Find the Top Motivational Speakers in the United States for Your Next Event

A growing number of organizations both big and small have learned the benefits of hiring a professional speaker. They breathe new life and enthusiasm into an organization, reaching employees at a personal level and inspiring leadership, creativity and resilience in the face of challenges. Best of all, learning how to hire a professional speaker for your corporate event is surprisingly easy.

Finding the best speaker for your event may seem daunting at first. To help get you started, we’ve compiled some of our favorites among the most powerful and authoritative motivational speakers in the U.S. today:

Mel Robbins

Mel Robbins has assisted more than half a million students in improving their mindset and building courage and confidence through her online courses. This best-selling author of The 5 Second Rule relies on both science and personal experience to challenge students and attendees to be their best.

At one time, Robbins found herself $800,000 in debt. Today, her message of happiness, fulfillment and resilience has made her one of the most in-demand motivational speakers in the U.S. This TEDx speaker has worked with top companies such as Microsoft and JP Morgan Chase as well as veterans organizations and medical establishments, and she brings her savvy, motivational speaking style to every keynote speaking engagement.

Anne Grady

Building resilience is key to personal and professional success, and Anne Grady stands above the crowd as an expert in the field. A popular TEDx speaker and entrepreneur, Grady goes beyond encouragement and motivational speaking by sharing the science to back up her approach to struggling through even the most adverse challenges.

One of the most in-demand speakers in the U.S., Grady has been featured in news outlets throughout the nation including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine and Fox Business. Founder of the Anne Grady Group, she assists organizations in better understanding resilience and improving performance.

Tony Robbins

When it comes to sheer star-power, it’s hard to top Tony Robbins. As one of the most famous motivational speakers in the U.S. today, he is also known as an author and philanthropist. Some of his motivational books include Unlimited Power, Awaken the Giant Within and Unshakeable.

As an expert in company culture, Robbins has worked with everyone from U.S. presidents to rock bands as well as leading corporate brands. Robbins has been named one of the top six business leaders in the world by American Express and one of the top 200 business gurus by Harvard Business Press. As a coach, he motivates leaders to “unleash the power within.”

Suzy Batiz

No one knows the power of resilience and motivation better than someone who has powered through the hardest times to reach success. Motivational speaker, entrepreneur and author Suzy Batiz has done it all. Poverty, abuse and bankruptcy are in her past now as she assists others on their own personal paths to success.

A transformative speaker, Batiz takes audiences on a journey to help them realize that truly, anything is possible. Relying on both outcome-based evidence and intuition, Batiz’s brand of motivation stands alone. She motivates audiences to stop waiting and take control of their own lives from top to bottom, and that message of resilience has inspired millions to do the same. Apart from live speaking engagements, Batiz has also been featured on CNBC as well as Forbes, Fast Company and Entrepreneur.

Rory Vaden

A business speaker and expert in motivational psychology, Rory Vaden has delivered keynote addresses for Google, Aflac, Merck, Intel and others. He’s also the best-selling author of Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success. Vaden’s TEDx talk, “How to Multiply Your Time,” remains popular with more than 4 million views due to his engaging style and methods-based approach to prioritization and time management.

A popular podcaster, Vaden’s passion remains in coaching leaders and teams to achieve beyond their known limits. Vaden’s keynote programs speak to the heart of improving business culture and performance with topics such as “Multiply Your Time,” “Rock Solid Reputation” and “Influential Personal Brand.”

Chris Widener

When it comes to truly engaging audiences, Chris Widener understands the value of humor. His style captivates audiences with his relatability and then, as only a master keynote speaker can do, he leaves you with timeless, actionable truths.

A former representative for the state of Ohio, Widener is a member of the Motivational Speakers Hall of Fame. His dynamic style has made him a highly-demanded speaker in the U.S., Canada, and beyond, and his clients include Cisco Systems, Microsoft and the Harvard Business School. Yes, he remains one of the most relatable speakers around, engaging every member of the audience from CEO to intern. Author of more than 20 books including Secrets to Life and Happiness and The Art of Influence, Widener speaks honestly throughout the U.S. on topics such as the power of integrity, optimism, service and excellence.

