Speakers who move audiences, literally, with holistic messages about physical, mental and emotional health
Jenn Cassetta
Jenn CassettaClaim to Fame: I help organizations build resilient leaders who perform at their best without burning out. I often joke that I turn ballrooms into dojos because my work blends ancient martial arts wisdom with neuroscience, executive coaching and practical leadership tools. As a third-degree black belt, executive coach, TEDx speaker and author of “The Art of Badassery” with a forthcoming Tarcher/Penguin book, I help audiences leave calmer, more confident and better equipped to navigate pressure.
Proudest Moment: Like many speakers, I could point to highlights like earning my third-degree black belt in martial arts, teaching Carrie Fisher self-defense on The Today Show, delivering two TEDx talks, writing bestselling books or speaking on stages around the world. I’m deeply grateful for those milestones—but they’re not the moments I treasure most. They happen after the keynote.
I receive emails from women telling me they’re finally setting boundaries around their time and energy—and smiling every time they say, “Whoosh!” as they let go of someone else’s expectations. A therapist once told me she recommends my books to her patients. Audience members share that they still use the breathing practices we learned together before difficult conversations, presentations and even medical appointments. Others tell me they started a simple Morning Mojo routine after hearing me speak, and it’s transformed the way they begin each day. And my favorite messages? They’re from people proudly sharing the battle cries they’ve created for themselves after leaving the room.
As someone who discovered martial arts during one of the hardest chapters of my own life, I know what it feels like to move from surviving to thriving. If my work gives people permission to slow down, protect their energy, trust themselves again and lead with calm confidence. Those are the moments that make me most proud.
Enduring Message: The strongest leaders aren’t the ones who push the hardest—they’re the ones who know how to stay grounded when everything around them feels uncertain. The wisdom of martial arts transformed my life and became the foundation of my work. It taught me that true strength isn’t about force. It’s about awareness, leverage, resilience and protecting your energy so you have it when it matters most. Those lessons are just as relevant in the boardroom as they are in the dojo. Long after the applause fades, people remember how they felt.
They remember taking the deepest breath they’ve taken all day. They remember saying “Whoosh!” and letting go of stress they didn’t realize they were carrying. They remember that resilience isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build through simple, repeatable practices. My message is clear: High performance and well-being are not opposing goals. When we stop fighting ourselves, flow becomes greater than force. That’s when people lead with calm confidence, make better decisions and create extraordinary results without burning themselves out.
Angela Gargano
Claim to Fame: Angela Gargano is a keynote speaker, six-time American Ninja Warrior, former biochemist and founder of a global movement that has helped thousands of women achieve their first pull-up. After tearing her ACL on national television, she transformed one of the most public setbacks of her life into the foundation of her life’s work: teaching people how to navigate uncertainty with courage. Today, she speaks on stages around the world, empowering leaders to embrace “The Hallway in Between”—the messy space between where you are and where you’re meant to be—and to take bold first steps that create extraordinary change.
Proudest Moment: While I’ve been fortunate to compete on American Ninja Warrior, appear on magazine covers and speak on incredible stages, my proudest moment isn’t a title or a trophy. It’s watching women who once believed they “just weren’t strong enough” accomplish something they thought was impossible. Seeing someone complete their very first pull-up after years of believing they never could is about so much more than fitness—it’s an identity shift. It’s proof that the stories we tell ourselves can be rewritten. Those moments remind me why I do this work. Every woman who hangs from a bar a little longer, attempts something before she feels ready or walks away believing she’s capable of more creates a ripple effect that extends far beyond the gym. Helping people realize they are stronger than they ever imagined will always be my greatest accomplishment.
Enduring Message: I want people to remember that courage doesn’t come after confidence—it comes before it. Too many people spend years waiting until they feel ready, certain or qualified enough to take the next step. The truth is that growth happens in what I call “The Hallway in Between”—the uncomfortable space between one chapter ending and the next beginning.
