Being a small business speaker, I attend a lot of conferences. I listen to too few women as speakers. This is a big miss for conference organizers. Some of the finest women I have seen speak live or on video have given me an entirely new perspective (in alphabetical order with their TWITTER ID). Some of my favorites are:
GailBlanke @gailblanke A master motivator or stage, Gail teaches how to let go of the things in life that are holding you back.
Rebel Brown @rebelbrown An inspirational speaker, Rebel shows us how to break free of the gravity that keeps us stuck in not moving our businesses forward. Check out her “Rebelations”.
Anita Campbell @smallbiztrends A recovering lawyer, the depth of her small business knowledge and her connections in the industry always amaze me. Got a small business topic that needs to be addressed, call Anita.
Sima Dahl @simadahl Sima’s energy is contagious when she speaks. She knows how to get use social networking for sales leads for your business.
Sally Hogshead @sallyhogshead You think you have branding challenges? Anyone that can conquer the growing up with the last name Hogshead knows how to overcome a branding challenge. Sally is a gifted speaker that captivates.
Alexandra Levit @alevit If America is going to figure out how to get back to work, it starts with Alexandra. She teaches solutions to today’s issues faced by all employers.
Rieva Lesonsky @rieva As the CEO of GrowBizMedia, Rieva has been meeting with and writing about Small business owners for 25 years. The depth of her knowledge and breadth of her humor is unmatched.
Becky McCray @beckymccray I recently presented with Becky at SXSW. Her examples about what we can learn form small town entrepreneurs will blow your mind. Any small business entrepreneur that can put up with co presenting with me ought to be on the list.
Alexis Neely @alexisneely There is no one that can make you feel more comfortable on a journey than Alexis. As a master business strategist, whatever Alexis is "selling I am buying".
Wendy Piersall @emom Wendy is an inspiration to everyone that blogs from their home office and wants to learned about the phenomenon of moms online. As a man, she gave me an entirely new perspective
Sarah Robinson @sararobinson I think of Sarah most days as I try to as she says “escape mediocrity” Listening to Sarah will show you to achieve your full potential and make real connections.
Carol Roth @carolroth With her New York Times best seller, The Entrepreneur Equation, Carol always tells it like it is. If you have ever thought about being an entrepreneur, Carol should be your first stop on your road trip.
Aliza Sherman @alizasherman If you travel all the way from Tok, Alaska, you better bring something good. Aliza always knows how to bring her intelligence, wit and charm to every audience she speaks.
Pam Slim @pamslim So many of us are trapped in jobs we hate. In a one hour presentation, Pam can make you believe and show you the steps to channel your passion and escape the drudgery that is your work.
Liz Strauss @lizstrauss Liz brings an one of a kind authenticity to every speech. Growing up with a father that ran a saloon, Liz understands how to be both an uber-connector and an idea machine.
Who would you add to the list?
Rae Hoffman-Dolan @Sugarrae
Thank you Barry for including me on this list. I’m honored to be in such exalted company.
thank you for including me barry and for trusting me enough to buy whatever i am selling. :)
I would add the Soulful Coach – Joanna Lindenbaum. She specializes in helping women break bad habits and succeed based on the power of intuition. She’s absolutely amazing! She can motivate the laziest person to reach their goals and complete their tasks!
I would include Maureen Matthews (@bliss4women & @mazztsm). Maureen Matthews is a sex educator, speaker and founder of the online female sensuality business, bliss4women. She is a highly respected female public speaker in Australia and manages all of this despite being legally blind!!!
I would like to add The Design Biz Coach, Kelly Galea @designbizcoach She specializes in helping design entrepreneurs and business owners boost their bottom line with simple and proven strategies and systems to reach their goals. She is an amazing speaker and woman! She can motivate anyone!
@Alexis- “buying what your selling” is my way to say I believe in you!
Thanks @Suthnautr @HillyG and @Piers for the additions…will check them out!
Wow Barry. You’ve put me in incredible company. :-) Thank you for encouraging me and believing in me each and every day. You are priceless!
Sarah
Barry, that’s a great list, and a terrific answer to an ongoing question. Thanks for including me on the list. We make a pretty good team!
Thanks so much for including me in this list Barry! I know and love most of the women here, and those I don’t, I will check out right away!
Thanks for being a friend and advocate for speakers of all backgrounds and genders. :)
Great list, Barry! I would also add Karlin Sloan. After working with her personally and professionally, I’ve found her engaging and sincere, both one-on-one and in a larger audience. She provides great practical information on resilience and breaking the patterns of fear-based thinking.
Ah Barry! Thank you for putting together this wonderful list. A couple amazing women I know personally, a handful that I truly admire & respect and some new discoveries for me too. That makes it a perfect list in my book!
Fantastic list, Barry – you have some exceptional women on here….many of whom I consider friends and mentors. And in the case of Aliza? Lucky enough to have her as a co-author – so I am experiencing her wit, charm and brilliance first hand.
all great additions! thanks!
Great list Barry.
I would add @GiniDietrich as well. Passionate about where PR has been and where it is heading.
Thanks for the list Barry.
I’m not only going to follow up on tracking down these ladies but will start proactively reaching out to colleagues to look for opportunities and pass along names. We all know that’s how it starts.
While I don’t know all of these women, I can vouch for the names I do recognize: Carol, Liz, Sally, & Alexis. I also concur with Sean’s addition of GiniDietrich.
From what I have observed so far, part of what makes them so good is that they are real, genuine, and authentic. They are being themselves rather than trying to project what they feel the world wants to see. I believe we need more of this.
Hopefully one year I can make it on your list (yes that was a hint to periodically update it). I’m just getting started on that journey known as “being a speaker”.
Carol Roth and I have set a goal (both target and specific stage) to do so together. Though I must tell you I went “yikes” when she moved the date up a few years on me the last month. Need to get my book finalized and myself out there faster.
It’s my hope that we see the TED stage filled more with women than men sometime sooner rather than later. Actually, I’d just love better overall balance in speakers. I don’t think all women speakers is any better of an idea than all male speakers.
Much continued success to all of you. You ladies ROCK.
Faith Fuqua-Purvis @ffuquapurvis, @LionheartedChng, and @ElphntWhisperer
This is a great article. I’d also include Joy Donnell @doitinpublic who inspires people to get out there and publicize their businesses and careers with power and style. She’s big on personal brand and using it with publicity to create additional revenue. She spoke at AFTRA and was amazing.
Gini is a great add! Great person! and Faith- thanks for thoughtful reply!
Thanks for including me in this list of fantastic women Barry and for being an advocate of women in business.
And nice site redesign. When did you do that?!
Thank Liz Dombroski- its about a month old!
Thank you, Barry, for putting this wonderful list together. I am one lucky gal to be included with these powerhouse women!
Barry so honored to be on this list – thanks for all your support and guidance!
What a fantastic list, Barry! I was shocked how few women speakers were at the recent TED in Chicago. Thank you for getting the word out about these incredible women! Sally and Liz are always terrific and I am lucky to count them as friends and colleagues.
Thanks Patricia
I would also add Eva Thiel from North Carolina. She is an excellent speaker on a variety of business topics.
I’m glad to hear a guy point this out. I wonder about it myself. I rarely see women speaking about innovation. Kind of a boy’s club.
Glad to see Carol Roth in your list, she’s really good!
Carol is one of my favorites!
Your style is so unique in comparison to other folks I have
read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you
have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark
this page.