Success requires hard work and a positive mental attitude, especially when the going gets tough. It’s not easy to achieve your big goals and dreams. You have to overcome many frustrations and challenges. Sometimes you might feel like giving up. But with the help of motivational speakers, all it might take is just one powerful speech to look for your own greatness, destroy your self-doubt and gain the unstoppable confidence to push yourself a little further and go after your goals with everything you’ve got until you succeed.
Call it optimism or even inspiration, motivational speakers have the ability to transcend a message and make positive changes in a person’s life. Here are some of the most charismatic and best inspirational speakers, business and self-improvement thought leaders of the world today.
Please note this list is not in any particular order. If you’d like to learn more about the speaker, simply click on their profile image to be directed to their social media profile or you can also search for their name online.
Please note this list is not organized in any particular order. If you’d like to learn more about the speaker, simply click on their profile image to be directed to their social media profile or you can also search for their name online.
Best Motivational Speakers & Personal Development Thought Leaders To Follow
Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins
is among the most popular motivational speakers. He’s been listed under Forbes Magazine’s Top 100 Celebrity, “Top 200 Business Gurus” by Harvard Business Press and many more.
Robbins began as a self-help coach during the beginning of his career. In the 80s, he popularized the inclusion of fire walk during his seminars in order to teach clients on how to conquer fear. Today, he already served as an adviser to world leaders. Recognized for his psychology of leadership, he was able to help individuals looking to reach their peak performance, intellect, and leadership.
He is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of many books including his latest books called UNSHAKEABLE: Your Financial Freedom Playbook and MONEY: Master the Game. One of his books entitled Awaken the Giant Within helps readers to control the mental, physical, and the emotional facets of your destiny. With more than 38 years working as a life and business strategist, he has helped more than 50 million people from over 100 different countries.
Grant Cardone
Aside from being a motivational speaker, Grant Cardone is a known as a real estate investor and sales trainer. If you are familiar with Grand Cardone’s work, he inspires business owners to maximize their ventures.
He became the CEO of Freedom Motorsports Group and worked for Altas Media Corp in 2010 and developed a reality television series called Turnaround King. In this series, he helped struggling business to restore its profitability.
A lot of people look up to Grant Cardone as a real estate investor. According to reports, his real estate portfolio in the US is at an estimated value of $350 million. He was named number one by Forbes in their list of 25 Marketing Influencers to Watch in 2017.
Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy is popular for his 70 books that have been translated into different languages. Among his popular books include Earn What You’re Really Worth, Eat That Frog, and The Psychology of Achievement. He also teaches people the strategies he used for writing a book and getting it publisher-ready in just 90 days in his course How to Write a Book and Become a Published Author.
He had careers in sales and marketing as well as investments and real estate. He has founded his company, The Brian Tracy International which provides counseling on leadership, selling, self-esteem, and success psychology internationally.
Gary Vaynerchuk
You may have known Gary Vaynerchuk via his viral Facebook videos. He is a four-time New York Times bestselling author. He is known for growing his family’s wine business. Also, he is an angel investor/advisor in Uber, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Facebook. Over the years, he is a keynote speaker at technology conferences.
He also started VaynerMedia which provided social media strategies for Fortune 500 companies including General Electric and PepsiCo. By 2015, VaynerMedia was considered one of Ad Age’s A-List agencies. They eventually partnered with Vimeo to connect brands to filmmakers for their online video content.
Gary Vaynerchuk has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and GQ. In 2014, he was also named as part of Fortune’s 40 Under 40.
Darren Hardy
Darren Hardy is a keynote speaker and former publisher of SUCCESS Magazine. Throughout his career, he’s been able to publish different books including The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster and The Compound Effect.
Darren Hardy started his entrepreneurial endeavors at a very young age. He started his own business as an 18-year-old. He was able to hold executive positions for two personal development-focused television networks.
But what he was known for was his stint with SUCCESS magazine. SUCCESS magazine contains business and self-improvement content. His book The Compound Effect, which was published in 2010, discussed the importance of your everyday decisions in achieving your goals. He followed it up with a book in 2015 The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster which discussed the challenges of businesses and entrepreneurs.
John Assaraf
John Assaraf is among the most popular experts when it comes to helping people release their mental and emotional obstacles in order to achieve their goals. In the last 10 years, John Assaraf wrote two best-selling books translated into 35 different languages. He also appeared on Larry King Live for a number of times already and has been featured in “The Secret”.
Aside from his stint as a motivational speaker, he also built 5 multi-million dollar companies. One of the companies that he started is Neuro Gym which helps people to develop their fullest human potential. His famous courses are Winning the Game of Money and The Cloning of Business Success Program.
T Harv Eker
Eker is the author of the best-selling books, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind and SpeedWealth. He has also developed many personal development and wealth creation courses such as The Millionaire Mind Intensive, Train the Trainer, Life Directions, Enlightened Warrior Training and Wizard Training.
During his years of struggle, Eker vowed that should he ever get rich, he would help others do the same. He has kept his promise. His motto is “talk is cheap” and his incredible ability is inspiring people to take “action” to produce real results in the real world.
He has been helping people move closer to their goal of true financial freedom and has already touched the lives of over 1.5 million people.
Brendon Burchard
Brendon Bruchard is known for his motivation products. He founded Experts Academy and High-Performance Academy. He conducts training programs in order to provide lessons in business, entrepreneurship, persuasion, and even productivity.