Daren Martin

You should already know Dr. Daren Martin for his best-selling book A Company of Owners: Maximizing Employee Engagement. If you do, you know that he’s a gifted expert in inspiring employees and transforming corporate culture. And as a top U.S. motivational speaker, Martin brings that same invigorating brand of high-octane inspiration to your employees at a deeply personal level.

Named “The Culture Architect” by top leaders in business, Dallas-based Martin has spoken for audiences globally. In each case, he brings his background of business success, team management and executive coaching together in a dynamic presentation to reverse negative mindsets and optimize teams.

Book your next keynote speaker in the United States

Finding the right motivational speaker requires planning, diligence and research. Most of all, it requires starting with trusted sources.

The Success Speakers Bureau provides more than top U.S. keynote speakers and simple booking. It brings 1 1/4 centuries of credibility, legacy and professional trust. Search from dozens of top motivational speakers in the U.S. today and feel confident in choosing only the best with the support and ease you expect from Success.

Business Speakers

Why Hire a Business Speaker for Your Event?

by Cecilia Meis

July 29, 2022

Your company event is coming up!

Whether you are preparing your next product launch, raising funds for a charitable cause or just want to reinvigorate your teams, a company event can play a critical role. A well-planned event educates and motivates your staff while teaching new skills and building employee cohesion. Event organization is tricky, but it’s worth the effort. You’ve got this!

So how does hiring a professional business speaker add lasting value to your event?

You show teams you’re invested in them.

Booking a keynote business speaker shows your staff that you’ll support and care about them long-term. You want them to continue learning. You believe in a process of continual improvement. And your business culture is strong and confident enough to provide outside views from the best business speakers available.

Booking a high-profile business speaker quantifies just how invested you are in your employees beyond a paycheck and perks. It shows that you want to inspire them, and that you believe their best is still inside of them.

Motivate employees at a personal level.

The top business speakers provide inspirational, relatable stories and personal anecdotes. Far from dry lectures and number-crunching, they provide motivational, actionable accounts of what personal and professional success look like.

Business speakers such as Erin King, Grant Cardone, Anthony O’Neal and others reach your audience at a deeply personal, motivational level that is not always possible in a routine workday. They’ve experienced challenges every step of the way and can relate practical means to build resilience and overcome those challenges. Best of all, they are gifted at sharing that information in a way that is inspirational, entertaining and memorable.

Business speakers inspire creativity and leadership.

Business requires processes and procedures. For teams and cross-teams to function cohesively, Standard Operating Procedures must often be followed to the letter—and it’s not always easy teaching employees to do so. During that process, it’s easy to lose sight of what inspired you to hire these unique individuals in the first place. That is, their past successes that made them so attractive.

What makes business speakers ideal for your event is their ability to step back from routine for a day. They tap into the creative and leadership attributes of your staff, reminding them that every single one of them has the potential to become a bold thinker or leader. They prepare your employees to share creative new solutions and to brainstorm better processes that can take your operation to the next level.

Promote beneficial lifestyle and work habit changes.

Investing in an employee is different than investing in new hardware or software. Both can increase revenue and productivity, but humans… well, we’re complicated. While labor resources will be some of the best investments you make, people come with baggage. They have both positive and negative attitudes, sometimes on the same day. And they bring varying degrees of mental health and resilience.

A professional business speaker has been through it themselves. And they’ve learned to not only thrive in difficulty, but to use challenges as fuel toward bigger accomplishments. Business speakers such as Allison Graham, Anne Grady, Michael Gelb and others bring deep, relatable knowledge that helps your audience build better, more resilient lifestyles. In turn, those lifestyles produce happier, more cohesive employees and teams. Hiring the right business speaker means hiring someone who knows the key to building a more resilient and productive work culture with useful tactics anyone can learn and implement.

Professional business speakers help focus your event.

Event planning isn’t easy. There’s the micro level of ensuring you have the right number of chairs, water bottles and space to accommodate your guests. But there’s also the macro level of ensuring your event has a consistent theme or message. When planning events, sometimes the best presentations and workshop ideas don’t fit neatly into a singular, memorable message.

