Ask Erin King how she got to where she is—a bestselling author, podcast host, chief digital officer at a marketing agency and international keynote speaker—and she spins a story of lucky moments. But behind her success lies more than mere chance.

Through the ups and downs of King’s professional and personal life, her resilient and intellectually curious approach has played a pivotal role in her achievements. This trajectory has led her on a path to exploring all components of energy management: why people’s energy levels are so unique and the best ways to source and maintain energy levels.

Here, we look at how King went from an entrepreneur searching for a win to speaking on stages around the world and spearheading research into human energy management.

A viral moment, and hopping on stage herself

King’s marketing agency began as a kitchen table operation and got its big break when a cold email led to her running social media for the 2014 Oscars. Perhaps you recall a certain selfie from Ellen DeGeneres, that year’s host? While Samsung was the power behind this viral moment, King’s agency benefited. “We got the glory for it… [since] it happened on our watch,” she says.

After the Oscars, and in these early days of social media, King and her agency were at the forefront of live events, from tech conferences to Fashion Week to Nelson Mandela’s birthday reception.

Not every event was glamorous. It was during a Las Vegas automotive conference that King had her first big moment on stage. She was listening along to Amy Cuddy’s keynote on the power pose when the event’s planner came to her in a panic: The speaker for an upcoming 300-person breakout room had missed her flight, and she wanted King to hop on stage and talk about social media strategy.

King’s first response: “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

She wasn’t a star; she was there to do behind-the-scenes work, clad in comfy flats, hair pulled up in a bun. But fueled by Cuddy’s talk, she went to the bathroom and put herself in the power position. To this day, King can’t recall what she said. But clearly, she was a hit—when she was done speaking, several people told her they wanted her to speak at their companies and asked for her speaking fee.

From there, “it built itself, and one gig led to another,” King says.

Before flourishing, daunting setbacks

When opportunities arrived—like a reputation-burnishing social media moment or the ability to embrace a speaking opportunity with courage and wit—King seized upon them. But before these opportune moments came more challenging experiences.

“My first two companies were disasters,” King recalls. An early digital media agency drove her into debt, and a capital-backed tampon delivery service sold for its catchy website address (and not the product she’d developed and built).

King was in her late 20s and feeling like a failure. She’d worked hard without any triumphant payoff and was losing faith in her ideas. It would have been easy at this moment to give up on entrepreneurship. Her grandmother’s words kept her going: “It’s better to be someone’s shot of whiskey than everyone’s cup of tea. You are someone’s shot of whiskey.”

King kept going, and her third attempt—the agency that powered the Oscars social media posts in 2014—would go on to be her big break, leading her eventually to her true passion: speaking on stage.

A terrible year led to a new quest for insight

Recently, King had a truly dreadful year. It didn’t start badly: She was appearing on stages worldwide, and her book was racing up the bestseller charts. But then, in the space of just a few months, she was hit with a series of terrible back-to-back events, including family illness, the traumatic death of a pet and a financial setback.

“No one wants to hire a depressed motivational speaker,” King says. So she tried to power through. Her mentality was “if I can keep working, I don’t have to think about anything,” she recalls. But it simply wasn’t sustainable. One day, after doing five keynotes in seven days, while in the middle of a Zoom meeting with her team, her heart started racing and she collapsed on camera, convinced she had a heart attack and was going to die.

“I woke up in the hospital,” she says. She’d had a panic attack, and that moment helped her realize that something had to change; she couldn’t work her way through despair. But three months of relaxing—on an Eat, Pray, Love journey in Bali—only alleviated the problem briefly.

Learning how to power up consistently

King had tried powering through, and she’d tried powering down a bit to reset. Neither option worked.

“I realized I needed to figure out how to power up more consistently,” King says.

Others may have turned to yoga, therapy or other self-improvement efforts. Not King. She hired a team of Ph.D.s, and together, “we conducted the world’s largest study so far on personal human energy management.” She says they wanted to uncover how people source and nurture energy and how to keep it steady even when life comes at you.

The research revealed five different energy types and showed that not everyone gains power—or drains it—the same way. These findings have led to an energy assessment, which will be available on King’s website soon, that can help people uncover their energy type and be able to make deliberate adjustments to how they spend their time to maximize their energy.

Now, King teaches organizations the Big Energy Blueprint, a framework of five steps:

Ask
Assess
Adjust
Align
Amplify

This framework helps adjust an organization’s energy levels—something leaders may be eager to do if morale is low and burnout is high.

“I believe energy management is kind of the time management for today’s world,” King says. It’s how we get through everything and feel present, aligned, ambitious and more alive, she says.

Worth noting: “Big Energy” does not equate to high “energy.” It’s not about everyone hitting the super-sized energy of a used-car salesperson, King points out. Imagine a yoga teacher with that energy; it wouldn’t feel right. “It’s not about mimicking someone else’s style; it’s about tuning into your core energy,” King says.

Bottom line: “Energy is the most valuable skill we can bring to the workplace,” King says, noting that her team’s research found that people valued energy most in leaders: more than education, connections or experience. King’s passion is finding ways to help people manage their energy levels and not vacillate between powered-up time and work and powered-down time on the couch. “Your energy,” King says, “is your edge.” So it’s worth prioritizing how you can learn to power up for your energy type over the long term, she says.

Want to book Erin King as the keynote speaker for your next event? By booking with the SUCCESS® Speakers Bureau, you can be confident in working with a legacy brand. You also receive logistical support and professional guidance.

Business Speakers, Keynote, Professional Development

Speaker Spotlight: Cy Wakeman’s Secret Weapon Helps Leaders Find Greatness

by Keilah Keiser

February 2, 2024

Cy Wakeman is a drama researcher, New York Times bestselling author and Global Guru’s 2023 World’s #1 Leadership Guru, recognized for her reality-based approach to leadership.

Backed by over 25 years of unparalleled experience partnering with top brands spanning all industries, Wakeman’s philosophy offers a modern approach to leadership development in which employees and managers alike can deliver better results with less drama, higher engagement without entitlement and more happiness in even the most challenging workplace realities.

