an international movement of devoted adopters from executives, techies, soldiers, entrepreneurs, university professors, musicians, students and the clergy. It has given rise to a thriving GTD industry of web sites, blogs and software applications. Internet searches bring up tens of millions of references. David Allen is a rarity in the twitter world - as one of the few non-celebrities with over a million followers hanging on his wit and inspiration.

Piloting a productivity seminar for a thousand managers at Lockheed in 1983, David has continued to test and refine the techniques and principles we now know as GTD - a powerful method to manage commitments, information, and communication. This pioneering and proven system is the result of those twenty plus years of David's consulting, private coaching and organizational programs with over a half million people internationally. GTD has well earned its recognition as the gold standard in personal management and productivity for many of the world's best and brightest people and companies.

Sophisticated without being confining, the subtle effectiveness of GTD lies in its radically common sense notion that with a complete and current inventory of all your commitments , organized and reviewed in a systematic way, you can focus clearly, view your world from optimal angles and make trusted choices about what to do (and not do) at any moment. GTD embodies an easy, step-by-step and highly efficient method for achieving this relaxed, productive state. It includes:

  • Capturing anything and everything that has your attention
  • Defining actionable things discretely into outcomes and concrete next steps
  • Organizing reminders and information in the most streamlined way, in appropriate categories, based on how and when you need to access them
  • Keeping current and on your game with appropriately frequent reviews of the six horizons of your commitments - purpose, vision, goals, areas of focus, projects, and actions

Implementing GTD alleviates the feeling of being overwhelmed, instills confidence - and releases a flood of creative energy. It provides structure without constraint and managing details with maximum flexibility. The system rigorously adheres to the core principles of productivity - while allowing tremendous freedom in the how. The only right way to do GTD is getting meaningful things done with truly the least amount of invested attention and energy. Coaching thousands of people, where they work, about their work - has informed the GTD method with the best practices
of how to work (and live), in that most efficient and productive way. GTDs simplicity, flexibility, and immediacy are its attraction. Its ability to enliven, enlighten, and empower is its magic. What, indeed, is GTD? More than meets the eye...

Amazing Speakers for Your Events Speaker

 About

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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.

    Joey Aviles Speaker

    Joey Aviles

    Former Chief of Diversity & Inclusion, Former Director of Recruitment & Retention, and Keynote Speaker

     About

    Joey Aviles is recognized as a 2022 LinkedIn’s Racial Equity Top Voice, 2021 Top 15 Champion of Diversity by Diversity Global Magazine, as a Top 100 Executive Leader by Diversity MBA Magazine, and featured as an Inclusion Innovator by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).

    Joey is the Founder and Chief Belonging Officer of MJA & CO, LLC, a Minority-owned consulting firm helping leaders leverage Diversity, Equity & Inclusion as a catalyst to increase engagement, innovation, and retention.

    Joey served as the first civilian Chief of Diversity and Inclusion in the history of the US Coast Guard. He is a DEI Thought Leader with over 15 years of experience serving clients like Dell Technologies, Ferrara, University of Phoenix, Highmark Health, Peace Corps, FDIC, FDA, NIH, Department of Defense, Department of Interior, Department of Homeland Security, and other organizations. Miguel is a TEDx speaker, and has been featured at the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, Telemundo, the Change Management Conference, the Human Capital Institute, the SHRM Talent Management and D&I Conferences.

    Graduate of the Yale School of Management Fostering Inclusion and Diversity Certificate, Joey is a certified Professional Diversity Coach by the Coach Diversity Institute. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez.

    For over a decade he held several leadership positions in 3 major Federal Departments; DOI’s Division Chief of the Office of Recruitment and Retention Programs; DOD’s Deputy Program Manager of the Executive Leadership Development Program, the Defense Civilian Emerging Leaders Program, and the Managerial and Supervisory Training Program. He started his federal career as a Diversity Recruiter intern in Mayaguez, PR and served as an HR Specialist in the DOD’s Recruitment Assistance Division. Miguel is the former President of Young Government Leaders, a 12,000+ member national Affinity Group.

    Mehmet Baha Speaker

    Mehmet Baha

    Global Trainer & Speaker on Psychological Safety, Agile and Resilience

     About

    His full name is Mehmet Baha and everyone calls him Baha. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by the question: “How can I make a difference in the lives of people?” His interest leads him to win a scholarship from Fulbright and finish his master’s in the USA on Conflict Resolution. He has lived and worked in Germany, Turkey, Ireland, Guatemala, and the USA, with over 20 years of work experience.

    Baha was one of the first employees of Facebook in Europe. Throughout his life, he has realized the importance of having psychological safety to create high-performing teams. So far, he has delivered training and talks in more than 28 countries across five continents. Recently, he completed Harvard Business School’s Online Executive Education Programme “Organizational Leadership”. He is fluent in English, Spanish, Turkish, and German.

    In his free time, he loves to play percussion, travel with his family, and play soccer with his 6-year-old daughter. His first book, “Playbook for Engaged Employees", was released in April 2021 and already purchased in the US, Canada, Germany, the UK, Australia, and Switzerland. His second book, "Playbook to Create Psychological Safety", will be published in September 2024.

    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."

