Local Keynote and Motivational Speakers In California

Searching for a keynote speaker for your next event in or around California? California is a popular destination for sales kick-offs, corporate meetings, annual summits, conventions, and a bevvy of other special events, and speakers from the area are likely to have greater flexibility in their schedule and be available at a more affordable, local rate. You don't have to go far to find a high-caliber keynote speaker in or around California in cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco. From best-selling authors and CEOs to financial experts and media personalities, California is home to some of the world’s most innovative minds and inspirational figures. 


Leading Authorities speakers bureau represents many of the top virtual keynote business speakers in or around the West Coast who cover topics ranging from disruption and innovation to business and corporate culture and from inspiration and motivation to comedy and entertainment. Some other topics covered include life balance, dealing with substance abuse, leadership development, women's health, social justice, mental health, and team building.

Let us know if you are interested in one of our speakers for your event.

Expert in Technology-Driven Innovation & Human Evolution; Stanford University Adjunct Professor; Futurist; Neuroscientist; and Technologist

Fees
    Please Inquire
Poppy Crum works to bridge the gap between technology and insightful, effective human interaction. As a multi-dimensional advocate of empathetic technology, she builds technologies that best leverage human physiology to enhance our experiences and how we interact with the world. Poppy serves as the Chief Technology Officer at NextSense and is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University in the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, as well as its Symbolic Systems Program. She is formerly the Chief Scientist at Dolby Laboratories. She is dedicated to the development of immersive technologies that leverage human physiology and perceptual realities to enhance our experiences and interactions in the world. She is a frequent speaker on topics related to the intersection of human experience, artificial intelligence, sensory data-science, and immersive technologies.

Former CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Fees
  • Local: $35,001 - $55,000*
  • US East: $75,001 and up*
  • US West: $55,001 - $75,000*
  • Europe: $75,001 and up*
  • Asia: $75,001 and up*
With a medical, scientific, and philanthropic career that spans more than 30 years, Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann has devoted her life to improving the human condition through innovation. Most recently, she was the CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, leading the organization’s vision for a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life. She was formerly the first female chancellor of University of California at San Francisco and spent 14 years at biotech firm Genentech, leading the development of a number of breakthrough medicines. An innovator and leader in life sciences, Dr. Desmond-Hellmann’s diverse training as an oncologist, scientist, and business executive leads to her endless curiosity about the world and her desire to change it for the better. In speeches, she shares her unique insights not only on revolutionizing global health, but also on effective and innovative leadership. Using lessons-learned as a trailblazing female leader of one of the world’s largest philanthropies, Dr. Desmond-Hellmann inspires audiences with her unparalleled perspective on how to foster an environment of collaboration and relentless innovation to drive disruptive solutions that make an impact.

Business Transformation Change Agents, Popular USC Professors of Entrepreneurship

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Colin Coggins and Garrett Brown are agents of change who are known for their surprising and entertaining approaches to purpose-driven leadership and igniting culture shifts that reposition organizations to scale growth and make a profound impact in their teams, and with their customers. At the foundation of Colin and Garrett’s philosophy is the idea that the most successful leaders and teams are the ones who are able to evolve transactional encounters into transformational experiences where connections are made, solutions are created, and value is felt. After decades of collective experience as sales professionals, leaders, and executives, Colin and Garrett’s paths crossed at enterprise software company Bitium, where they played key roles in growing the business from relative obscurity to a prominent acquisition by Google. They now serve as adjunct professors of entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, where they teach the hugely popular, first-of-its-kind class, “Sales Mindset for Entrepreneurs.”