He also wrote books including the “Millionaire Messenger” that became a New York Times best-seller in 2011. The following year, he followed up with a book called “The Charge: Activating The 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive” which became a Wall Street Journal best-seller. In 2012, Mashable included Brendon Burchard’s Twitter account in their list of “Must-Follow Twitter Accounts for Daily Inspiration”.
Aside from his books and expertise in motivation, he is also known for helping people package their expertise in today’s modern world via affiliate marketing.
Jack Canfield
Jack Canfield is an entrepreneur, corporate trainer, author, and a motivational speaker who managed to inspire many with his compelling message and empowering energy. He is the founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise which sold over 500 million copies in print worldwide.
He is also known as the number one Success Coach in America. According to him, he knows what makes successful people different. He knows the drives and what motivates them. With his years of experience, he’s been able to share strategies for success to companies, professionals, and universities.
One of his more recent works includes the National Bestseller, “The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be”. In this book, he discussed 64 powerful principles for success that are utilized by achievers from all walks of life.
Nick Vujicic
Nicholas Vujicic is not only a motivational speaker but a proof to many that it is possible to conquer many of life challenges. Nick Vujicic was born with Tetra-amelia Syndrome, which is a rare disorder that is characterized by the absence of both arms and legs.
Vujicic during his earlier years attempted suicide but later thrived despite getting bullied during his teen and young adult years. When he was 17, his mother showed him an article in a local newspaper about a man dealing with a severe disability. From this point, he started giving talks at his prayer group.
By age 19, he started having speaking engagement. And by 2005, he already founded a non-profit organization and ministry called Life Without Limbs. His very first book called Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life has been published in 2010 and was translated into more than 30 languages.
Eric Thomas
You may have watched Eric Thomas on YouTube. Born in Chicago and was raised in Detroit, Eric Thomas never had it easy. He dropped out of high school and experienced living as a homeless individual in the rough streets of Detroit for two years.
During his time living in the streets, Eric Thomas met a preacher who convinced him to go back to school and change his life.
As a motivational speaker and a preacher, he was able to publish books including The Secret to Success and Average Skill Phenomenal Will. He was credited by Lebron James as part of his inspiration when he won the 2012 NBA Championship.
Today, Eric Thomas has built a company that offers consulting, education, executive coaching, and athletic development. He is popularly known for providing motivational talks to both professional athletes and collegiate athletes.
Les Brown
Les Brown has been known for his catchphrase, “It’s Possible!”. He received numerous awards including Council of Peers Award of Excellence. Though he lived a rough life, he learned to tap his full potential with the help of his mother and a teacher in high school.
As a motivational speaker, he made a difference in people’s lives by teaching them how to follow their dream. He was also able to host the show, Les Brown Show. Les Brown also collaborated with John Maxwell which looked into the lives of professional speakers.
Bob Proctor
He is considered by many as one of the world’s best speakers. He also speaks about topics such as how to get rich and finding your hidden abilities in order to reach your goal. His teachings have been based on Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
For over four decades, Bob Proctor helped countless people find spiritual awareness and rewarding relationships. He also works with individuals and businesses around the world and empower them to grow, and thrive in today’s ever-changing world and economy.
John Maxwell
A New York Times Best Selling Author, a pastor, and a motivational speaker, these are just some of the roles that John Calvin Maxwell performed over the years. He’s written many books including The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. His books sold millions of copies and he is considered as one of the most popular motivational speakers worldwide.
Apart from writing and his role as motivational speaker, he has an organization which provides leadership training sessions.
Robin Sharma
Robin Sharma is not only a popular motivational speaker for individuals but even for business leaders. According to him, the old model of leadership is already obsolete. To maximize an organization’s functionality, it is imperative that leaders do their best work.
In the last two decades, Robin Sharma’s Sharma Leadership International already helped different organizations all over the world including Yale University, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Nike to name a few.
Sharma as a spear is known for his charismatic ways in interacting with his audience. He provides original and useful insights that lead to individuals putting their best foot forward on what they do.
Suze Orman
Suze Orman has been known by many for her financial advice. She is also a motivational speaker that has helped a great number of people when it comes to their finances. He founded her Suze Orman Financial Group during the 80s and has started her program, The Suze Orman Show in 2002.
Suzie Orman has been known for discussing personal finance. She worked as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch and became the vice-president of investments at Prudential Bache Securities in 1983.
Over the years, she’s been able to provide simple and easy to follow answers to many financial problems asked by her audience. She also successfully published books including Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan and Suze Orman’s 2010 Action Plan.
Dani Johnson
As a seasoned entrepreneur, Dani Johnson has been featured and interviewed in different shows from Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Fox & Friends to The View. She was also a season-premier star of ABC’s Secret Millionaire.
A devoted mother of five children and 7 grandchildren, Dani Johnson isn’t slowing down as she is also a best-selling author and internationally sought speaker helping people with issues regarding their money, business, and relationships. She is committed to leaving a legacy and she can help you learn to write the next chapter of your own life story!
Robert Kiyosaki
Robert Kiyosaki once said that “The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire, the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way”. The author of the popular book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, the number one personal finance book of all time, he was able to challenge tens of millions of individuals on how they think when it comes to money.
He was also able to team up with Donald Trump in 2006 for the book Why We Want You To Be Rich which debuted as number one New York Best Seller.
Jordan Belfort
Jordan Ross Belfort is an American motivational speaker, author, and former stockbroker. He is best known for his life story which has been turned into the movie called The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio which is extracted from his international bestselling book with the same name.
