Your next event is missing just one thing, a powerful voice to launch the day. Impactful female motivational speakers can boost attendance, engagement, and morale. However, it is crucial you hire the right motivational speaker for your audience.
For events that platform the voices of women, or with the mission of celebrating diversity, choose a motivational speaker that will resonate with your message. Moreover, academic studies have shown that audiences are most engaged when a motivational speaker not only shows passion and emotion, but also extensive knowledge. That’s why this year several subject matter experts have made our list of top female motivational speakers.
Our List of Top 20 Female Motivational Speakers:
Barbara Corcoran
- Entrepreneurship
- Real Estate
- Venture Capital
Barbara Corcoran is best known as one of the “Sharks” on ABC’s 4-time Emmy award-winning hit reality show Shark Tank, of which she is also the executive producer.
What many don’t know is that Corcoran built the largest residential realty in New York with just a $1,000 loan.
Corcoran is one of the most-booked female motivational speakers with a background in real estate and venture capital.
Book Barbara Corcoran.
Leslie Maxie
- Olympian
- Meeting Host & Emcee
- Ageism & Work-life Balance
Leslie Maxie is an Olympian, lifestyle entrepreneur, and former sportscaster for ESPN, Fox Sports, and NBC.
Her motto is “Excellence is not an accident” and she has shown audiences across the globe how they can achieve success using the Olympic Mindset.
In addition to being a record-holding athlete, Leslie Maxie is also a media consultant, having led media activations for BET and NASCAR, and manages the public relations of high-profile individuals.
Maxie is also the founder of Not Your Mama’s 50, a movement dedicated to supporting MidLove Sisters (Midlife and LOVING it).
Leslie Maxies’ speaking topics include Kicking Ass and Taking on Ageism and Ever Meta Women, two topics dedicated to empowering women in the workforce.
Book Leslie Maxie.
Want to book stunning talent at your event?
Tara Schuster
- Best-selling Author
- Former VP of Talent and Development at Comedy Central
- Workplace Culture
Tara Schuster is a former television executive and best-selling author of Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies.
While the VP of Talent and Development at Comedy Central, she was the executive in charge of critically acclaimed shows such as Key & Peele.
Today, she is a keynote speaker that draws from her experiences as a woman in Hollywood, the ups and downs of her career, and the discrimination she faced. Most importantly, Schuster’s mission is to give her audience the tools they need to find their authentic voice.
Tara Schuster’s name recognition and following make her a top motivational speaker for young professionals at entrepreneurship conferences and expos.
Book Tara Schuster.
Emily Harrington
- World-class Adventurer
- TED Talk Speaker
- Featured on HBO
Emily Harrington is a 5-time US National Champion rock climber and proudly stands as an outspoken woman in the sport of rock climbing.
Her athletic achievements regularly attract international press, and she has been featured in HBO’s Edge of The Earth series.
Harrington gives keynote speeches that inspire audiences with timeless lessons about fear, success, and teamwork.
Her TED Talk Finding Fear is a viral hit and is a popular choice for sales-motivation events as well as annual awards banquets.
Book Emily Harrington.
Annika Sorenstam
- World Golf Hall of Famer
- Brand Ambassador
- Tailored Appearances
Annika Sorenstam, regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time, is an icon for women the world over.
She is an LPGA and World Golf hall of famer, as well as an 8-time player of the year with 90 worldwide tournament wins.
Today, Fortune 500 companies hire Sorenstam for fireside chats and guest speaker appearances.
As a world-class athlete, Sorenstam is one of the most-booked female motivational speakers for smaller C-suite events.
Book Annika Sorenstam.
Margaret Hoelzer
- Olympic Medalist
- Spokesperson for the National Children’s Advocacy Center
- Health & Wellness
Olympic medalist Margaret Hoelzer is a keynote speaker and spokesperson for the National Children’s Advocacy Center.
Hoelzer is one of the first professional athletes to speak out about their experience with sexual abuse. Before the “times up” and “me too” movements, she leveraged her platform as an Olympic athlete to spread awareness.
She regularly speaks to Children’s Advocacy Centers, and other non-profit organizations across the country, regarding her experience with sexual abuse.
Book Margaret Hoelzer.
Mel Robbins
- Top-booked International Keynote Speaker
- Television Personality
- CEO
CEO, author, and TV host Mel Robbins is a prolific keynote speaker and digital media consultant for Fortune 500 companies.
