Ben Utecht
It is rare to find a true Renaissance man anymore, but that’s just that you get with Ben Utecht. Ben has always chased his dreams, finding his way from a small river town in Minnesota to a Super Bowl championship field. Whether it was becoming a world champion in football, singing with major symphonies, serenading Muhammad Ali on his 70th birthday, or stepping into a national advocacy role, Ben has found success in many realms. He honed his already keen public speaking skills at the University of Minnesota, where he graduated with a degree in communications and even started a master’s degree in sports management before being swept up into the NFL.
Ben has established himself as a prominent national leadership and motivational speaker for corporations, conventions, and non-profit events. Both of his programs, The Champion’s Way™ and The MVP Program™, stem from lessons he learned in the locker room with Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy and in the huddle with future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning. The Champion’s Way™ spotlights and breaks down “The 4 Ls” of leadership: listening, learning, language, and love. The MVP Program™ comes from Ben’s experience with concussions. It inspires audiences to truly care about their minds and to discover how integral memory is to identity. Both programs illuminate dynamic ways to succeed in business and life.
I believe, as a speaker, that vulnerability equals connectivity. This is why I approach my keynote presentations with a mission of bringing you on an emotional journey through my life, into a hall-of-fame huddle, and onto a field of high-impact lessons. All our lives tell a story, and this is how I tell mine!
As an influential advocate for brain health, Ben served as the national spokesperson for the American Academy of Neurology and currently sits on the prestigious board of the American Brain Foundation. Ben was given the AAN’s most esteemed honor, the Public Leadership in Neurology Award, in 2014. Also at that time, Ben released a music video for his song “You Will Always Be My Girls,” written as a love letter to his wife and daughters with the goal of emotionally connecting people to the importance of their memories. The video has impacted the lives of many, garnering over 1.3 million YouTube views to date.
Ben can now add “author” to his résumé, with the release of his new book Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away, published by Simon & Schuster. The book is the first memoir from a former NFL player who left the game as a result of concussions. It takes the reader on a heart-felt journey through the ups and downs of Ben’s life with faith, family, and football. Ben has a message of hope that has reached a nation-wide audience, inspiring people to value every moment to its fullest.
Amy Dee
Amy Dee is recognized by audiences across the country as a master storyteller and brilliant comedian. She combines her background in standup comedy and theatre with her RN degree and experience as a successful business owner to deliver hilarious stories and valuable content on the brain and behavior. Her message and music rise above the boundaries of gender, age, and occupation. Amy’s hilarious stories coupled with her phenomenal content propels audiences to live, act, and work better. Her authentic spirit and down to earth approach have made her one of the most sought-after speakers throughout the United States. She is truly one of the best speakers in the country at combining message and humor.
Amy’s background is as diverse as her audiences. She once ran a non-profit where she managed five hundred volunteers and organized multiple fundraisers that culminated in an eight-hour telethon.
Amy lived in Norway from 1994-2003, and while learning to speak, read and write in Norwegian, she started a photo calendar business in her home. Her company grew to become Xerox’s largest customer in Scandinavia.
Amy returned to college at age forty-three to obtain her RN degree. She was nominated for Nurse of the Year several times during her nine years as a Psychiatric RN. Amy has been a monthly guest expert on NBC affiliate ND Today. She has written four books and numerous song parodies.
Laura Schara
Nature is our greatest teacher. Laura Schara, TV host of MN Bound on KARE-11 shares stories what it’s like growing up in the wild outdoors. She highlights valuable lessons learned by spending time outdoors which gives us tools to succeed in life, increase happiness & productivity as well as skills we need to thrive in business and entrepreneurship. The wilderness provides way more than basic needs and the teacher appears the minute we step outside.
Amy S. Tolbert
Amy S. Tolbert, Ph.D., CSP develops multicultural organizations and individuals by bringing you cutting-edge topics, such as, multicultural and diversity initiatives, leadership competency development, managing to style, and creating breakthrough teams. She is principal of ECCO (Energizing Cultural Change in Organizations) International, which specializes in increasing individuals’ productivity and organizations’ profitability through virtual and facilitated learning.
She is well authored with 4 books, many articles, validated assessment tools, asynchronous course offerings, active blogs and author of a video based global communications training to develop intercultural communication skills called Open Mind, Open World. Her offerings include actionable tools, processes and practice – a paradigm shifter with her stories and examples.
She earned her Certified Speaking Professional designation with the National Speakers Association. The CSP is the speaking profession’s international measure of speaking experience and skill. Fewer than 10 percent of the speakers who belong to the International Federation for Professional Speakers hold this professional designation. She was awarded the Mark LeBlanc Award for excellence in the speaking industry and was inducted into the MN Speakers Hall of Fame. Dr. Tolbert earned her doctorate in Human Resource Development, focusing on international/cross-cultural and diversity education/training, from the University of Minnesota. As an esteemed part of the Carlson Executive Faculty, Carlson Executive Education Center, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Dr. Tolbert earned her doctorate in Human Resource Development, focusing on international/cross-cultural and diversity education/training, from the University of Minnesota. She continues to support her alma mater by serving as adjunct faculty for several annual programs at Carlson Executive Education.
Amy Hockert
Amy Hockert is a television news anchor in the Twin Cities. She’s spent nearly 20 years as a news anchor, reporter and Senior VP with news organizations such as KARE-11, BringMeTheNews.com, and FOX9.
