Free Business Topics in Chicago

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3: Browse for a topic, Click the orange request button, Fill out the contact form.
Now the speaker will contact you in the next few days to coordinate details.

  • The Cost of Constant Pressure: Why Productivity Culture Is Breaking Leadership—and How Purpose Restores It

    Clara Lucia Jaramillo-Carrier, M.A., PCC, Purpose, Life, Executive Coach and Author, Breaking Through Consulting & Coaching

    We are working harder than ever—yet trust is lower, relationships are strained, and leaders are exhausted. Today’s productivity culture rewards speed, output, and performance at the expense of presence, discernment, and humanity. The result is unnecessary suffering: fear-based decisions, fractured communication, and leadership that reacts instead of leads. MORE >

    This session challenges the myth that more pressure produces better results. Participants will explore how chronic urgency narrows thinking, erodes empathy, and fuels chaos in teams and organizations. Through grounded insights and practical tools, leaders learn that reconnecting with purpose and values is a strategic choice—one that restores clarity, strengthens relationships, and enables sustainable, high-impact leadership without burnout.
    Request This Free Speech

  • Off High Alert: Practical Nervous System Tools for High-Pressure Work Environments

    Ron Martin, Principal, Founder, Executive Coach, Ocean Park Strategic Advisors

    Many capable, high-performing professionals experience stress in their body even when things are going well at work.

    - A tight chest before meetings.
    - A jolt when emails come in.
    - A constant background sense of being “on edge.” MORE >

    This free talk introduces Off High Alert, a practical, body-first approach to understanding and reducing work-related stress that doesn’t rely on mindset shifts, positive thinking, or therapy.

    Participants will learn why the nervous system often stays on high alert in modern work environments and why “just relaxing” rarely works, even for highly competent, prepared professionals.

    This session is especially relevant for people who:

    - Feel physically reactive to emails, meetings, or work interactions before their brain has time to catch up
    - Stay functional and productive while feeling tense or exhausted underneath
    - Don’t want therapy, oversharing, or long emotional processing
    - Want practical tools that can be used during the workday, discreetly and effectively

    During this talk, attendees will:

    - Understand how and why stress shows up physically at work
    - Learn simple, in-the-moment nervous system regulation tools
    - Reframe stress responses without self-blame or pathologizing
    - Leave with a clear, repeatable way to help their body stand down in high-pressure situations

    This is a grounded, practical, work-safe talk designed to meet professionals where they are, without asking them to lower their standards, change who they are, or step away from their careers.

    Request This Free Speech

  • Staying in Your Own Lane Doesn’t Work in Business: Bridging Communication Gaps across Generations & Personalities

    Gabby Rosely, Consultant, Gabby Rosely LLC

    The US workforce is the most age-diverse it's ever been, with Gen Z now outnumbering Boomers for the first time. Yet most teams are still struggling with the same old generational friction.
    I'm gonna be real with you: generational cohorts are just the starting point. MORE >

    You're not actually going to walk around asking coworkers their age so you can put them in a box. That would be weird. If you know someone’s age but still make assumptions about them, the point is totally missed.

    The POINT is: learning about how worldviews & values are shaped, how to ask the right questions, read the room, and connect with people who think completely differently than you do. This keynote / workshop gives you the tools to do that - with your team, with strangers, with prospective clients - so you stop second-guessing yourself and start building actual trust.

    “Staying in Your Own Lane DOESN’T work in Business” moves beyond tired stereotypes to unlock what actually motivates Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.

    What You'll Experience:
    - Understand the real values and communication preferences driving each generation
    - Interactive exercises that build empathy and reveal hidden strengths
    - Practice the conversations you've been avoiding, like, giving feedback, addressing conflict, motivating people who seem checked out
    - Leave with a personalized strategy to connect authentically with every team member

    The real result? You stop tiptoeing. Your team stops living on islands. You build the kind of trust that makes people actually want to work together. Generational differences become your greatest advantage.

    Why me? I'm a Gen Z leader who managed teams across all four major generations at age 21. I also totally face-planted at first, thinking I could "stay in my lane," do things my way, and it'd all work out. Spoiler: it didn't. I had to learn this stuff the hard way, in the face of everyone doubting me because of my age. (Trained by Gallup-certified Strength Advisors & MetaPerformance Institute, but honestly, the real credential is that I've lived both sides.).

    Request This Free Speech

  • How to Have Effective Hard Conversations

    Tim Reynolds, Co-Founder, Clover Lane Partners, LLC

    Most of us dislike confrontation. As a result, we often feel a primal urge to avoid it at almost any cost. But there are real costs to be paid. Avoidance damages relationships, hurts productivity, and undermines leadership authority and the ability to develop and mentor others. And avoidance is all too common and often ends up in terminations that go horribly wrong or broken relationships leaving all involved dispirited. MORE >

    This practical, hands on workshop will provide both the training on how to overcome avoidance and the how to have an effective difficult conversation that will benefit everyone involved.
    Request This Free Speech

  • 5 Secrets of Businesses That Actually Thrive (Not Just Survive)

    Amanda Wittenborn, Owner, Amanda Creation Inc.