Today he is a consultant to more than fifty public companies. His sales training system called Straight Line System allows him to take virtually any individual or company, regardless of their background, age, gender or social status and empower them to create massive entrepreneurial success and wealth without sacrificing ethics or integrity.
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle is known for his books: The Power of Now and A New Earth. People who are experiencing depression can take Eckhart Tolle’s life as an inspiration. He was suffering from depression when he found inner transformation at age 29. He then ended up traveling “in a state of deep bliss” before he became a spiritual leader.
The Power of Now and A New Earth both sold millions of copies in North America. In 2008, more than 35 million people joined the series of webinars that he conducted with Oprah Winfrey. Today he has a website called Eckhart Tolle TV which provided streaming videos and group meditations. He also gives speeches in English and in German and Spanish.
Dave Ramsey
Dave Ramsey is a popular television personality, host, and motivational speaker that has been featured by different media outlets including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Early Show, and 60 minutes. He also hosted his own show on Fox Business Network called Dave Ramsey Show.
Dave Ramsey is known for his teachings when it comes to financial security, entrepreneurship, personal finance. He even launched a budgeting tool that was created by Ramsey Solutions that can be downloaded on iOS and Android. EveryDollar is an app that helps people manage their day-to-day finances.
He is popular for the debt snowball method wherein debtors deal with the lowest balance debt first instead of taking the debt with the highest interest first. According to Dave Ramsey, small victories can give debtors the motivation to get rid of the other debts that they’ve accumulated.
Dave Ramsey is also popular when it comes to investments. He is a known proponent of using term life insurance instead of cash value insurance.
Chris Gardner
If you’ve watched Will Smith in Pursuit of Happiness, you may have known Chris Gardner. Chris Gardner is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author, and stock broker. During the early 80s, The Pursuit of Happyness was published. In his entire lifetime, he was faced with challenges and he credits his mother’s spiritual genetics for his tenacity to succeed despite the challenges that he have to encounter. Among the challenges he encountered included homelessness.
What changed Gardner’s life is when he went to San Francisco and he met a successful person in a red Ferrari. He asked what the man’s career was and he was told that he was a stockbroker. From that day on, he took the same road and eventually bought his own Ferrari from Michael Jordan.
Daymond John
Daymond John is known by many as his role in ABC reality television series Shark Tank. Aside from being a television personality, Daymond John is also an investor and a motivational speaker. He is the founder of the brand FUBU.
He started FUBU with the help of a next door neighbor and competed against other hats that were sold for $20. Theirs, on the other hand, were sold for $10. Their homemade hats made $800 every day. And since he sensed the potential of this business, he risked their house in exchange for $100,000 in order to generate the needed capital for his business. And in order to make ends meet, he also worked full-time at Red Lobster while turning to Red Lobster.
In 1992, he made it big when he received an order worth $300,000 plus an offer for participating in Macy’s at a Las Vegas Fashion Show. Fast forward to present day, FUBU is worth $6 billion.
Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls is easily an inspiration to many. He is better known for his Man vs. Wild television series wherein he educates his viewers on how to survive in the wilderness. But aside from being a survivalist, Bear Grylls is also known for his books. His first book Facing Up, described his achievements reaching the summit of Mount Everest.
In 2012, he wrote A Survival Guide for Life and True Grit the following year. In A Survival Guide for Life, he mentioned what the wilderness can teach us about ourselves, others, and the world we are living in.
Mr. T
Mr. T has been known for his role in the 1980s television series The A-Team. He also appeared as Clubber Lang in 1982 in the third Rocky film. Over the years, he established a name for himself with his distinct African Mandinka warrior hairstyle and gold jewelry.
In 1984, Mr. T made a motivational video called Be Somebody..Or Be Somebody’s Fool!. He gives helpful advice to children from how to dress fashionably to how to understand and appreciate their origins. There was even a part where he sings “Treat Your Mother Right”.
In 2005, Mr. T was active in helping Hurricane Katrina victims. It was also the same time when he stopped wearing the gold jewelry saying that it would be insensitive to people who lost everything if he continued to do so.
Farrah Gray
Aside from being a motivational speaker, Farrah Gray is an investor and businessman. He is known for beginning his entrepreneurial tendencies at a very young age. He began selling homemade lotion and hand-painted rocks when he was six years old. When he was 12 years old, he was already operating a business including KIDZTEL prepaid phone cards.
Today, he is known as one of the most influential black men in America according to National Urban League. He is also a best-selling author.
Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer is known as a charismatic author and speaker. In 1985, Joyce Meyer decided to make her own ministry that was called “Life in Ministry”. By 1993, together with her husband Dave, they started a television ministry. But her most successful year was 2002 when she was paid over $10 million for the rights to her backlist catalog of independently released books.
In 2005, she was recognized by Time Magazine as part of their list of “25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America”.
Lisa Nichols
Lisa Nichols started the Motivating The Masses, Inc. It is a publicly traded personal and business development training company that aims to help transform men and women. But what makes Lisa Nichols charismatic is her rise from a struggling single mom to a millionaire entrepreneur. She encouraged her fans to discover their own potentials.
She is also a best-selling author of six books. Her 7th book Abundance Now aims to provide a practical blueprint for personal success.