Leading with compassion

From a young age, it was obvious to Wakeman that suffering was optional and so often self-imposed, and she felt a strong calling to help people understand how their minds work so they would be played by their own egos less. She believes that if only people could stop believing everything they think and instead meet those thoughts with inquiry, we all could find the peace we’re seeking. Her heart’s passion is helping others by teaching what she feels is simple and true.

Friends and colleagues alike describe Wakeman as a unique mix of adventurous, kind, generous and introverted—a homebody who loves to travel the world and take on incredible challenges. At work she’s an innovator, disrupter and soother of minds who mentors and develops others. She approaches every day and task—both personal and professional—with an open mind and heart full of curiosity and compassion.

The goal of building a business with sustainable value based on her research and content to continue serving clients long after she’s gone governs every aspect of Wakeman’s life. She constantly strives to prepare future generations for success as she plans her next contributions to society. Above all, Wakeman wants people in her life to feel well-loved and to know they are enough and are supported whole-heartedly at all times.

Empowering leaders in the workplace

Wakeman knows a leader can’t take others where they haven’t gone themselves in evolutionary terms. You can lead people whose jobs you may not know but you cannot lead people with a self you do not know. She lives by the rules that it’s vital for leaders to do their evolutionary inner work and applies that principle to her everyday life as well. Through her work as a dubbed “secret weapon to restoring sanity to the workplace and the world place,” Wakeman empowers leaders to love their teams up while calling them up to greatness.

With her keen insight that modern leaders manage the energy of people not the work of people, she’s helped hundreds of clients who want to focus on their circumstances and put energy into why they can’t succeed in the given circumstances, showing them the key is focusing energy on how we could achieve the desired results.

Deeply passionate about balancing engagement and accountability in the workplace, focusing on how engagement without accountability creates entitlement and accountability without engagement creates hardship, Wakeman is committed to promoting her clients’ evolution. An ardent champion for individual evolution, Wakeman focuses on people’s personal development so they can move through messy parts of life with lots of love and skill.

Creating a powerhouse brand

Wakeman’s Reality-Based Leadership newsletter, which often goes viral within organizations, reaches over 30,000 raving fans who discuss and apply her modern leadership techniques each and every week with their teams. Her client list includes Google, Meta, Viacom, NBC Universal, Keurig Dr. Pepper, NASA, Pfizer, CVS, Johns Hopkins, Stanford Medicine, Bank of America, among others.

As a highly sought-after conference headliner, Wakeman holds a certified speaking professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association, and her avid fanbase online has surpassed 250,000 followers.

She has published four best-selling books, the latest of which is Life’s Messy, Live Happy: Things Don’t Have to Be Perfect for You to Be Content. Wakeman shares her latest leadership insights on the Reality-Based Leadership podcast, where she offers practical ways to modernize how leaders evolve their teams beyond the challenges they face

Some of Wakeman’s most memorable and proud career milestones include handpicking and mentoring a team of professionals that have grown into known experts in the leadership field and her research and work in questioning conventional wisdom in HR and leadership, helping many to rethink how we do business and redesigning the world of work.

Wakeman has also created a business model that moved her organization beyond the “hustle culture” to an emphasis on valuing well-being and the ability to produce record results with a small staff while team members still enjoy their lives and each other.

These days, Wakeman lives happily on the beach in the beautiful and magical Baja—Baja California Sur in Mexico. A mom to four adult sons and two incredible women who joined her family, she’s also an avid hiker and a lover of poetry. She rarely passes up the chance to go sailing, snorkeling or scuba diving. Wakeman and her family have summited Kilimanjaro, hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and she’s currently training for an ascent to Everest Base Camp.

Learn more about Wakeman and the topics she speaks on, see clips of her former speaking engagements and inquire about booking her for your next event by visiting her speaker info page.

woman utilizing financial wisdom to calculate expenses

Business Speakers, Personal Finance

Top Speakers Share Financial Wisdom, How to Get Out of Debt

by Katelin Walling

August 24, 2023

Employees with financial wisdom and low debt benefit the workplace in multiple ways. First, their financial acumen helps assure that they are better able to make sound, responsible decisions. They inspire others around them to do the same, serving as role models of abundance for their peers. Second, struggling employees are often distracted. They may receive debt collection calls at work or even seek higher-paying jobs or second careers on the side. Plus, they may find it difficult to manage anxiety caused by their debt, leading to friction on the job.

But increased wages or second incomes don’t always help those struggling with debt. Even millionaires can—and do—spend beyond their limits. Top financial speakers help build a stronger workforce and corporate culture by sharing financial wisdom and the secrets to getting out of debt. More than that, they help your employees thrive by developing stronger habits to build their own financial freedom and wealth.

Let’s look at how personal finance and motivational speakers can help.

Financial literacy guides others to create their own abundance.

As our incomes increase, so do our expenses. Success may deliver our first car, first mortgage and a family vacation. But at each stage of increased income, we tend to add to our expenses. Lack of motivation, passion and the wrong associations can further deepen our financial obligations and stress.

The solution to this dilemma lies in increasing our assets along the way. That is, to spend less on the transitory and invest in the permanent.

“Subconsciously, we’re fearful when it comes to money,” says keynote speaker Sharon Lechter. In her “Be the CEO of Your Own Life” address. “We’re afraid we’re never going to have enough. And then when we become successful, all of the sudden we’re afraid we’re not going to be able to keep it.”

A five-time New York Times best-selling author of books such as Three Feet from Gold, Lechter has advised two presidents with financial wisdom as well as top companies such as American Express, Cardone Ventures and IBM. She knows that in order to win big, you have to play big.

“It’s not what you do for your paycheck that’s important,” Lechter says. “It’s what you do with your paycheck that determines your financial future.”

Learn the financial wisdom to live debt-free and build wealth.

Debt wears on us. It can deplete our physical and emotional health. Yet every spending decision we once made—from an impulse-buy online to a student loan we couldn’t afford to repay—was a gamble on the future. We expected to get more out than we put in. Our decisions accumulate as debt.

As keynote speaker Anthony O’Neal says, “The caliber of your future will be determined by the choices you make today.”

The bestselling author of Debt Free Degree and Destroy Your Student Loan Debt, O’Neal understands what it takes to get out of debt and how to avoid it. Better planning coupled with a belief in one’s own abilities lie at the heart of O’Neal’s mission and message. In fact, O’Neal has led more than a quarter million people to better understand themselves and succeed in becoming debt-free.

