Michael Ivanov
Author and Motivational speaker
Proudest Moment: Two moments come to mind, when my wife gave birth to my daughter and when I received the proof copy of my first novel.
Takeaways: My goal is to inject the opportunity to speak to with hope, courage and the confidence they need to lead lives of purpose and impact.
Need to Know: I like to think I am very easy to work with. I can adjust and prepare for any audience, in just about any environment as long as I know the needs and pain points of your audience. Let’s make it happen!
John Register, CSP, CPAE, PLY
Founder, Inspired Communications International
Proudest Moment: My proudest moment wasn’t standing on the medal podium at the Paralympic Games, though that was unforgettable. It was the moment I chose to step back on the track after my amputation. That decision, made not out of certainty, but commitment, launched a journey of transformation that allowed me to serve others.
Founding the U.S. Paralympic Military Program, helping fellow veterans rediscover purpose, and becoming a trusted voice for resilience in boardrooms and government circles stemmed from that one hard yes.
Takeaways: Through my Amputate to Elevate keynote, I walk audiences through the Reckoning, Revision, and Renewal transformation process. From thousands of 3rd party Talk A Dot testimonials/comments, three core takeaways stand out: Leadership begins in the space between the question and the response. That’s where adaptability lives. You don’t overcome adversity—you elevate through it. This shifts mindset from survival to innovation. We must amputate what no longer serves us—fear, ego, or outdated beliefs—to elevate into a new normal (growth mindset).
My message does more than inspire—it activates. Attendees consistently leave saying, “This changed how I see my setbacks and my story. I am clear on what to amputate in order to elevate my steps.”
Need to Know: I see myself not just as a keynote speaker, but as an ambassador for you, to your clients, your mission, and your event’s success. My job begins well before I hit the stage. I research your audience (via pre-event calls), tailor my message to your theme, and provide tools like Talk A Dot or post-event videos that extend engagement long after I speak. I create custom pre- and post-videos and help your social media team get the maximum value. I can also act as your ambassador by riding the elevators at the host hotel and finding out what participants are “really” saying. I am collaborative, flexible, and 100% committed to delivering not just a speech but a transformational moment that will reflect well on you and the planning team. My motto? Make the planner look like a rock star. Every time.
Chris Bashinelli
National Geographic Explorer, Bridge the Gap TV
Agency: Executive Speakers Bureau
Proudest Moment: Pride is something I aim to transcend, not achieve. Instead, I can say that one of my most humbling or grateful moments is when the Lakota of the Pine Ridge Reservation accepted me as one of their family after making a film about their way of life for PBS. Trust, friendship and a welcoming into one’s family are among the highest honors in this life.
Takeaways: I hope first and foremost that I will learn to fully embody more and more everything that I share. I see each presentation as a collective experience between the audience and the speaker, there is no separation, they are one and the same. My life focus on stage and off is one of finding common ground, uncovering our shared humanity and realizing on a very deep level that every single human being is part of the Universal Human Family.
Need to Know: I treat every event like a “retreat”, meaning, my only focus for the 24 hours prior to the event is your audience. My phone is off and I utilize a secondary line so that only my Client, my Family and my Manager are able to reach me during those hours. Thank You!
Laura Gassner Otting
Chief Catalyzing Officer, Limitless Possibility
Proudest Moment: I know that the answer here is to say that it’s my Wall Street Journal bestseller, becoming and ABC Contributor and Good Morning America’s careers expert or the standing ovation I got the first time I was brave enough tell the story about how I got to remission and ran all six World Major Marathons, working at 22-years-old in the White House to launch AmeriCorps, or successfully selling my global executive search firm. But the truth is that my proudest moments truly involve the time off the stage.
Honestly, I am grateful for this question, because it made me think long and hard. I know that there is a strategic answer, and if my more personal answer kicks me out of the running for this honor, then I understand that. But with all things, I show up fully as who I am, which I think is also why planners love to work with me. There is simply no pretense. So, with that said, I have several:
Coming home from a 20 mile training run and having my then-year-old give me a crumpled dollar bill from his allowance because he knew I was raising money for my first ever marathon and he saw how hard I was working both to not die in the process and to raise money for a cause close to my heart, or…years later, my other kid seeing how tired I was after an infusion and taking it upon himself to make sure he knew every time I was scheduled to go until I hit remission so he could pick me up so I didn’t have to drive myself home, or…taking myself to therapy because my parents never did so I could raise kids they never could.