Iyanla Vanzant
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Iyanla Vanzant was named as one of the “100 most influential Black Americans” by Ebony Magazine. She appeared on shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show and currently hosts her television show Iyania: Fix My Life – the No. 1 reality show on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
ver the years, Iyanla has written a number of books that center towards self-improvement. Her body of work spans over 30 years and she published over 15 books including six New York Times best-sellers. She discussed topics such as healing and forgiveness in her books and her motivational speeches.
John Demartini
John Fredrick Demartini is an American researcher, international educator, a former chiropractor, and a public speaker in human behavior. He started the Demartini Institute which is known for methods when it comes to human development. These methods were called Demartini Method and Demartini Value Determination Process. He also appeared in different films including The Secret in 2006.
He helps individuals to be resourceful and discover their own potential. With the right perception and action, Demartini helps individuals achieve the extraordinary.
Among the most popular methods that he teaches is how to lose weight by helping rewire your brain. Also, he helps individuals activate their inner genius.
Esther Hicks
Esther Hicks presented a number of workshops on the law of attraction and was even featured on The Secret. She co-wrote a total of nine books with her husband, Jerry Hicks including the series the Law of Attraction. They describe their works as tapping into infinite intelligence.
Since 1986, they’ve been able to present some ideas including how people are in their bodies because they chose to be, or how the universe adores people and in knows the broadest intentions.
Louise Hay
Louise Lynn Hay is the founder of Hay House and self-help books including her 1983 book, You Can Heal Your Life. She discovered the transformative power of thought claiming that positive thinking could change people’s material circumstances.
She believed that her rough childhood and hatred for her past may have triggered the onset of her cancer. In 1977, she described that she was diagnosed with incurable cervical cancer.
According to her, she was able to cure herself of cancer by having a regimen of forgiveness together with therapy, nutrition, and colonic enemas. It was then during the 70s when she wrote her first book which was Heal Your Body.
Johnny Wimbrey
Johnny Wimbrey is a personal development coach known for his books and amazing teachings about self-improvement. He is the author of the best-seller “From the Hood to Doing Good”.
In this book, he teaches how to maximize your life and not let your own circumstances decide for you. Johnny Wimbrey teaches people how to be successful and be happy from the inside out.
Johnny Wimbrey is most popular for his stint together with Jeff Conaway when he helped Jeff Conaway rehabilitate his life from drugs and alcohol.
Kevin Abdulrahman
Known for his work with sales teams, mid to senior managers and even sports teams, Kevin Abdulrahman speaks to different varieties of audience. He is the type of motivational speaker who speaks about leadership to his youth listeners and even inspires entrepreneurs to excel in their business.
Kevin Abdulrahman is born of a Middle Eastern family who experienced different cultures all over the world. As the eldest in child, he was brought up to value hard work and integrity. Growing up, he experienced hardships which led him to seek out answers. His life experiences were shared on his first book “Winning The Game of Life”.
Randy Paul Gage
Randy Gage had a rough childhood. He was raised by his mother and went to serve some time in juvenile jail. He changed his life when he started working in the network marketing industry with Amway. At age 30, he was already able to open his second pizza restaurant.
He began writing self-help books in 1990. The following year, he was able to build his own coaching and training business. He also published books such as “How to Build a Multi-Level Money Machine: The Science of Network Marketing”. After the first book, he wrote nine other books that aim to help people find success in their lives.
In 2013, Randy Gage was featured by Forbes. His work was considered as one of the most disruptive marketing trends of 2013.
Sean Stephenson
You may have seen Sean Stephenson in one of those viral videos. Sean Stephenson has a genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfect or better known in the medical field as brittle bone disease. Most of his bones were broken during delivery. Because of his condition, he experienced so much pain growing up.
Despite the condition, Sean Stephenson delivered motivational speeches as early as age 17. He was able to meet Tony Robbins in 1998 via Make-A-Wish Foundation. Robbins became a mentor and groomed Sean to change his lifestyle and become healthier.
In 2001, just after graduating, he made his first book before returning to motivational speaking. His speeches were often addressed to people who are dealing with personal issues.
Mark Sanborn
Mark Sanborn is an entrepreneur, author, and a motivational speaker who managed to inspire people to maximize their capabilities. He’s been able to write books such as “You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere Can Make a Positive Difference”.
Unlike other motivational speakers, Sanborn is formally trained as a speaker and holds a certification via National Speakers Association. He also graduated Cum Laude from Ohio State University. He worked as an account executive and regional manager after graduating. Later, he even became the president of the National Speakers Association.
Bif Naked
Bif Naked is known as a songwriter and actress aside from being a motivational speaker. You may have seen her in series such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven and The Chris Isaak Show.
As a music artist, she released solo albums in 1996, 1998, and 2001. Aside from her songwriting gig, she is also a noted poet who released spoken words album.
As an orphan from India who was later adopted by missionaries and moved to Canada as a teen, her own story can help people to persevere and strive towards happiness and success.
Marilyn Hickey
Marilyn Hickey was born July 1, 1931. Despite her age, she still continues to inspire people as a motivational speaker.
She aired a television program since 1973 and in 1996, co-hosted with her Daughter Sarah Bowling. As an evangelist, she promotes healing and faith.
In 2012, she held a three-day prayer rally in Pakistan which was attended by 400,000 people. Hickey has served as a member of the Board of Regents of Oral Roberts University.
Naomi Judd
Known for her music, Judd is known for selling millions of her albums during the pinnacle of her career in 1991. It soon ended when Naomi Judd was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. After having Hepatitis C, she created the Naomi Judd Education and Research Fund in order to raise awareness against Hepatitis C.
