Amanda understands that getting down to business isn’t all about targets and optimizing clickthroughs. The heart and profit center of every business is about how people think, and consequently, feel about themselves; and how they make others feel. How we feel about a personal or business relationship informs every part of our decision to invest with them. Amanda’s action-packed performances offer an abundance of use-it-now tools to create deep, lasting relationships at every level -- with family, customers, colleagues, and clients. Everyone leaves energized, enthusiastic and re-engaged!

With a career spanning college athletics, healthcare, public service, and executive leadership, Anton is a sought-after strategic advisor to mission-driven leaders who want results without sacrificing integrity or purpose. As a former senior advisor to President Barack Obama and a C-suite healthcare executive, he delivers practical strategies that help leaders earn trust, strengthen teams, and lead through disruption. A proven trailblazer, Anton made South Carolina history as the youngest CEO of a statewide nonprofit advocacy organization. He later became the first African American elected to the South Carolina Legislature from his district. His impact in healthcare leadership earned him recognition as one of the Ten Most Influential Minority Executives in Healthcare. Anton brings more than 25 years of executive leadership and board experience. Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport Commission and provides deep expertise in governance, accountability, and executive decision-making. Global organizations like Pfizer, Microsoft, KPMG, T-Mobile, SHRM, HCA Healthcare, and Mercedes-Benz Vans trust Anton for his clear, courageous approach to leadership and culture. His presentations combine compelling storytelling, academic rigor, and actionable insights, leaving leaders inspired and equipped to drive measurable change. When he’s not transforming workplaces, Anton is a proud curator of 80s and 90s hip-hop culture, proving that leadership, like music, is about rhythm, authenticity, and impact.

A respected voice in sales, leadership, and human connection, Barb has served in leadership for more than a decade within the largest trade association in North America, championing advocacy, professional development, and industry transformation at the local, state, and national levels. She is the author of The Relationship Advantage, a transformational book that shows why relationships are not just part of success. They are the strategy. Barb has partnered with organizations including Fidelity, Fairway Mortgage, Horsepower Brands, LVMH, and Thelios, helping leaders drive growth, retention, and revenue by building trust-first cultures. Known for her high-energy, relatable style, her keynotes blend inspiration with practical strategy and move audiences to take action. Based in Southern California, Barb lives what she teaches, building a thriving career while nurturing meaningful relationships with her family, friends, and community. Her mission is simple: relationships aren’t just part of business. They are the business.

Seattle-based Extreme® Emcee Brian Walter is the co-founder of Extreme Meetings Inc – providing customized infotainment to make meetings memorable. For over 25 years, he has specialized in transforming meetings from boring to exciting.

He can explain your brand to employees at All Hands meetings, test your salespeople's product knowledge with a custom game show, facilitate Extreme® Panels, interview execs, and produce videos that even your millennial employees will be impressed with.

Building on a degree in Communications from UCLA, Brian has been an advertising director, award-winning television and radio commercial producer, management trainer, consulting firm marketing director, freelance video producer, copywriter, speaker, internal communications director, and adjunct college professor at Seattle Pacific University.

He’s repeatedly delivered for this-had-better-be-great-or-else clients like Microsoft, Starbucks, Genentech, T-Mobile, Costco, BECU, Roche, the American Payroll Association, AAA, the University of Washington, UMass Memorial Health Care, and Bank of Hawaii.

Brian gets event attendees pumped about…whatever it is you want. He’s been relied on to celebrate accomplishments, humanize executives, generate buy-in to initiatives, reposition bad news, and bring everyone to their feet with good news.

