Erik Weihenmayer is a world-class adventurer, the first blind man to summit Mount Everest, and one of only 150 mountaineers to climb the Seven Summits. His latest and most demanding adventure is kayaking the 277 miles of the Grand Canyon. One of the most exciting and well-known athletes in the world, he never let his lack of vision interfere with his quality of life. Weihenmayer’s feats have earned him incredible press coverage and dozens of awards. He is also the author of two books and addresses leadership, teamwork, overcoming adversity, motivation, and inspiration.

One of the true legends of baseball, "Iron Man" Cal Ripken, Jr. broke several professional records during his 21 seasons, but none is as sacred as his consecutive-games-played record. Shattering Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,131 games by more than 500, Ripken displayed perseverance, endurance, and an everyday work ethic that endeared him to fans, transformed him into a national icon, and some argue, even saved baseball at its darkest moment. An inspirational speaker, philanthropist, businessman, and best-selling author, Cal Ripken, Jr. is the personification of leadership, commitment, and excellence. In warm and witty presentations filled with stories from his illustrious career, he shares how his keys to success apply to both the business world as well as the baseball field.

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi has three degrees, 8 U.S. patents, four E.U. patents and has hosted shows on the Science Channel and on Discovery. But more impressive is his life story. Oluseyi grew up in the roughest neighborhoods of America, learned to survive on the street, and still taught himself Einstein’s theory of relativity from an old set of encyclopedias. At every turn he was presented with a compelling option to quit and yet he persevered. Today, he is a NASA astrophysicist, a global educator, and the author of the highly-anticipated memoir A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Streets to the Stars where he recounts his journey from the streets to the stars. Dr. Oluseyi is exclusively represented by Leading Authorities.

Called an “Inspirational Powerhouse” by Grammy.com, Justin Michael Williams is a Grammy-nominated recording artist and author who is on a mission to empower everyone — regardless of age, ethnicity, background, or circumstance — to unlock their greatest potential in their professional and personal endeavors. His journey from a childhood marked by adversity — growing up with gunshot holes outside of his bedroom window — to sharing the stage with luminaries such as Marianne Williamson and Deepak Chopra is a testament to his unrelenting dedication to purpose and leaving a positive impact on people and the world.

In 2007, Dr. Michael Sorrell faced a life-altering decision. He was part of an ownership group that was on the verge of purchasing the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and he would serve as the team’s president following the completion of the deal — a dream come true for him. At the same time, he was approached by Paul Quinn College, a failing institution, to serve as the historically Black college’s president in the interim while they sought out a permanent appointment to take over the role — a search that was proving difficult as the school continued to falter. Dr. Sorrell accepted the role, hoping it would be a brief side quest on his journey to becoming an NBA executive. In reality, it marked the beginning of a transformative and innovative era for the school that continues to this day. Dr. Sorrell has spearheaded one of the great turnaround stories of our time — leading Paul Quinn’s evolution from one of the worst in the nation to a higher education powerhouse. As the longest-tenured president in the college’s history, he has instilled a “WE Over Me” mentality in students, faculty, and the community at large and has been revered throughout his historic tenure for his ability to reimagine organizations to better serve the needs of the people that depend on them. He is a testament to the power of purpose and vision. Dr. Sorrell’s talks center on why the simplest approach to leadership is often the most effective one. As he engages the audience with the experiences that led him to Paul Quinn College, and the turnaround that followed, he introduces them to his “Four Ls” for leading with impact. "Dr. Sorrell was fantastic! He instantly connected with the audience and his presentation style is conversational and professional. Our audience loved him. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t set up a meet and greet. People were excited to meet him, and he did a lot of selfies!" - Higher Education Company

Carlos Peña embodies relentless excellence, both on and off the field. Raised in the Dominican Republic and later moving to the U.S. at 14, Peña’s journey to the Major Leagues was a story that once seemed impossible. Over his 14-year MLB career, Peña earned All-Star status, hit 286 home runs, and won the Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, and AL Comeback Player of the Year awards. His curiosity and determination led him to AI-driven sports optimization, where he uncovered insights into performance and strategy through cutting-edge analytics. Now a leader in AI and sports innovation and a four-time Emmy Award-winning MLB analyst, Peña blends his deep baseball knowledge with transformative technology insights to inspire audiences to achieve the impossible.