“If you can’t afford the phone and pay for it in cash, you can’t afford the phone,” advises O’Neal in his “Debt Payoff 101” video. “Financial freedom is not just getting out of debt. Financial freedom is having money in your bank account.”

As our top faith-based speaker for adults and youth, O’Neal provides the awareness, financial wisdom and tools needed for a fuller, happier and more meaningful debt-free life.

Build a wealthier future with good habits.

Things like education, intelligence and emotional intelligence can help energize careers. But not all wealthy people are educated, and some of the brightest people often have lackluster careers. What if we are missing a major component of what creates sustainable wealth?

Keynote speaker and best-selling author Tom Corley believes that your habits define your level of wealth. Taking a scientific approach, he spent five years researching the habits of the wealthy for his book Rich Habits. He found that 16 very particular “Rich Habits” contributed not only to career success, but overall happiness. One of those habits is setting aside self-limiting beliefs.

“Self-limiting beliefs alter your behavior in a negative way,” Corley writes. “Almost four out of five wealthy people attribute their success in life to their beliefs. Change your negative beliefs into positive affirmations by reading lessons from the greats of personal development, like Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie and Jim Rohn.”

Other habits Corley extols in his writings and motivational keynote addresses include emotional control, avoiding toxic people, talking less while listening more and setting goals rather than wishes.

“Every year, 70 percent of the wealthy pursue at least one major goal,” Corley writes. “Only 3 percent of those struggling to make ends meet do this.”

Book the best speaker to share financial wisdom with your teams.

To check the speaking availability of any of our financial experts, contact the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau using our simple form. Or browse our extensive catalog of financial, motivational and business speakers. We’ll help you choose the right speaker for your event. Plus, we’ll put the SUCCESS brand’s 125 years of experience in building relationships to work for you. From delicate fee negotiations to booking logistics and more, you can rely on the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau for your keynote speaker, emcee and executive coaching needs.

Photo by baranq/shutterstock.com

Business Speakers, Keynote, Professional Development

Speaker Spotlight: Rory Vaden Teaches the Techniques to Become Wealthy and Well-Known

by Cecilia Meis

August 15, 2023

Why do teams and companies sometimes fail? Fear, inefficiency and lack of discipline often play a role, leading both corporate and personal brands to underperform. Likewise, success may be elusive simply due to not knowing the science and techniques of building trust and influence. Entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and bestselling author Rory Vaden teaches the tools necessary to become wealthy, well-known and successful.

Trusted by top names such as Google, Intel, Prudential and even the U.S. Army, Vaden provides the science-based expertise required to make better use of time, build relationships and propel your brand forward.

Influential leadership requires psychology.

A self-described nerd, Vaden lives in a world of performance-driven, data-based outcomes. His roots lie deep in the psychology of developing lasting influence for stronger leadership.

“What I’m really interested in is concrete evidence and provable techniques and strategies that can be deployed to create a result,” Vaden says. “The next level of results always requires the next level of thinking.”

For Vaden, initial outcomes are the first building blocks toward setting even greater goals. He sees every data point as an opportunity for continual improvement and growth. His motivational psychology techniques inform others of the best methods to defeat inefficiency and increase focus. Plus, he provides the actionable tools and strategies needed to make the most of your time and model exemplary leadership.

His provocative yet inspirational approach to success led Vaden to co-found the Brand Builders Group, which focuses on personal brand strategy. Through this company, he, his wife AJ and others assist influencers, entrepreneurs and thought leaders in amplifying their brands and turning their missions into revenue. The company’s approach aligns perfectly with Vaden’s overall vision for building wealth and reputation. That is, “People need to know you before they can trust you.”

Rory Vaden is recognized as a top influencer and author.

It takes more than knowledge to become a world-renowned keynote speaker. For someone to provide lasting value, they must inspire audiences through authenticity, humor and an attention-grabbing stage presence. Vaden brings each of these qualities and more to every presentation. A Certified Speaking Professional, he is among a prestigious few top thought leaders inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame.

Vaden has brought his powerful message of personal success and professional wealth to top networks and publications, including SUCCESS magazine, CNN, Fox News, The New York Times and many others. His TEDxDouglasville address, “How to Multiply Your Time,” has captured the attention of nearly five million online viewers. In this live address, he enthralls audiences by bringing better self-management strategies to life with wit, charm and clear insight.

As Vaden says in his address: “There is no such thing as time management. You can’t manage time, time continues on whether we like it or not. Really, there is only self-management.”

His first book, Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success, became a New York Times bestseller. In it, he delves into the science of success and techniques needed to increase focus while avoiding shortcuts and quick fixes. With his followup, Procrastinate on Purpose, readers are provided a master class in delegation of authority, automation and other techniques to multiply their time.

Rory Vaden delivers custom addresses for success.

Packed with hilarious anecdotes and powerful insights, Vaden delivers a keynote address that changes outlooks and optimizes work. “Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success” teaches leaders the methods needed to drive exponential results even when resources are limited.

With his “Take the Stairs” address, audiences learn to:

Disregard fear and take decisive action
Gain an awareness of their creative avoidance
Take personal responsibility without procrastination
Adopt a results-driven attitude of discipline
Create wealth with a happier, healthier and more productive lifestyle
And much more

Best of all, the address is customizable for today’s top speaking topics. Focus options include a wide variety of topical themes to choose from including leadership, motivation, innovation, sales, teamwork, customer experience, corporate culture, performance improvement, ethics and values, productivity and corporate change.

For a preview of the experience, watch Vaden’s “Take the Stairs” speaker demo video.

Book Rory Vaden for your event with confidence.

Booking Vaden is now easier than ever. With more than 125 years of trusted leadership behind the SUCCESS brand, you’ll book with confidence and assured professionalism.

Simply visit Vaden’s bio page and fill out a quick form to check his availability. While you’re there, you can learn more about his background or browse our extensive catalog of top motivational speakers, emcees and executive coaches. Or simply contact us with your event needs. We’ll put our team talent to work in finding you the best match for your event.

leader effectively communicating with team

Business Speakers, Keynote, Professional Development

Effective Communication Speakers Share Strategies to Build Trust and Drive Growth

by Cecilia Meis

August 11, 2023

Effective communication strategies are essential to driving innovation and profit for several reasons:

Gaining the trust of strategic partners and growing your professional network creates the alliances you need for a competitive advantage.
Implementing better customer relation strategies can help grow your client base and customer loyalty.
Using enhanced internal messaging techniques frees the exchange of knowledge among peers for greater collaboration and creativity.