    Ty Bennett Speaker

    Ty Bennett

    Leadership, Communication, and Sales Speaker

     About

    • Speaker on Leadership, Communication and Entrepreneurship
    • Talks about: Partnership is the New Leadership & The Power of Storytelling
    • Featured as one of the Top 40 Under 40, Founder of Leadership Inc., and author of 3 bestselling books, built a direct sales business to over $20 million in annual revenues by age 21
    • Past clients include: Coca-Cola, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield and RE/MAX

    Click Here to Watch Ty's Virtual Presentation

    Ty Bennett is the founder of Leadership Inc., a speaking and training company with a mission to improve communications and empower individuals and organizations to challenge their status quo, cultivate exceptional relationships - and compete in extraordinary ways. He has worked with over 500 leaders, in over 37 countries, to help them fine-tune their sales and leadership skills. He’s changing lives - one leader at a time.

    At 21, Ty and his brother built a direct sales business to over $20 million in annual revenues. He was featured as one of the Top 40 Under 40 - and was dubbed one of the 10 Coolest Entrepreneurs in Utah.

    He has traversed the world speaking to tens of thousands of audience members - transforming the lives, careers, and business practices of leaders from some of the most recognizable brands in the world such as: Coca-Cola, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield and RE/MAX.

    Ty is author of three best-selling books, with all three being used in graduate courses at multiple universities including MIT - as today’s version of “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”:

    • Partnership is the New Leadership
    • The Power of Storytelling: The Art of Influential Communication
    • The Power of Influence: Increase Your Income and Personal Impact

    He’s one of the youngest speakers ever to receive the CSP Designation from the National Association of Speakers - of which less than 5% of the world’s speakers earn this honour.

    Ty is a husband and father - and he’s PASSIONATE about helping leaders cultivate the relevance and influence they need to challenge old ways and open new doors.

    Dr. Jasmin Bergeron Speaker

    Dr. Jasmin Bergeron

    International expert on the WOW Effect, Dr. Jasmin Bergeron delivered more than 2,000 keynote presentations on the WOW Effect in sales, leadership, teamwork and work-life balance.

     About

    Click Here to Watch Dr. Jasmin Bergeron's Virtual Showcase

    Dr. Jasmin Bergeron is a sought-after expert who gave more than 2,000 keynote presentations and workshops (in person and online) in 12 countries around the world. He also authored or co-authored five books, more than 50 scientific research papers and over 100 newspaper articles on the “WOW effect” in journals such as The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Bergeron owns the “Certified Speaking Professional - CSP” designation, which is the highest international certification that can be earned in the professional speaker industry worldwide. Dr. Bergeron talks on the best practices to create a “WOW Effect” in various contexts such as: Sales and business development, customer service, leadership, teamwork, and work-life balance.

    Dr. Jasmin Bergeron has given hundreds of keynote presentations in the following sectors: Financial Services, Healthcare, Education, Professional Services, Real Estate, Government, Tourism and Hospitality, Retail, and a variety of associations

    Dr. Jasmin Bergeron will take a lot of time to tailor his presentation to your business, needs and expectations. In fact, after his presentations, many attendees think that he worked in their industry before. His main objective is to deliver practical tips and tools that can be implemented immediately. Delivering well-researched and relevant insights, Jasmin Bergeron is known for his interactive, humorous, and value-oriented approach. Jasmin is a fully bilingual speaker who has a unique ability to simplify seemingly complex challenges in a way that will provide your audience with a fresh and useful perspective.

    Dr. Jasmin Bergeron’s dynamic presentations are grounded in science (he is a tenured University Professor), leavened with humor and strengthened by his flair for telling it like it is. Attendees particularly value the memory aid he provides at the end. You will leave Dr. Jasmin Bergeron’s keynote refreshed, energized and more confident than ever that you are prepared for the road ahead.

    Ross Bernstein Speaker

    Ross Bernstein

    Inspiring Business Speaker and Bestselling Sports Author

     About

    • Ross talks about why certain teams are SUCCESSFUL whereas others aren’t, based on his research of over 1,000 professional athletes and coaches in this highly personalized presentation.
    • Audiences leave motivated by the 100 unique characteristics and traits that are common among champions, told through poignant life lessons and inspirational stories.
    • Ross Bernstein is a best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books, and an award-winning business speaker.
    • Past clients include: Tempurpedic, Anytime Fitness, Chatham Steel, Milk Specialties Industries, Allianz Life Financial Services and Levi Strauss & Co.

    Ever wonder why certain teams win consistently, whereas others come up short? Ross Bernstein explains why - in an engaging and visually entertaining style that's designed to improve your organization's productivity, morale and bottom-line profitability...

    The best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books, Ross Bernstein is an award-winning business speaker who helps companies and organizations perform more like champions. Ross and his books have been featured on thousands of television and radio programs over the past 20 years, including CNN, MSNBC, CBS This Morning, FOX News, Bloomberg, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and the CBC, as well as in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, L.A. Times, USA Today, and Maxim Magazine.

    Ross' signature program, The Champion's Code: Life Lessons of Ethics & Accountability from the Sports World to the Business World, is based on more than six years of research that resulted in two critically acclaimed series of sports-business books. The first examines how and why certain teams win world championships; while the other chronicles the unwritten and unspoken rules in the world of sports, or codes as they are known, which explores the fine line between cheating and gamesmanship - and the consequences involved when that line is crossed.