Legendary Tech Pioneer & Operating Executive; Founding Executive Director, Stanford Program for Disruptive Technology & Innovation

Fees
  • Local: $20,001 - $35,000*
  • US East: $35,001 - $55,000*
  • US West: $35,001 - $55,000*
  • Europe: $20,001 - $35,000*
  • Asia: $35,001 - $55,000*
Michael (Mike) Steep is the founder and former executive director of Stanford Engineering School's Center for Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities and the former senior vice president of global business operations at innovation mega-hub, PARC Xerox. He draws on first-hand experience and anecdotes from time spent with the biggest names in Silicon Valley to instruct audiences on how to get ahead of disruptive innovation. Viewing new technology as opportunity, Mike highlights the importance of allowing innovation to trump company culture and legacies—and not the other way around.

Former Chief of Security at Facebook & Stanford University Professor

Fees
  • Local: $20,001 - $35,000*
  • US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
  • US West: $20,001 - $35,000*
  • Europe: $35,001 - $55,000*
  • Asia: $35,001 - $55,000*
Alex Stamos is a cybersecurity expert, business leader, and entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to improving the security and safety of the Internet. He serves as the chief trust officer for SentinelOne (NYSE: S), whose mission is to defeat every attack every second of every day with AI-powered threat prevention, detection, response, and hunting. At the same time, he is an adjunct professor at Stanford University, where his teaching and research focuses on international security and cooperation. Formerly Facebook’s chief security officer and Yahoo’s chief information security officer, Stamos is regarded among the most authoritative experts and problem-solvers in his field. The New York Times called Stamos “a celebrated figure in privacy and security circles,” and Tech Crunch said he is “widely regarded as one of the smartest people working in the security space.”

Former Chief Executive Officer, MetricStream

Fees
  • Local: $35,001 - $55,000*
  • US East: $35,001 - $55,000*
  • US West: $35,001 - $55,000*
  • Europe: $35,001 - $55,000*
  • Asia: $35,001 - $55,000*
One of Silicon Valley's first African American female CEOs, Shellye Archambeau is the former CEO of MetricStream, a Silicon Valley-based, Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC) apps company that helps organizations around the world improve their business performance. Under Archambeau's leadership, MetricStream has grown into a recognized global market leader with nearly 1,500 employees worldwide. The company has received many awards and recognition for growth, product innovation, and customer success, and has been consistently named a leader in GRC by leading independent analyst firms. Named the “#2 Most Influential African American in Technology” by Business Insider, Archambeau is a sought-after speaker and board member who has presented to Fortune 500 corporations, members of Congress, and associations including Institute of Internal Auditors and NASDAQ. In her talks and her hit book, "Unapologetically Ambitious," she shares her story of overcoming the odds to achieve success, along with strategies to take risks, break barriers, and create success on your own terms.

Executive-in-Residence for AI+HI at SHRM, Futurist, Founder & Chairman of the Transformative Tech Lab

Fees
  • Local: $10,001 - $20,000*
  • US East: $20,001 - $35,000*
  • US West: $10,001 - $20,000*
  • Europe: $20,001 - $35,000*
  • Asia: $75,001 and up*
Working at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, behavior, technology, and science, Nichol Bradford’s mission is to empower human transformation and wellbeing by creating or curating new visions, opportunities, and tech-enabled tools for all. She catalyzes new ways to use technology to expand beyond our perceived limits and reach our fullest potential through her global non-profit Transformative Tech.org, working with talented researchers, founders, and investors across the globe who build wellbeing tech for human health and happiness. Bradford speaks extensively on human transformation, transformative tech, and the future of health, work, and human excellence. Using real-life examples and use cases from the latest trends in wellness technologies, she demonstrates to groups how these emerging advances can be applied to heal, upskill, and enhance human capability and benefit all of mankind.

Chair of the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Track at Singularity University

Fees
    Please Inquire
Neil Jacobstein is the chair of the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Track at Singularity University, an organization whose founders hail from Google and the X PRIZE Foundation and has a goal “to educate, inspire and empower a new generation of leaders to apply exponential technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges.” Jacobstein shares one of the most thoughtful and up-to-date looks at the future of technology and how it will impact a variety of industries. He explores innovation, disruption, and artificial intelligence as he offers audience a glimpse into the future and its real-world applications.