Keynote speakers and executive coaches provide both the wide-view strategies and ground-level methods you need to ensure a thriving corporate culture where operations move smoothly for sustainable growth. Let’s look at some top challenges of effective communication and what our top speakers advise.

Gain trust with the science of effective communication.

Communicating effectively gains the trust of your audience. Whether communicating with associates, employees or customers or seeking to grow your network of partners, building loyalty in your leadership is paramount to gaining influence. But it takes more than just projecting confidence and ability. Gaining influence requires authenticity and a willingness to listen with empathy. Your audience must understand that you are their advocate and ally in order to achieve lasting success.

“Traditionally speaking, success was defined by power,” says Jon Levy in his TED Salon address, “What makes us influential?”

A behavioral scientist and author of You’re Invited: The Art and Science of Connection, Trust and Belonging, Levy understands that this dynamic has changed drastically in recent years. With modern digital connection, influence is a key driver of lasting success.

“Unlike power, influence can’t be wielded with threats and force,” Levy continues. “And it isn’t limited to an elite group of people from the right families, schools or companies. Instead, influence is earned and granted.”

As an expert in human behavior and a top influencer, Levy understands the science of building trust, connection and influence. In his keynote address, “The Influence Equation,” you and your teams will learn:

How to develop profound levels of trust with customers and associates
Techniques to create meaningful, lasting relationships
How to build a sense of belonging that directly impacts your bottom line

Visit Levy’s speaker page to learn more and check speaking availability.

Build influence digitally with the right tools.

Building connections digitally requires different strategies and techniques than communicating in-person. Personal communication assumes a captive audience. Even if you misstep, you have time to “win them back.” That’s not so in a medium where quick swipes, deletions and scrolling are the rule.

Keynote speaker and digital persuasion specialist Erin King holds a unique expertise in the value of grabbing attention quickly and persuasively. Her careful research shows that you have less than three seconds to persuasively grab someone’s attention in effective digital communications. The slightest difference in phrasing in a subject heading can turn a swipe into an investigation for your audience.

“I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to get people to say ‘yes’ to you,” King says in her Digital Persuasion Bureau Speaker Reel. She provides the tools and strategies to persuade your audiences to care about your content and to “really influence them to stop their scroll, lean in and engage with you.”

With King’s “PUB Method,” your teams learn to type more influentially, powerfully and persuasively. Motivational at every moment, this You’re Kind of a Big Deal author has helped top brands and organizations such as Adobe, Disney and the U.S. Navy to level up their digital persuasion methods for greater influence.

Plus, as a technology expert, her “Digital Persuasion: Navigating the A.I. Revolution” keynote address embracing the latest tools to help you and your company:

Identify the best platforms to grow your productive reach
Develop the most effective communication strategies
Improve your mindset through increased knowledge of available technologies

Visit King’s speaker page to learn more and check speaking availability.

Master success through association.

“We are a direct reflection of the five people we hang out with the most,” advises Greg Reid in his video, “How to Create Success by Association.” “And our attitude, our income and our lifestyle is the exact average of that group.”

As a serial bestselling author of books including Stickability: The Power of Perseverance and The Millionaire Mentor, Reid intimately understands the power of effective communication in building the right professional relationships. Win-win associations elevate not only ourselves, but those around us. The result is greater wealth, happiness and income for you and your teams.

“We truly are a reflection of those we hang out and associate with,” Reid says in his video. “Surround yourself with leaders, and you’ll be one, too.”

Motivational and inspiring with an actionable message, Reid has been trusted to deliver for TEDx and Harvard University as well as Microsoft, Chick-fil-A and Novus. Called “The ideal speaker for your next event” by E! founder Larry Namer, Reid’s powerful and game-changing keynote topics include:

“Stickability: The Power of Perseverance”
“Three Feet From Gold: Success is closer than it appears”
“Thoughts Are Things: Ideas into Realities”

Visit Reid’s speaker page to learn more and check speaking availability.

Discover the most effective communication skills for leadership.

Perhaps more than anyone, leaders need to know the art of effective communication. From the executive offices to team leaders, their ability to deliver the company message while listening and caring drives your brand. From making deals to developing a thriving culture, authentic and heart-based communication talents are required in your leadership.

Business leader, executive coach and public speaker Billy Goldberg earned his title as “CEO Whisperer” through his deep understanding of corporate communications. He builds corporate cultures and drives profits with a focus on building stronger, human-based relationships.

“Your heart informs your North Star,” Goldberg says. “Let that lead you to profits.”

He understands that every company—and every leader—has a different path to success. Rather than attempting to copy the style of the person next to or above you, he believes in becoming the best version of yourself. To do so, you must build trusting relationships and the ability to express your vision.

“There is no substitute for building strong and sustainable relationships with your people,” Goldberg continues. “Deals are not made company to company. Every single deal is made person to person.”

With Goldberg’s “Heart-Centered Leadership” keynote address, the leaders of today and tomorrow learn to:

Look critically at themselves through greater self-awareness
Propel growth with a deeper understanding of “why” you do what you do
Use their hearts to lead for a more sustainable impact

Visit Goldberg’s speaker page to learn more and check speaking availability.

Photo by Pressmaster/Shutterstock

group of women improving well-being by exercising together

Business Speakers, Health & Wellness, Keynote

Top Speakers Share Tips for Greater Resilience, Happiness and Well-Being

by Cecilia Meis

July 25, 2023

Improving well-being does not happen all at once. Healthy and mindful habits, self-care routines and stress management strategies each play a role in creating greater well-being. Top professional speakers can provide a roadmap for you and your teams to build your resilience and mental strength.

But before diving into specifics, let’s first look at what “well-being” means, and how it relates to health and wellness.

What is the difference between health, wellness and well-being?

Health, wellness and well-being are not mutually exclusive, yet they are different. For example, all trees are plants, but not all plants are trees.

