Michael Port is an American entrepreneur, author, and angel investor. A New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Michael's nine books have been translated into 29 languages. After spending a decade delivering thousands of paid speeches on the world’s biggest stages, Michael sold his first company, Book Yourself Solid Worldwide, and founded Heroic Public Speaking with his wife, Amy Port. Heroic Public Speaking develops and nurtures the next generation of thought leaders, as well as CEOs and founders, bestselling authors, business owners, and movement leaders.
Amy Port is the Co-Founder and President of Heroic Public Speaking; her work extends from the execution of corporate training packages, to development of CEO keynotes, private masterclasses and coaching.
After earning her MFA in Acting from The Yale School of Drama, Amy spent years acting professionally in theaters such as Seattle Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare and Yale Rep, and working consistently in commercials. She now applies the skills of performance that only well-trained actors know to the coaching of ‘non-actors’ looking to crush their sales presentations, to make their voices heard in TED Talk style presentations, and to take the big stage keynoting major conferences.
Geoffrey H. Garrett, a senior attorney at Byrd Garrett Wealth Preservation, said: “As a military pilot and B-747 captain over a forty-year career, I received every kind of skill-specific training and encountered every sort of teacher. I consider Amy to be, hands down, the best trainer-coach I have ever met. I cannot recommend her services highly enough."
As Partner & Chief Marketing Officer, Andrew Davis champions Heroic’s thought leadership in the business of speaking. The co-author of The Referable Speaker one of the most in-demand speakers working today, Andrew helps our students master the speaking industry and build sustainable careers as thought leaders.
Andrew is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker. Before building and selling a thriving digital marketing agency, Andrew produced for NBC’s Today Show, worked for The Muppets in New York and wrote for Charles Kuralt. He's appeared in the New York Times, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and on NBC and the BBC. Davis has crafted documentary films and award-winning content for tiny start-ups and Fortune 500 brands. Recognized as one of the industry's "Jaw-Dropping Marketing Speakers," Andrew is a mainstay on global marketing influencer lists. Wherever he goes, Andrew Davis puts his infectious enthusiasm and magnetic speaking style to good use teaching business leaders how to grow their businesses, transform their cities, and leave their legacy.
As Partner and Head Writing Coach, AJ Harper champions Heroic’s thought leadership in the art and business of writing. A key leader in our programming, AJ guides students through developing and writing their speeches, and she uses her decades of experience in publishing to help them develop book projects.
AJ Harper is an editor and publishing strategist who helps authors write transformational books that enable them to build readership, grow their brand, and make a significant impact on the world. As a ghostwriter and developmental editor, AJ has worked with newbies to New York Times-bestselling authors with millions of books sold.
As co-founder and senior editor for a small, award-winning LGBTQ-focused press, she acquired and edited novels that helped change the publishing landscape for LGBTQ fiction and launched the careers of several bestselling Young Adult authors. AJ is a steadfast advocate for representation in literature. AJ and her co-founders sold the company to Chicago Review Press in 2021.
As our Head Writing Coach, AJ helped develop Heroic's 1st Term speech development program. She was part of the coach team for TEDx Cambridge, one of the longest-running and largest TED events in the world. She has coached renowned economic research scientists from Harvard, Yale, MIT, and the World Economic Forum, and has helped create keynotes for bestselling authors, award-winning thought leaders, and inspired agents of change.
She is the author of Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives—Including Your Own.
At Heroic Public Speaking, the future is brighter than ever. As Chief Operating Officer, Kate Swann does the deep, long-term work that closes the distance between where we are, and where we need to be.
Before joining Heroic Public Speaking, Kate served as Chief Operating Officer at Purpose, a global social impact agency that is a part of CapGemini. Prior to Purpose, she served as COO at Blue State, a tech and creative agency, and was the COO at Frog Design, a world-renowned creative and product innovation company.
Kate has decades of experience leading operations and overseeing multiple digital business transformations for Fortune 500 companies. With experience in scaling, succession planning, and mergers and acquisitions, Kate’s leadership helps Heroic Public Speaking map out the path to our future.