Hiring the right keynote speaker helps you to tie it all together. Whether your corporate event lasts half a day or a week, the best business speakers provide unity to your event. They pull everything you planned into a larger message your audience will never forget. Best of all, they’ll make that message actionable, motivating your audience to lead and assist you on the next steps toward organizational success.

The Success Speakers Bureau can get you started.

Hiring the best keynote business speaker for your event can be simple. It’s just a matter of knowing where to start. The Success Speakers Bureau gets you on the right foot with dozens of top business speakers and influencers from across industries to choose from. Plus, our speakers are carefully vetted with more than 100 years of the SUCCESS name standing behind them. Best of all, we make access to the top business speakers simple for you by organizing availability, travel and even last-minute changes.

Make your next corporate or institutional event great! Visit the Success Speakers Bureau to create your short-list of top keynote business speakers and influencers.

Sports & Adventure

5 Sports Public Speakers Who Will Inspire Your Team

by Cecilia Meis

July 22, 2022

When hiring a public speaker for your keynote address, you want someone with a strong message and broad appeal. That’s why sports speakers are in such high demand. Even if you don’t follow sports, their message of endurance, perseverance and personal excellence appeals to all of us.

Whether you need a speaker for a product launch, corporate restructuring or fundraising for a public cause, sports speakers inspire us both at the team and personal level. With that in mind, let’s look at 5 former athletes that we find especially motivational, versatile and who will provide the most lasting impact for your event:

Todd Stottlemyre

Former World Championship pitcher Todd Stottlemyre became a star athlete through personal resilience, mastery of self-control and a drive for success. He brings these same attributes to each of his successful business pursuits as well as his personal life. Best of all, he has a deep passion for sharing his secrets of professional and personal success with his own clients as well as with audiences through his speaking engagements.

Stottlemyre believes that accomplishment must include more than financial success. For him, the eight forms of wealth are “family, relationships, business/career, finance, lifestyle, health/fitness, personal development and spirituality.” His drive to assist others led him to write his first best-selling book, Relentless Success, and its followup, The Observer: A Modern Fable on Mastering Your Thoughts & Emotions. As a keynote speaker and high-performance business coach, he has worked with Realty Executives, Merrill Lynch, Canadawide Sports and many others. Always powerful and moving, Stottlemyre’s keynote addresses motivate audiences with a message of achieving personal fulfillment and nurturing the best attitude possible.

Johnny Quinn

Johnny Quinn saw his dream of playing for the NFL come to an end after being cut three times and losing millions in contracts. At age 30, when many would have given up their athletic career, he switched gears and made a bold move—he competed with the USA bobsled team in the 2014 Winter Olympics. And his perseverance and resilience have served him well. Today, Quinn is a highly sought-after business speaker, serving corporations ranging from BMW and Cox Business to the American Diabetes Association and Baylor Medical Center at Frisco.

Author of Push: Breaking through Barriers, Quinn has been featured by ABC, CNN, ESPN, Time and the Wall Street Journal, among many national outlets. Entrepreneurial in spirit, he also owns and operates the Johnny Quinn Insurance Agency in Texas. His public speaking focuses on overcoming challenges through laser focus and flawless execution. Some keynote address topics include Think Like an Olympian, Champion Mindset and Leading in the Digital Age.

Laila Ali

Laila Ali is more than a former boxer and daughter of superstar Muhammed Ali. As an undefeated four-time world champion, she’s a world-class athlete and is considered one of the best female boxers of all time. Furthermore, she’s a fitness and wellness advocate focused on knocking out heart disease through better nutrition and a solid exercise regimen. In her book Food for Life, Ali provides her own recipes for comfort food that is both simple and nutritious.

As a celebrity speaker, Ali implores her audiences to embrace their own authenticity in creating the best possible version of themselves. She has been featured on Home Made Simple, Good Morning America, Rachel Ray and even provided a keynote address for Oprah’s 2020 Vision Tour. Her philanthropic endeavors include work for dozens of organizations including the American Heart Association, Athletes for Impact and Knock Out Human Trafficking.