That’s where resilience is built, identity is shaped and transformation begins. My hope is that by the end of my keynotes, people stop hesitating and take action on whatever they’ve been waiting on—and actually take that first step that very day. Because extraordinary lives aren’t built through giant leaps—they’re built through a series of courageous firsts. If my story inspires even one person to move from waiting to doing, then I’ve accomplished exactly what I set out to do.
Chris Vasami
Claim to Fame: I am a husband, father, transformational speaker, performance coach, former professional baseball player and multiple time cancer survivor who helps organizations develop mentally fit and resilient leaders. Drawing from my experiences competing at the highest levels of sport and overcoming life-threatening adversity, I deliver practical strategies that help people navigate change, lead through uncertainty and perform at their best both personally and professionally. My message resonates because it is lived, not learned. Audiences leave with more than inspiration; they leave with framework for building resilience, taking ownership, and creating sustainable high performance in every area of life.
Proudest Moment: My proudest moment was becoming a father to my two daughters while fighting my health battles. During a season when life felt uncertain, fatherhood gave me clarity. While navigating surgeries and treatments, I was also learning how to be present, grateful and intentional as a dad. My daughters became a daily reminder that life is not measured by circumstances, but by the people we love and the impact we have on them. Cancer taught me resilience. Fatherhood taught me purpose. Looking back, I am most proud that my daughters have seen perseverance firsthand, not through words, but through example. If there is one legacy I hope to leave them, it is the belief that adversity and fear does not define us. How we respond to it does.
Enduring Message: Resilience is not reserved for extraordinary people. It is built through ordinary decisions made consistently over time. Too many people spend their lives reacting to circumstances rather than intentionally shaping who they are becoming. Whether I am speaking to healthcare professionals, business leaders, educators or frontline teams, I want people to leave believing they are more capable than they realize. Adversity will come for all of us. The question is not whether we will face challenges, but how we will respond when we do.
My journey as a professional athlete, cancer survivor, husband, father and coach has taught me that growth happens when we stop waiting for life to get easier and start developing ourselves instead. I encourage people to become both the warrior and the philosopher of their own life—the warrior with the courage to take action and face adversity, and the philosopher with the wisdom to reflect, learn, and grow from every experience. Through the 4G Framework: Grind, Grit, Grace and Gratitude, together we learn where resilience, fulfillment and lasting greatness are built.
Matthew Gayer
Claim to Fame: I had dinner with Michael J. Fox once, which was pretty great. For my day-to-day and regular speaking though, I have presented to over 30,000 nonprofit and community participants in the last 9 years. From training workshops to the value of community, I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from so many great audiences and participants in so many communities and settings.
Proudest Moment: In 2020, during Covid, I quadrupled the number of participants in our training and collaboration offerings. Over 8,000 nonprofit participants from around the country participated, compared to 2,000 local participants the year before. Translating the content for a virtual setting, becoming hyper-focused on actionable takeaways for the audience and meeting folks where they were at in terms of energy and focus are all things from that year that I am proud of. Specifically, I remember speaking at a meeting of local executive directors and a participant offered they felt less alone as a result of the session. In all times, but especially that time, that was one of the biggest differences I could have helped to make in that moment.
Enduring Message: Community is possible, but it requires action. Community takes work, focus, facilitation and a willingness to collaborate. It does not happen by accident. When I think about the variety of things I speak on, from practical nonprofit management tools to bigger pictures ideas of civic engagement, the running thread through them is that we cannot do this work alone, community requires community. We have to be intentional in building that. I try to apply that ethos to my speaking sessions as well, ensuring opportunity for connection in the audience and an application of the content to the reality the audience is going back to.
Matt May
premierteambuilding.com/speaker
Claim to Fame: After several years producing and facilitating team building programs for a variety of companies, I recognized that there was an alternate way to provide engaging, interactive experiences. As a result, I created Premier Team Building & Interactive Experiences, delivering programs nationwide and abroad. As the company’s president, I am responsible for the design and development of its experiences, overseeing the production and facilitation of these programs, customer support and staff training.