    Why do some businesses seem to grow with ease while others constantly struggle to stay afloat?
    In this uplifting and practical keynote, Amanda Wittenborn, founder of a multi-million-dollar creative brand, reveals the five hidden factors that separate thriving entrepreneurs from the ones just trying to get by. MORE >

    After losing her business twice—and rebuilding stronger each time—Amanda discovered that lasting success isn’t about luck, trends, or working harder. It’s about mastering five timeless principles that every thriving business has in common.

    With her signature blend of real-world honesty and contagious optimism, Amanda helps audiences uncover what’s really holding them back and shows them how to create momentum, confidence, and clarity in their business again.

    Attendees will learn how to:
    ✅ Identify and focus on the work that actually drives growth
    ✅ Harness mindset and energy as tools for strategic success
    ✅ Build simple systems that support (not suffocate) creativity
    ✅ Stay grounded and resilient when plans fall apart
    ✅ Lead with purpose, authenticity, and joy

    Whether you’re an entrepreneur, creative, or leader in transition, this talk will inspire you to stop surviving—and start truly thriving.

    Request This Free Speech

  • Fail, Pivot, Rise: The Real Story Behind a 7-Figure Comeback

    Amanda Wittenborn, Owner, Amanda Creation Inc.

    What if losing everything was the best thing that ever happened to you?
    After being banned from Etsy and watching her thriving business collapse during COVID, Amanda Wittenborn could’ve quit. Instead, she rebuilt—twice—each time stronger and more aligned than before. MORE >

    In this raw, inspiring keynote, Amanda shares the real behind-the-scenes of losing, pivoting, and rising again to build a multi-million-dollar brand.
    You’ll learn how to:

    Turn failure into fuel for growth

    Recognize the signs it’s time to pivot

    Rebuild your confidence (and your business) when everything crumbles

    Audiences leave fired up, hopeful, and ready to turn any challenge into a comeback story of their own.

    Request This Free Speech

  • Your Superpower Advantage: The Mindset Shift That Built a 7-Figure Business

    Amanda Wittenborn, Owner, Amanda Creation Inc.

    What if the key to your next level of success isn’t outside of you—but already inside?
    In this energetic, interactive talk, 7-figure entrepreneur Amanda Wittenborn helps audiences uncover the hidden strengths that make them magnetic to success. She reveals how she built her multi-million-dollar brand not by following trends or strategies—but by amplifying her natural gifts and trusting her own creative power. MORE >

    Attendees will walk away knowing how to:

    Identify their unique “superpower” that no competitor can replicate

    Reframe self-doubt into confidence and clarity

    Use authenticity as a growth strategy in business and life

    Perfect for entrepreneurs, women in business, or creative professionals ready to stop blending in and start standing out.

    Request This Free Speech

  • Cash Flow is King: Why Profit Doesn’t Always Mean You’re in Control

    Mark Knaack, Business Development Director, Guardian Chamber

    Every business owner has heard the phrase “cash is king,” but too many discover the truth the hard way — when they run out of cash even though their business looks profitable on paper. Profit is an accounting result, but cash flow is what keeps the doors open, employees paid, and opportunities funded. MORE >

    At Guardian Chamber, we teach owners how to take control of their financial story by understanding where their money really goes, building systems to smooth out cash flow, and using credit as a safety net—not a crutch. Because when you have clarity on your cash, you gain both control and the confidence to scale.
    Request This Free Speech

  • The Hidden Value Driver: How Business Credit Builds Company Worth

    Mark Knaack, Business Development Director, Guardian Chamber

    Most business owners think of credit only as a way to borrow money, but the truth is, strong business credit is a hidden driver of company value. When banks, investors, and even potential buyers look at your business, they’re not just reviewing your financial statements — they’re evaluating your ability to access and manage capital without leaning on personal guarantees. MORE >

    A business with established credit is seen as more fundable, less risky, and ultimately more valuable. At Guardian Chamber, we show owners how building credit isn’t just about getting loans — it’s about creating leverage, increasing valuation, and giving you more control over your company’s growth and future.
    Request This Free Speech

  • Stories that Connect: Building Empathy Through Personal Narrative

    Leilani Garrett, Principal Storyteller / Founder, Be More Human

    In this 90-minute interactive experience, Leilani guides participants through the process of writing and sharing their personal stories. The result? Deeper trust, increased empathy, and real connection between colleagues who usually only talk in metrics. Ideal for leadership retreats, ERG activations, or culture-building experiences, this workshop makes space for brave reflection and meaningful dialogue—and leaves teams more human than they were before. MORE >

    This is more than a workshop—it’s a reset.
    Request This Free Speech