Speakers
Finding a gig is hard, and the process of finding and booking a speaking event can feel completely overwhelming.
Since you’ve landed on this page, you’re likely a Professional Speaker who is frustrated with trying to book speaking gigs that pay you for the value you deliver.
TSC Speakers
As Professional Speakers and Event Organizers ourselves, we know what it takes to book a successful speaking event. This is the driving force behind The Speakers Connection (TSC). We are here to provide the sincere support and guidance that all Conference Speakers and Event Organizers need.
Speakers love working with us! Here is why:
- We are focused on connecting you with your ideal audience, and assisting you in booking speaking engagements that will build your portfolio
- We will never ask you to be exclusive with us. We are here to support you in building your business with your best interest in mind
- We will help you negotiate your speaking fees
- Your speaking contract will be directly with the hiring organization
- We are not paid by the organizations that are hiring you to speak
- You will pay us 25% of your speaking fee after you speak, with no additional fees
- We work with conference speakers of all experience levels – emerging, established, or anywhere in between!
We will be transparent every step of the way, sharing constructive feedback to enhance your speaking career.
This is our promise to you – because we’ve been in your shoes.
TSC Speakers are selected and connected with their ideal audience through Event Organizers. If this is what you are looking for, look no further!
Carla Howard
The thread that runs through her work is a love of personal and business information. Whether helping corporations manage change, delivering keynotes, teaching emerging speakers how to “Get Paid From The STAGE!!!”, or helping kind and ambitious women realize what is possible…Carla helps people move from where they are today to where they want to be in the future.
Andy Vargo
If you ever feel awkward about yourself, then you can understand how Andy Vargo lived the first forty years of his life. Coming out of the closet at forty doesn’t define him, pursuing his passion to help others does. Having changed everything about his life, Andy leads others as a motivational speaker and helps people live their fullest lives as a business and life-change coach. At night you can find him working stages around the northwest as a comedian making light of his journey with the gift of laughter.
Awkward is not only his brand, but his style as Andy encourages us all to ‘Own Your Awkward’ and be true to your genuine self.
Andy hosts the podcast, Own Your Awkward, authored the Awkward Journal series and Own Your Awkward Life Changes, and shares his thoughts and ideas in his blog and video series available at awkwardcareer.com.
Ann Marie Suter
Ann Marie teaches how to recognize danger and minimize your risk of being a crime statistic.
Gain critical knowledge and practical techniques to help keep yourself and your family out of harms way. Ann Marie teaches you how to cultivate a mindset that will have you walking in peace, refusing to be a victim.
Deedre Daniel
Deedre is the founder of The Interesting Conversations Company® and The Big Fat Tip 501(c)(3). Through lessons learned in her keynotes, workshops, and games, she empowers individuals and companies to stand out from their competition and seize more opportunities. Her second venture is a nonprofit that spreads hope and creates unforgettable moments by surprising strangers with generous $1,000 tips.
Deedre’s signature keynote, “How to be More Interesting Than a Cell Phone®,” is a side-splitting and enlightening guide to cultivating richer connections and attracting abundant opportunities personally and professionally. It combines her natural abilities and experiences, including her diagnosis of ADHD, which she has struggled with and managed without medication her entire life. Having moved around frequently as a Navy brat, Deedre’s upbringing taught her the value of embracing cultural differences, thriving in a changing environment, and making quick connections. And with 11 years of running the Affinity Marketing Division at GEICO under her belt, she has mastered the art of professional networking and captivating audiences of all sizes with her humor-infused talks.
Deedre is known for having a zany sense of humor, and her talks fill rooms with infectious laughter. Regardless of the topic, you’re guaranteed an entertaining experience leaving you in stitches! Her content is so engaging that people aren’t distracted by their phones. Having lived with ADHD, Deedre knows what it’s like to be chronically bored. So, she understands how to craft a captivating talk that leaves audiences craving more.
For more laughs and invaluable insights on living a fascinating life, tune in to Deedre’s podcast, “Shut Up and Say Something!®,” available on all major streaming platforms.
Get ready to embark on an exhilarating and unforgettable journey of laughter, learning, and the power of interesting conversations because, with Deedre Daniel, it’s about to Be Interesting!
Hassan Ghiassi
Hassan Ghiassi has spent the last sixteen years advising businesses and executives in America, Europe, and Asia. He holds his Master’s in Communication, is a TEDx speaker, and his workshop participants can be found in 95 countries. He led the Better Conversations Project at The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum which focused on building understanding and empathy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also the inventor of The Epiphany Question Method, a process that allows individuals to embrace change and facilitates healthy group dynamics through tactical inquiry.
Maria Shea
Maria Shea, MA LPC is a thought leader and an expert in the full spectrum of personal and professional development. As an educator, psychotherapist, life and business coach, she has mastered the art of integrating mind-body-spirit traditions with coaching roadmaps to spark transformational change for individuals, relationships, and organizations.