Health commonly refers to the absence of affliction, either mental or physical. If you don’t wake up with the flu, you feel more healthy than if you did. Physiologically and neurologically, you are in “working condition,” if not functioning optimally.
Wellness is a more holistic concept. Beyond the absence of physical or mental illness, it includes uniquely human elements such as emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, strength and vitality.
Well-being goes a step further. Not only are you in good health and feeling emotionally robust, but you are in charge of your own strength, resilience and confidence. Socially and in the workplace, you have the clarity, inner peace and balance needed to meet every opportunity and challenge.

How can I improve well-being for myself and in the workplace?

Top keynote speakers help millions achieve greater well-being through videos, blogs, podcasts and speaking at events both in-person and virtually. They provide tools and methods such as mindfulness exercises and happiness habits to build a more holistic mind-body connection. Here are five key areas where well-being advocates can help.

1. Better health and nutrition

Improving well-being begins with better health and nutrition. Studies show that healthy lifestyle choices can boost your mood, enhance cognitive function and even build resilience to stress. In the simplest terms, it’s harder to feel motivated and empowered if you’re sick.

“Food controls so much more than our metabolism,” health expert Shawn Stevenson says in a discussion with Jay Shetty. “Our emotional intelligence is highly influenced by our nutrition. It also affects our relationships. The list goes on and on.”

But becoming “the healthiest version of you” requires a willingness to mindfully choose your environment. Steer yourself toward the friend or family member who wants to take a walk or visit the gym rather than the one who wants to go out for drinks.

2. Build resilience to improve well-being

Better health and nutrition go a long way in providing the opportunity to think, feel and even act better. But that doesn’t mean that life won’t still throw you some hardballs. Building resilience means finding perspective even after hitting rock bottom. Resilience expert Suzy Batiz faced crises and challenges including poverty, abuse and a resulting suicide attempt.

“I had the luxury of losing everything,” Batiz says. “I say ‘luxury’ because we rarely have that time to have a clean slate.”

Resilience lies in each of us. Stopping, breathing and silencing our negative inner voice provides an opportunity to reassess difficulties. From there, we can explore possibilities we missed in times of panic or fear and discover our true potential.

3. Manage fear and stress

Nutrition, movement and mindset converge with keynote speaker Mo Brossette. An expert in stress reduction and fear management, he has helped enhance well-being for everyone from teens in his wellness development programs to AT&T and Midwestern State University. In each case, audiences learn how to improve their well-being by conquering self-doubt and fear.

Greater well-being doesn’t mean that you have no fear. Rather, you learn to face your fears with a growth mindset. That is, like a muscle, every new challenge makes you stronger.

“Allow yourself space to feel those emotions,” Brossette says in a Starter Girlz interview. “And work with them, not in spite of them. Then you’re able to really flourish and find out who you’re supposed to be.”

4. Find more purposeful living to improve well-being

Many of us want to find our true purpose. But often, we begin with grandiose goals of changing those around us—or even the world. But do we perform mindful morning routines such as making breakfast or taking time for meditation with equal enthusiasm?

Change begins within. Purposeful living provides the structure and strength needed to achieve goals outside yourself. From morning meditation to brushing your teeth, Think Like A Monk author and mindfulness influencer Shetty shares the value of living with purpose.

“When you do something at the same place every day, at the same time every day, that space builds an energy, and that time builds a memory,” advises Shetty regarding the utility of building good habits. Better sleep, eating and work begin with creating purposeful spaces for each.

5. Build holistic wealth and success

Tying improved well-being to wealth and prosperity takes just a moment to digest, but then it makes total sense. After all, reduced stress, greater mindfulness and better resilience provide the clarity of mind and the overall energy and vitality needed for professional success.

“You can create anything you want,” says Lee Marie Jacobs in her video, “How to Create Auric Wealth.” She continues, “Attuning to your highest frequencies of peace, joy, creativity, excitement, inspiration and heart-centered emotions is where cosmic success happens.”

An expert in conscious leadership, body alignment and clinical nutrition, Jacobs is also an in-demand speaker, yoga instructor and author of the book, Beautiful Money. A mentor for more than 20 years in areas of healing, integrative health and detoxification, Jacobs has been featured by Glamour, SUCCESS and other popular outlets.

How can I book the speakers in this article?

For more information, or to check booking availability for any of the speakers mentioned in this article, simply contact us at the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau. With more than a century of building relationships among the world’s top influencers, you can rely on us to handle all arrangements for these well-being experts or other top speaking talent.

Photo by Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Alexia Vernon, motivational and keynote speaker

Business Speakers, Keynote, Personal Development

Speaker Spotlight: Alexia Vernon Defeats Self-Doubt, Amplifies Women’s Voices

by Cecilia Meis

July 19, 2023

Many of us rely on an inner voice to guide us, both personally and professionally. It helps us avoid unnecessary risks and other dangers. But what happens when that inner voice tells us not to trust our own capabilities, skills and knowledge?

Recent research published in Psychology of Women Quarterly suggests that women often face greater negative consequences in the workplace for taking risks, potentially “discouraging them from future risk-taking.” Rebuilding or developing their growth mindset amplifies women’s creativity and innovation, job performance and potentially even the overall success of the organization.

Women’s leadership speaker, executive coach and award-winning author Alexia Vernon knows the dissatisfaction a negative relationship with your inner voice can cause. She harbored a deep fear of public speaking and her very visibility.

Vernon has since transformed, giving keynote addresses to top companies and organizations and delivering “A New Paradigm for Feminism” at TEDxWilmingtonWomen. In fact, the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau has named Vernon as both a top TED speaker and top executive coach to book for your company. Even the White House has dubbed her the “Moxie Maven” for her approach to women’s empowerment, communication and development.

As an entrepreneur, Vernon further expands her message as founder and president of Step into Your Moxie, a WBENC-certified woman- and disability-owned business. Here, she provides programs and services to help elevate and amplify marginalized voices. Companies and organizations such as MGM Resorts, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Zappos have benefited from the tools and methods provided by Step into Your Moxie. Tomorrow’s leaders learn to “speak with confidence, clarity and compassion,” “navigate discomfort in high-stakes and crisis communication” and more.

What is Alexia Vernon’s message for growth?