Naomi Judd writes self-help books. The most popular is the Naomi’s Guide to Aging Gratefully: Facts, Myths and Good News for Boomers. Aside from her inspirational insights on her books, she also appeared on TV as a judge on Can You Duet.
Yossi Ghinsberg
How can you not get inspired by Yossi Ghinsberg? Ghinsberg is known for being an entrepreneur, author, humanitarian and an adventurer. He is known for his survival story when he was stranded in an uncharted part of the Bolivian Amazon for three weeks in the 80s. Now a tech entrepreneur and founder of Headbox, a mobile app that integrates social media activity, he is currently known for his endeavors in the tech industry.
In 2008, he wrote his second book entitled Laws of the Jungle: Jaguars Don’t Need Self-Help books. He often times offers inspirational speeches that cover his past experiences and expeditions. He is usually addressing audiences at many Fortune 500 companies.
Ken Blanchard
Ken Blanchard is a management expert and an author with an extensive number of published books. His most successful book was “The One Minute Manager”. It sold 13 million copies and has been translated into different languages.
Together with his wife, they established The Ken Blanchard Companies which is an international management training and consulting company. Its goal is to increase the organizational performance of companies that they help via leadership consulting.
Jeffrey Gitomer
Jeffrey Gitomer is known for his lectures on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. With his years as a business trainer, he tackles topics such as how to achieve success with his own brand of style, wit, and great ideas. Jeffrey Gitomer also provides solutions to the most common problems presented to him with common sense and positive energy.
For the past 15 years, Jeffrey Gitomer has been able to provide 100 presentations annually including corporate seminars and keynote addresses. He is also ranked in the 1% of non-celebrity speakers by the National Speakers Association. He has also been inducted into the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame.
Dewitt Jones
It’s common to see motivational speakers to be successful businessmen and athletes. For Dewit Jones, it’s a bit different. Dewitt Jones is a professional photographer who worked as a freelance photographer for National Geographic. He also has a column in Outdoor Photographer Magazine.
Dewitt Jones holds a CPAE award from the National Speakers Association. Yearly, he speaks to corporations and organizations tackling topics such as vision and creativity.
Joe Simpson
Joe Simpson is an English Mountaineer famous for his book “Touching the Void” which was adapted into a book in 2003. What sparked his passion in mountaineering is when he read “The White Spider” by Heinrich Harrer.
Simpson had six surgeries after climbing Siula Grande and was told that he would never climb again. But after two years of rehab, he was able to return to his passion.
As a good example of someone who bounced back from adversity, he is now a motivational speaker addressing corporate events all over the world.
Chris Widener
Chris Widener became a motivational speaker in 1988. He is also an author of several books including “Live the Life You Have Always Dreamed of”. He is considered to be one of the top personal development and leadership experts in the world.
He started the American Community Business Network which was later changed to Made for Success during the 90s. He was able to sell this company in 2009 to his partner. Later, he hosted a number of programs shown online which tackle marketing and motivation.
Today, he speaks to groups of all sizes regardless if it is a group of 100 or a group as large as 25,000. He also traveled to places like Germany, Spain, Russia, China, Egypt, and Singapore.
Steve Pavlina
Steve Pavlina is a popular self-help author and motivational speaker. He served as Vice President of the Association of Software Professionals in 1999 and later the president the following year.
In 2004, Steve Pavlina made a website dedicated to personal development and in 2008 published the book “Personal Development for Smart People”.
Prior to becoming a self-help author, he used to work as an independent game developer. According to him, he transitioned from game publisher to public speaker and self-help author by changing his environment that supports the new role that he wants to absorb. Today, among the things that he discusses include productivity, courage, motivation, and goal setting.
Aron Ralston
Aron Ralston is an engineer, outdoorsman, and a motivational speaker. You may have watched his story in 127 Hours wherein James Franco portrayed Aaron Ralston as he has to amputate his arm in order to free himself after five days and seven hours of being stuck in a boulder.
Because of his amazing will to survive, he received a good amount of media attention for what happened. He already appeared on shows such as The Ellen Degeneres Show, CNN’s American Morning with Bill Hemmer, and CNN Saturday Morning. Today, he is speaking as a motivational speaker. In 2007, he appeared at the Swiss Economic Forum and mentioned how he lost his arm but found his life back.
Eric Bailey
As a professional motivational speaker for the past two decades, he has managed to inspire different types of audiences from corporate to athletes. Prior to becoming a motivational speaker, he was a professional basketball player in the National Basketball League in Australia.
He is a Certified Speaking Professional via The National Speakers Association. Only 10% of motivational speakers have this certification due to the National Speakers Associations stringent requirements. With a 6’6” frame, he can easily catch your attention when he delivers his speeches. His speeches to schools, athletes, and corporations usually involve inspirational messages including anti-drug messages.
James Malinchak
James Malinchak is known for his inspirational talks to those who plan to experience prosperity and maximize business potential. He was already featured on the hit ABC TV Show, Secret Millionaire. He has already delivered 2,000 presentations for corporations, colleges, youth organizations and other groups worldwide.
What makes James Malinchak such an inspiration to his audience? From a small steel-mill town in Pennsylvania, he worked his way up as a secret millionaire. He is the epitome of what American success is all about.
He has established his own business from scratch. He doesn’t have any speaker designation or certification. But despite all this, he was able to become a top speaker and marketing advisor.