Julianne doesn’t just crunch numbers: she crushes them, saves them, and plans them for bigger, better student experiences. As our Senior Director of Operations, Julianne is in charge of helping our leadership team make smart decisions that support the financial health and growth of the company.
The student experience is at the very heart of everything we do. As Student Experience Manager, Becca oversees the day-to-day management of the student experience, providing operational support and ensuring student success at all stages of their journey. Becca helps cultivate and create the supportive, community-centered learning environment that helps our students master their craft.
Big things are always happening at Heroic Public Speaking, and Shana is the behind-the-scenes events wiz who brings it all together. With an elevated personal touch and a keen knack for making meaningful connections, Shana spent years producing high-profile events featuring icons like Julius Erving, Allen Iverson, and even Tha Doggfather himself, Snoop Dogg.
Shana’s glowing personality and strong leadership have earned her recognition by the Philadelphia Tribune, the Philadelphia NAACP, and Philadelphia City Council as one of Philly’s most influential leaders.
At Heroic Public Speaking, moments of magic happen all the time. Stirring performances, creative breakthroughs, those aha! instances when everything suddenly becomes clear—that's what we're all about.
Only, it's not (just) magic. It's result of fine-tuned, perfectly calibrated experiences that have been designed, refined, and whipped into shape by Alex Mottershead. As Heroic Public Speaking's Experiential Design Manager, Alex draws on her history in events, entertainment, and education to identify and drive innovative strategies that enhance (and maximize) our students' experience. When magic happens at Heroic Public Speaking, take a close, close look, and you'll see Alex's fingerprints all over it.
As Heroic Public Speaking’s Enrollment Advisor, Courtney is laser-focused on making sure the student onboarding experience is smooth, seamless, and even a little fun. (Or a lot of fun!) Before joining Heroic Public Speaking, Courtney worked in wine sales for sixteen years—so not only can she answer your questions about the student enrollment process; she can also recommend a pitch perfect Chablis.
Heroic Public Speaking is home to an incredible community of speakers and thought leaders from around the world. With Community and Programs Manager Rebecca Siler, that community is in very, very capable hands.
Rebecca first joined Heroic Public Speaking as a student. Now, as a full-time team member, she uses her expertise in experience management and her deep understanding of the student journey to serve our community. Rebecca’s effervescent personality and genuine passion for fostering community infuses her work as she supports our students ongoing development and growth.
Maria is an Admissions Advisor at Heroic Public Speaking, where she supports students in finding the best programs to develop their unique voice and achieve their goals. Before joining Heroic Public Speaking, Maria honed her coaching and advisor skills at an ed-tech startup. She's coached countless adult students in identifying their goals and successfully navigating the enrollment process.
Maria is passionate about creative self-expression, and about helping others discover new ways to express themselves.
As an Admissions Associate, J.R. gets to do what he loves most: build meaningful connections with passionate people. With a background in business management, sales, and logistics, J.R. finds joy in celebrating what excites others. Whether it’s reading on the front porch, working in the wood shop, or hitting absolute dingers in his church softball league, J.R. loves to have fun wherever he goes.
Creation. Innovation. Execution. That's what Terayah Overton specializes in, and she does it for our students all the time as our Events Associate. With experience in festivals, corporate events, and event management, Terayah curates transformational experiences that maximize our students' time with us. Whether it's getting all the necessary preparations in place or facilitating a pitch-perfect event experience, Terayah does it all with her trademark touch of white-glove service.
Gilian is an award-winning marketer who's worked in travel, non-profit and fintech. As Marketing Operations Manager, she's all about making the marketing wheels turn and driving businesses forward on their road to growth.
Gilian is very proud to be part of the Heroic team. As a passionate speaker who has spoken at industry conferences and job fairs, she understands and the power of performance and how it can change lives.