Even overachievers can hold themselves back through factors including perfectionism, self-doubt and fear. Vernon believes that we hinder ourselves by “prioritizing action steps over kind and forgiving self-talk” and “[going] at our goals alone,” according to her website. But to truly amplify our own voices, we must first use better communication strategies to grow together as allies and develop “mutually beneficial relationships.”

In her book, Step into Your Moxie, Vernon invites readers into an action plan using warmth, humor and grace. Described as “a mastermind session, therapy and a dinner date with your best friend all rolled into one” by fellow author and mindful leadership coach Emily Bennington, Step into Your Moxie is a call to action for readers. It serves as a guide for women to elevate their personal and professional lives by learning to communicate with clarity, honesty and compassion.

Similarly, Vernon’s Moxielicious podcast guides entrepreneurs and executive leaders to “unapologetically speak up for themselves, their companies and the ideas and issues that matter most to them,” according to the podcast description. Featuring top thought leaders in everything from disability-inclusive leadership to better mental health in the workplace, Vernon thoughtfully provides the tools and knowledge necessary for better employee well-being and an improved workplace environment. Most of all, listeners receive encouragement to gain confidence and amplify their voices in their personal and professional lives.

Along with her own media, top networks, news journals and magazines have relied on Vernon to inspire their audiences. CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, the Wall Street Journal, Women’s Health and many other outlets have helped convey Vernon’s positive message for personal growth.

How does booking Alexia Vernon as speaker amplify voices?

Vernon does more than inspire women to amplify their voices and heighten their influence. She drives her audience members to take positive action and build better mental habits. Trusted by universities and Fortune 500 companies, Vernon provides in-person and virtual keynote addresses that empower audiences to achieve greater career and leadership success.

‘Step into Your Moxie®’

In her signature keynote address, “Step into Your Moxie®,” Vernon’s authenticity as a speaker shines through with deeply personal stories. Sometimes humorous and other times heart-wrenching, she takes audiences on a journey of tragedy that ends in self-realization and achievement. Perfect for women’s leadership events, attendees learn to reclaim visibility and become the heroes of their own life stories.

‘Speak with Moxie: Persuasive Conversations That Inspire Action’

Speaking with moxie means developing your credibility, likeability and trust. Whether you are an entrepreneur, senior leader, sales professional or seeking to boost your confidence prior to a presentation, this signature address provides the tools needed to connect effectively with others. Your leadership and sales teams will learn the power of persuasive storytelling, develop better pitches that break through resistance and become more successful negotiators.

Additional keynote addresses include:

“We’re Listening: How Companies Champion Women Post #MeToo”
“Allyship: The Pathway to a Workplace That Works for All”

Be sure to check out Vernon’s virtual speaking reel to gain a greater understanding of her engaging style and transformative message of empowerment and well-being.

Book Alexia Vernon for your event with confidence.

To learn more about Vernon and check her booking availability, visit her speaker info page at the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau. With more than a century of experience in building connections between thought leaders, corporate event professionals and entrepreneurs, you can book talent with confidence at SUCCESS.

Or explore our full catalog of speakers, coaches, emcees and other top talent. We provide speakers for every event while assisting you every step of the way from fee negotiation to travel logistics. Contact us to get started!

woman with a positive mindset smiling at work

Business Speakers, Keynote, Personal Development

Top Motivational Speakers Help Build Positive Mindsets for the Workplace

by Cecilia Meis

July 13, 2023

What is a positive mindset? “Mindset” refers to a person’s attitude or perspective, and it plays a role in shaping our beliefs, behaviors and responses. Someone with an anxious or negative outlook may experience anxiety or even fear in the workplace upon receiving good news or achieving success. Someone with a positive growth mindset, on the other hand, is likely to embrace challenges as opportunities for enrichment, learning and growth.

For many, a positive attitude is a key to happiness and greater well-being. These positive growth mindsets stand in contrast to fixed ones, which lead people to take fewer risks, both personally and professionally. This aversion to change may hold them back from discovering their full potential.

Most importantly, positive mindsets can be taught and learned. People can improve their perspectives through simple daily exercises such as reframing negative thoughts and practicing gratitude and self-care.

How do positive mindsets impact the workplace in 2023?

Healthy, mindful outlooks help us communicate better, build emotional resilience and increase our confidence. And while each of these aspects of positivity benefit us personally, they also impact us in the workplace.

“Once you start to access your championship mindset and apply it to everything in life, you will notice a change. You will start to see a shift in who you become. You will see results,” wrote keynote speaker and trainer Trent Shelton in a 2019 SUCCESS article.

When seeking professional development, consider beginning with the cultivation of a growth mindset. Our personal and professional relationships may benefit from our individual transformation and growth. We learn not to just “go with the flow”—we gain the mindful confidence to lead it.

Top keynote speakers who can help build positive mindsets

Changing modes of thinking isn’t easy. It requires more than telling people to “chin up” or “think happy thoughts.” In fact, negative mindsets may be deeply ingrained. Even top performers may still be affected or held back by tough lessons and setbacks from their past.

How one thinks may paint an individual’s perception of themselves. Negative mindsets can alter one’s perception of reality, often to their detriment.

Top motivational speakers with an expertise in building positive mindsets break through these barriers. Through powerful storytelling and humor, they engage audiences with memorable and empowering life lessons. Just as importantly, they provide the actionable tools and methods by which audiences can build more productive, mindful daily habits for success.

1. Michelle Poler

TEDx speaker and fear-facer Michelle Poler advises her global audiences to “fear less, do more.” Rather than avoiding fears, she wants to help her listeners and clients leave their comfort zones with the use of engaging humor and authentic storytelling. Her book, Hello, Fears, inspires readers to adopt a growth mindset for personal development while providing practical strategies to become the heroes of their own lives.

“The enemy of success is not failure,” Poler said in a virtual address. “It’s actually comfort. Life will always give us options. Some will take us back into our comfort zones. Others will challenge us but help us grow.”

Growth mindsets encourage us to embrace new opportunities.

2. Mally Roncal

A-list celebrity makeup artist and keynote speaker Mally Roncal knows the obstacles and rewards of following your dreams. She had plans to become a doctor but chose to follow her passion for beauty instead, graduating from working at a makeup counter to traveling the globe to do makeup for Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and others. As an author and motivational speaker, she delivers a powerful message of positivity, diversity and inclusion.

