Discover the top 10 keynote speakers to inspire and engage your audience in 2025. From leadership to innovation, find the perfect speaker for your event.
January 5, 2025
Are you searching for the perfect keynote speaker to captivate your audience and inspire them to achieve success? Whether you're planning a major conference, a leadership summit, or a corporate event, finding the right speaker can make all the difference. In this article, we've compiled a list of the top keynote speakers you should consider booking for 2025. These speakers bring unique experiences, powerful messages, and an ability to engage audiences around the world.
Sterling Hawkins is determined to challenge the status quo. He believes everyone has immense potential within themselves and is dedicated to helping individuals, businesses, and communities realize that potential, no matter the circumstances. Recognized globally as a thought leader and one of the top keynote speakers in the business world, Sterling specializes in future trends, leadership, and embracing positive change to drive growth. Having experienced the rise and fall of a multi-billion-dollar startup and gone on to launch, invest in, and grow over 50 companies, he brings that expertise to work with executive teams from some of the world's largest organizations and speaks on stages around the globe.
Currently, Sterling is the CEO and founder of the Sterling Hawkins Group, a company focused on research, training, and development in human and organizational growth. His insights have been featured in publications like Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, The New York Times, and Forbes. Based in Colorado, Sterling is also a proud uncle of four and an avid adventurer, often found skydiving, climbing mountains, shark diving, or trekking across the Sahara.
As a co-founder of several successful companies, Sterling’s personal experiences in overcoming adversity make his motivational speeches both impactful and relatable. He is a New York Times bestselling author, having sold millions of copies of his books that focus on leadership and personal success. Sterling’s energetic and engaging style makes him a highly sought-after speaker for audiences looking to be inspired by stories of resilience, innovation, and breakthrough results.
Lex Gillette is an internationally renowned Paralympic track and field athlete representing Team USA. Specializing in the long jump, he has earned four Paralympic medals, four world championship titles, and currently holds the world record in his event. He is the only completely blind athlete globally to have surpassed the 22-foot mark in the long jump. Lex is presently training for the Tokyo Paralympic Games, aiming to bring home the gold for the United States.
After losing his sight during childhood, Lex was determined not to succumb to a life shrouded in darkness. With the unwavering support of his mother, he was introduced to a wide range of resources and tools that fostered his independence and achievements. "Elexis, it doesn't matter what anyone says. You decide what you can do, and no one else," his mother told him—words that empowered him to transform tragedy into triumph.
Lex is a highly sought-after motivational keynote speaker who encourages his audiences to look beyond the immediate and perceive more than what meets the eye. He often says, "There is no need for sight when you have a vision®." In fact, he asserts that it wasn't until he became blind that he truly began to see. As he writes in his book FLY!, "Vision gives you strength. You see what can be, and maybe what ought to be. Your focus shifts away from what's in your way to what lies beyond your current reality."
Lex's motivational speaking focuses on achieving success against all odds and finding strength in personal experiences. His speeches are filled with real-life examples of perseverance that make audiences laugh, cry, and, most importantly, equip them with useful skills and insights to become better versions of themselves. Lex's presentations encourage audiences to break through barriers and embrace the possibilities that lie beyond their current circumstances. Known for his ability to connect deeply with people, Lex is an excellent choice for events centered around overcoming obstacles, achieving greatness, and inspiring audiences to redefine their limits.
Rich Diviney is a bestselling author, a leadership and human performance expert, and a retired Navy SEAL commander. With over 20 years of service in the armed forces, he held the position of commanding officer in a highly specialized Navy SEAL unit. He completed SEAL training—including two Hell Weeks—and graduated from the Army Ranger School. Recognized as an enlisted honor man, his extensive leadership background has made him one of the top leadership keynote speakers in the world today.
As the officer responsible for training candidates for specialized command, Rich was deeply involved in a highly selective SEAL screening process, narrowing down a group of exceptional individuals to a small cadre of the most elite performers. He initiated the creation of a directorate that emphasized physical, mental, and emotional discipline to enhance team performance. Rich also led his team in developing the first-ever "Mind Gym," a program designed to help special operators train their minds to perform faster, endure longer, and excel in all environments—particularly under high-stress conditions.
Since retiring from the Navy, Rich has worked as a speaker, facilitator, and consultant at the Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute and Simon Sinek Inc. In 2020, Rich founded The Attributes Inc., where he currently serves as the CEO. He speaks and consults on leadership strategies, assessment and selection processes, and optimal performance techniques. Rich has worked with thousands of businesses, athletic organizations, and military leaders, with past clients including American Airlines, Meijer Inc., the San Francisco 49ers, Pegasystems, Zoom, and Deloitte.