Brenda Barbosa is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including USA Today, Inc.com, Forbes.com, and the Huffington Post. She uses the timeless art of storytelling to help authors, speakers, professionals and business owners craft unforgettable copy that captivate and inspire audiences around the world to think, feel and act differently.
Brenda has worked with New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling authors, CEOs, tech entrepreneurs, world-class scientists and scholars, as well TEDx speakers whose talks went on to be featured on the renowned TED.com. Brenda wrote and performed her own talk in front of hundreds at the prestigious Moth Miami where she was voted among the top three finalists.
As a journalist whose career has spanned more than two decades, Brenda will do almost anything for a good story. She's interviewed drug dealers in cemeteries and jumped out of an airplane to document an 80-year-old's lifelong dream of skydiving – all that despite a crippling fear of heights and dead people.
Zoë Bird is a poet, editor, teaching artist, and performer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her work has been published in numerous journals and anthologies, and featured in collaboration with artists in all media including ceramicists, harmonium players, and Butoh dancers. She has been a teaching artist with the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project (APP) since 2005 and the director of APP-Minnesota since 2012, and is a longtime mentor and consultant in the field of creative aging.
Zoë was Book Lab’s Lead Editor for nine years. Her editing credits include 15 nonfiction bestsellers, and winners of numerous honors and awards in fiction including an NYC Big Book Award, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and a Lambda Literary Award.
Damon Brown helps side hustlers, solopreneurs, and other non-traditional creatives bloom. As a best-selling author, two-time startup founder, and three-time TED Speaker, he co-founded the popular platonic connection app Cuddlr and led it to acquisition within a year, all while being the primary caretaker of his infant first son.
He now guides others through his one-on-one coaching, Inc. Magazine column, and public speaking on platforms like TED. Damon’s latest book is Bring Your Worth: Level Up Your Creative Power, Value & Service in the World, the follow-up to his best-seller The Ultimate Bite-Sized Entrepreneur: 76 Ways to Boost Time, Focus & Productivity on Your Big Idea.
Damon is a long-time writer for Playboy, New York Post, and more, and has two degrees in journalism, including a Masters in Magazine Publishing from Northwestern. Most recently, Damon was the Toledo Library’s first Entrepreneur-In-Residence. He is now based in Las Vegas.
Cosmin Costin, founder of Retina Web Agency, has been developing websites and internet applications for the coaching industry since 2006. He has more than 20 years' experience on the web and is skilled in project management, programming, seo and affiliate marketing. While running his own internet ventures with ROI of over 1000%, Cosmin also develops web applications with tens of thousands of users and millions of records per day for businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies.
Janice Gable Bashman is the author of Predator and Wanted Undead or Alive (Bram Stoker Finalist; co-authored by New York Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry). As a book coach and ghostwriter, she has turned ideas from business and thought leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, industry experts, and others into non-fiction books. Janice served as managing editor and publisher of The Big Thrill, the International Thriller Writers’ magazine. Her short fiction has been published in various anthologies and magazines. She has written for leading publications, including the Short Story Writer’s Market, The Writer, Writer’s Digest, and Wild River Review.
Janice has been a speaker and workshop leader at writers’ conferences, including ThrillerFest, SCBWI NJ, Pennwriters, The Write Stuff, Stoker weekend, and others. She is a member of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and International Thriller Writers, where she served as a Vice President and a member of the board of directors. Janice has worked in television/film production and multimedia production. She also has a master’s degree in clinical psychology.
Cristina helps coaches look great online and work more efficiently. She knows a lot about responsive websites, optins, building a list, autoresponders, content dripping, personal branding, automating your business, graphic design, online marketing, having fun! She's proud to work with an amazing team of developers and designers that she coordinates with great results.
Andrea (she/her) is a writer, editing strategist, leadership coach and watercolorist. She’s helped thousands of entrepreneurs and non-profit leaders - people who are caring, daring and a little bit bonkers - create intellectual property that generates revenue while solidifying their thought leadership.