Brian Factoids

• Past Guinness Book of World Records holder for producing the world’s shortest TV commercial
• Past President of the National Speakers Association, 2017-2018
• Holds elite Certified Speaking Professional designation (CSP)
• Inducted into the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame, 2013 (CPAE)
• 20-year member of Meeting Professionals International
• Award-winning video, commercial and podcast producer

Brittanny Kreutzer started The Speaker Exchange Agency with a background in sales and a love for the speaking industry. She was given a taste of the speaking industry while interning in college for Nancy Lauterbach, a past speakers bureau owner.  Upon graduation from college she began a successful career selling radio space and developing radio campaigns for CBS Radio in Kansas City; however, after a few years the excitement of the speaking industry drew her back-in. After working at a speakers bureau for several years and becoming one of the top sales executives, she took a break to spend time with her newborn baby Madison. The love she has for this industry struck again and after only a short months break, Brittanny combined forces with her past colleague and friend, Julie Homsey, to create The Speaker Exchange Agency, LLC.  With a passion for the speakers in this industry, she looks forward to growing SEA and connecting her clients with the amazing speakers she has grown to know and love.

Brittany Hodak, CSP, is an award-winning author and speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations across the globe. A former Chief Experience Officer at Experience.com and co-founder of The Superfan Company, Brittany has worked with beloved brands and entertainers including Amazon, Taylor Swift, and Dolly Parton. When her debut book, Creating Superfans, was released, Forbes declared: “If you have customers, you need this book. Period.”

Chad Littlefield is the co-founder of We and Me (www.weand.me), helping leaders and educators make connection easy. With 3M+ YouTube views, his We! Connect Cards™ are used in 80+ countries. Forbes calls him a “global expert on asking questions that build trust and connection in teams.”

Don Hutson successfully worked his way through college with sales jobs. He graduated from the University of Memphis with a degree in sales and went on to become the top salesperson in a national training organization. As part of this experience, Don gave presentations to over 1,500 small groups gaining his initial experience as a speaker.

This combination of selling and speaking experience eventually led Don Hutson to establish his own training firm. He was soon in demand as a professional speaker at corporate and association meetings.

Don Hutson has now delivered over 6,000 programs and his global client list features many of the world's largest companies. He is also featured in over 100 training films.

Don is the author or co-author of 16 books, including Selling Value and his two Wall Street Journal and New York Times International Best-Sellers, The One Minute Entrepreneur and The One Minute Negotiator.

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Honors/Awards:

·      Past President, National Speakers Association

·      Cavett Award Winner

·      NSA's 2014 Master of Influence Award

·      Consummate Speaker of the Year Award

·      SMEI’s International Speaker Hall of Fame

·      NSA's Philanthropist of the Year Award

·      Member, Speakers Roundtable

·      CSP (Certified Speaking Professional)

·      NSA’s CPAE Speakers Hall of Fame

·      Society of Entrepreneurs Inductee

·      Society of International Business Fellows Board

·      VSC’s Legend of the Speaking Profession

·      Top Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame - London, England

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Dr. Lisa Jenkins Brown is a cultural strategist and author.  Formerly the Voice of the American Stock Exchange, she is a former HR professional for two Fortune 100 Companies as well as an academic. Named one of New York State's Top 100 Influential Faith Leaders, Dr. Brown's passion is to help shift our world toward unity while helping organizations change the world and their bottom line at the same time

From the bright lights of Las Vegas to the top tiers of the speaking industry, Jennifer Lier has mastered the art of personal branding, reinvention, and high-impact marketing. With a 25-year career as an in-demand Las Vegas headliner, model, emcee, and one of the most requested Marilyn Monroe impersonators in the country, Jennifer knows what it takes to stand out and create a successful brand.A former Miss Nevada and talent award winner at the Miss America Pageant, Jennifer is no stranger to commanding a stage. She’s opened for legends like Don Rickles and Wayne Newton, headlined over 20 shows globally, including Legends in Concert and Follies Bergère, and even earned the rare honor of a standing ovation at Showtime at the Apollo in Harlem.But what sets Jennifer apart isn’t just her success, it’s her ability to translate show business strategies into speaker business success. After leaving entertainment, she jumped in behind the scenes running a top meeting space in Las Vegas facilitating meeting planning and catering.Seeing the whole in the Las Vegas speaking industry, she founded Las Vegas Keynote Speakers which turned into National Keynote Speakers, a progressive speakers bureau, before joining the elite team at Executive Speakers Bureau several years later. Today, Jennifer is launching a boutique speaker management company dedicated to transformational voices - those who don’t just speak, but spark change. Her work focuses on helping speakers with powerful messages craft marketable brands and build sustainable platforms.Her expertise extends far beyond branding—Jennifer also serves as President-Elect of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB) and will take the helm as IASB President in 2026. Her deep industry insight and leadership positions give her a rare, behind-the-scenes understanding in this unique industry.

