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.