Gary Hamel
As a management expert, Gary Hamel is the founder of Strategos, an international Management Consulting Firm based in Chicago.
With his experience in business, he has written for Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and many other publications. Gary Hamel is the originator of core competency concept. He is also considered as one of the most influential business thinkers. Forbes magazine named him as one of the world’s leading expert on business strategy.
With his experience in business, he was able to talk to corporations including Coca-Cola, Tesla, and Siemens. He was also invited to give a speech in World Economic Forum and TED.
Walter Bond
A former basketball player who was the shooting guard for the University of Minnesota, he was able to play in the NBA for 3 seasons despite not being able to get drafted. During his stint in the NBA, he totaled 873 points. Today, he is a motivational speaker and also doing hosting for Food Network Series “Giving You The Business”.
The concept of “Giving You The Business” is to give an exceptional employee a food franchise that is worth up to a half a million dollars.
Scott Greenberg
Scott Greenberg has inspired many with his presentations on leadership and peak performance mindset. He has been able to work with Nike, Allstate, The Wyndham Hotel Group, the US Air Force and many other businesses and franchises.
He has been able to present both in the US and other countries including Canada, Ecuador, Jamaica, Croatia, Aruba, and Saudi Arabia.
He is known for challenging the usual conventional thinkers. Unlike other motivational speakers who simply give their ideas, Scott Greenberg has been able to apply what he preaches. For the past ten years, he owned two “Edible Arrangements”. His operation ranked among the top grossing franchises in California and has already won the Edible Arrangements “Best Customer Service” and “Manager of the Year” awards.
Waldo Waldman
Waldo Waldman is an American author, leadership consultant, and the founder of The Wingman Foundation on top of his role as motivational speaker. Though he has massive claustrophobia and fear of heights, he was able to become a fighter pilot. And not just any fighter pilot, but a highly decorated one. During his career in the air force, he has flown 65 combat missions and has written the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best Seller, “Never Fly Solo”.
He is best known for teaching strategies on how to build trusting relationships with employees, customers and business partners. He also holds an MBA on Organizational Behavior and has worked as a top producing sales manager in the past.
As a motivational speaker, he has been inducted into the National Speaker’s Association Speaker Hall of Fame.
Delatorro McNeal II
For over 15 years, Delatorro McNeal II has been able to transform lives. As a peak performance expert, he has inspired people to help people develop their fullest potential. He partnered with Fortune 500 companies in order to help boost productivity, teamwork, and performance of these firms.
Delatorro has been able to travel worldwide and has been known for the hard-hitting, experiential, and content-rich keynotes that can make a huge difference in people’s lives.
He also received the prestigious Certified Speaking Professionals designation, something that less than 7% of 5,000 speakers from International Federation of Professional Speakers hold.
And because of his experience and proficiency on what he does, he already worked with companies such as Johnson & Johnson, New York Life, JP Morgan Chase, Prudential, and Accenture to name a few.
Marci Shimoff
Aside from being a motivational speaker, Marci Shimoff is a popular author. She wrote the book “Happy for No Reason”. What her book teaches is how to be happy inside out no matter what. It has sold 14 million copies and has been translated into 31 different languages.
She is considered by many as the face of women’s self-help books. She also wrote Chicken Soup for her Soul followed by Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul and Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul.
As a motivational speaker, she held seminars on happiness, success, empowerment, and unconditional love. She collaborated with different Fortune 500 companies, professionals, and non-profit organizations from different parts of the world. She also led a one-year mentoring program called Your Year of Miracles.
Albert Mensah
Albert Mensah was born in Ghana. He lived his first nine years in Ghana far from the comfort of the First World. In fact, he used to live in a mud hut.
Today, he is known as “The Ambassador of Opportunity”. His experience from Ghana to what he is today is what made him an inspirational figure. Despite living in Ghana with difficult challenges, he was able to use these challenges and turned it into opportunities.
And this experience is something that makes Albert Mensah unique as a motivational speaker. Albert Mensah has been able to help companies increase productivity by inspiring their employees, executive and improving team commitment within the organization.
Scout Cloud Lee
Scout Cloud Lee was best known for her stint in Survivor Vanuatu. But Susan Cloud Lee is more than just your typical reality TV star. She’s also an Olympic Torch bearer and a successful entrepreneur. In fact, she is best known for her 3 decades of professional career including a stint as a CEO. She is the founder and CEO of Visions Us, a consulting firm that helps maximize performance. The goal of her organization is to explore human excellence. She is best known as a key-note speaker that taps the audience’s potential.
With experience in her field, her work has been featured in different documentaries and television specials.
Stacey McKenzie
Stacey Mackenzie is known for her modeling career. She appeared in America’s Next Top Model Cycle 23 as a guest mentor. She was also recently featured in Canada’s Next Top Model judge. But aside from her stint as a model, she is best known for Walk This Way Workshops. Walk This Way Workshops were designed to impact those planning to enter fashion entertainment industries. Its goal is to build self-esteem and to let people establish their confidence through self-acceptance.
Stacey McKenzie in 2007 was a speaker for the benefit of Canadian Mental Health Association. She discussed how young adults are faced with self-esteem challenges and how confidence can be built through self-acceptance.
Susan Wilson Solovic
She is considered as THE Small Business Expert. She spoke to thousands of small and medium-sized companies and even helped many grow to become a multi-million dollar business. Her proven strategies made a huge difference especially during trying times. Her book “It’s Your Biz” is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon.com Top 100, and a USA Today bestseller.