Karen Harris founded cmi Speaker Management in 2001, just three months after 9/11 disrupted the meetings industry—proving that resilience, heart, and purpose can thrive even in the toughest times. For over two decades, her values-driven leadership and genuine care for both her team and the speakers she represents have shaped cmi into a next-level global meeting industry leader. Today, cmi expertly represents a powerhouse roster of 15 internationally recognized speakers whose keynotes, books, and thought leadership positively impact millions around the world.

Larry Long Jr, CEO (Chief Energy Officer) of LLJR Enterprises, has been recognized as a 4x Salesforce Top Sales Influencer, and serves as a LinkedIn Influencer and Sales Thought Leader.

A former college athlete (played baseball for Univ. of Maryland…Go Terps!), Larry is extremely passionate about helping professionals elevate to the 'next level'.

Lois Creamer is an industry expert who works with speakers who want to book more business, make more money, and fully monetize their message. She is the author of the newly released, updated “Book More Business: Make MORE Money Speaking”, and “The Speaker Author: Sell More Books and Book More Speeches”.Clients include Hall of Fame Speakers - Chicken Soup’s Jack Canfield, author of The Sales Bible Jeffrey Gitomer, Cy Wakeman, Mike Staver, and more. Her clients also include many whose names may not be familiar but who do very well in the speaking industry.Her expertise and no-nonsense style have led her to present at NSA national meetings and chapters, The Canadian Association Of Professional Speakers national meetings and chapters, and to members of the Global Federation. In 2021, the Professional Speakers Association United Kingdom and Ireland named her an “Honorary Fellow.”Lois has appeared in Forbes, Bloomberg Business, Speaker Magazine, INC Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.

Nate Woodbury is a renowned producer of over 50 successful YouTube channels, specializing in helping coaches and speakers transform their expertise into thriving platforms of thought leadership. With a proven, tactical strategy to dominate YouTube search, Nate has consistently delivered measurable results, turning subscribers into high-quality leads. Backed by a dedicated team of 35 experts, Nate offers a comprehensive Done-For-You system, making YouTube Lead Generation seamless and predictable for his clients.

Paul Epstein is a former NFL & NBA executive, 2x bestselling author, and award-winning speaker who’s WIN MONDAY™ playbook has been featured on ESPN, NBC, Fox, USA Today, and SUCCESS magazine as a top thought leader that gets results.

Quinn Conyers is a high-energy keynote speaker and event emcee  who transforms average events into epic experiences. She takes pride in commanding crowds from start to finish so attendees rave, return and refer others to attend future events. Quinn has hosted events for brands and organizations such as Nike, Walmart, UPS and PayPal just to name a few. Quinn is the author of 2 books and trains others speakers, emcees and business owners how to turn conversations into clients.