Rich’s motivational speeches draw on his extensive military background, sharing personal experiences of resilience, adaptability, and high-stress decision-making. He helps audiences understand how to lead effectively, even in the most challenging circumstances, by leveraging key attributes like courage, perseverance, and accountability. Rich’s expertise has led him to work with top organizations around the world, where he helps teams understand the difference between skills and attributes and how to cultivate the attributes needed for success.
In his bestselling book, The Attributes, Rich dives deeper into the qualities that make a great leader and a cohesive team. His insights into resilience, adaptability, and optimizing human performance make his speeches invaluable for anyone looking to improve their leadership abilities and develop a winning team culture. Rich’s compelling storytelling and actionable advice make him a highly sought-after speaker for organizations that want to inspire their teams and drive real, measurable results.
Alex Willis possesses a deep understanding of the fundamental challenges in the trade industry—profitability, performance, labor, and productivity—and how these issues can impede growth. With experience as a chief operating officer, he has demonstrated significant leadership and contributed to organizational expansion. As the CEO of Leadership Surge, Alex offers a leadership development program that trains trade industry employees to become frontline leaders, propelling companies forward through future challenges.
His journey as a walk-on player for the Florida Gators at the University of Florida, and later as a member of the 1996 National Championship football team, taught him the value of teamwork. Through dedication and hard work, Alex earned a full scholarship and was elected team captain in 2000. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in business administration, he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Coach Tony Dungy. Following his time with the Buccaneers, Alex earned a master's degree in entertainment business from Full Sail University, graduating as the Salutatorian of his class.
Alex's passion for people led him to a successful career in financial services, pharmaceutical sales, and business development. At Northwestern Mutual, he ranked third in sales production for the Southern Region, and at Eli Lilly, he was fifth nationally in marketing total portfolio sales. He successfully raised over $1.5 million for startup companies and played a pivotal role in developing strategy and vision for leadership within these organizations.
For the past fifteen years, Alex has concentrated on enhancing leadership culture in the trade industry. Leadership Surge, the company he founded, prioritizes people over processes and takes a holistic, strengths-based approach to leadership. He has worked directly with over 1,200 foreman leaders, assisting them in improving areas such as effective communication, performance coaching, work-life balance, stress management, generational leadership, critical thinking, and time management.
Alex Willis is a leadership keynote speaker whose expertise lies in building high-performing teams and corporate culture. He draws on his vast experience to help organizations improve team dynamics and achieve success. Alex has inspired millions with his leadership insights, motivational speaking, and practical approaches to creating a thriving work environment. His speeches often focus on actionable strategies that leaders can implement to foster collaboration, build trust, and drive team success. His deep understanding of the trade industry’s unique challenges makes him an invaluable resource for organizations looking to enhance productivity and leadership at all levels.
Tammy Barlette is a mindset and performance expert who specializes in the art of perseverance. As a retired Lieutenant Colonel and fighter pilot, Tammy draws from her vast experiences in the high-performance cockpit to deliver powerful lessons on overcoming challenges in both professional and personal life. Tammy served in the US Air Force for over 20 years, flying multiple aircraft, including the T-37 Tweet, T-38 Talon, A-10 Warthog, MQ-1 Predator, and MQ-9 Reaper. She accumulated more than 3,000 total flying hours and over 1,500 hours of combat support time, assisting and protecting troops on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
A graduate of the prestigious US Air Force Weapons School, Tammy also holds a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry. Upon retiring from the Air Force, she became a professional speaker and founded Athena’s Voice, a speaker referral business featuring female military pilots from around the United States. Tammy’s insights into leadership, fear, and personal growth come from firsthand experience in some of the most demanding environments imaginable.
Tammy’s speeches resonate deeply with corporate leaders, teams, and individuals looking to achieve success through resilience, adaptability, and perseverance. As an entrepreneur, wife, and mother of three, she shares heartfelt stories of strength and grit that audiences find both relatable and inspirational. Her powerful storytelling and actionable takeaways make her an ideal speaker for events focused on empowerment, overcoming obstacles, and developing a winning mindset in the face of adversity.
Joanna Lohman has been a professional athlete for sixteen years, using her platform to impact people around the world. She is a social entrepreneur and an inspirational keynote speaker who has spent the past two decades advocating for positive change through sports and social impact. Joanna is also a professional speaker for leading organizations such as the Department of State, Procter & Gamble, TEDx, and Muse. In her role as a Sport Diplomat, she travels the world running programs in less developed nations that promote gender equality, conflict resolution, cultural understanding, and economic development.