Amy’s personal and professional journeys are incredibly rich and diverse.
She’s spent several years volunteering at orphanages in China and helping those living in poverty in Ecuador. She is passionate about philanthropy, whether it’s overseas or in her own backyard.
Amy also knows how to re-define success when life doesn’t go according to plan. At the height of her television news career, Amy’s priorities shifted. She got married and started a family. By thinking outside the box, she successfully re-shaped various, smaller roles around her primary role as a mother of young children.
Three years ago, Amy re-entered the workforce full-time. She became Senior VP of a digital news organization where she managed the delivery/distribution of news content and assembled and oversaw the news team. And even more recently, Amy’s professional journey came full circle when she joined FOX9 as an anchor and special projects reporter.
Ross Bernstein
The best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books, Ross Bernstein is an award-winning peak performance hall of fame business speaker who’s keynoted conferences on all seven continents and has been featured on thousands of television and radio programs including: CNN, “CBS This Morning,” ESPN, and Fox News, as well as in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today. Keynoting more than 100 live events globally per year, Ross’ passion is studying just what it is that makes the great ones great – and then translating that to business through his “Champion’s Code” program in order to help people not just win, but to win with integrity.
Annie Meehan
Annie Meehan is committed to transforming achievement from good to great by teaching people to rewrite their excuses into successful accomplishments. Speaking internationally as an expert on living an Exceptional life, she will motivate, inspire, and activate your audience to remove the road blocks that stand in the way. Your audiences walk out with a “WOW” factor that includes practical tools to immediately impact their lives both professionally and personally.
Having corporate, associations, and non-profits as clients, Annie provides actionable strategies to manage change, recognize the power of words in customer/employee experience, and eliminate excuses that keep people from attaining their goals. Her passion and engaging presence inspire people to take action.
Prior to becoming a speaker, Annie worked for a financial investment company for 9 years, compiling multiple promotions. After leaving the corporate world, she then owned and operated 2 fitness franchise locations, grew and led a direct sales team of 250+ people, and began speaking on the topics of health and wellness. Annie is a National Speakers Association (NSA) board member and a past president of the NSA -Minnesota chapter.
Annie is an author of 5 motivational books that includes her award winning book
“Be The Exception”. Her latest book, “Pineapple Principle”, offers a sweet journey to empowerment.
Annie has three adult children and lives in a southern suburb of Minneapolis with her husband and two dogs (Peanut & Leo). She loves volunteering in the community, traveling with family, and walking (or being walked) with the puppies.
Cindra Kamphoff
Cindra Kamphoff, Ph.D., CMPC, is an award-winning keynote speaker and executive coach for leaders, professional athletes, executives and championship teams. Her clients range from Verizon Wireless, Target, and Walmart to the Minnesota Vikings. She has provided mental training for the Minnesota Vikings for 4 years, working one-on-one with the players.
She is the author of an Amazon bestseller, Beyond Grit: Ten Powerful Practices to Gain the High Performance Edge and the corresponding workbook. Her work has appeared in New York Times, Forbes, The Huffington Post, and USA Today.
She is the founder of the High Performance Mindset podcast which has over 1 million downloads and ranked in the top 100 podcasts where she interviews thought leaders about mindset. Her work has appeared in New York Times, Forbes, The Huffington Post, and USA Today. As a result of Cindra’s speaking and training, people tend to say they have more energy, more control of their inner dialogue and ultimately, perform at a higher level more consistently.
Courtney Godfrey
Courtney Godfrey is a local TV reporter in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her job has taken her all over the country, from San Francisco to New York City. She has reported on major news events, appearing on Fox News Channel and CNN.com. She has interviewed celebrities and sports icons, and covered major events including the police death of George Floyd, the Super Bowl and multiple Kentucky Derbys.
In September 2017, she was involved in a boat accident that resulted in the amputation of her left leg. The recovery was long and painful, but not once did she lose her positivity and drive. With the support of her family, Courtney found the strength to return to all the activities she enjoyed before the accident. Four months post-amputation, Courtney was back on her snowboard. She returned to work, her favorite fitness classes and even got back in her beloved high heels.
She serves on the board of the nationally recognized amputee non-profit, Wiggle Your Toes as well as the board of the Hennepin Healthcare Foundation.
On her own time, she provides one-on-one peer support to new amputees and does frequent hospital visits. She advocates for amputee rights at the state and federal level, lobbying members of the Minnesota legislature and U.S. Congress.
She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their son, Callan.
Chad Greenway
Chad played 11 years for the Mn Vikings after finishing an All-American career at the University of Iowa. Growing up on a family farm in South Dakota, Chad learned the valuable lessons of hard work, perseverance, and dedication to a craft can bring success.
Rising from a small town of 350 people to being an 11 year pro, team captain and leader along with 4 time Walter Payton Man of the Year learn valuable concepts and characteristics of being team first. Learn the tools and mentality it takes to get to the highest level of achievement in a sport, and learn the against all odds story of determination.
Along with his playing career Chad ran and continues to run a successful non profit (Lead the Way Foundation) along with his business (Gray Duck Spirits).
Chad speaks on the topics of Business, Leadership, Teamwork and Success.
For local and non-profit organizations, Chad considers their budgets as his schedule allows.