Grammy-Nominated Creator of "Poetic Voice" & Inspirational Speaker

Fees
  • Local: $55,001 - $75,000*
  • US East: $55,001 - $75,000*
  • US West: $55,001 - $75,000*
  • Europe: $55,001 - $75,000*
  • Asia: $75,001 and up*

A school teacher turned actor, musician, two-time national poetry slam champion, entrepreneur, and award-winning poetic voice, any given day may now find Sekou keynoting at a leadership conference, helping a Fortune 500 company with brand messaging, or even performing pieces for Barack Obama in Oprah’s backyard. Sekou is the creator of Poetic Voice, a new, cutting-edge speaking category that seamlessly fuses inspirational speaking with spoken word poetry to make messages more moving and memorable. For over 15 years, Sekou Andrews has been helping the world’s largest organizations deliver relevant information with riveting inspiration through an innovative, unconventional category of speaking called “Poetic Voice.”

Inspirational Keynote Speaker, Best Selling Author, TV Host, & Founder of the 100things Movement

Fees
  • Local: $10,001 - $20,000*
  • US East: $10,001 - $20,000*
  • US West: $10,001 - $20,000*
  • Europe: $20,001 - $35,000*
  • Asia: $20,001 - $35,000*
Known worldwide for pursuing an incredible list of 100 Things that he wants to achieve before he dies, Sebastian Terry’s story is surprisingly not about a bucket list. It’s about something more far reaching: Permission, choice, growth, and connection. Affected by a curious mind and the death of a close friend, Sebastian experienced a moment in his life where he asked himself a simple question: “Am I happy?”. The answer was NO and so he decided to pen down a list of 100 Things that he’d always wanted to achieve. Sebastian's incredible story has grown from an entertaining tale of adventure into a global philanthropic movement that engages a growing tribe of hundreds of thousands to not just set meaningful goals, but pull the trigger and achieve them—all while helping others do the same. Guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and inspire motivation, his talk will re-engage, connect, and inspire your organization to move forward as one.

Legendary NBA Player

Fees
  • Local: $75,001 and up*
  • US East: $75,001 and up*
  • US West: $75,001 and up*
  • Europe: $75,001 and up*
  • Asia: $75,001 and up*
Earvin "Magic" Johnson is a retired American professional basketball player. He was rated the greatest NBA point guard of all time by ESPN in 2007 and since his retirement, Johnson has been an advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention.

Founder & CEO of Not Impossible Labs and Author of Not Impossible: The Art and Joy of Doing What Couldn't Be Done

Fees
  • Local: $55,001 - $75,000*
  • US East: $55,001 - $75,000*
  • US West: $55,001 - $75,000*
  • Europe: $75,001 and up*
  • Asia: $75,001 and up*
Mick Ebeling is an American film, television and commercial executive producer as well as an author, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was named as on one of the Top 50 Most Creative People of 2014, won the SXSW Innovation Award twice in a row (2014 and 2015), and was awarded the 2014 Muhammed Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award. He is the CEO of Not Impossible, an organization that develops creative technology solutions to address real-world problems.
FINDING THE IDEAL SPEAKER FOR YOUR CALIFORNIA EVENT

Whether you are interested in booking a well-known legendary NBA Basketball Player who translates the lessons he learned on the court to help businesses and entrepreneurs hoping to make a lasting impact on their communities, the former cultural strategist at Zappos.com who worked at Zappos.com before, during, and after the Amazon.com acquisition and helped the company grow from 1,200 to 1,700 people, resulting in 50% growth, a world-renowned health, diet, and nutrition expert who has served as a physician consultant to President Bill Clinton since 1993 among other big names, the former CEO of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area who is known for insights on topics such as leadership, philanthropy, and the importance of integrity, or even the world-record-holding mountain climber and legendary wing-suit pilot who holds the world record for the fastest ascent of Mt. Everest and became the youngest person in the world to climb the "Seven Summits" at age 26 — our team of experts will work with you from start to finish to help you find the ideal keynote speaker and make sure all your needs are fully met throughout the process. We'll do research for you, talk with you about trending topics and hot industry trends, provide you with a tailored list of speaker recommendations to fit your specific event and company, hunt down hard-to-find talent, quote speaking fees, and handle any travel details and logistics so you can focus on the big picture.