Amy Purdy

Star snowboarding athlete Amy Purdy has earned paralympic bronze and silver medals, overcoming challenges few of us will know. At age 19, Purdy contracted meningococcemia which led to the amputation of both of her legs below the knee. She began snowboarding only seven months after receiving her prosthetic legs.

While her story in itself provides an example of resilience, Purdy takes her positive impact further through her motivational books and keynote speaking engagements. Her best-selling book, On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life, details her journey in overcoming adversity through persistence and passion. Her TEDx talk, “Living Beyond Limits,” became so well-received as to be selected by TEDx for its homepage. And her Bouncing Forward podcast further inspires audiences to not only survive challenges, but to thrive from them.

Inky Johnson

Inspirational author and keynote sports speaker Inky Johnson knows adversity. A college football injury threatened his life, dashed his NFL dreams and left his right arm paralyzed. Still, he persevered, finding opportunity within adversity. He went on to obtain his master’s in sports psychology from the University of Tennessee, a degree which serves him well as a speaker, entrepreneur, author and mentor to underprivileged youth.

His book, Inky: An Amazing Story of Faith and Perseverance, chronicles his journey from life-threatening adversity to personal achievement. He has brought that powerful message to clients including Chick-fil-A, State Farm, Bank of America, Comcast, and major universities and national sports teams.

Motivational, Personal Development

5 Top Self-Care Motivational Speakers to Give Your Team the Lift They Need

by Cecilia Meis

July 15, 2022

Self-care means taking the time and energy to stay physically, emotionally and psychologically healthy. That includes everything from eating well to an exercise regime and time outdoors. It also involves setting aside time for meditation and getting enough sleep. The personal benefits of self-care compound for each of us in a short time and we become healthier, happier, more resilient and less fatigued.

Self-care activities enhance our relationships, too. While we might spend time away from others for personal care, we learn to better live in the moment. We become less irritable and respond better to the needs of others. Simply put, we feel more refreshed, supportive and ready to handle challenging situations.

And isn’t that what you want from your staff and leadership teams?

Personal care for employees is good for business.

Hiring a self-care keynote speaker for your next corporate event does more than energize your team in the short-term. It can instill a sense of personal purpose for your employees that spreads throughout the organization, and it lasts. A healthy, happy, more resilient team not only gets along better, but is more productive, healthier and more creative.

Hiring a personal care speaker has grown in popularity in recent years among top and emergent organizations for each of these reasons and more. But if you want to find a truly effective speaker, where do you start? And what speakers are available for your next event? Here’s a list of our favorites to get you going.

Who are the top self-care speakers available today?

Allison Graham

Allison Graham helps leaders and teams to overcome frustration and work anxiety through a three-part problem-solving framework. The result of this step-by-step approach is higher team optimization with less stress and burnout. Her book Take Back Your Weekends outlines the thought patterns that lead to frustration and anxiety and helps readers meet challenging times with resilience. Graham has spoken professionally since 2006 and her presentations are renowned as some of the best in the industry, combining a conversational style with evidence-based key takeaways.

Allison Graham Quote: “We need downtime to recover. When we work for hours on end, even when we’re on a roll, performance can dwindle.”

Karen M. Allen

Founder of the popular 100% Human movement, mindset expert Karen M. Allen empowers individuals and teams through a deep and personal understanding of positive psychology and post-traumatic growth. Her skill at engaging audiences has become widely renowned. She has spoken for TEDx and has a client list that includes top companies such as Google, AT&T, Women’s Foodservice Forum, Experian and many others. She has also been featured in Forbes and SHRM Magazine as well as on Good Morning America and MSNBC. As a self-care speaker for your team, Allen is one of a kind.

Karen M. Allen Quote: “It’s my big, bold mission to help people get unstuck and let go of that problem-free life they’ve been taught to expect.”

Nataly Kogan

Emotional fitness leads to better leadership. No one understands this better than Happier Now and Gratitude Daily author Nataly Kogan. A globally renowned expert on the nexus of resilience and leadership, she is also the founder of the Happier Method™ and CEO of Happier. As a global keynote speaker, she engages audiences with wit and charm while helping them improve their emotional fitness through evidence-based methods. Whether overcoming adversity or even the latest work challenge, Kogan’s vision of self-care and gratitude helps any team feel stronger, more resilient and courageous.