Proudest Moment: While I have had many proud moments in my career, my proudest moment in life was the Christmas gift I gave my 82-year-old mother last year. I flew us to Los Angeles to attended three tapings of Jeopardy, which we watch whenever we are together. I handled and paid for everything (except two meals that she insisted upon paying). It was a really special one-of-a-kind trip for us both and gave me great pride to be able to do that for her.
Enduring Message: Team building doesn’t have to be scary. My hope is that attendees will have laughed, been energized, been engaged and networked without realizing it. Team building is not a bad word and there is no need for fear or anxiety. First and foremost, team building can, and should be fun!
Devon Montgomery Pasha
Claim to Fame: I design experiences that move people. My work lives at the intersection of strategy, event design and live delivery, partnering with organizations long before anyone steps on stage. I do this with my signature SPARK Method (Storytelling, Presence, Activation, Resonance and Kinetics). It’s how I transform passive audiences into active participants and ordinary agendas into unforgettable experiences. My philosophy is simple: If your event can be replaced by content, it will be. I believe the future belongs to experiences that SPARK connection, inspire action and leave people thinking differently long after the event ends.
Proudest Moment: I’ve been fortunate to receive recognition throughout my career, including being named to the Eventex Top 100 in the industry and as a Smart Women Rising Star. Those honors mean the world to me, not because of the titles themselves, but because they came from an industry and community I care deeply about. What I’m proudest of, though, are the conversations that happen long after the applause. Hearing from someone who found the confidence to speak on a bigger stage, pursue a leadership role, redesign an event or simply believe they belonged in the room because of something we experienced together is the greatest reward. Awards celebrate a moment. Watching ideas ripple outward through people, organizations and our industry is something far more meaningful. Knowing I’ve helped elevate the role of strategic emceeing and intentional experience design is the achievement I’m most proud of.
Enduring Message: I hope people remember how they felt. Not because of me, but because of what we created together. I hope they remember walking into a room and feeling like they belonged. Like their perspective mattered. Like they weren’t just another attendee sitting in another chair. I’ve always believed the best events aren’t about stages or speakers. They’re about people. They’re about creating moments where strangers can connect, ideas become action and communities become stronger because they shared an experience together. If there’s one thing I hope people carry with them, it’s this: belonging doesn’t happen by chance and connection doesn’t happen by accident. Both are created through intentional choices, thoughtful design, and genuine care for the people in the room. That’s where the real magic happens.
Angela Smith
Claim to Fame: Building high-performing teams is both my greatest responsibility and my proudest work. From mentoring interns to helping senior leaders step fully into their potential, I focus on unlocking what makes people exceptional—and giving them the clarity and confidence to use it. I teach a few simple truths: build your personal board of directors (a peer, a legend, a coach and a sponsor), invest deeply in others because no one wins alone, stay relentlessly curious and never lose your hunger to grow. Because when people feel seen, supported and challenged, they don’t just perform. They rise.
Proudest Moment: My proudest moment isn’t a single achievement, it’s a pattern that continues to unfold. It’s in the moments where I get to show up, invest in others, learn from mistakes and stay open to feedback, even when it’s hard. It’s watching people I’ve had the privilege to work with step into bigger roles, take risks and achieve things they once questioned were possible. That’s what I call healthy pride. Not the kind that’s loud or performative—but the kind that’s grounded and earned. The kind where you feel good about your growth, your team, and the work you’ve done—without needing to prove it to anyone.
Being named a 2025 Smart Women in Meetings honoree and now a 2026 Hall of Famer is incredibly meaningful. But what matters most is the journey that got me here and the people I get to build alongside every day.
Enduring Message: What you build matters, but how you build it matters more. I believe the best work, the strongest cultures and the most meaningful impact all come from how we show up for people. The way we lead, the way we listen, the way we push each other to be better. You don’t build great teams by having all the answers. You build them by creating an environment where people feel seen, challenged, and trusted to rise. I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room—it’s about creating space for others to find theirs. And at the end of the day, success isn’t just what you accomplish. It’s who you helped grow along the way.
If people remember anything about me, I hope it’s that I pushed them to be better, believed in them before they believed in themselves and built something worth being part of, together.