I’m probably not going to think of a single keynote on my deathbed, cool as they have been. But I will think about the planners. I’ll think about the planner who took a minute to coach me on better slide transitions. “Fade looks way more smooth.” Or the one who gave me a pep talk backstage before my very first keynote ten years ago. I’ll think about the planner who defied Florida law to open up a marketing conference with a drag queen cabaret number (both of them in full head to toe rainbow sequins and feathers) to honor his audience who felt unseen and unsafe. I’ll think about the planner who started crying when I asked her how her mother was because of a call from an ambulance during our pre-call six months earlier.
At the end of the day, my proudest moments are simply about other people, their humanity, and our shared experience putting on world class events for the people who matter most to us.
Takeaways: From the corner office to the Oval Office, I’ve seen what makes people great, and what gets in the way of each of us achieving our own greatness (and managing and mentoring it from those who matter most).
With hundreds of interviews with glass-ceiling shatterers, Olympic medalists, start-up unicorns, thinkers, creatives, philanthropists and every day people like you and me, along with a six-year global workforce engagement survey with more than 10,000 responses from 113 different countries, from every possible demographic and every possible industry, I am able to dare my audiences to understand:
- Why they are letting doubt and indecision keep them stuck?
- Why discomfort and the fear of failure is stopping them from dreaming bigger and seizing those larger-than-life opportunities for themselves, their teams, their organizations, and the world around them?
- Why they are avoiding that one thing that, if they tackled it head-on, could lead to significant growth in their career or life?
- Why they aren’t letting go of the beliefs, habits, limitations, and any other thing that’s holding them back from achieving their most audacious goals?
- And most importantly, why they aren’t doing anything about it?
Each of those questions is taught through primary research, personally-conducted interviews, and data derived from doctoral studies. In short, it’s not just giving book reports on someone else’s ideas.
Need to Know: I have spent 30 years in the trenches, stewarding thousands of leaders through massive career transition and organizational disruption. I’ve been there, done that, and gotten the t-shirt. Because of that, I am able to customize every keynote I give into a completely bespoke talk for the audience who has hired me. I am not interested in volume, but impact and take the time to get to know the client and work with them to craft exactly the message from my depth of experience that will transform their audience to where they need to be.
When I first started speaking professionally, another speaker mentioned that conference organizers often spend more money on the coffee line in their budget than the speaker on their stage. In other words, coffee is more important.
So, from the very start, I knew that I’m not the star of the show; my clients and their audience members are the stars of their show. From the moment planners first reach out until I get on the plane home, it’s been my honor put my clients first. No diva behavior, no unreasonable riders; we aim to please.
In other words: I may be the one at center stage, but planners are at the center of everything I do.
Dallin Cooper
Keynote Speaker, Cooper Creative Group
Proudest Moment: My three-year-old son packed a little suitcase and said, “I have to go to an event now. I love you.” He then went downstairs with my five-year-old got on an imaginary plane, and they both proceeded to give “speeches”. They included some gems like: “Alright guys, it’s really really important to have a good day and learn about other people.” When we started hurrying them because they were late for preschool, they ended with “I have to go catch my plane!” before running off “stage” My boys are my pride and joy, but the way they played this little game made it clear that in their eyes, I’m a hero. I’m not just proud of them, they are proud of me.
At one point when talking about their parents, the five-year-old told his class “My dad is the most famous speaker in the world!” I think he’s overselling my popularity, but the principle of the message is clear. I often worry about the balance of speaking and being there with my family, but little moments like these show me that they love me, they believe in me, and they at least understand that my job is to make other people feel better, are as they put it “it’s really, really important to have a good day and learn about other people.” If that isn’t the sweetest little moment of both personal and professional pride, I don’t know what is.
Takeaways: The main takeaway of every presentation is to challenge your assumptions. We all make them, and they always prevent us from reaching our potential. Whether it’s challenging assumptions about coworkers to create a less judgmental culture, challenging assumptions about customers to improve high-performing sales teams or challenging assumptions about mental health to reduce burnout, everyone needs to rethink their life now and then.
I’m not a keynote who has the answer to all your questions. Instead, my audiences leave willing to question the usual answers.