Nataly Kogan Quote: “Gratitude reminds us of all that is good amidst the difficult.”

Shawn Achor

Author of The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential, keynote speaker Shawn Achor delivered a Ted Talk that has become one of the most popular of all time. In fact, his address “The happy secret to better work” currently stands at 24 million views. This engaging and informed speaker spent 12 years at Harvard, earning multiple teaching awards and publications. He is considered one of the world’s leading experts on happiness and success, with his research featured on covers of The Harvard Business Review. This author of Big Potential has served clients ranging from the U.S. Treasury to the NFL, bringing his message of positive personal growth and leadership to millions of engaged listeners.

Shawn Achor Quote: “Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; it’s the realization that we can.”

Suzy Batiz

Do you ever feel stuck in life? So have individual members of your team. It’s natural, but that doesn’t mean you need to stay in that dark place. Speaker Suzy Batiz challenges her audiences to understand that anything is possible. A success story in her own right, Batiz understands the despair of poverty and abuse. From that darkness, she transformed herself into an entrepreneur who embraces life at its most purposeful. Named one of Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women in America, Batiz has been featured in CNBC, Fast Company, Forbes and many other publications as well as popular television. Her message of growth, resilience, transformation and success speaks to all audiences, making her one of the most sought-after and effective self-care speakers available today.

Suzy Batiz Quote: “What you focus on creates your world.”

Photo courtesy of Susie Batiz

Motivational, Real Estate

How a Real Estate Motivational Speaker Can Reduce Agent Burnout and Reinvigorate Teams

by Cecilia Meis

July 8, 2022

Leadership speakers for real estate conferences and other events are in high demand—and there’s a reason.

Today’s firms face a growing challenge: high turnover rates among their agents. In fact, the turnover rate among real estate agents grew from 35% in 2016 to 49% in 2020 according to Zippia. Each agent or broker lost means a new one must be trained. Worse, the connections that your agent built over time need to be repaired and rebuilt. Many are lost entirely.

Most agents quit for obvious reasons, such as difficulty networking and failure to develop leads. Not giving up requires enormous determination, self-discipline and, most of all, motivation. That is where hiring a successful real estate motivational speaker at your next conference can help.

Keynote speakers make a difference at your next real estate conference

Someone fresh to the real estate game may feel on top of the world. After all, they took their courses, aced their tests and obtained the license they sought. Many have bachelor’s and even master’s degrees. Plus, they just landed their first job with a great real estate company. It seems nothing can hold them back!

Yet, those first weeks prove challenging. Weeks turn to months and even years, and some of the best leads—the ones your agents nurtured with love and care on weekends and after-hours—fall through with a phone call. More often, they fall through with an email or prolonged silence. For many, burn out sets in even before that first sale.

Leadership speakers have been through these trials, too. It’s one thing to off-handedly say that persistence wins the race, but it’s another to hear it from someone who has been there, often having struggled for years. A great real estate motivational speaker will connect with your audience through true, relatable stories that can have your team both laughing and crying in the same breath.

Team members who may have felt isolated and ready to give up will bond not just with the speaker but with each other. While competition often brings out your agents’ best performance, the shared experience evoked by a great real estate speaker provides the needed fuel and comradery to keep going.

The best real estate speakers inspire through their own success

Every great story has an arc. And while your speaker knows the difficulties faced by their agents, they also know the road to success. That achievement in itself will inspire your team.

Sales coach and speaker Grant Cardone started his career in auto repair sales. He faced many trials including addiction. Today, he is the best-selling author of The 10X Rule and Dominate Your Market with an estimated value in the billions due to his business and real estate acumen and perseverance. Trainer, coach and speaker Ben Fairfield, on the other hand, didn’t enter the world of real estate until 2005. Then this Idaho native spearheaded the largest Century 21 franchise in the world.

These great real estate speakers won’t need to brag. Their success speaks for itself and inspires your real estate sales team to aim higher and remain focused. They know the accomplishment that comes from never giving up.