After her TEDx talk went viral, Stop Saying You’re Fine: Discover a More Powerful You, Mel Robbins quickly became one of the most-booked female motivational speakers.
Her speeches are revolutionary, and she wants you to know: The secret to changing your life is five simple seconds.
Book Mel Robbins.
Yvonne Cagle
- NASA Astronaut
- Strategic Relationships Manager for Google
- United States Military Veteran
Yvonne Cagle is a retired Air Force colonel and astronaut. She currently works with NASA to help solve the issues that astronauts face during longer stays in space.
Cagle has also served as the Strategic Relationships Manager for Google and other SIlicon Valley Programmatic Partnerships.
She loves to inspire young professional women to strive for their greatest dreams.
“What’s your moonshot?” – Yvonne Cagle
Book Yvonne Cagle
Sarah Robb O’Hagan
- Former Executive of Gatorade, Equinox, and major Sports Brands
- Transforming Organizations Through Tech
- Women’s Empowerment
Forbes named Sarah Robb O’Hagan as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Sports,” and for good reason. While in executive leadership positions, O’Hagan revitalized the brands of Gatorade and Equinox with a technology transformation.
After climbing to the top of the executive ladder, O’Hagan saw it as her responsibility to empower other women entrepreneurs. She once served on Hillary Clinton’s US State Department Council to Empower Women and girls through sports. Additionally, she currently sits on the board of STRAVA, a social network for athletes.
Her speeches cover the missteps that eventually led her down the path to success, a message that has resonated with thousands of professionals across the globe.
Book Sarah Robb O’Hagan.
Keren Elazari
- Cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert
- TED Talk Speaker
- Women in Tech
Keren Elazari is a leading voice for women in cybersecurity and tech. Forbes named Elazari one of the top 50 most influential women in Israel, as she is the founder of Israel’s largest security community event.
Elazari grew up in Tel Aviv, Israel, and found her passion for computers at an early age. She would go on to serve in the Israeli Defence Forces for ten years as a cybersecurity officer of the intelligence arm.
Following the success of her TED Talk, Elazari began a career in keynote and motivational speaking. Her world-renowned expertise makes her one of the top female motivational speakers in the tech and cybersecurity industries.
Book Keren Elazari.
Annie Duke
- World Series of Poker Champion
- Best-selling Author
- Decision Making
World Series of Poker champion and national best-selling author Annie Duke is a top keynote speaker in high-performance decision making.
She has won more than $4 million in tournament poker, and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up competition.
Duke’s keynote speeches highlight the psychological analysis required for rational decision making.
Book Annie Duke.
Carey Lohrenz
Carey Lohrenz is one of the first fully-qualified female naval aviators to fly the F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. military.
She is also the author of two best-sellers : Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck and Span of Control: What to do When You Are Under Pressure, Overwhelmed and Ready to Get What You Really Want.
Her credentials make Lohrenze one of the best female motivational speakers hired by companies that value the service of U.S. military veterans, and the lessons in leadership they embody.
Book Carey Lohrenz.
Erin Merryn
- Activist and Mind Behind Erin’s Law
- Advocate for Children
- Women’s Empowerment
Erin Merryn is an author, activist, and advocate for children who are the victims of child abuse. Merryn experienced sexual abuse throughout her childhood, and she devoted her life’s work to helping other children get the support they need.
In 2008, Merryn began writing to legislators, asking them to require personal body safety to be taught to children in school. For the next seven years, Merryn traveled across the United States to pass what is now known as Erin’s Law. In 2015, President Obama would sign Erin’s Law and provide the federal funding necessary to teach children personal body safety.
Today, Erin Merryn is an international keynote speaker, inspiring millions of people across the globe. She has been featured on Inside Edition, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and several other television spotlights.
Book Erin Merryn.
Jade McCarthy
- Legendary ESPN Sportscaster
- SiriusXM NFL Radio Host
- Lifestyle & Faith-based Keynote Speaker
Jade McCarthy is a SiriusXM NFL Radio host, lifestyle influencer, and former ESPN sportscaster.
McCarthy had been an anchor for ESPN’s SportsCenter for 5 years when, in 2017, ESPN announced massive layoffs for their on-air personalities. She would be told about her lay-off moments before going live, suddenly ending her career with ESPN.