Networks such as Fox Business, ABC News, PBS, and MSBNC turn to her expertise when they need help when it comes to small businesses. She’s been able to deliver speeches tailor fitted towards those in need of inspiration and answers. With on-point messages, she’s able to deliver the results businesses are looking for regardless of the niche.
Marshall Sylver
Marshall Sylver was known as the Fastest Hypnotist. He appeared on shows such as Late Night with David Letterman and The Montel Williams Show.
He wrote the book “Passion, Profit & Power”. This book is part of the subconscious training. It became a bestseller from Berita Book Centre and MPH bookstore. He believes in the power of the subconscious mind in changing our lives.
With his knowledge in the subconscious mind, he became a respected business consultant who worked with Fortune 500 companies. He also developed a personal development program which aims to master the art of persuasion and influence.
More recently, he aims to help small businesses. He helped small businesses to gain specialized knowledge in running their own business.
Eric Boles
Eric Boles is a former NFL player who now specializes in leadership, peak performance and team dynamics. It was his career as a pro-football player where he learned about team dynamics and leadership, something that not a lot of motivational speakers experienced firsthand.
As the president of The Game Changers, a training and development company that helps people maximize their full potential. Eric Boles provides complete training in helping set the standard for helping organizations in order to enhance their culture to maximize performance.
He experienced working with companies and organizations such as Dunkin’ Brands, National Association of Reactors, US Air Force, and Emergency Nurses Association.
Dan Clark
According to Larry King, Dan Clark is a master motivator who is both funny and inspirational at the same time. What makes him effective as a speaker is his ability to connect with his audience. Aside from his gig as a motivational speaker, he is also a comedian, writer, and a director at the same time. He is best known for his role as Don Danbury on How Not to Live Your Life, a BBC Three sitcom.
Dan is known for providing leadership and motivation speeches meant to help improve both individuals and organizations. He also provides complete training on self-development and leadership, as well as speech writing and sales training.
Roger Crawford
Roger Crawford’s athletic career is something inspirational. He is the only American with a disability who played for United States Professional Tennis Association and play a Division 1 college sport. Because of his feat, he was praised by top companies and individuals such as Ronald Reagan, Chris Evert, Nike and Marriot Hotels. He was also featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul and in the movie In a New Light.
As a motivational speaker, he encourages his audience to redefine the impossible. He has been able to help transform thousands of lives over the last 30 years with his inspiring story. With his expertise, he was able to make a significant change in shaping better leaders and in inspiring individuals exceed expectations.
Adolph Brown
Dr. Adolph Brown is known for providing engagement, practical, and well-researched speeches. He tackles ideas that help improve customer experience and professional development in a consistent manner. He is a veteran educator and researcher, who not only helps inspire individuals but also provide humor in delivering his messages.
He comes from troubled inner-city but has managed to persevere to find success. He has set a high standard in speaking and consulting around the globe. Known as a “showman with substance”, he has two decades of experience in transforming organizations with his custom solutions that have a basis in evidence-based and time-tested insights.
John Coutis
John Coutis was born with Spina Bifida. Since his legs are useless, he decided to have his legs amputated. He now takes a skateboard in order to get around. Though he was targeted by schoolyard bullies and challenges brought by his condition, he managed to turn his life around and was even able to get married and become a motivational speaker.
Nowadays, John Curtis helps in transforming people’s lives by telling his stories and inspiring others about the possibilities that they can accomplish despite their current condition. He managed to work with companies, sports organizations, and even schools.
Linda Larsen
Linda Larsen is the type of motivational speaker who will make you laugh as she makes her points across. From Sarasota, Florida, she offers insights on how to deal with difficult individuals, and women’s issues to name a few of her topics. With her years of experience, she was able to offer people improved communications which led to better quality of life both on a professional level and a personal level.
Her largest audience reached as many as 17,000 for the Future Farmers of America. Her goal is to turn every meeting planner such a phenomenal experience that has results-oriented ideas that can be used and applied by her audience.
Joe Vitale
In the past 20 years, Joe Vitale has been able to help people attract miracles in their lives. Known better for his moniker as Mr. Fire, he passes valuable lessons about going for your dreams and asking what you want. He also inspires his audience having a hard time teaching them how to find the inner strength to hang in there. What makes Joe unique is his ability to produce music that offers self-help to his audience.
Joe Vitale’s latest work is “The Miracle: Six Steps to Enlightenment”. Dr. Joe Vitale made this book for those people who feel that the world is after them and they just can’t seem to do things right.
Michael Bernard Beckwith
Michael Bernard Beckwith is a known New Thought minister and founder of Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City. With 9,000 members, Agape International Spiritual Center practices New Thought-Ancient Wisdom and has been able to globally build and support orphanages for children who survived war and AIDS.
You may remember Michael Bernard Beckwith as one of the featured teachers in The Secret. He is known for teaching meditation and affirmative prayer. Among the things that he teaches is Life Visioning Process, a technique on how to stop being a passive tourist in one’s life. He also wrote a number of books including Spiritual Liberation and Inspiration of the Heart.
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell is a successful author who wrote popular books such as Outliers: The Story of Success, and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. All of his books became part of the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 1987, he began covering business and science for The Washington Post until 1996. Though he wasn’t trained to be a journalist, he was able to put up the time and improve at what he does. He believed in the 10,000 rule.
He gained popularity in 1996 for his articles in the New Yorker, “The Tipping Point” and “The Coolhunt”, which became the basis of his first book, The Tipping Point. In this book, he received $1 million in advance.