Known as a thought leader in the field of global entrepreneurship, Joanna’s keynote speeches focus on inspiring audiences to make a difference, embrace diversity, and strive for personal growth. She helps individuals and groups find their “cool” by living an unabashedly authentic life based on deep-rooted acceptance and discovering comfort in their own skin. She is also a best selling author and a passionate advocate for human rights, working with countries worldwide to foster inclusion and equality. Joanna’s engaging style and commitment to positive change make her a standout speaker for events looking to inspire social impact and community involvement.
Joe Roberts, famously known as the Skid Row CEO, is a leading expert on resilience and personal transformation. Having navigated both devastating failure and extraordinary success, he equips others with the tools to overcome obstacles that impede high performance. His motivational speeches inspire audiences to challenge their limiting beliefs and persist in the face of adversity.
What makes Joe's narrative especially powerful is that in 1989, he was homeless on the streets of Vancouver, battling addiction. Through sheer determination, perseverance, and an unwavering human spirit, he rose from despair to become a highly respected business and community leader. Joe is a bestselling author and co-founder of multiple initiatives dedicated to supporting at-risk youth.
Joe’s personal experiences make him one of the most compelling motivational speakers in the world today. Participants at Joe’s events leave inspired and moved to action, equipped with the tools needed to overcome obstacles and achieve positive change. His story of transformation and resilience is particularly powerful for audiences looking to be inspired by real-life examples of overcoming extreme adversity.
Van Lai-DuMone believes that encouraging idea-sharing through creativity gives everyone the opportunity to have their voice heard. This belief underpins her work as the founder of worksmart, an innovative team and leadership development consultancy that uses creativity and experiential learning to enhance company culture and boost performance. Van helps clients unlock their creative potential through hands-on learning with LEGO® Serious Play, creative problem-solving tools, and crafting custom artifacts.
Van was born in Vietnam and raised in Southern California after her family fled the country as war refugees. Growing up, she observed her parents rebuilding their lives, illustrating how creative thinking, innovation, and curiosity can empower people to overcome their circumstances. In her presentations, she often shares the story of her mother's pioneering role in establishing the Vietnamese manicure industry—an industry that originated from an unexpected collaboration between a Hollywood actress and 20 Vietnamese women in a refugee camp in 1975. This narrative highlights lessons of women's empowerment, compassion, diversity, curiosity, and determination.
She studied psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later earned an MBA from Pepperdine University. With more than 15 years of experience in corporate and startup environments, she is dedicated to redefining how creativity is applied in the workplace, encouraging bold thinking among clients willing to challenge traditional approaches. Her clientele includes industry leaders such as Google, LinkedIn, and Pandora.
Van Lai-DuMone is an innovative keynote speaker who emphasizes the importance of creativity, leadership, and team dynamics in the business world. Her approach to integrating creativity into corporate environments has helped countless organizations drive employee engagement and improve problem-solving capabilities, making her an excellent choice for companies looking to innovate and grow.
Jerome Avery has been a guide runner with U.S. Paralympics Track & Field since 2004, guiding Paralympians such as Lex Gillette, Josiah Jamison, and David Brown. He is currently the guide for Paralympic champion and world record holder David Brown, and together they call themselves "Team BrAvery." An Olympic hopeful himself, Jerome finished in the top 20 in the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials and in the top 15 in the 2004 Olympic Trials.
Jerome’s motivational speaking focuses on the themes of teamwork, trust, and achieving personal success. His personal experiences as a guide runner have made him a powerful speaker who inspires audiences to work together, overcome challenges, and push beyond their limits. Jerome’s insights into the power of partnership and collaboration make his speeches particularly impactful for teams looking to improve their dynamics and achieve collective success.
Bound by a tether, Jerome and David Brown sprint in lanes side-by-side, communicating by touch and sound with every synchronized stride, as Jerome keeps David in line to reach the finish line. Jerome’s story also includes his high school achievements, where he was his school's MVP all four years, ranked fifth in California in the 100 meters, and later trained at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Center under Brooks Johnson. Jerome's personal background and experiences provide powerful lessons on perseverance, resilience, and teamwork, making his story especially compelling for those looking to overcome challenges and achieve greatness.
Travis Thomas is a performance coach and speaker who helps individuals, teams, and organizations discover their potential by focusing on purpose, culture, and collaboration. He is the author of the book 3 Words for Getting Unstuck: Live Yes, And and has shared his message with schools and companies across the United States. His clients include sports organizations like the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and the University of Georgia football team. Currently, he is a Leadership and Performance Specialist for the United States Men's National Soccer Team.