“Know your meaningful difference,” Roncal advised at a recent event. “Do you have something that is so specifically yours… that not one other amazing person in this room can do?”

A positive mindset means believing in your own strengths.

3. Kevin Karschnik

Kevin Karschnik is globally recognized as an expert in leadership and communications. As an entrepreneur and co-author of Corporate Ovations, he has the experience to help audiences improve leadership skills, build lasting relationships and boost overall performance. His hard-hitting keynote speeches tackle issues such as maintaining a positive mindset under pressure and embracing flexibility in leadership.

“Pick something that you want to work on,” Karschnik said at a sales communication keynote presentation in Las Vegas. “Think about the one thing that you can focus on that’s going to improve your communication.”

Mindfulness means focusing on the present.

4. Nataly Kogan

Becoming an effective leader requires high-level mental fitness. Bestselling author and creator of the “Happier Method™” Nataly Kogan delivers the simple yet powerful methods that have helped countless people across the globe to struggle less while achieving more. Featured by TEDxBoston, Kogan formerly held top positions with McKinsey and Microsoft. Today, she is an in-demand keynote speaker who has served top companies including Dell, GE Capital and Vanguard.

“There are very simple, scientifically-proven practices shown to dramatically increase our sense of emotional well-being,” Kogan has stated. “This is what I call ‘living fully.’ It’s truly the ability to experience all the moments in our lives.”

A positive mindset requires mindfully living in the moment.

5. Anne Grady

Resilience expert Anne Grady is an entrepreneur, author and two-time TEDx speaker. Capturing audiences with humor and authentic storytelling, she delivers a transformational, science-based message of growth in the face of challenge and adversity. Her practical tools for building resilience have helped hundreds of thousands of individuals develop the habits needed for a stronger, healthier mindset. Top companies such as ADP, General Mills, Hallmark and Lockheed Martin have relied on Grady’s resilience-building methods.

“How do any of us get back up?” Grady asked at her St. Louis TEDx talk, “It’s About Time You Realized You Are Strong Enough.” She continued, “Life knocks us down, and we get back up. We are designed to bounce back.”

A growth mindset helps you to discover your own resilience.

Photo by NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock

Business Speakers, Keynote, Personal Development

Speaker Spotlight: Karen Allen Empowers Others to Embrace Life with a Growth Mindset

by Cecilia Meis

July 7, 2023

Keynote speaker and author Karen Allen wants to empower you with a healthy mindset. Her proven “Stop & Shift” method provides the tools and resources needed to take control of your life through mental strength. The results are transformational, as Allen teaches audiences mindful techniques and exercises which can be used to help you feel better, increase your creativity and improve your relationships.

Allen’s relatability as a speaker plays just as much of a role as her expertise in helping her spread her message of personal fulfillment and happiness. Her TEDxOrlando speech, “Use your tragedy to change the world,” tackles issues of grief and hardship head-on with humor, grace and transformative clarity. Through her gift for storytelling, she guides her audience on a powerful journey of healing and empowerment.

Top companies such as Citi, AT&T, Lockheed Martin, Pace University, YouTube and more than 100 other institutions have trusted Allen to help employees create stronger mindsets and improve workplace culture, allowing leaders and teams to create better workplaces and boost their personal and professional skills. Given her results, it’s no surprise the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau has named Allen a top personal development and self-care keynote speaker.

Before booking Allen as your next motivational speaker and mindset expert, let’s take a look at how her journey began.

Personal growth sometimes begins with tragedy.

Allen was a wife, mom and communications graduate from George Mason University. Her life seemed ideal and her future bright. But tragically, Allen learned that life can throw a curveball at any moment when her husband was killed in a shooting incident at the business he owned.

Allen experienced a downward spiral that consumed her. She lost her job, her car and her house. At only 29 years old, she was ready to give up—but her 2-year-old son needed her, and Allen knew things had to change, beginning with the intentional decision to improve her mindset. And on that difficult journey of building a self-care routine, Allen learned so much more.

“I rebuilt my life by letting go of perfectionism and surrendering to the flawed, human messiness that is life,” she writes on her website. “I opened my mind, my heart and my arms to let the light in; I stopped overthinking and started living.”

Allen learned to embrace all of life, including its challenges, tragedies and imperfections. She learned mindfulness techniques that guided her to make better decisions, manage her anxiety and rebuild her confidence. And over the course of that journey, she built a life she loves.

What is Karen Allen’s message for self-care and growth?

Allen has delivered her growth mindset keynote addresses and workshops for more than 100 companies and other institutions. Her powerful messages for building a thriving, human-centric work culture include “Stop & Shift: A Mental Exercise to Reset Your Mindset” and “100% Human: 3 Guideposts for a Human-Centric Culture.”

Stop & Shift

Amongst life’s ups and downs, it can be hard to remain positive. “Stop & Shift” provides a map for your mind, guiding you away from stress and into your inner strength. This resilience-building training technique helps audiences learn to face challenges with clarity and composure. Furthermore, it helps cultivate joy and peace, among other positive behaviors, allowing you to foster greater leadership skills and develop a growth mindset.

100% Human

Many business leaders have likely heard some form of the expression, “People are your most important asset.” Yet humans are complex. To function optimally, they require personal and professional well-being. Allen’s “100% Human” keynote address provides a guide to creating a workplace dedicated to that well-being. Audiences learn the strategies needed to help employees feel valued, enthused and supported, leading to greater trust and wellness while fostering a deeper connection to the company.

Karen Allen delivers her self-care message across popular media.

Booking Allen means more than getting a top keynote speaker and mindset expert. She also brings widely recognized popularity, generating enthusiasm and buzz for your event.

Her SUCCESS podcast, In the Details with Karen Allen, provides powerful lessons and intimate insights through storytelling discussions with top thought leaders, coaches, athletes, executives and other change-makers. Her book, Stop & Shift: The Mindset Reset that Changes Everything, helps readers learn to release negative thoughts and create stronger, healthier mindsets. More than a typical self-help book, Allen provides action items, exercises and journaling opportunities to stay focused, intentional and happy.

For an entertaining, quick-take of Allen’s message and style, be sure to see her “2023 Speaker Reel” on YouTube.

Book Karen Allen with complete confidence.