His books scrutinized how personal environment, motivation, and drive can affect someone’s chances for success.
Loral Langemeier
Loral Langemeier is an American writer who specializes in finance. She wrote books that became New York Times bestsellers. She also appeared on Dr. Phil among many other media outlets.
Langemeier is responsible for creating Robert Kiyosaki’s distribution system for his board game “Cashflow”. Unlike other board games solely for entertainment, Cashflow is used as an educational tool for those who want to become an entrepreneur.
Today, Loral Langemeier is one of the most innovative money experts. She shares how not just to survive, but to thrive in a harsh economic condition. She provides investment strategies that have made millionaires. What she aims to teach is how to boost profits with less work using the right tools.
David Bach
Money concerns have always been a problem today. One of the most reliable people to go to when it comes to financial concepts is David Bach. An entrepreneur and the founder of FinishRich.com, David Bach has helped people establish their finances on track. He has been nominated as the number one financial expert of 2017 and is considered as today’s one of the best motivational speakers.
With his experience in finances, his wisdom is sought after by his readers and audience. he is one of the few authors that have four books simultaneously on New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and USA Today bestseller lists. He also appeared a number of times on different shows such as Ophrah Winfrey Show and NBC’s Today Show.
Valorie Burton
Already featured on the TODAY Show and Dr. Oz Show, while making regular appearances on CNN and HLN, Valorie Burton has successfully captured the audience with her message of inspiration. Valorie Burton is an entrepreneur, life coach, and motivational speaker. She also co-hosted Aspiring Women that aired on Total Living Network.
With 15 years of experience providing coaching programs, writing books, and having speaking engagement, she helped people make life changing decisions and become happier with their lives. She also helped leaders meet their professional goals. And lastly, she also helped people boost their overall confidence and avoid settling for lesser things.
Terry Hawkins
Terry Hawkins is the CEO of the multinational training organization People in Progress Global. With almost 30 years of experience, she has transformed people to become a better version of themselves. She also created the Flipman and Pitman dichotomy in the late 80s which aimed to cater behavioral change in people of all ages.
She masterfully educated people on how they can develop sales techniques, leadership skills, and even build relationships. She has the uncanny ability to connect with her audience making her a favorite by different companies looking for change within their organization.
Amy Purdy
A world-class snowboarder, model, an actress, and a 2014 Paralympics bronze medalist, Amy Purdy is an inspiration to many. She contracted meningitis at age 19. Because of the condition, she had both her legs amputated while losing both kidneys and spleen. Despite having only 2% chance of survival, she was able to receive a kidney transplant from her father.
She spoke at a TEDx event with her talk entitled Living Beyond Limits. She discussed how to use the limitations and challenges as something to ignite our imagination in order to help us go further.
With her accomplishments, she was featured in a one-hour special on NBC entitled How to Raise an Olympian. She also appeared in a Super Bowl ad for the Toyota Camry.
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson is known for his legendary career and rivalry with the likes of Larry Bird. But aside from performing well on the hard court, he is a motivational speaker and an entrepreneur who successfully inspired many with his strategies in investment and business.
He is also known for his work in the Magic Johnson Foundation where he commits to transforming Urban America through HIV/AIDS Awareness & Prevention Programs. He celebrated over two decades of success in his foundation and has become one of the most recognizable figures for his acts of philanthropy worldwide.
Tony Gaskins
Tony Gaskins is a life coach and entrepreneur who managed to develop 40 streams of income since he started his first company in 2009. With an entrepreneurial mind, he is best known for the 10-week program that allows one-on-one mentoring. He offers clients insights on how to avoid mistakes and how to identify challenges.
He was also featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tyra Banks Show, and 700 Club, He is one of the most sought after speakers in the US speaking on various topics including self-development, success, and providing relationship advice for women. In 2011, he made the Under30Ceo’s Top 50 Most Motivational People on the Web.
Ben Saunders
Apart from providing inspirational talks, Ben Saunders is a British polar explorer and endurance athlete. He became the youngest person to ever ski solo to the North Pole. In 2013, he was able to break another record, this time on his journey to the South Pole on foot.
Ben Saunders dedicated himself to push the boundary of what the mind and body are capable of doing. He sends his message of inspiration, empowerment, and boundless potential through his adventures. He urges his audience to carefully consider how we spend our time on the planet.
Tom Ferry
Tom Ferry is known for his knowledge when it comes to real estate. He founded Tom Ferry International which is a real estate coaching and training company. He is known for developing real estate coaching programs that help real estate agents especially those who are facing challenges in their chosen profession. His 30 years of coaching have been proven effective and already helped over a million real estate agents.
As a speaker, he is known for both his charisma and personality. He is able to captivate audiences all over the world as he shows passion towards developing professionals achieve success in both life and business.
Shiv Khera
Shiv Khera is an inspiration to many especially in India where he not only serves as a motivational speaker but also as an activist fighting for freedom against the caste-based system in India. He founded Country First Foundation for this endeavor. Its mission is to ensure freedom through education and justice.
During his time in the US, he was inspired by Norman Vincent Peale which made him decide to become a motivational speaker.
In 1998, Khera published You Can Win, a book that focused on personal growth and having the right positive attitude in achieving success. After its success, he published another book called Living with Honor, which discussed living honorably in today’s time.
Note: This list is created by one of our writers, if you think we are missing someone or you require some changes, please contact us here.