    Ross interviewed more than 1,000 professional athletes and coaches for the six books and along the way he saw some fascinating patterns, metrics and trends develop among certain individuals who possessed a very unique DNA. For these unique individuals, or champions, it wasn't always about winning, it was about following their moral compass in order to play the game the right way - with respect and integrity - in order to achieve success. In his presentation, Ross identifies upwards of 100 unique characteristics and traits that are common among champions, which he then ties into poignant life lessons and inspirational stories that relate back to his client's event theme and desired learner outcomes.

    Based largely on the Good to Great ideology of how the best companies are able to separate them- selves from the rest of the pack through dynamic leadership and extraordinary customer service, Ross' program reinforces the concept that individuals win games, but TEAMS win championships. Momentum, roles, buy-in, motivation, consistency, sacrifice, trust, chemistry, work-ethic, innovation, karma, and being humble - they're all a part of what it takes to become the best of the best - a champion both on and off the field.

    So... who are the champions in your organization? Ross speaks about 100 dates a year and he'd love to customize a keynote (from one to six hours) for your next annual conference, corporate event, or sales meeting - his passion and energy is contagious and he'd be honored to be a member of YOUR team for the day!

    Carl Bernstein Speaker

    Carl Bernstein

    Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist and Author

     About

    Few journalists have had the impact on history and their craft as Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Carl Bernstein. From uncovering the Watergate scandal with Bob Woodward to writing about national and international affairs for half a century, Bernstein’s books, reporting and commentary have revealed the hidden workings of government and politics around the world.

    Bernstein’s important on-air reporting and commentary on Donald Trump for CNN has been widely recognized for continuing the kind of work he and Bob Woodward pioneered during the Nixon presidency.

    In 1973, Woodward and Bernstein were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for their Watergate coverage at The Washington Post, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon and setting new standards for investigative journalism. The pair went on to write two classic best-sellers: All the President’s Men (also a movie starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman); and The Final Days, chronicling the end of the Nixon presidency.

    Bernstein’s recently released book, Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom, became an instant New York Times bestseller, receiving extraordinary attention and praise in reviews throughout the United States and Europe. In it, Bernstein recounts his earliest days in journalism at the Washington Evening Star newspaper, where he began his career during the Kennedy era as a 16-year-old copyboy. The roots of his Watergate reporting can be seen in this remarkable apprenticeship as a teenage reporter in the nation’s capital.

    Bernstein’s other best-selling books demonstrate his unique range as a journalist:  Loyalties: A Son’s Memoir, about his family’s experiences in the McCarthy era; His Holiness: Pope John Paul II and The History of Our Time – a biography of Pope John Paul II – that revealed the Pope’s pivotal role in the fall of communism; and A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton, acclaimed as the definitive biography on the subject.

    His magazine articles have appeared in TimeUSA TodayRolling Stone and The New Republic. From 1999-2001, Bernstein served as editor and executive vice president of Voter.com, a pioneering website that Forbes named the best political site on the internet. He has worked as Washington bureau chief and correspondent for ABC News; and, while at the Washington Post, was also a part-time rock critic.

    Bernstein lives in New York with his wife and is the father of two sons, Jacob Bernstein, a reporter for the New York Times; and Max Bernstein, who plays guitar for Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus.

    Jeanne Bliss Speaker

    Jeanne Bliss

    Global Speaker, Author and Expert on Customer Experience & Customer Loyalty

     About

    • Jeanne talks about customer-driven growth earned through creating top-notch customer experience.
    • Audiences leave feeling motivated to use the practical tools Jeanne shares to make business personal and inspire customer loyalty. ,
    • Jeanne Bliss is Former Chief Customer Office at Land's End, Microsoft, Coldwell Banker and Allstate Corporations. She is a best-selling author & Co-Founder of the Customer Experience Professionals Association.
    • Past clients include: AARP, Johnson&Johnson, Kaiser Permanente, Krispy Kreme, Loreal, MGM Resorts, and Salesforce.

    Click Here to Watch Jeanne's Virtual Presentation

    Jeanne Bliss helps companies and people become the best version of themselves. She guides them to define, build and live the behaviours and actions that will fuse customers to them - and ultimately create deep and memorable relationships. Creating these enhanced relationships has been Jeanne’s singular mission for over 35 years.

    Often referred to as the “Godmother of Customer Experience” - Jeanne is one of the foremost experts on customer-centric leadership. She pioneered the role of the Chief Customer Officer, holding the first ever CCO role at Lands’ End, Microsoft, Coldwell Banker and Allstate Corporations. Reporting to each company’s CEO, she moved the customer to the strategic agenda, redirecting priorities to create transformational changes to each brands’ customer experience. She has driven achievement of 95% loyalty rates - improving customer experiences across 50,000-person organizations.

    Her ability to effectively guide leaders and companies to earn customer-driven growth is based on these experiences as a practitioner for over 35 years - working across organizations to unite the C-Suite and organizational silos; as well as guiding over 20,000 leaders around the world to understand that improving lives should be their most important strategic vision.

    Jeanne is the Founder and President of CustomerBliss, and Co-Founder of The Customer Experience Professionals Association. She has delivered over 2,000 speeches and workshops for nearly every business vertical in B2B and C2B companies - on how to build the roadmap toward these deep and genuine customer experiences that earn passionate advocates both inside and outside of your business.