Her own writing includes Multiple Streams of Coaching Income which was heralded as “the Bible for coaches who want to make money” back when people used to say “what sport?” when you told them you were a coach. She also wrote We Need to Talk: Your Guide to Challenging Business Conversations and articles in Filter-Free Parents and the Washington Post. She is a loud and proud alumni of Heroic Public Speaking where she first met AJ Harper, her writing coach, and reconnected with Michael who she once co-hosted a workshop with in New York, back when he had hair. She has taught and presented on stages in Ecuador, India, Romania, the US, the UK and the smallest Chamber of Commerce in Canada.
Andrea is first-generation Canadian of Taiwanese parents, living near Bobcaygeon, Ontario.
Kristin Pape is a writer and editor based in New York. Before retiring from academia, she worked as a professor for nearly twenty years, teaching writing, literature, disability studies, queer studies and film theory, most recently at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
She earned a B.A. in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.F.A. in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College, and she completed her Ph.D. studies in Comparative Literature at SUNY@Stony Brook. Thanks to her doctoral work and her upbringing as the child of an immigrant parent, Kristin learned to speak six languages (English, Greek, French, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin Chinese). Under her pen name Alysia Constantine, she is the author of three novels: Sweet (2016), Olympia Knife (2017) and Luckmonkey (forthcoming in February 2021).
With sites, printed materials, and even a bit of interior design, Sienna crafts design from a service-oriented mindset. Everything Sienna touches turns to gold … unless she’s working on our branding … then it turns to #2e2d51, #dee1ee, #e11c4e, and #000000.
With every event and program, Sienna thinks about ways to serve and provide you with tangible takeaways. Not only does Sienna work behind the scenes, but she also works with our long-term students on how to create websites and contextual models that make event planners want to book a conversation. She makes everyone’s days brighter and their experiences optimal.
In addition to being a CPA and a CFP® professional, Matt has earned quite a list of licenses & certifications throughout his career. If we included all the acronyms here, it might start to look more like alphabet soup than a bio. While they are certainly admirable accomplishments, it is the combination of Matt’s training and education, alongside his practical real-world experience that allows him to assist our clients in this forward-thinking manne.
Jen Singer is a Heroic Public Speaking writing faculty member and an award-winning writer, author, and editor. She helps speakers and authors access their inner wisdom to craft compelling stories for the stage and the page.
Her work has appeared in numerous media outlets, including Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and she has appeared on the CBS Evening News, Fox & Friends, and Today.
Janet Steen is a writer, editor, and literary curator based in New York. She started her career at Esquire and worked as literary editor at Details and Time Out New York. As a writer, she has published in the New York Times, LitHub, Longreads, Salon, The American, and many other places. As a freelance editor and writing coach, she has helped authors with novels, memoirs, nonfiction books, and essay collections, guiding them toward their full potential. She was a co-founding curator of the Murmrr Lit reading series in Brooklyn, NY.
Named one of the “Top 10 Creative Canadians” by Marketing Magazine, Ron has been an award winning advertising writer and Creative Director for some of the world’s most respected brands including Air France, Evian, Fidelity, Hershey, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Intel, Microsoft, Volvo, and many others.
His advertising work has been recognized by The London International Advertising Awards, The New York Festivals of Advertising, The Crystals, The Extras, The Canadian Marketing Association, The Advertising & Design Club of Canada, and The Marketing Awards, to name just a few.
He is founder and CEO of The Tite Group, Executive Producer & Host of the Canadian Comedy Award-winning show Monkey Toast, and Publisher of the award winning and best selling humour book, This is That Travel Guide to Canada with CBC Radio’s hit show, This is That.
He has written for a number of other television series, penned a children’s book, and wrote, performed, and produced the play, The Canadian Baby Bonus. In demand as a speaker on innovation, branding, content marketing, and his own take on modern business, The Expression Economy, Ron has spoken to leading organizations all over the world.
Ron’s own book, Everyone’s An Artist (Or At Least They Should Be), was published by HarperCollins in 2016.
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