McCarthy seized this moment to re-evaluate and transform her career, focusing on her faith, family, and helping other women achieve a work-life balance.
She now hosts Sports Spectrum’s Transformed, a podcast where she interviews sports stars and celebrities about transformational moments in their careers. Furthermore, McCarthy never left the world of sportscasting, and still hosts weekly shows on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Jade McCarthy, from the perspective of a mother and accomplished professional, speaks on the topics of work-life balance and disruption.
Book Jade McCarthy.
Tara Bench
- Television Cooking Demonstrator
- Lifestyle Influencer
- Entrepreneur
Tara Bench is a cookbook author, professional cooking demonstrator, and founder of the lifestyle website Tara Teaspoon.
Fox and Friends, Studio 5 and The Today Show have featured Bench for her cooking demonstrations.
She first found her passion for food writing as a food editor for Martha Stewart Living. Then she would become the Food Director for Ladies’ Home Journal Magazine.
Bench would launch her own publication, Tara Teaspoon, after seeing a gap in the home-cooking market for online recipes.
As an accomplished entrepreneur and businesswoman, Tara Bench gives keynote and motivational speeches on career-growth and success.
Book Tara Bench.
Lisa Kohn
- Survivor of The Unification Church
- Women’s Empowerment
- Host & Emcee
Lisa Kohn is an author, executive coach, and motivational speaker that came of age in the infamous “Moonies” cult, officially known as The Unification Church.
Kohn shares her lived experience as a cult survivor to give an exemplary story of resilience, overcoming adversity, and self-forgiveness.
While Lisa Kohn’s battles were personal, the methods she used to recover from a childhood of abuse are universal. Kohn regularly speaks to non-profits and women’s groups about the power for forgiving one’s self, and forging their own path.
Book Lisa Kohn.
Homa Tavangar
- Global Activist with the World Bank and USAID
- International Education Subject Matter Expert
- NGOs & Non-profits
Homa Tavangar is a best-selling author, media consultant, and activist with over 20 years of experience in international development initiatives. She has worked with organizations such as the World Bank and USAID to provide greater access to education globally with the mission of achieving global unity.
Her work has earned interdisciplinary recognition from the likes of Dr. Jane Goodall to the BBC and audiences around the world.
Outside of her work in activism and NGOs, she has also advised top media companies such as NBC universal in cultural bias.
Tavangar is a highly sought after motivational speaker for women in the fields of education and political activism.
Book Homa Tavangar.
Grace Killelea
- Former Comcast Executive
- DE&I Consultant
- World-class Executive Coach
Grace Killelea is a world-class executive coach and DE&I consultant who specializes in women’s leadership building and human resource management.
As the Senior Vice President of Talent with Comcast, Killelea led the training and development of over 3,000 directors every year of her tenure while prioritizing diversity and inclusion efforts. Following her career with Comcast, Killelea dedicated her life to empowering and connecting women in the workforce.
She is a widely-recognized TEDx speaker and has given keynotes to the ESPN Women’s Leadership Conference, the WithIT Conference, and countless other high-profile events.
Book Grace Killelea.
Gil Baram
- Cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert
- Strategic Cyber Lecturer
- Top Academic Researcher
Gil Baram is a cybersecurity strategy and policy expert with over 15 years of experience in leading innovative research, lecturing, and consulting senior business leaders and government officials.
Baram has developed and led strategic cyber lectures for leading tech companies and has presented at top conferences such as CyberWeek and CyCon.
She is also a co-founder of the ongoing mentoring program for women and underrepresented minorities in national security at the Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation.
Book Gil Baram.
Diana Nyad
- International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
- TED Talk Speaker
- Professional Sportscaster
Diana Nyad is an International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, professional sportscaster, TED Talk speaker and the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage.
In the 1970s she was regarded as the world’s greatest long-distance swimmer. Following her break-out success, she became a prolific sportscaster and journalist for Fox Sports, ABC, and The USA Network. Additionally, she was a regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered and CBS News’s Sunday Morning show.
Nyad speaks on her experience as a world-class marathon swimmer, and the skills she honed while training for her swim from Cuba to Florida.
Book Diana Nyad.
Hiring Top Female Motivational Speakers
The Mollie Plotkin Group is honored to represent top female motivational speakers in every industry.
Contact us for more information, and we’ll connect with you immediately to start planning your next conference, meeting, or expo.