    Jeanne is also a best-selling author:

    • Chief Customer Officer (Jossey-Bass, 2006) - this groundbreaking book was the first of its kind to address the role of the customer leadership executive. It quickly became a best-seller and has been translated into eight languages
    • Would You Do That To Your Mother? (Portfolio/Penguin, 2018) - this new release is filled with tools you can start applying immediately to turn uncomfortable customer moments into “we got your back” experiences - that would make your mom proud and will win you love and loyalty from your customers
    • Chief Customer Officer 2.0 (Wiley, 2015) - a 5-competency roadmap to build your customer-driven growth engine. This book contains an explicit path and set of actions to unite your Chief Customer Officer and leadership team in leading your customer-driven transformation
    • I Love You More than My Dog: Five Decisions that Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad (Portfolio, 2001) - in this best-seller, Jeanne shares 45 case studies that highlight decisions made by beloved companies that your company can emulate - to earn devoted customers, social media accolades and growth, even in a down economy

    Lisa Bodell Speaker

    Lisa Bodell

    Global Leader on Simplification & Banishing Complexity, Innovation, Leadership, Change, Collaboration, and Transforming Culture

     About

    • Futurist and Founder of Futurethink – The World’s Largest Source of Simplification + Innovation Tools and Training.
    • Author of Two Bestselling Books: Why Simple Wins and Kill the Company.
    • Expert on Replacing Mind-Numbing Complexity With Simplicity So People Can Focus On Work That Matters.
    • Monthly Contributor, Forbes; Frequent Appearances Fast Company, Wired, the New York Times, Inc., Harvard Business Review, CNN, and More.

    “Complexity is crippling our organizations. It’s stifling our people and keeping them from doing their most meaningful and impactful work.” Lisa Bodell, a global leader on simplification, collaboration, and innovation, has a solution. Lisa shows organizations how to eliminate complexity and leverage simplicity – unleashing creativity and sparking the energy so essential to innovate and compete in a rapidly changing world. FutureThink, which she founded in 2003, works with leading brands worldwide and has become the largest source of innovation research, tools, and training in the world. Lisa is the author of two groundbreaking books, Why Simple Wins: Escape the Complexity Trap and Get to Work That Matters and Kill the Company: End the Status Quo, Start an Innovation Revolution. She ranks on the list of Top 50 Speakers Worldwide and captivates audiences with her energy and humor. Lisa’s keynotes leave audiences inspired to change and arms them with radically simple tools to get to the work that matters.

    After earning her business degree from University of Michigan, Lisa launched her career at Leo Burnett in Chicago, where she discovered a gift for uniting strategically-driven ideas with forward-thinking themes. She went on to build two successful businesses before moving to New York and focusing on the simplification and innovation space with FutureThink.

    Lisa brings a compelling perspective to the sought-after topics of simplification and innovation to over 100,000 people each year. A thought leader and serial entrepreneur, her transformational message has inspired executives at top-ranked organizations such as Google, SAP, Citigroup, and the Department of National Intelligence.

    Lisa has contributed her expertise to a wide variety of media. She is a monthly contributor to Forbes and has frequently appeared in other media including: Fast Company, WIRED, The New York Times, Inc., Harvard Business Review, and CNN. She has also been featured in many major books such as Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question, Adam Grant’s Originals, and AfterShock, the 50-year celebration based on futurist Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock.

    Lisa has taught innovation at both American University and Fordham University and has a TED talk on the topic. She has served on the board of advisors of several organizations, including the Global Agenda Council for the World Economic Forum, the United States National Security Agency, the Association of Professional Futurists, and the Novartis board of Diversity & Inclusion.

    Kris Boesch Speaker

    Kris Boesch

    Founder & CEO of Choose People, Author & Keynote Speaker 

     About

    Our take: Your audience will learn tools and ideas from Kris that boost engagement and belonging at Work. Inspiring.

    • Kris talks about how when people feel good about coming to work, they show up not only as better workers but as better people for everyone in their lives.
    • Audiences learn how to renew their commitment to teamwork and one another by developing common ground and creating profound accountability and a strong sense of "our work" through a shared identity and vision.
    • Kris has been featured as a workplace culture expert in Inc., Entrepreneur and Forbes and was recently named one of the “Top 100 Leadership Speakers” in Inc.
    • Past clients include: Petsmart, SE Johnson, SHRM, PMI, IPMA and Magnolia.

    Kris Boesch is the CEO and Founder of Choose People, a company that transforms company cultures, increases employee happiness and boosts the bottom-line. The Choose People 360° Culture Audit is based on over 1000 hours of research conducted with the Industrial Organizational Psychology Department at Colorado State University.

    She is also the author of Culture Works: How to Create Happiness in the Workplace. Prior to Choose People, Boesch was the CEO of Exodus Moving & Storage.

    Kris’ journey into workplace culture started when she became the CEO of Exodus Moving & Storage.

    Where many saw just another moving company Kris recognized quickly that if her employees felt good about coming to work, they would take better care of customers. In turn, this meant the financial health of the company would prosper.

