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 SpeakersAs 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.
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 on a mission to help organizations create their aspirational culture. As an award-winning international speaker, pop artist, and mindfulness educator, Shelley works tirelessly to champion cultural cohesion. As a Belongingologist, she is dedicated to the study of connection and inclusion through embracing our own authenticity and each other’s.
In her more mainstream era, Shelley held corporate positions in hospitality, travel, and event tech as a regional and national director of sales for 17 years. She is a certified mindfulness educator and earned the elite membership and prestigious title of Les Clefs d’Or Concierge.
She has inspired audiences around the world including Marriott Hotels, United Airlines, UPS, Global Business Travel Association, Benchmark Electronics, National Tour Association, BCD Travel and Women’s Leading Travel and Hospitality. Shelley is the author of “Weird Girl Adventures” and is a 26-time ultra-marathoner and marathoner.
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.
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.
Danny Goldberg
Danny Goldberg knows what it takes to transform high turnover and low performance into connection, innovation, retention, and results.
Acclaimed speaker and award-winning entrepreneur Danny Goldberg built an eight-figure business in a few short years, all before the age of 30. Along the way, his desire to learn what makes great organizations great led him to spend nearly 10 years decoding exactly what it takes to be an effective leader.
Danny’s Modern Leadership Framework gives leaders at all levels actionable insights that will help them foster depth, personalize their leadership approach, and lead in a way that inspires loyalty. Danny loves captivating audiences with his engaging and relatable speaking style as he helps organizations cultivate deep connections that boost entire work forces’ commitment.
Everyone wants a satisfying career, and Danny’s experience and knowledge uniquely equip him to lead the movement in establishing an innovative approach to leadership that truly works. Danny believes that when people thrive, business thrives—and he knows how to help your team discover the new rules necessary to attract and retain high-performing teams.
Yonason Goldson
Yonason Goldson is a professional speaker and advisor, working with leaders to create a culture of ethics that earns trust, sparks initiative, and limits liability. He is a TEDx presenter, an award-winning podcast host, and author of seven books, including “Grappling with the Gray: an ethical handbook for personal success and business prosperity.” He is a master storyteller, an award-winning podcast host, and his column, The Ethical Lexicon, appears weekly in Fast Company Magazine.
After graduating from the University of California, Yonason hitchhiked across the United States, backpacked across Europe, and circumnavigated the globe. He’s seen the Taj Mahal, the pyramids of Giza, and the tea plantations of Sri Lanka. He’s hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the tops of the Sierra Nevada. He’s studied at the University of Edinburgh and taught high school in Budapest, Hungary.
Most important, he’s spent 40 years studying the wisdom of the ages and applying ancient teachings to the challenges of the modern world. His talks on ethical character, ethical decision-making, and ethical culture advance his mission to promote a more civil, thoughtful, and respectful society by teaching leaders how good ethics is good business.
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.
Frank Kitchen
Frank C. Kitchen, CSP, is an award winning retail manager, trainer, college educator, performer and motivational speaker known as the “Mindset Master Chef.” He works with organizations who want to fire up the performance of their teams.
Born in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, Frank Kitchen spent over twenty years educating, energizing and empowering thousands of students and professionals how to transform their loftiest aspirations into reality. On Father’s Day weekend 2015, Frank’s world changed when he was fired by his employer. That weekend, the expectant father “flipped his mindset” and committed to cooking up the 5-star performance masterpiece he’d been dreaming about for years…to become a professional speaker.
After years spent sampling a variety of employment and volunteer opportunities, it was time for Frank to share his F.R.E.S.H. mindset recipe for cooking up the professional dreams you hunger for with the world. The same recipe he would use to go from unemployed, to being recognized as one of the top professional speakers on the planet by the National Speakers Association in 2022.
Today Frank is a highly sought after keynote speaker for organizations who want to fire up the performance of their teams. All of his “Kitchen Inspired” programs on mindset and workplace culture are interactive learning experiences that demonstrate how to flip your mindset and cook up the dreams you and your team hunger for!
A graduate of Lakeland Community College (A.A.) and David N. Myers University (B.S), Frank is the author of “Fresh from the Kitchen, 44 Tasty Techniques to Cook Up the Professional Dreams You Hunger For” and “52 Ways to Shine, Discovering Your Value and Leaving an Impact. Frank is also the 3rd African American on the planet to be recognized as a fundraising auctioneer.
When he isn’t speaking, Frank serves as a volunteer and board chair for the non-profit organization Hustle PHX / Hustle USA. Their team of staff and volunteers provide aspiring entrepreneurs in underserved urban communities with the resources needed to start and operate thriving businesses.
Frank resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife Kelly and their two children, Elijah and Olivia.
Julie Noonan
Julie helps corporate executives lead and succeed at transformational change.
Julie is a Strategic Change Consultant and Executive Coach specializing in transformational change. She helps leaders thrive in today’s constantly changing business environment, believing that change is the new normal. Through her two companies, Julie Noonan Consulting and Intuitive Wisdom Coaching, she ensures that leaders thrive and seize the opportunities that present themselves through the exciting chaos that is our new normal.
Heather Hansen O'Neill
Heather Hansen O’Neill is an international keynote speaker, behavioral expert, author of Find Your Fire, Teams on Fire! and coauthor of the new Amazon best seller- Where’s the Office? Moving Today’s Leaders from What IS to What CAN BE. Heather is also a 2x TEDx speaker, host of the popular podcast From Fear to Fire, and creator of L-FOCUS (Leadership For Our Children’s Ultimate Success). She stimulates vibrant energy, focus, and action for those who want to collaborate effectively, lead change, and achieve massive results.
Heather’s mission is to open leaders’ minds and hearts to the possibility within them.
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.
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.
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.
Ashley Taylor
People Developer, CPA, VP, yoga teacher, volunteer, serial class taker and avid reader. Described as “one of the best leaders I have seen” with a “unique ability to make any concept crystal clear”.
Ashley Taylor is a speaker, retreat & workshop facilitator, and mentor She combines her 25+ years of experience with a sense of humor to help you see with sharper perspective, get out of your own way, and develop those in your care.
“I have worked in public accounting, private industry, Fortune 500 companies and owned my own small business. Common denominator? People. We do not lead ourselves or others well without effort. Often it is what “just comes naturally” that cause us the most trouble. The better you know yourself, the better you engage with others.”
Doug Thompson
Doug Thompson is a distinguished storytelling professional in the technology sector, adeptly steering through its complexities for more than twenty years with the expertise of a veteran navigator. Residing in Austin, Texas, Doug has honed a unique ability to demystify complex concepts in Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity, Mindset, and AI for a broad audience.
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.
Penny Zenker
Penny Zenker is The Focusologist, a sought-after international speaker, and best-selling author of The Productivity Zone: Stop the Tug of War with Time. As a master NLP practitioner and neuro- strategist, she integrates the elements of thought, communication, and behavior to provide strategies for adapting to change and maximizing results.