Look for practicality in your speaker

The right business speaker has more to offer than inspiration and star power for its own sake. You need someone familiar with real estate who will know the how of agent success, too. On top of relating the trials and tribulations of their own journeys, a great speaker will offer practical methods for success including:

Presentation tips & networking advice
Advanced use of digital media
Low/no cost advertising
Navigating and leveraging open houses for success
Lead follow-up tips and more

Easily find a great motivational speaker for your real estate event

Real estate company events are unlike any others. From international conferences to local and regional showcase events, you will find an unusual mix of prospective buyers, sellers, media and investors. Many speakers will be involved, and finding the right keynote speaker who can captivate and motivate all audiences is critical. And if you are a real estate firm owner, manager or event organizer, you need someone to motivate your team and hold them together for the long haul.

Online speaker services such as BettsWorks and The Success Speakers Bureau assist you in finding the top motivational speakers for your real estate conference or other corporate event. These leadership sites not only narrow your search to the best speakers available, but they ensure that booking top talent is just a few clicks away.

Photo by BalanceFormCreative/Shutterstock

Motivational

How Much Does a Professional Keynote Speaker Cost?

by Cecilia Meis

July 1, 2022

Although the cost of hiring a professional speaker varies widely, you can narrow that price tag down to a reasonable range. Let’s clear up what that speaking fee range is and how you can get the most for your dollar. We’ll start at the top.

Who are the highest-paid public speakers?

The highest-priced speakers tend to be highly visible, particularly in the realm of global politics or fame as a business mogul. For instance, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton have reportedly earned up to about half a million dollars for speaking engagements, while Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump have each commanded a price of $1 million or more. Similarly, Al Gore has been estimated to earn between $100,000 and $1 million per speaking engagement.

But don’t let those price tags worry you. These are the highest fees of some of the most publicly visible people in the U.S. Suffice to say, the combination of high public recognition and political or economic influence equate to higher fees. For your convention or other corporate event, you likely want a speaker who is more niche.

What can I expect to pay for a professional event speaker?

In some ways, the formula of “influence plus recognition equals higher speaking fees” that makes Richard Branson or Oprah Winfrey so costly plays out across the board. A celebrity speaker may run between $25,000 and $100,000.

A relative newcomer, on the other hand, may charge only $1,500 to $5,000 while top professionals may charge $5,000 to $10,000 or more. Other factors can come into play, such as location, venue and immediate availability. Still, the largest determinant of a speaker’s fee really boils down to popularity. A renowned speaker will be in higher demand, and therefore will likely charge a higher speaking fee.

What should I look for in a motivational speaker to get the best value?

If you have a large corporate budget, you will likely prefer to hire a top-tier professional capable of grabbing headlines at your event. But it’s not simply a case of “you get what you pay for.” Remember, every celebrity speaker started out as a newcomer at one time.

If you have a smaller budget, it just means that you have to research a little more. Look carefully at the speaker’s public media such as TEDx talks, YouTube videos and professional websites. Ensure that their subject matter, style and mission align with your needs. You might find just the motivational speaker you need to inspire your team or public guests.

Also, don’t narrow your list too tightly before contacting your preferred speakers or their booking agents. Once you are down to between three and five, begin reaching out. You may find that some of them are simply unavailable for the time or location that you have in mind. Also, as with any entrepreneurial pursuit or commodity, public speakers have fluctuations in demand, creating fluctuations in fees. An underbooked speaker whose fees press your top budget limit may charge less than an overbooked speaker whose fee is often lower.

It’s about more than money.

Finally, effectively communicate your exact needs at this booking stage. For instance, a professional speaker who seems overbooked may happen to be in your city or region at the time of your event. Or perhaps your event involves a cause they are intimately interested in that would lead them to consider scheduling you in. Professional speakers are dynamic people with deep passions about their work. While money is involved, try not to think of the arrangement simply in terms of a transaction. Be ready to sell the speaker or booking agent on how your event aligns with their mission, who your attendees will be and why your event will enhance the speaker’s portfolio or cause.

Photo by TheVisualsYouNeed/Shutterstock