    The catch was the deck was stacked against her.  The company was struggling to cover payroll.  Turnover was high and culture toxicity even higher.  And on top of all of that she didn’t have industry experience nor earned respect to demand behavioral changes. In short, the common approach of a boss-centric leadership style wasn’t going to cut it. She knew she was going to have to earn every inch of authority and return every penny of respect she gained to breakthrough.

    So, she went to work to find another way, a way that put the focus on the only real leverage she had – her team.

    She discovered that when people feel good about coming to work, they show up not only as better workers but as better people for everyone in their lives.  Step-by-step she cultivated ways to create a culture where her team did feel good about coming to work.

    Under her leadership Exodus became the largest mover in Northern Colorado with a turnover rate of 40% less than the industry average and a bottom line twice that same average.

    But most notable of all – the workplace experience of her team went from being one of misery to one of joy.

    From there,  Kris’ life work truly began.

    Kris has been featured as a workplace culture expert in Inc., Entrepreneur and Forbes and was recently named one of the “Top 100 Leadership Speakers” in Inc. Kris's past clients include Petsmart, SE Johnson, SHRM, PMI, IPMA and Magnolia.

     

    Liz Bohannon Speaker

    Liz Bohannon

    Founder & CEO of Socially Conscious Fashion Brand Sseko Designs, Bestselling Author

     About

    Liz Bohannon is the Founder and CEO of socially conscious fashion brand Sseko Designs, which she founded in 2008 as a way to provide educational and economic opportunities for women in East Africa. Liz shares the lessons learned from her 10-year journey growing Sseko from three women under a mango tree, into a successful international fashion brand that provides employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities to thousands of women across the globe.

    Her story is filled with lessons for success that are grounded in the principle of having a beginner’s mind, which Liz sums up in her new book, Beginner’s Pluck: Build Your Life of Purpose and Impact Now. In it, as in her presentations, she shares uncommon ideas toward success like, Own Your Average, Stop Trying to Find Your Passion…Create It, and Dream Small so you can do big things. Liz continues to channel her inner beginner as she manages 100s of employees across multiple continents, and her mindset sets her apart as a courageous, creative and effective leader.

    The Sseko story has been featured in dozens of publications including, Vogue Magazine, Redbook Magazine, O Magazine, Inc., Fortune and others. Sseko has appeared on national broadcasts including ABC's Shark Tank and Good Morning America.

    Among other notable honors, Liz was named a Top Three Transformation Leader by John Maxwell, Forbes listed her as a top 20 public speaker in the U.S. and Bloomberg Businessweek named Sseko as a top social enterprise to watch.
    Liz now splits her time between Uganda and Portland, Oregon, where she and her husband Ben run Sseko Designs and raise their two young sons.

    Eric Boles Speaker

    Eric Boles

    Consultant and Speaker on Leadership, Peak Performance, and Change Management

     About

    Our take: Your audience will be energized by Eric's ideas and passion for embracing change. Game changing

    • 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

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    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.

    Dr. Gary Bradt Speaker

    Dr. Gary Bradt

    World-Class Speaker, Author, Change and Leadership Expert

     About

    • Expert on Emotional Intelligence, Change & Leadership
    • Clinical Psychologist and Author of the bestselling book, The Ring in the Rubble
    • Leadership Consultant & Strategist to numerous Fortune 500 companies
    • Past clients include: American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield, eBay, IBM, Marriott, Merrill Lynch, NASA, Visa, Xerox

    Click Here to Watch Gary's Virtual Presentation

    More than ever before, change and unrelenting disruption are causing employees to feel emotional fatigue, burnout, stress, anxiety and myriad emotions that strip them of creativity, productivity and overall joy. Providing employees with more strategies to adapt to change with a growth mindset and resilient spirit are critical competencies that Dr. Gary Bradt has been teaching C-Suite leaders in Fortune 500s for 25+ years. 

    Today, he is being called upon by leading corporations to share his practical and actionable tools for change with employees at every level, so they can embrace change and create a positive path forward both professionally and personally. 

    Dr. Bradt's unique background and perspective make him a one-of-a-kind speaker on emotional intelligence, change and leadership. As a licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Bradt shares relevant research from neuroscience and positive psychology to help leaders and people at every level approach change with a positive perspective. 

    As a business owner with 25+ years of experience coaching C-level executives, Dr. Bradt passes on practical strategies and tactics that businesspeople quickly comprehend and apply. As a thought leader on change and leadership, he is a contributing writer to Forbes.com and the author of three books on change. 

    Most importantly, however, Dr. Bradt is a father, who speaks from the heart about the tragedies, triumphs, and lessons he's learned from raising a child with a chronic life-threatening heart condition. 

    It is no wonder, then, that the late Spencer Johnson asked Dr. Bradt to be the leading speaker worldwide for one of the bestselling business books of all time, Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese? More than 300 keynotes and twenty-years later,  Dr. Bradt is as passionate as ever about helping people find the opportunity that change always creates. He will inspire and empower your audience to change and win today

    Peter Bregman Speaker

    Peter Bregman

    Best-selling Author and Top-ranked Global Speaker on Leadership & Personal Growth

     About

    • Peter teaches leaders how to lead with emotional courage by increasing their confidence, ability to connect with others and embrace change
    • Audiences leave with the tools to engage on with their teams on an emotional level to guide change and support performance
    • Peter is an author and contributor to more than 16 books, and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Business Week, Forbes, Fast Company and The Financial Times
    • Past clients include: Allianz, American Express, Brunswick Group, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, FEI, GE Capital, Merck, Clear Channel, Nike, and UNICEF

    Peter Bregman is recognized as the #1 executive coach in the world by Leading Global Coaches. Peter coaches CEOs and senior leaders in many of the world’s premier organizations. Having started his career teaching leadership on wilderness and mountaineering expeditions, Peter is CEO of Bregman Partners - an executive coaching company that helps successful people become exceptional leaders and stellar human beings.