Need to Know: If you want to make a really unique event experience, I can absolutely bring a mechanical bull to your event, incorporate it into a sponsor or activation and tie it into the keynote. It’s memorable, applicable and an absolute blast.
That’s not the only option. If you want a “normal” keynote, I can do that too but along the way I will try to suggest any number of “not quite normal” options that will make the experience immersive and exciting!
Seb Terry
Speaker, 100 Things
Proudest Moment: Helping a quadriplegic man achieve his dream of completing a half marathon by pushing him in his wheelchair. It was the first time I ever helped somebody else, and it was pivotal to the trajectory of my life.
Takeaways: The greatest things we achieve—whether in life or in the workplace—are not just the result of hard work. They’re shaped by the depth of our connection to those around us. We are strong alone, but better together.
My keynote delivers a powerful framework that brings agency, connection, expression, and meaning into people’s lives. It helps individuals become the best version of themselves while also empowering them to support and connect with others—unlocking a world of limitless possibility.
Need to Know: I genuinely believe in collaboration and customization for every event. Alongside an inspiring and uplifting message—with practical takeaways—I deliver uniquely experiential sessions that actively involve the audience, often resulting in goals being achieved live on stage. These sessions are high-energy, deeply engaging, and truly life-changing.
I’m grateful to work with incredible meeting planners who share a passion for creating meaningful impact and making a real difference in the world.
Beth Inglish
Founder, Nashville Creative Group
Proudest Moment: My proudest moments always happen right after a keynote — when someone walks up to me, tears in their eyes, and says, “You changed my life.”
Their face usually says it before their words do. It’s like a weight has been lifted. Like they’ve just seen their own story with grace for the first time, and something inside them has cracked open. In that moment, we’re not strangers. We’re one in our struggle, and one in our hope to not just survive, but thrive. I feel it every time—and I cry with them.
That moment reminds me why I do this. It’s the power of telling the truth out loud. When I share my story of recovery with full vulnerability, it gives people permission to stop hiding. To speak up. To breathe again. The audience can feel that shift. I hear the gasps, the laughter, the stillness. I see their heads nod in unison and know I’m not alone up there. We’re in it together. That connection is everything to me.
Takeaways: Years after a keynote, I still get messages from people telling me they remember the hope I gave them. They’ve started sharing their own story. Their confidence has grown. They’ve stepped into leadership with more presence, more voice, and more power.
What they carry with them isn’t just my story — it’s the permission they felt to own theirs. They see my vulnerability not as weakness, but as strength. And they want that strength for themselves.
There’s usually a moment during my talk, right after I share a photo from my own emotional breakthrough, when the audience breaks into applause. It’s not for the photo. It’s for what it represents: reclaiming your story and turning pain into power. That moment unlocks something.
When they walk out of the room, I want them to see possibility everywhere. In their choices, in their work, in their relationships. I want them to feel empowered to create their future, knowing that their creativity and mindset can shape it all. That they can overcome anything with grace, clarity, and courage.
Need to Know: I don’t just show up and give a talk. I create an experience. From the moment I arrive, I’m listening, connecting, and finding ways to support your goals. I come early, stay late, take selfies, talk with your guests, and stay present with your people. I’ve had planners tell me they were transformed by my keynote just like the audience, because the message reaches everyone.
If you’re looking for more than just a speaker, I can help create breakout sessions, art-based activations, and team experiences that make your event unforgettable. I partner with you to build something meaningful — something people will talk about long after it’s over.
Planners often tell me, “You were the most impressive part of the program.” That’s not because I was flashy. It’s because I cared about your audience, your team, and the impact we created together.
Jeff Katz, CPS
Professional Speaker
Proudest Moment: The proudest moment in my life was when my severely disabled daughter crawled for the first time ever and both of my sons started clapping and shouting in joy as they ran through the house looking for me and my wife to tell us. They were tiny little kiddos but I’ve never been as overjoyed in my life.
Takeaways: It depends on the keynote address that I am delivering, but “The Quest for Cookies” really lays bare the journey that my daughter Julia has been on. While she is now 22 chronologically, she’s 18 months developmentally and her perserverance in opening the pantry and sampling each cookie always puts a smile on my face. The take aways for audience members include tears, lots of laughs and the desire to find your own “cookie” as you go forward.
Need to Know: I love speaking and always seek out opportunities wherever they present themselves so I am always anxious to help planners in every way that I can!