Travis incorporates principles of improvisation in his talks to show how high-performing teams and cultures leverage relationships and collaboration to achieve peak performance. He has worked with companies such as Fast Company, ABC's Shark Tank, and Harvard Business Review to deliver impactful keynote speeches on leadership and personal development. As the co-founder of The Jove Comedy, he performs regularly in Palm Beach. His dynamic and interactive speaking style encourages audiences to embrace spontaneity and use it as a strength in their leadership journey. Travis lives in Jupiter, Florida, with his wife and three children.
Henna Pryor, is a dynamic workplace performance expert who specializes in speaking and writing about performance mindset, interpersonal dynamics, high-impact communication, and embracing challenges in a world increasingly focused on smoothness. She is a regular expert columnist for Inc. Magazine, a ten-time award-winning author of Good Awkward, and an in-demand global keynote speaker. With a playful personality and insightful talks, she combines two decades of experience working with corporate leaders and teams, offering a fresh, science-based approach to taking more strategic risks and enhancing social and mental fitness for success at work.
Henna has been invited to speak twice at TEDx events in New York City and Wilmington, DE, and shares her expertise with a variety of global organizations including Google, Workday, Johnson & Johnson, and JPMorgan Chase. She is frequently sought after for her fresh perspectives by major media outlets like INSIDER, NBC, The Washington Post, Fast Company, Business.com, HuffPost, and more.
She founded Pryority Group—a rapidly growing performance growth firm—to further her belief that the key to most people's success is strengthening mental and social skills to boost risk-taking, maximize influence, and be braver in our professional lives. Henna has been named a SUCCESS Magazine Woman of Influence and an SXSW Workplace track speaker. Her bestselling book was endorsed by NFL quarterback Russell Wilson and former Harvard Business Review editor Karen Dillon, and was named a Kirkus Reviews' Best Book of the Year.
Henna’s approachable style and actionable insights make her a favorite among audiences looking to make meaningful progress in their personal and professional lives, helping them achieve success through a combination of personal growth, career development, and effective communication.
When searching for the perfect keynote speaker, it’s essential to consider several factors to ensure they align with your event’s goals and audience expectations. Here are some key attributes to look for:
Selecting the right keynote speaker for your event is a critical decision that can determine its success. Here are some steps to guide you through the process:
By following these steps, you can choose a keynote speaker who will not only meet but exceed your expectations, making your event a resounding success.
A great keynote speaker possesses a unique combination of qualities that set them apart from others. Some of the key qualities of a great keynote speaker include:
There are various types of keynote speakers, each with their unique expertise and style. Some of the most common types of keynote speakers include:
Leadership keynote speakers are experts in leadership development, management, and organizational behavior. They provide insights and strategies on how to lead effectively, build high-performing teams, and drive organizational success. These speakers often draw from their own experiences in leadership roles, offering practical advice and actionable strategies that can be applied in the business world. Their presentations are invaluable for organizations looking to cultivate strong leaders and foster a culture of excellence.
Inspirational keynote speakers are motivational speakers who inspire and motivate their audience to overcome challenges, achieve their goals, and reach their full potential. They often share personal stories of overcoming adversity and provide practical advice on how to stay motivated and focused. These speakers are particularly effective at energizing audiences and encouraging them to push beyond their limits. Their powerful messages of resilience and determination can transform the way attendees approach their personal and professional lives.
Business and technology keynote speakers are experts in their field and provide insights on the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in business and technology. They often speak on topics such as innovation, disruption, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship. These speakers help organizations stay ahead of the curve by sharing cutting-edge knowledge and strategies that drive growth and competitiveness. Their expertise is crucial for companies looking to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of the business world and leverage technology for success.
Booking a keynote speaker can bring a multitude of benefits to your organization, making your event more impactful and memorable. Here are some key advantages:
These top keynote speakers for 2025 offer a wealth of knowledge, experience, and inspiration. Whether you're looking for a motivational speaker, a leadership keynote, or someone who can inspire positive change, this list includes some of the most highly sought-after speakers in the world. Each of these speakers brings a unique perspective, from fighter pilots to retired Navy SEALs to social entrepreneurs and bestselling authors, making them excellent choices for your next event. Their stories of resilience, innovation, and success are sure to leave a lasting impact on your audience.
If you're interested in booking any of these speakers for your upcoming event, be sure to reach out to Paragon Speakers for more information. Make 2025 the year your audience gets inspired, motivated, and ready to achieve success. The right keynote speaker can turn your event into an unforgettable experience that leaves attendees energized and ready to take on new challenges.
With over a decade of experience in content creation and problem-solving, Darren specializes in crafting impactful messages that inspire action and drive meaningful change. Darren works closely with thought leaders, business executives, and visionaries to help organizations unlock their true potential through transformative event content.