    Peter is ranked as a top 30 thought leader by Thinkers 50 Radar - and selected as one of the top 8 thought leaders in leadership. He is the award-winning, best-selling author and contributor of 16 books - including, most recently, Leading with Emotional Courage: How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability, and Inspire Action on Your Most Important Work. His book, 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done, was a Wall Street Journal best-seller, winner of the Gold medal from the Axiom Business Book awards, named the best business book of the year by NPR - and selected by Publisher’s Weekly and the New York Post as a top ten business book. He is also the author of Four Seconds: All the Time You Need to Replace Counter-Productive Habits with Ones That Really Work, a New York Post "Top Pick for Your Career" in 2015, and Point B: A Short Guide to Leading a Big Change.

    Peter is the host of the Bregman Leadership Podcast, which offers insightful conversations with industry thought leaders - on how to become more powerful, courageous leaders. He is also a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and his articles and commentary appear frequently in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, The Financial Times , PBS, ABC, CNN, NPR, and FOX Business News.

    Peter created and leads the Bregman Leadership Intensive, a four-day program that transforms the way people lead - by increasing their confidence in themselves, their ability to connect with others, their commitment to what’s most important, and their emotional courage.

    Peter designed the Bregman Partners proven, proprietary Big Arrow process - to align people to work together to accomplish an organization’s most important work. The Bregman Arrow Measurement tool (BAM)©tm - quantifies the leadership and organizational gaps that block successful execution.

    He has implemented his proprietary solutions with CEOs and senior leaders in many of the world’s premier organizations, including Allianz, American Express, Brunswick Group, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, FEI, GE Capital, Merck, Clear Channel, Nike, UNICEF, among others.

    Peter earned his B.A. from Princeton University and his M.B.A. from Columbia University.

    Kevin Brown Speaker

    Kevin Brown

    Marketing Executive and Speaker on Accountability & Leadership

     About

    • Talks about how great brands deliver excellence to nurture customer relationships
    • Audiences learn how to achieve greater results by eliminating “ordinary" thinking and mastering the habit of excellence.
    • Author of the bestselling, The HERO Effect; Former marketing executive who built a little-known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion.
    • Past clients include: American Express, Delta Airlines, Nationwide, H&R Block, PayPal, New York Life, Million Dollar Round Table, Southwest Airlines, Merck, Atrium Health

    Click Here to Watch Kevin's Virtual Presentation

    Kevin’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking. He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan where his blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. With a streetwise aptitude and a never quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines in business to the executive boardroom.

    Kevin understands what drives organizational excellence and customer loyalty. He knows first-hand how great brands think, feel and act. He is a branding and culture expert with a 30+ year career in franchise development. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little-known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion dollars. Since 2016, he has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible.

    The HERO Effect® is a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else. Kevin is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential and grow their results. And, as the father of a child with autism, he knows firsthand how the principles of true success reach beyond the boardroom and into the lives of real people facing the challenges of everyday life.

    As a highly sought-after keynote speaker, Kevin has had the privilege of speaking to a wide variety of organizations including American Express, Delta Airlines, Nationwide, H&R Block, PayPal, New York Life, Million Dollar Round Table, Southwest Airlines, Merck, Atrium Health, and many more.

    Kevin has received numerous honors, including being named one of the ‘Best Keynote Speakers of 2019’ by NorthStar Meetings Group; one of the ‘Top 41 Motivational Speakers Who Can Energize Any Sales Team’ by ResourcefulSelling; among the ‘Top Customer Service Speakers’ by Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau; and an elite and indemand ‘Gold Star Speaker’ by GDA Speakers.

    Kevin is the author of the best-selling book The HERO Effect® - Being Your Best When It Matters the Most. Kevin entertains, inspires and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life!

    Marcus Buckingham Speaker

    Marcus Buckingham

    Global Expert in Leadership, Management, Strengths-based Talent Development & Reinventing an Organization

     About

    • Marcus talks about how managers can create environments in which individuals thrive, discover their talents and use their best selves daily.
    • Audiences learn the four key demands a manager must fulfill in order to provide the kind of environment that enables people to achieve peak performance on a regular basis.
    • Marcus Buckingham is the author of more than 10 books and is the author of two of the best-selling business books of all time. He is the co-creator of the StrengthsFinder tool, and CEO and found of The Marcus Buckingham Company.
    • Past clients include: Toyota, Facebook, lululemon, Coca-Cola, Box, Master Foods, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, and Disney.

    Marcus Buckingham has dedicated his career to addressing the complex issue of a workplace ruled by efficiency and competency - and where personal strengths fit in. Using his nearly two decades of experience as a Senior Researcher at Gallup Organization, he has challenged entrenched preconceptions about achievement to get to the core of what drives success. As a speaker, Buckingham offers important insights into maximizing strengths, understanding the crucial differences between leadership and management, and fulfilling the quest for long-lasting personal satisfaction in work and in life.

