In 2024, the demand for high-performance keynote speakers has reached new heights as organizations strive to inspire and empower their teams. These dynamic thought leaders bring a unique blend of expertise, motivation, and actionable insights, making them the go-to figures for businesses looking to drive success. From enhancing leadership skills to fostering innovation and resilience, the top keynote speakers of 2024 are setting the stage for transformation. In this post, we spotlight the trending high-performance keynote speakers who are shaping conversations and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the modern workplace.
Dr. Luana Marques: Author, Scientist & Innovator, Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School
Dr. Luana Marques’ personal story of overcoming adversity, trauma, and poverty while growing up in Brazil provides authenticity and depth to her message. She’s known for her captivating presence and dynamic storytelling that weaves together the threads of her personal journey and professional expertise to inspire transformation in her audiences. Today, as an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Past President of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and best-seller author, Dr. Luana is a paragon of resilience, determination, and boldness.
Sam Rad: The Radical Futurist
Sam Rad combines the mindsets of an anthropologist and technologist, bringing her “radical next” perspectives on what’s in store for the future. With the charisma of a rockstar, curiosity of an anthropologist, creativity of an entrepreneur, and calm confidence of an ex-professional skydiver, Sam effortlessly guides organizations and individuals to thrive in times of radical and accelerating change. Through her signature candid and clever delivery, Sam distills complex topics while leading the audience on a compelling, informative, and approachable journey of educational storytelling.
Paul Epstein: Award Winning Keynote Speaker, Leadership & Sales Expert, Bestselling Author, Former NFL & NBA Executive
PAUL EPSTEIN has spent nearly 15 years as a professional sports executive for multiple NFL and NBA teams, a global sports agency, and the NFL league office, where he has broken every premium revenue metric in Super Bowl history, opened a billion-dollar stadium, and founded the San Francisco 49ers Talent Academy, where he became known as the “Why Coach.”
As an award-winning speaker on the power of WINNING MONDAY he was named one of SUCCESS magazines top thought leaders that get results, Paul’s impact continues off stage providing leadership development and culture transformation programs for companies and teams including Amazon, Disney, Johnson & Johnson, NASA, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Cowboys—and his work has been featured on ESPN, NBC, Fox Business, and in USA Today.
He is also a 2x best-selling author of The Power of Playing Offense and Better Decisions Faster.
Robyn Benincasa: Top Leadership & Teamwork Motivational Speaker, Full-Time Firefighter, Adventure Racing World Champion, CNN Hero, Best-Selling Author
Robyn Benincasa is a top motivational speaker on leadership, adventure racing world champion, CNN Hero, founder of Project Athena, and bestselling author. She won two World Adventure Races and holds three Guinness World Records for long-distance kayaking. Her book on teamwork and leadership, How Winning Works, is a New York Times bestseller. Her entertaining keynotes show audiences the foundations of inspired leadership and how to win as a team.
Jesse Itzler: Author of ‘Living With A SEAL’, Co-Founder of Marquis Jet, Co-Owner of the Atlanta Hawks
Jesse Itzler is the co-founder of Marquis Jet, the world’s largest private jet card company. He and his partner sold their company to Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets. Jesse then partnered with ZICO coconut water, which he and his partner sold to The Coca-Cola Company. He’s the author of the New York Times bestseller, ‘Living with a Seal’ and ‘Living with the Monks’. This former MTV rapper brings his “live life out of the box” approach to the stage and uses the wisdom and humor of his books to illustrate the importance of increasing your mental-toughness meter.
Victoria Labalme: Creativity Speaker & Peak Performance Expert
Victoria Labalme helps people perform at their highest levels by Risking Forward to express their hidden genius. Using breathtaking stage skills, gripping stories, and comedic highlights, Victoria takes audiences through a profound experience they’ll never forget. Participants will leave with immediately applicable tools—empowered to lead confidently, engage their teams and achieve remarkable results. Victoria has been the private consultant to Hollywood directors, New York Times Bestselling Authors and thought leaders appearing on stages for PBS, TED and Oprah.