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Rory Vaden is the New York Times bestselling author of Take the Stairs and Wealthy and Well-Known. He is the Cofounder of Brand Builders Group, an 8 Figure Entrepreneur, and a Hall of Fame speaker. His expertise is in studying the psychology of influence – which he defines as the ability to move ourselves, and others, to take action. His insights have  been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNN, Entrepreneur, Inc, and on Good Morning America and Fox News national television. His TEDx talk has been viewed over 5 million times and he has been hired to speak for organizations like Google, Keller Williams, the Million Dollar Round Table, Leadercast and the Global Leadership Summit. While his first 2 books are about influencing ourselves to take action, in recent years he’s done a lot of work around helping people build influential personal brands. In fact he’s been hired as a private advisor by many of the world’s biggest personal development influencers including: Lewis Howes, Ed Mylett, Amy Porterfield, Trent Shelton, Jasmine Star, Eric Thomas, Dr. Caroline Leaf, John Maxwell and several others. Learn more at http://roryvaden.com .

Scott McKain's NSA journey includes just about everything—CSP, CPAE Hall of Fame, the Cavett Award, plus service on the NSA Board, the NSA Foundation Board, and the CPAE Selection Committee. In other words, he's been around.But he hasn't slowed down. Scott serves as High Point University's "In Residence Expert on Distinction and Relevance," working with the next generation of business leaders. His book Iconic was named on Forbes.com as one of the "ten best business books" of its year—and his latest, Beyond Distinction, releases February 2025.If there's a thread through Scott's career, it's helping organizations move past the noise of "standing out" to discover what they truly stand for. It's a message refined across decades of keynotes, advisory work, and countless stages. He's thrilled to be at THRIVE for his first NSA mainstage speech in over 20 years.

Simon T. Bailey equips leaders and organizations with tangible tools to turn adversity into unprecedented growth and innovation. Featured in Success magazine's Top 25 alongside Brené Brown and Tony Robbins, Bailey's groundbreaking "State of Working America Report" has reshaped our understanding of workplace resilience and brilliance. For over two decades, Bailey has advised 2,500+ organizations across 55 countries, including American Express, Deloitte, and Salesforce. His expertise, honed as a former Sales Director at Disney Institute, offers a unique blend of magical customer experience and practical business acumen. Bailey's influence extends through 100+ guest appearances on podcasts, 11 books, including "Resilience@Work," and LinkedIn Learning courses reaching 120,000+ professionals. With an executive MBA from the Royal Docks School of Business and Law at University of East London and three honorary doctorates, he's dedicated to amplifying "brilliant resilience" in leaders and organizations worldwide.

Ty Bennett is the Owner & CEO of the largest Ninja Warrior Gym in the world and it's not stopping there - soon he will have three Ninja Warrior Gyms to add to his portfolio. An active CEO and serial entrepreneur, he has built three multi-million dollar businesses in three different industries.

Ty and his brother built a direct sales business to over $20 million in annual revenues, while in their 20's, and developed a system and organization that would help over 500 leaders fine-tune their sales and leadership skills in over 37 countries. He was featured as one of the Top 40 Under 40 and dubbed one of the 10 Coolest Entrepreneurs in Utah. Ty has founded Leadership Inc., a training company with a mission to empower individuals and organizations to challenge their status quo, cultivate exceptional relationships, and compete in extraordinary ways. He’s changing lives – one leader at a time.

He is the author of three best-selling books which are used in graduate courses at multiple universities including MIT, as today’s version of “How to Win Friends and Influence People" - Partnership is the New Leadership, The Power of Influence: Increase Your Income and Personal Impact and The Power of Storytelling: The Art of Influential Communication. He has traversed the world speaking to tens of thousands of audience members transforming the lives, careers, and business practices of leaders from some of the most recognizable brands in the world such as: Coca-Cola, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield and RE/MAX.

Ty is one of the youngest speakers ever to receive the CSP Designation from the National Association of Speakers – less than 5% of the world’s speakers earn this honor. A loving father of five adorable children, Ty is PASSIONATE about helping leaders cultivate the relevance and influence they need to challenge old ways and open new doors.

Warren Jones is the CEO and co-owner of Keppler Speakers. Earlier he served in marketing, legal, and general management roles in the entertainment and technology fields. First working for the American Broadcasting Companies, he later founded a comedy booking agency. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, Warren also holds a J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law.