    The definitive treatment of strengths in the workplace can be found in Buckingham's best-selling books: First, Break All the Rules (co-authored with Curt Coffman); Now, Discover Your Strengths (co-authored with Donald O. Clifton); The One Thing You Need to Know; Go Put Your Strengths to Work; The Truth about You and Find Your Strongest Life. His latest book Nine Lies about Work: A Freethinking Leader's Guide to the Real World (co-authored with Ashley Goodall) speaks about how the time has come for a manifesto for truth and change at work - and reveals the unimpeachable data about how humans actually work.

    A recent project and best-seller listed on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, StandOut, is a book and strengths assessment combination that uses new research methodology to reveal your top two strength roles - your areas of comparative advantage. StandOut goes beyond description to give people practical innovations that fit their strengths and provide managers with quick insights on how to get the best from each of their team members.

    The goal is to move companies toward greater success and productivity by creating a workplace culture in which employees spend more than 75% of each day on the job using their strongest skills and engaged in their favorite tasks, basically doing exactly what they want to do. Companies that focus on cultivating employees' strengths rather than simply improving their weaknesses stand to dramatically increase efficiency while allowing for maximum personal growth. If such a theory sounds revolutionary, that's because it is. Buckingham calls it the strengths revolution - and he founded The Marcus Buckingham Company (TMBC) in 2005 to help jump-start a worldwide conversation about how to get people focused on their strengths.

    As he addresses more than 250,000 people around the globe each year, Buckingham touts this strengths revolution as the key to finding the most effective route to personal achievement and the missing link to the efficiency, competence, and high performance for which companies constantly strive. He challenges conventional wisdom and shows the correlation between engaged employees and business fundamentals such as turnover rates, customer satisfaction, profits and productivity.

    In his role as an author, independent consultant and speaker, Marcus Buckingham has been the subject of in-depth profiles in The New York Times, Fortune, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show, and is routinely lauded by such corporations as Toyota, Coca-Cola, Master Foods, Wells Fargo, Microsoft and Disney - as an invaluable resource in informing, challenging, mentoring and inspiring people to find their strengths and sustain long-lasting personal success.

    Marcus Buckingham graduated from Cambridge University in 1987 with a master's degree in social and political science.

    Michael C. Bush Speaker

    Michael C. Bush

    CEO of Great Place to Work, Entrepreneur, Investor, Former member of President Obama’s White House Business Council

     About

    Michael C. Bush is a global chief executive with over 25 years of experience leading small and mid-sized organizations through transformational growth. Driven by a love of business and an unwavering commitment to fair and equitable treatment, in 2015 Michael acquired ownership and currently serves as global CEO of Great Place to Work® headquartered in Oakland, California with operations in more than 60 countries worldwide. Great Place to Work® is a global people analytics and consulting firm that helps companies of all sizes produce better business results by focusing on the work experience for every employee. Through certification programs, Great Place to Work® recognizes outstanding workplaces and produces Fortune’s annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, the World’s Best Workplaces™ list, the 100 Best Workplaces for Women™ list, the Best Workplaces for Diversity™ list and dozens of other distinguished workplace rankings around the world.

    Originally hired to help the founder of Great Place to Work® exit the business, Michael accomplished this successful exit and within six months of taking control set an aggressive new course for the business and brand. This new, market-shifting course began with setting a clear mission for the company: to build a better world by helping every organization become a Great Place to Work For All™ by the year 2030. Re-building the business out of virtual bankruptcy, he created a valuable new set of algorithms and globally launched a new methodology known as “Great Place to Work For All™.” This bold move expanded the market for employee surveys to improve business performance and productivity from employee surveys only for the sake of employer branding. This new For All™ methodology analytically captured renewed interest in the business value that diversity and inclusion bring to innovation. A new SaaS product, “Emprising™” was born in 2018 to enable Michael’s vision for the market shift and transformation of Great Place to Work®’s financial trajectory. Emprising’s remarkably rapid customer adoption rate has resulted in a 15% annual revenue increase with the entire business currently exceeding 100 million dollars annually with EBITDA of 25%.

    In addition to the book Michael Bush authored “A Great Place to Work For All™” (2018, publisher Berrett-Koehler), he is a sought after keynoter and regular contributor to Fortune and has been featured along with Great Place to Work® in numerous publications including Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., ThriveGlobal, Chief Executive Magazine, Huffington Post, CNBC, and TED.

    Prior to his current role, from 2003 to 2015, Michael led private equity backed turn-arounds. In two different businesses he became the CEO and managed both exits that substantially rewarded all investors and stakeholders. In addition, Michael founded an online training platform for small business entrepreneurs that led to him becoming a member of President Obama’s White House Business Council where he focused on Inner City Job creation.

    During this time, 2002-2012, Michael served on the Board of Inner City Advisors – a non-profit helping small business create jobs and pay a living wage. He also founded the non-profit private equity firm Fund Good Jobs in 2012. This fund provides capital to small business who cannot attract capital from the traditional sources.