Christian “Boo” Boucousis: Elite Military Team | Experts in Flawless Execution | Motivational Speakers on Leadership and Teamwork
Afterburner is a keynote speaking team composed of elite fighter pilots who translate their military experiences into lessons for business success. Their high-energy presentations focus on topics such as leadership, flawless execution, and teamwork, inspired by their rigorous training and operational expertise. Led by Christian “Boo” Boucousis, Afterburner’s dynamic approach has captivated audiences worldwide, helping organizations like Microsoft, Google, and Home Depot achieve higher performance and strategic execution.
Lakshmi Gopalkrishnan: Thought Leader, Speaker, Executive and Leadership Coach
Lakshmi Gopalkrishnan helps leaders turn what makes them different into a strategic advantage through The Outsider’s Edge™. With nearly 30 years of experience—including leadership at Microsoft, entrepreneurship, and as a trusted coach to the world’s top brands—she combines business expertise with the wisdom gained from learning how to thrive, not just survive, as an immigrant and woman of color. Known for bold insights, actionable strategies, and inspirational stories, her keynotes equip teams to fuel performance, foster belonging, and create cultures that win.
Sterling Hawkins: Entrepreneur | Author | Innovation Expert | Pioneer in Growth Mindset & Transformational Leadership
Sterling Hawkins is a bestselling author, keynote speaker and globally recognized thought leader in organizational culture. His growth movement has helped thousands of people, teams and companies commit to meaningful goals by embracing trust No Matter What.
Frankie Russo: 8X Inc. 500 Founder, Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author, Top 50 Global Thought Leaders in Growth, Former Fortune 500 Chief Innovation Officer
Frankie Russo is an entrepreneur with a proven track record for using innovative methods to unlock rapid growth and competitive advantage . His keynotes and masterclass experiences are full of actionable insights for fostering a culture of authenticity, imagination and generosity to unlock breakthrough innovation, extraordinary transformation and to keep growth going.
Dave Sanderson: Last Passenger Off US Airways Flight 1549, The Miracle On The Hudson
Dave Sanderson is a nationally recognized leadership speaker, accomplished author and inspirational survivor of what is known as “The Miracle on the Hudson.” As the last passenger off US Airways Flight 1549 which had to ditch into the river, he took the lessons he learned from that profound experience in the frigid water and emerged from the wreckage with a mission to encourage others to do the right thing and share coping skills to address any adversity they may face. Dave travels the world to share his inspirational leadership lessons and has raised over $14.8M USD for the American Red Cross over the last ten years through his talks.
David Burkus: Author of ‘Friend of a Friend’ | Renowned Leadership Expert | Keynote Speaker on Innovation and Organizational Psychology
David Burkus is a renowned keynote speaker and expert on leadership and innovation. He has delivered compelling talks to Fortune 500 companies and top-tier universities worldwide. David’s best-selling books have been translated into multiple languages, earning praise from both industry leaders and academics. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company. David combines insightful research with engaging storytelling, making complex concepts easy to understand and apply.
Jill Schulman: Keynote Speaker | Resilience Expert | Leadership Development Consultant | USMC Veteran
Jill Schulman, a dynamic force in leadership development and a sought-after keynote speaker, boasts a rich tapestry of experience. Jill’s journey began as a United States Marine Corps officer, where she honed the foundations of leadership, grit, and resilience. After five years of service, she transitioned to the corporate world, excelling for 14 years in Sales, Training, Sales Leadership, and Leadership Development within the Pharma and Medical Device industries, earning numerous accolades along the way.
Kaplan Mobray: Award-Winning Author, Motivational Speaker & Career Consultant
Recognized by Meetings & Conventions magazine as one of the nation’s top business speakers, Kaplan Mobray is one of the world’s most dynamic and inspirational business speakers and best-selling author of The 10Ks of Personal Branding. An innovative mastermind, Kaplan has inspired and transformed countless lives through his insightful and groundbreaking approach to personal branding and leadership development. Kaplan has been a frequent main platform speaker at the prestigious Million Dollar Roundtable (MDRT) national and global conferences.