“Karen [Allen] is a world-class speaker that is bringing the missing link to corporate America, deeper human connection.”

–Sprint Statement

You can now book Allen as your next speaker easily and with confidence. Visit Allen’s speaker information page at the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau and drop us a note to check availability. SUCCESS will put its 125 years of experience in thought leadership and relationship-building to work for you.

Or, take the time explore our lineup of top speakers, emcees and executive coaches to find the perfect fit for your event. Whomever you choose, you can book with confidence knowing that we will handle all the fee negotiations and logistics needed to provide you with top event talent.

Want to learn more about us? Like us on Facebook or follow us on LinkedIn for the latest motivational and well-being guidance for your teams.

Business Speakers, Innovation

The Impact of AI and ChatGPT in Today’s Workplace and for Our Future

by Cecilia Meis

June 28, 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) has surged into the public consciousness with OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT in November 2022. Terms such as generative AI and large language models, once the jargon of coders and computer scientists, have begun to be more widely used. But what do these terms really mean? And how true are some of the promises or concerns that we hear? More importantly, how will AI technologies such as ChatGPT impact the workplace both today and in the future?

AI in the workplace isn’t new, but it’s evolving.

Artificial general intelligence (AGI) refers to AI systems that can learn, reason and plan—in other words, accomplish intellectual tasks equivalent to a human being. While experts disagree as to how close current AI models are to AGI, current AI technology has been a long time coming, with roots going back to the 1950s. Corporate leaders now use AI in a vast array of workplace industries including banking, marketing and entertainment. Lord of the Rings film creators famously utilized AI more than 20 years ago to create epic battle scenes. The Photoshop whiz you know at work may be using AI in the products they create. Even some modern supply chain solutions rely on AI through companies such as Palantir.

But ChatGPT just instinctually—even viscerally—felt different. AI tech, while not new, has evolved. Suddenly we could talk to AI, and it would talk back. That’s where generative AI and large language models (LLMs) come in.

What are large language models such as ChatGPT?

Through a process of algorithmic learning known as machine learning, LLMs are systems trained on very large sets of text data. The generative part is the idea that these machine systems can not only understand our inquiries, but generate meaningful text with a conversational response.

So is ChatGPT a generative LLM? Here’s what it said when we asked:

“Yes, I am a large language model. Specifically, I am based on the GPT-3.5 architecture developed by OpenAI. GPT stands for ‘Generative Pretrained Transformer,’ and the ‘3.5’ version indicates the iteration of the model. This architecture enables me to understand and generate human-like text based on the input I receive.”

Plus, generative AI can go beyond the realm of words. Companies such as Soundraw, Boomy and BandLab can help you create music. Likewise, the DALL-E system from OpenAI can assist you in generating visual art with simple prompts. But even beyond the arts, similar technologies are now used in medicine, sustainable sea operations such as aquaculture, hospitality and a plethora of other industries and fields. More important for individual companies, LLMs can be further trained to meet the specific demands of your brand and its customers.

Clearly, the evolution of AI has reached a new milestone. Consumer-friendly interfaces, usability and deep training have vastly enhanced these once-arcane technologies. Using AI, companies both big and small are set to vastly transform the workplace and the overall economy in the coming years.

What are the economic and humanitarian promises of AI?

“Imagine a world where we could solve all of mankind’s problems.” This simple request in the website of entrepreneur, futurist and keynote speaker Naveen Jain isn’t hyperbolic. As the award-winning author of Moonshots: Creating a World of Abundance and a serial entrepreneur in cutting-edge technologies, Jain’s background is one of ambition and success. From Microsoft to lunar exploration, AI technologies play a role in his love and hope for humanity. In fact, Jain’s Viome health product suite uses AI to tailor health recommendations at the individual level in a pursuit to “make illness optional.”

Still, while fear of change is a part of many human psyches, this change is absolutely real. AI will disrupt industries and workplaces around the globe, and not just at the micro level of specific tasks. It will redesign entire economic systems. “ChatGPT is about to revolutionize the economy. We need to decide what that looks like,” reads the title of a MIT Technology Review article. As the author notes, it can help those with lesser skills increase performance, but also risks increasing inequality gaps.

On one of his Moonshots podcast episodes, Jain takes a broader view of AI. “We as humans are very limited in our capacity,” he says. As an example, he notes that we see a very narrow portion of the light spectrum. For that matter, our hearing is not as acute as that of a dog. “So do you want to take all those limitations off humans?” he asks.

Machine learning AI can help free humanity of these barriers.

How can I integrate AI into my workplace marketing and communications?

Despite all the promises AI holds for our future, it’s good to remember that it remains a tool created by humans. Just as a hammer or a screwdriver have different uses and limitations, so do even the most advanced generative AI systems. In fact, ChatGPT will “gladly” disclose some of these limitations when asked:

“[M]y knowledge is based on data that was available up until September 2021. This means that my responses are not informed by events or information that occurred after that time. Therefore, any information or events that have taken place after September 2021 would be outside of my knowledge unless they were widely known or part of historical data available to me.”

Digital persuasion expert and keynote speaker Erin King understands these limitations. She built her reputation on a deep understanding of AI platforms and their impact on sales, marketing and communications in the workplace. In a recent newsletter, she offered many pieces of advice for working with language generative tools, including this one:

“Remember to FACT CHECK! Otherwise, you could be operating with fake news, an AI hallucination or just a chatbot that was trained on outdated info. A recent study suggested ChatGPT will deliver inaccuracies as much as 20% of the time!”

From actionable advice on how to create better chat prompts to holistic views on using AI to benefit creativity, King understands the territory like few others. Her digital persuasion keynote talk, “Navigating the A.I. Revolution,” breaks through the fear and confusion surrounding AI workplace adoption while embracing positive mindsets and empathy.

Find further AI guidance for your teams at the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau.

For many companies, it may feel like the AI revolution came all at once. Future sales, product development, customer satisfaction and growth will depend not just if you adapt, but how you adapt. More importantly, you need your entire organization to adapt with you as a community. That’s where corporate events, coaching and hiring the right keynote speaker matter most.

To book the technology experts mentioned in this article, visit the SUCCESS Speakers Bureau or contact us with your questions or event speaker needs.

Photo by NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock