Christian Anderson
Keynote Speaker & Mindfulness Strategist, Christian Speaks
linkedin.com/in/christiansanderson
Proudest Moment: It’s kind of hard to be a parent and not go straight to your kids! Watching my five-year-old recently graduate from pre-K made me incredibly proud—not just of the milestone, but of the confidence he carried walking across that stage. If that’s how I felt for pre-K, I can only imagine what high school graduation will do to me!
From a career perspective, my proudest moments come every time someone tells me that my talk made a lasting impact—on their personal life or the culture of their team. We only get one shot at this life, and it’s deeply affirming to know that the work I do helps people live and lead more intentionally.
Takeaways: I want every audience member to walk away knowing they hold the power to choose.
They can choose thoughts, behaviors, and actions that energize rather than deplete. They can choose compassion and joy over burnout and disengagement. They can choose collaboration over isolation—helping to build a workplace culture where trust, courage, and belonging thrive.
At the core of this power is mindfulness. When we practice being present—truly aware of ourselves, our team, and the moment—we unlock the ability to respond with clarity rather than react out of stress or habit. Mindfulness is the engine behind intentional leadership and a healthy workplace culture.
And the good news is that it doesn’t take massive change to get there. It starts with small, practical steps in how we care for our own well-being and how we show up for others. When we embrace that power of choice, we create environments where people flourish—and that flourishing shows up in higher engagement, greater innovation, and stronger retention.
And it all starts with embracing that power to choose.
Need to Know: Here’s what helps me serve you and your audience best:
First, I love to learn as much as possible about the audience. What drives them? Why are they showing up? What challenges are they facing? What would a true win look like—for them, and for you as the planner? The more insight I have, the more I can tailor the presentation to feel personal, relevant, and deeply resonant.
Second, if it’s possible to do a tech run-through with the AV team the day before, that’s a gift! It allows me to focus fully on the message and the moment, knowing everything behind the scenes is ready to roll.
Christy Renee Stehle
Magnetic Storyteller & Strategist, Ignite Your Business
Proudest Moment: Seven years ago, I had the courage to face my fear of public speaking for the first time. I don’t know if I’d have ever done it on my own, but I was in a group session and the host selected me as volunteer storyteller #3. My hands were shaky, my legs heavy as lead, as I approached the park bench we were using as a makeshift stage. A few minutes in, every fearful speakers’ worst nightmare happened: they started laughing.
“Just keep going,” I told myself. “The sooner this is over the sooner you can run and hide.” Another minute goes by and collectively, the audience gasps. As I looked out onto the crowd in that moment, the air was unlike any I’d ever felt. I was like an orchestra conductor, my words guiding their emotions. They weren’t laughing at me, I realized, they were laughing with me. As my story concluded, I stepped down and the crowd pulled me into a group hug. “This?! This was the scary thing I’d been afraid of all my life?!”
That day, I faced my biggest fear and discovered my life’s greatest passion. The energy and tether of connection felt from a captivated crowd was like nothing I’d ever experienced. It was the best feeling in the world and I became determined to experience more of it.
12 months to the day, I stepped on stage at Mindvalley University Pula as the mainstage speaker. And as proud as I was of myself for making it that far, nothing compared to the feeling at the end, where I led the audience through a guided meditation for courage and invited them to take the leap, face their fear of public speaking, and step into their next chapter of greatness. 40 people were courageous enough to approach the stage, hearts pounding, hands shaking, legs heavy as lead. That day, they liberated themselves from the chains of fear, and one went on to be an award-winning speaker. Helping others communicate confidently and to step into who they are meant to be is the most rewarding feeling in the world, and doing it at a large-scale that day remains my proudest career moment.
Takeaways: After hearing Christy Renee speak, you’ll walk away ready to leverage your story for earned credibility that sets you apart, command the room with magnetic presence, build instant trust through aligned storytelling, lead with authenticity, not performance and turn your voice into your most powerful strategy.
Need to Know: Audiences are craving authentic connection and personalized, immersive experiences now more than ever. While I have structured teachings and stories, I always like to connect with event planners and learn about the daily lives and challenges their audiences are facing. Then, we’ll work together to create the message and experience that provides the most value to all involved. The world is ready for more connection, let’s give it to them!
Rene Godefroy
Founder, Godefroy Global LLC
Agency Name: See Agency
Proudest Moment: Speaking to the poverty-stricken masses in Haiti.
Take Aways: Audiences will leave ready to build a culture where resilience is the rule, not the exception, strengthen morale and retention even in high-pressure environments, turn setbacks into the fuel for innovation, and breakthrough performance, lead with clarity, care and a mindset that transforms challenges into victories.
Need to Know: Travels from Atlanta, Georgia. Top 5 Reasons to book Rene: Brings over 20 years of wow keynotes, lighting up stages for many decades. He knows how to fire up a crowd and leave them ready to take action. Trusted by Coca-Cola, Aflac, Verizon and the U.S. Army. Delivers every time—no surprises, no stress. Your audience will thank you for bringing him. He Keeps Everyone on the Edge of Their Seat Rene grabs the room in the first 60 seconds and never lets go. Tells powerful stories from real life. Walks off stage and connects with the crowd. Mixes heart, humor and inspiration perfectly. He’s 100% Real. Rene doesn’t just motivate.
He moves people. He calls it “Reality Speaking.” From poverty in Haiti to top U.S. stages, speaks with honesty, humility and hope. Your people will feel seen and heard. He’s a dream to work with—no drama; no diva; just a pro who gets it. He checks in before and after the event, greets your team with kindness and warmth, is low maintenance and high impact. His message sticks long after the event. Rene doesn’t do cookie-cutter talks. He builds each one for your audience. He learns your culture, goals and people, talks straight to what your audience cares about and sparks lasting change, not just feel-good moments.
Neen James, MBA, CSP
Author, “Exceptional Experiences”
Agency: Out of the Box
Proudest Moment: One of my recent proud speaking moments was partnering with Cadence Connect’s meetings and events team for their 30th Anniversary as their featured keynote speaker —a nine-month collaboration that exemplified what happens when meeting professionals and speakers work as true partners. This was not only their 30th anniversary, but also the 10-year anniversary of this incredible event, and they were celebrating being a partner with Virtuoso for 25 years.
They hired me nine months in advance, allowing us to have several calls, during which I could immerse myself in their culture and challenges and design a program that deeply resonated. Customizing my “Exceptional Experiences” (new book being released October 2025) content, supported by my “Luxury Mindset” proprietary research study for their audience of luxury travel professionals and Virtuoso Travel executives, created an electric atmosphere where attendees were photographing slides, sharing implementation strategies, interacting, laughing and generating the kind of engagement every meeting planner dreams of (and every speaker loves!).
The sustained impact has been fabulous: handwritten thank-you notes from participants detailing business applications, company founders expressing gratitude and a meeting planner whose leadership team couldn’t stop celebrating her strategic speaker selection. This is one of the reasons I love what we do—when we create experiences that deliver both inspiration and measurable results, we elevate not just attendees and meeting professionals, but our entire industry. My philosophy is to do what I love, with people I love, in places I love—this was the combination of all of those elements.
Takeaways: When sharing the “Exceptional Experiences” keynote, the audience will be inspired to create more moments that matter for their clients. It will show them how to identify and attract ideal clients by understanding their mindset and speaking their “luxury language” to build deeper, revenue-generating relationships.
I share strategic systems to empower teams to anticipate client needs, deliver consistent excellence, and create experiences worth sharing and proven methods to develop client advocates who become an extension of your sales force, naturally attracting similar high-value clients.
Need to Know:
Often referred to as the ‘Energizer Bunny’ by meeting professionals, I believe in a B .D.A (before, during, and after) process for the most successful partnership.
Ditch the traditional podium. I love the freedom to move and engage with the audience. I’m highly interactive and will often walk into the audience, and love to facilitate interaction. Interactive seating is more fun: Round tables are ideal for collaborative exercises and encourage conversation.
Photo-friendly staging: Given the visual content and attendees’ tendency to photograph slides, ensure optimal lighting and clear sightlines—I also love to play with the photographer, so it’s neat to meet them in advance to help them capture the energy of the audience.
Ruben Gonzalez
4X Olympian Keynote Speaker, Olympic Motivation
Proudest Moment: Competing in four Winter Olympics each in a different decade.
Takeaways: I want to inspire and equip people to face the fears that are holding them back from pursuing their goals. My story takes people’s excuses away and leaves them thinking, “If Ruben could make it to even one Olympics, then I can do anything!”
Need to Know: I’ve spoken for over 100 Fortune 500 companies since 2002. Most of my presentations are for sales kickoffs, leadership events, embracing change, motivation and inspiration. I tailor my presentations to the client’s needs combining up to three topics. I don’t use PowerPoint. I like to do Q&A and meet and greets after my talks. Spoken all over the world. My Leadership TED talk has over 1 million views. FollowTheLeaderTEDtalk.com
Lisa Ryan, MBA, CSP
Chief Appreciation Strategist, Grategy
Proudest Moment: My proudest moment was earning my bachelor’s degree. It took me 12 years because I worked full-time during the day and went to school at night. I was the first in my family to do it. My friends would ask, “Do you know how old you’ll be by the time you finish?” I always gave the same answer: “The same age I’ll be without one.” That mindset has shaped every part of my life. I don’t wait for perfect timing. I build it. After that, I earned my MBA while working too. That’s the lens I bring to every audience: grit, gratitude, and the belief that growth is always worth it, even if it takes time.
Takeaways: I don’t just talk about appreciation, I show leaders how to operationalize it through Grategy: a gratitude strategy that’s real, repeatable, and results-driven. My audience walks away with tools they can use immediately to build cultures people want to stay in. They leave knowing that culture doesn’t live in HR. It lives in the choices leaders make every day – on the floor, in the field, and in the conversations they’re not having. I challenge them to stop treating engagement like a checklist and start treating it like a leadership strategy.
Need to Know: I’m easy to work with and serious about making your event a success. I tailor every presentation with real stories from your world, not just mine. I go the extra mile: touring plants, interviewing key stakeholders, and customizing every program so it resonates. When I spoke to a sand and gravel association, the Executive Director told me I was the first speaker who ever asked to go on a plant tour and then actually built what I learned into my keynote. I show up early, stay present, and deliver a message that resonates. I balance humor and heart, and I never phone it in. You won’t need to manage me. You’ll feel like you had a partner, not just a presenter.