Comprehensive Roster of Speakers

Explore our extensive roster of local keynote speakers, including motivational keynote speakers, business keynote speakers, and leadership keynote speakers in or around California above, and click on any of the individual speaker's photos to see their speaker profile pages to learn more about their expertise and speaking topics, and to watch video footage from recent speaking engagements. These motivational speakers near Los Angeles, CA, and from all other areas of California are sure to "wow" your audience.

These local speakers are serving Los Angeles, California to San Jose, and all speakers near Southern California. Whether you are looking for women speakers, a life coach, a corporate entertainment act, motivational keynote speakers, a humorous motivational speaker, a motivational comedian magician, or any top motivational speaker that will increase audience participation at your next corporate event or public schools meeting or convention center event, LAI can help you find perfect California speakers.

Seamless Audience Connection

Our local keynote speakers in California have vast experience in various areas to connect with diverse audiences. Their deep understanding of local cultures and challenges enables them to tailor their message accordingly. While our local speakers bring their community expertise through tailored content, our motivational speakers connect with attendees through empowering messages and motivational storytelling. It's easy for them to ignite the audience's passion and drive change. 

Count on our speakers to understand your attendees' needs and interests. They engage with the audience by sharing compelling stories, relatable examples, relevant strategies, and more. Beyond adapting their message to align with the audience, our speakers build rapport through direct eye contact, proper body language, and appropriate vocal tone. They create a connection that seamlessly resonates with listeners.

How Our Local Keynote Speakers Prepare for a Successful Event

Our speakers have years of experience in providing dynamic talks and presentations. They create impactful events that leave a lasting mark by:

  1. Conducting thorough research about the event: Our speakers study the event agenda and key requirements to tailor content and match your objectives. 
  2. Knowing the audience: With years of experience, our speakers can easily grasp the attendees' interest. They know their local culture and can effectively present a talk or presentation relevant to the audience.
  3. Reviewing past performances: As part of their research, these speakers review past event resources to get an idea of content that worked previously. 
  4. Aligning content with the audience: After learning the event goal and audience, they customize content to align with local themes and trends. It's their goal to make their content engaging from the get-go. 
  5. Crafting relatable engagements: Whether it's about utilizing humor, storytelling techniques, or captivating visuals, our speakers make their message relatable. 

Reasons to Partner With Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau 

Leading Authorities speakers bureau is committed to making every event a success, from working with you closely to offering a wide selection of seasoned speakers. Choose us for your next event and benefit from our:

  • Consultative approach: We work with you hand in hand to understand your event objectives and requirements. Our hands-on approach gives you peace of mind, knowing you'll get the right speaker perfect for your event. 
  • Extensive selection of speakers: We provide a comprehensive range of speakers who are experts in their fields. We compile different speakers with solid experience and capabilities on our website and offer expert recommendations that match your preference. 
  • Industry veterans with years of experience: Our roster of local keynote and motivational speakers includes experts in delivering speeches at various events. They offer unique perspectives and insights while building a rapport with the audience.

Book a Local Keynote Speaker for Your Next Meeting

Need help finding a great local keynote speaker for your next event or meeting, would like to request a booking, or learn more about speaking fees? Contact our team today!

You can also email us, call 1-800-SPEAKER, or live chat with a member of our team right now for motivational speakers in California if you would like more information about a specific local keynote speaker or have any questions for event planners.

And if you are looking for a specific speaker not listed above, please contact our team as we specialize in placing hard-to-find and in-demand keynote speakers from the West Coast, and across the globe, which may not be listed on our website.