Dennis Pitocco
Dennis is the Founder & Chief ReImaginator of 360° Nation, encompassing a wide range of multimedia enterprises, including BizCatalyst 360° —the award-winning global media digest; 360° Nation Studios —dedicated to reaching across the world in an effort to capture, produce, and deliver positive, uplifting messages via blockbuster global events, and; GoodWorks 360° —a pro-bono consulting foundation focused entirely on providing mission-critical advisory services to nonprofits worldwide. Everything Dennis does across all these enterprises is done “for good” vs. “for profit”. His mission over the past decade-plus has been to rediscover humanity at its best, influencing and showcasing it every step of the way. Along with his team, he does his very best to figure out what the world is trying to be —then, using all their resources, help it to be better every day, in every way. He understands and embraces the notion that it’s not about me or you; it’s about caring for the people we serve. and more responsibly. And he believes it’s about showing up, being present, and intentionally giving our invaluable gifts of time, talent, and treasure “for good.”
LINK to KEYNOTING 360° Page
Sabrina Schottenhamel
Sabrina Schottenhamel is an Introverted Leader, Licensed Massage Therapist, & Author. She’s passionate about gaining humble confidence and keeping your health a top priority. This has compelled her to share her message with a larger audience, delivering keynotes and workshops.
Her greatest transformation started in 2013 when she joined the Woodridge Toastmasters club. This pushed her to overcome her fears of public speaking. Then in 2015, Sabrina won the Best Speaker of the Year Award!!
Sabrina has spoken to colleges, universities, libraries, and professional organizations. She is also a member of Engaging Speakers, a professional speaker network.
Sabrina has several articles published in Skin Inc. and DaySpa magazines, Fender Bender, OfficePRO, and the Sparkle & Rise eMagazine.
Wendy Gilhula
Wendy Gilhula is a keynote speaker, artist, inventor, educator, and podcast host. Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from The University of Tennessee, Wendy has created interactive talks drawing from her multifaceted career in the performance and art worlds.
Melissa Hughes
Dr. Melissa Hughes is a keynote speaker, author, and self-proclaimed neuroscience geek. She is the author of Happy Hour with Einstein, Happier Hour with Einstein: Another Round, and the companion Happier Hour Gratitude Journal. Having spent the first half of her professional career in education studying the science of learning through the lives of her students, she realized that understanding how to learn, how to solve problems, and to think creatively becomes even more important when you leave the classroom and step into the work-life arena.
Dr. Hughes combines her experience in teaching and learning with extensive research in neuroscience and behavioral psychology to inspire people to tap into their inner genius to optimize cognition and maximize performance. From students in the classroom to executives in the boardroom, Melissa has spent her career helping people understand how the brain works and how to make it work better for greater professional success and personal satisfaction.
Dr. Hughes received her Bachelor of Science in education from Kent State University, and a Master of Art in education, Master of Science in education, and Doctor of Philosophy in education from the University of Akron. She taught elementary students and university students prior to developing and delivering keynote presentations and professional development workshops. Melissa has advocated for disadvantaged youth as Guardian ad Litem in the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida since 2015. Perhaps her proudest accomplishment is being named Guardian of the Year in 2021.
Diane Allen
What if the key to being fulfilled is something you already know how to do? What if the answer makes it possible to: Connect what you love, with what you do, and LOVE YOUR JOB?
Violinist Diane Allen, shares the lessons learned from her 10-year struggle to attain the job of her dreams as the lead violinist of an orchestra. Diane overcame her roadblocks by figuring out how to get into the Flow State on demand, something that most find elusive. Her story is grounded in positive psychology with the Flow State as the gateway to being your best self, experiencing more meaning, joy, and fulfillment in work and life.
In her keynote speeches, along with her TEDx/TED talk How to find “flow” (and lose yourself in it) Diane reveals what the Flow State is and provides a three-step system for participants to discover their own Flow Strategy™. This gifts them the path to harness its power and unleash their true potential.
Nowadays, you’ll find Diane in flow on stages with her Copper Dragon Violin, providing experiential Keynote Performances that leave people with specific steps to deeply engage, access high levels of productivity, and love what they do! Audiences find humor and inspiration as they slip into flow along with Diane and her original music, leaving them with an indelible experience and the specific steps to get into flow whenever they need to the most.
Shelley Brown
Shelley Brown is an award-winning international speaker, pop artist, corporate veteran, mindfulness educator, and the author of “Weird Girl Adventures.” She helps companies overcome their MythStakeTM, a tightly held belief made in the name of corporate culture. It’s that platitude we think we have to say, a slogan on our culture website page, the lingo that looks good in an annual report.
Shelley has enchanted and inspired corporate and association audiences, including: Accor Hotels, Benchmark Electronics, United Airlines, Global Business Travel Association, Marriott Hotels, Meeting Planners International, National Tour Association, the Self-Employed Summit, Southeast Tourism Society, UPS, and the Women’s Leading Travel and Hospitality.
When Shelley gets on stage – usually in a couture gown that shows off her own authentic choices — your audience learns how to walk their W.E.I.R.D. (Welcoming, Engaging, Integrating, Risk-taking, and Delivering) to create your greatest organizational culture.