Scott Mann is a master storyteller and former Green Beret who inspires leaders to build trust, manage change, and foster psychological safety through the power of storytelling. After confronting his own struggles of war, Scott discovered storytelling as a path to healing and human connection. Now, he talks to leaders about how they can leverage storytelling to create trust in an increasingly fast-paced world. Drawing on high-stakes leadership experiences, Mann advises organizations of all kinds — from Fortune 100 corporations (including Capital One, Walmart, Raymond James, and Fannie Mae) to local small businesses — on how to mobilize their teams, forge deeper connections with their people, and gain a more complete understanding of the opportunities that exist to create high-trust, high-performance cultures. “I don’t think we could have picked a better person to close out this year’s convention. Scott has a fresh and approachable perspective on leadership that resonated with everyone in the room — not to mention, he almost had the audience in tears. Our Vice President of Government Affairs told me that he thought Scott was the best keynote speaker he has ever seen.” - Real Estate Company "Scott was one of the best speakers we have had in several years! Everyone raved about how good he was. In fact, many of the panels and speakers that came after him referenced take aways they had gotten from his presentation. He really pulled on the heart strings too! Lots of rapid blinking holding back tears… He gets a 5 star ++++ rating. I came home and bought his book!" - Storage Company

After battling depression, suicide, and drug addiction, Justin experienced a life-changing journey living with the Mbuti Pygmy people of the Congo Basin Rainforest. When he returned he founded Fight For The Forgotten, to knockout the world water crisis, which today has expanded its impact to serve the Batwa Pygmies of Uganda. Justin has a deep-seated belief & ability to empower people to stoke the fire that is within us all. Justin "The Big Pygmy" Wren is a national champion wrestler, UFC veteran, inducted Into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame. As a humanitarian he's the founder/CEO of the non-profit Fight for the Forgotten, also authoring a bestselling book with the same name through Simon & Schuster publishing. Justin's transformative storytelling Ignites a fire In the human soul that inspires and empowers us to take action that leads deeper purpose, high performance, and long lasting change. Justin has inspired millions through his appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience (9x), Mike Tyson's HotBoxin', the Ed Mylett Show, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and TEDx Talks, along with his book, Fight for the Forgotten. Today he is the host of his own inspirational podcast, Overcome with Justin Wren and a globally recognized keynote speaker.

A decorated veteran of the sea, air, land, and outer space, Captain Chris Cassidy is among the leaders of an exclusive and distinguished group of accomplished military astronauts who have made an impact on and beyond this world. Recognized for his leadership and achievements as a United States Navy SEAL and a NASA astronaut, CAPT Cassidy’s various military deployments and spaceflight missions provided the catalysts for an action-packed career where he made the most of every opportunity presented to him, even in challenging and high-stakes environments.

John Paul Volanthen is a world record-holding British exploratory cave diver who specialises in rescues through the Cave Rescue Organisation, South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue, and the British Cave Rescue Council. John hit the headlines in July 2018, when he was part of the multi-national team involved in the rescue of 12 young football players and their coach in the Tham Luang caves in Thailand. John and his co-diver, Rich Stanton, were the first to make contact with the missing youngsters when they had been lost for nine days. Both men were part of the team that successfully rescued all the boys and their coach and brought them to safety. In keynote talks, John gives audiences an astonishing account of the harrowing rescue effort. With heart-pounding anecdotes from the high-risk rescue mission, he hammers home the importance of perseverance, determination, and preparation, and explains why he believes success in life is rarely due to “luck.” John also shares his belief that anyone can rise to the occasion and achieve extraordinary things in the face of insurmountable odds. Using a combination of pictures and audio, he communicates what it was like to be there and the joy he felt when it was all over. Uplifting and inspiring, John’s story is one in a million. “John is an exceptional speaker/presenter!! Our team had more questions for him than we ever had for other speakers. I liked him a lot – genuine and kind.” - Holding Company “He was amazing. He blew everyone away and had everyone the edge of their seats, people spoke about his session for the rest of the day. His approach and character are amazing and that really came through in the session.” - Media Company

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.

Royal Ramey is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP), transforming the landscape of wildland firefighting by creating pathways for formerly incarcerated individuals. His own journey from California's fire camp program to becoming a seasoned wildland firefighter with the US Forest Service and CAL FIRE fueled his mission to break down systemic barriers in the industry. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Chief Ramey planned on a career in business, but when he was twenty years old he found himself sentenced to six years at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi. He was then quickly transferred to Mississippi because of overcrowding in California. Chief Ramey jumped on the opportunity to come home by joining a California Conservation Camp (“Fire Camp”) program in California. After his release in 2014, and with the drive to pursue a career as a firefighter, Chief Ramey went from station to station but quickly encountered systemic inequities preventing him from obtaining employment. To bolster his application, Chief Ramey pursued further training at Victor Valley College and after eleven months and graduating top of his class he received an opportunity to join the Mojave Greens (US Forest Service) in San Bernardino, California. Chief Ramey has spent more than ten years as a wildland firefighter in the US Forest Service CAL FIRE, and FFRP’s own Buffalo Handcrew before becoming the organization’s Chief Executive Officer. He is intensely aware of what is needed to train individuals to excel at an advanced level within the forestry and fire sector. FFRP’s placement of more than 200 people directly into this sector speaks to his accomplishments and work ethic. He is a 2023 Obama Leaders USA Program Participant & 2024 TED Fellow.