Motivational Author & Poet Speakers

• Cleo Wade is a writer, poet, and the New York Times Best-selling author of What The Road Said, Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life, and Where To Begin: A Small Book about Your Power to Create Big Change. • Her work speaks to our collective power to create change through self-care, beloved community building, and social justice. • Cleo's beloved TED talk Want to change the world? Start by being brave enough to care has been viewed and shared by millions around the world. • She has been called the poet of her generation by Time Magazine, the Millenial Oprah by New York Magazine, and named one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company. • Cleo is the Co-chair of Gucci's Changemakers council and sits on the board of The Lower East Side Girls Club, The National Black Theatre in Harlem, and more. • Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, W Magazine, Vogue Magazine, The Washington Post, The Today Show, and Good Morning America.

Fee Range: $31,000–$50,000
Travels From: CA

Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She served three terms as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2019-2022.

Fee Range: $15,000–$25,000
Travels From: OK

Fee Range: $10,000–$12,000
Travels From: CA

Jesse Itzler only eats fruit 'til noon, loves Run-D.M.C., and enjoys living life "out of the box." In fact, he doesn't even have a box. The author of the New York Times bestseller, Living with a Seal, co-founded Marquis Jet, the world's largest private jet card company which he and his partner sold to Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets. Jesse then partnered with Zico coconut water, which he and his partner sold to The Coca-Cola Company. He's a former rapper on MTV and wrote and performed the NBA's Emmy Award-winning "I Love This Game" music campaign and the popular New York Knicks anthem "Go NY Go." When he's not running ultra-marathons, eating vegan food or being a dad to his four kids, Jesse can be found at the NBA's Atlanta Hawks games, where he's an owner of the team. He is married to Spanx founder Sara Blakely.

Fee Range: $32,000–$75,000
Travels From: GA

Fee Range: $26,000–$61,000
Travels From: DC

Dr. Cornel West, affectionately known to many as Brother West, is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. Dr. West teaches on the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as courses in Philosophy of Religion, African American Critical Thought, and a wide range of subjects -- including but by no means limited to, the classics, philosophy, politics, cultural theory, literature, and music. He has a passion to communicate to a vast variety of publics in order to keep alive the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. – a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice.

Fee Range: $40,000–$75,000
Travels From: CA

Two-time Emmy Award winner Deborah Norville is Anchor of Inside Edition, the country’s top-rated and most honored syndicated newsmagazine. Deborah Norville’s meteoric rise from regional reporter to co-host of Today was the stuff of legend. The subsequent challenges she faced—played out in a media fishbowl—have made her one of the most admired women in journalism and a true inspiration. Deborah Norville speaks with candor and humor about handling life's curves, juggling career and motherhood and the rough road to your dreams.

Fee Range: $20,000–$38,000
Travels From: NY

Fee Range: $25,000–$40,000
Travels From: NY

Dennis Prager is a best-selling author, columnist and nationally syndicated radio talk show host based in Los Angeles. His radio show is heard by over 2 million listeners on 150 stations across the country.

Fee Range: $14,000–$44,000
Travels From: CA

Fee Range: $50,000–$63,000
Travels From: CA

Douglas A. Blackmon is the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, and co-executive producer of the acclaimed PBS documentary based of the same name. His is also a contributing correspondent at The Washington Post and executive producer and host of American Forum, a public affairs program produced by the University of Virginia’s Miller Center and aired on 100 public television affiliates across the U.S. Blackmon is a much sought after lecturer on race, history and social memory. In Spring 2010, he was invited by Attorney General Eric Holder to present a lecture to senior Department of Justice of officials in Washington D.C. He also has lectured at Harvard School of Law, Yale University, Princeton, the New School, Emory University, Vanderbilt School of Law, the Clinton and Lincoln presidential libraries, and many other institutions.

Fee Range: $10,000–$15,000
Travels From: GA

Fee Range: $10,000–$20,000
Travels From: CA

Dan Buettner is a New York Times best-selling author as well as an internationally recognized researcher and explorer who founded Blue Zones®–a brand that compiles the world’s best practices in health, happiness, and longevity and helps people live longer and better.

Fee Range: $75,000–$125,000
Travels From: MN

A professor of cross-cultural communication at American University, trilingual poet, TV talk show host and positive rapper, Dr. Omékongo Dibinga’s writings and performances have appeared in O Magazine, as well as on TV and radio from CNN, BET, and the BBC to NPR, Music Choice, and Voice of America in millions of homes in over 150 countries. He has also written songs for major motion pictures as well as organizations such as NASA and the Enough! Project. He has spoken before the United Nations, partners with the State Department to conduct leadership training overseas, and speaks to corporate, government, and educational organizations across the country.

Fee Range: $15,000–$20,000
Travels From: DC

Fee Range: $100,000–$300,000
Travels From: TN

Fee Range: Inquire
Travels From: CA

•Pop Culture Icon •#1 New York Times & London Times Best-Selling Author •Art Collector, Musician & Philanthropist •Narrator of #1 Netflix Show in 29 countries, Never Have I Ever

Fee Range: $55,000–$115,000
Travels From: NY

Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling singer/songwriter John Ondrasik, better known by his stage name Five for Fighting, has spent the past decade writing deeply personal songs that include social messages, invoke the human spirit and make an emotional connection. In his presentations, Ondrasik offers audiences an intimate evening of storytelling, humor, and great music. He offers insights on the creative process and innovation while sharing stories and playing his most famous songs. He loves speaking and performing at corporate events and has done many with his band Five For Fighting, as a solo artist (piano and guitar) and as a keynote speaker. He is an active philanthropist, involved in advocacy for the U.S. troops, Augie’s Quest, Autism Speaker, Save the Children, and more.

Fee Range: $25,000–$44,000
Travels From: CA