    From 1996 to 2003, Michael spent one year as the COO of Whalen and Company a global telecommunications project management firm that was purchased in 1997 by Tetra Tech Communications. Following that acquisition, Michael was promoted to CEO of Tetra Tech Communications, where revenues grew from 40 million dollars annually to 300 million, until 2003.

    Michael was a member of the Board of Directors at Workday, Inc. until September 2021 when Great Place to Work was acquired by UKG, Inc.

    Michael Bush received his MS in Management from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in 1994. Michael is a student and teacher of business having taught Entrepreneurship at Stanford University and Mills College from 2003 to 2015.

    Susan Cain Speaker

    Susan Cain

    Co-founder of Quiet Revolution, New York Times Best-selling Author and Speaker on Leadership

     About

    Susan Cain is the author of the best-sellers Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, which has been translated into 40 languages, is in its seventh year on the New York Times best- seller list, and was named the #1 best book of the year by Fast Company magazine, which also named Cain one of its Most Creative People in Business. LinkedIn named her the 6th Top Influencer in the world.

    Susan has partnered with Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant and Dan Pink to launch the Next Big Idea Book Club; they donate all their proceeds to children’s literacy programs.

    Her writing has appeared in the The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. Her record-smashing TED talk has been viewed over 30 million times on TED.com and YouTube combined, and was named by Bill Gates one of his all-time favorite talks.

    Cain has also spoken at Microsoft, Google, the U.S. Treasury, the S.E.C., Harvard, Yale, West Point and the US Naval Academy.

    She received Harvard Law School’s Celebration Award for Thought Leadership, the Toastmasters International Golden Gavel Award for Communication and Leadership, and was named one of the world’s top 50 Leadership and Management Experts by Inc. Magazine. She is an honours graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School.

    She lives in the Hudson River Valley with her husband and two sons.

    Cassie Campbell-Pascall Speaker

    Cassie Campbell-Pascall

    Captain of Gold Medal Canadian Women’s Hockey Team, inspiring sports speaker, talks about leadership and teamwork.

     About

    Cassie Campbell is a sought after corporate and keynote speaker, drawing on her accomplishments as the captain of both gold-medal winning Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey Teams (2002 and 2006) - to explore the topics of  leadership, teamwork, determination and coming out of your comfort zone. Millions of viewers around the world heard Cassie's commentary and analysis of Women's Hockey at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

    Cassie Campbell won 21 medals with Canada's National Women's teams, including 17 gold medals and four silver medals. She is a six-time World Champion gold medallist - and won silver at the 2005 World Chamionships. Cassie Campbell is the only captain, male or female, to lead Canada to two Olympic gold medals. When Cassie Campbell was dressed for Team Canada, her team had a 129-26-2 record.

    As Captain of Canada's National Women's Team from 2001 to 2006 - she is the longest serving captain in Canadian hockey history. She was also an alternate captain with Canada's National Women's Team from 1997-2001 - receiving this honour just prior to her second World Championship appearance.

    In 157 career games with Team Canada, Cassie Campbell had 32 goals, 68 assists, 100 points, 66 penalty minutes. (Four of her career goals were short-handed and three were game winning goals). Her 100 points rank her 8th all-time with Team Canada's National Women's program.

    In addition to a very successful career in sports, Cassie Campbell was also the first woman to do colour commentating on Hockey Night in Canada on October 14th, 2006 - when the Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Calgary Flames. She currently works as a TV analyst for TSN's women's hockey coverage and for CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. Cassie has worked as a colour commentator for TSN, The Score and the NHL Network - and does radio work for Calgary Flames games on the FAN 960. She was one of the voices of Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

    Cassie Campbell runs an annual street hockey tournament in Calgary, Alberta to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. Along with Hockey Hall of Famer's Bobby Orr and Mike Bossy - Cassie is a spokesperson and host for Hockey Canada's Chevrolet Safe & Fun Hockey program. She is a Special Advisor to Scotiabank for it's hockey programs and properties, proud supporter of World Vision and spokesperson for Callaway Golf, promoting, amongst other things, women in golf.

    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.

    Colette Carlson Speaker

    Colette Carlson

    Author & Motivational Speaker on Human Behaviour and Communications

     About

    • Motivational Speaker on Human Behaviour and Communications
    • Through real-world, highly-engaging, and laugh-out-loud funny keynotes, Colette teaches organizations how mindful communication creates powerful connections.
    • Master’s Degree in Human Behavior and more than 20 years of experience helping individuals change behaviors that impact their success.
    • Past clients include: Boeing, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Fidelity, Great Clips, Federal Express

    Click Here to Watch Colette's Virtual Presentation

    At the heart of every sale, every interaction between a leader and a team member, every conversation with a customer… is a connection. How to make those connections effective, and leverage them for greater success, is the thread woven into every one of Colette Carlson’s presentations.

    Colette teaches audiences how to transform relationships through the power of connected conversations. Her keynote programs are so personalized, attendees often assume Colette is one of them. She has the outstanding ability to connect through engaging content and laugh-out-loud humor.

    With a Master’s Degree in Human Behavior, and more than 20 years of experience helping individuals change behaviors that impact their success, Colette understands the psychology, mindset, and skills required to make positive, long-lasting change.

    Trusted clients include Boeing, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Federal Express, Fidelity, Domino’s Pizza, Great Clips, and the United States Government.