Keynote Speaking

If you're looking for an inspiring, high-energy, engaging, relatable, and most of all--highly effective--keynote speaker for your conference, college or corporate event, look no further. Shola's passion for workplace positivity and kindness will leave your audience changed forever, and your expectations exceeded every single time. 

Don't take our word for it, though. View the video below, read through the speaking testimonials, and see for yourself.

To get an idea of the type of events that book Shola as a keynote speaker, below is a partial list of his recent speaking events:

• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Annual Kickoff Event--San Luis Obispo, CA: October 23, 2019 (425 people)
• TEDx "Elevating Humanity" Event--South Lake Tahoe, CA: October 19, 2019 (275 people)
• Los Angeles Superior Court Annual Leadership Conference--Los Angeles, CA: October 14, 2019 (400 people)
• Office of the Attorney General Keynote--Houston, TX: September 19, 2019 (475 people)
• Kern County College Keynote--Bakersfield, CA: September 3, 2019 (150 people)
• Tarrant County College Chancellor's Breakfast Keynote--Fort Worth, TX: August 14, 2019 (2,100 people)
• NACUFS Annual Conference Opening Keynote--Denver, CO: July 11, 2019 (850 people)
• UC San Diego Annual Learning Event Keynote--San Diego, CA: June 4, 2019 (525 people)
• Intermountain Healthcare Keynote--Salt Lake City, UT: May 31, 2019 (450 people)
• Fresno State University STAR Day Keynote--Fresno, CA: May 24, 2019 (1,100 people)
• IACUBO Annual Conference Keynote--Indianapolis, IN: May 17, 2019 (250 people)
• WellSpace Health Keynote--Sacramento, CA: May 14, 2019 (150 people)
• Barton Health Keynote--South Lake Tahoe, CA: May 6, 2019 (325 people)
• Children's Hospital Los Angeles Keynote--Los Angeles, CA: April 25, 2019 (220 people)
• City of Hope Learning & Professional Development Week Keynote--Duarte, CA: April 11, 2019 (170 people)
• UC San Francisco Campus Life Services Annual Conference--San Francisco, CA: April 8, 2019 (250 people)
• UC San Diego Academic Affairs Event--San Diego, CA: March 7, 2019 (225 people)
• Cal State San Bernardino Annual Business Services Conference--San Bernardino, CA: February 27, 2019 (175 people)
• Cal Poly Pomona 1st Annual Our Campus, Your Future Conference--Pomona, CA: February 6, 2019 (350 people)
• Kaiser Permanente Leadership Offsite--Oakland, CA: January 9, 2019 (50 people)
• Top Workplaces Award Dinner--Anaheim, CA: December 6, 2018 (800 people)
• UC Davis Supervisor Network Event--Sacramento, CA: December 4, 2018 (310 people)
• Kaiser Permanente Communication Team Offsite--Oakland, CA: December 3, 2018 (140 people)
• Central Valley Health Network's 20th Annual Conference--Fresno, CA: November 8, 2018 (220 people)
• Legacy Health's Annual Leadership Conference--Vancouver, WA: October 16, 2018 (550 people)
• Denver Public Library All-Staff Day--Denver, CO: October 8, 2018 (625 people)
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Annual Symposium--Memphis, TN: October 3, 2018 (320 people)
• Lake Tahoe Community College Convocation--South Lake Tahoe, CA: September 13, 2018 (200 people)
• PLAN Conference--Panama City, FL: August 24, 2018 (85 people)
• 15th Annual IGNITE! Conference--Temecula, CA: August 15, 2018 (850 people)
• People Management Conference--Los Angeles, CA: August 9, 2018 (310 people)
• WACUBO (BMI) Annual Conference--Santa Barbara, CA: August 6, 2018 (280 people)
• NCCI Annual Conference--Long Beach, CA: July 19, 2018 (250 people)
• Barton Health--Lake Tahoe, CA: July 12, 2018 (120 people)
• UCAAC Annual Conference--Los Angeles, CA: May 25, 2018 (280 people)
• AMP 50 Years of Blue & Gold Conference--San Diego, CA: April 23, 2018 (250 people)
• 1st Annual UC Davis HR Symposium--Davis, CA: April 4, 2018 (225 people)
• NAGAP Annual Conference--New Orleans, LA: April 14, 2018 (950 people)
• Administrative Management Group Annual Conference--Los Angeles, CA (380 people): March 8, 2018
• AACN Leadership Symposium--Los Angeles, CA (250 people): February 22, 2018
• Partners in Leadership Annual Award Dinner--Temecula, CA (110 people): January 5, 2018
• Association for Talent Development (ATD) "Champions of Learning" Award Dinner--Sacramento, CA (70 people): December 14, 2017
• UC Riverside's Organizational Excellence Leadership Event--Riverside, CA (300 people): November 30, 2017*
• 2017 Top Workplaces Luncheon--Riverside, CA (250 people): November 30, 2017 (*yes--that's two different keynotes for two different organizations, in the same day!)
• UC Cybersecurity Conference--San Diego, CA (120 people): October 18, 2017
• Camp Rocky Ridge--Austin, TX (50 people): September 17, 2017
• Deal With It Conference, Motion Picture & Television Fund—Beverly Hills, CA (300 people): July 30, 2017
• Next Opportunity at Work Conference, Cal Berkeley—Berkeley, CA (520 people): July 26, 2017 
• Child Life Professionals National Conference—Las Vegas, NV (1,000 people): May 28, 2017
• UC Davis Health Supervisors' Breakfast--Sacramento, CA: April 5, 2017 (120 people)
• UC Davis Environmental Health & Safety Offsite--Davis, CA: February 8, 2017 (210 people) 
• Inspiring R'Leaders Conference--Riverside, CA: January 28, 2017 (280 people)
• NEFLIN--Gainesville, FL: January 18, 2017 (90 people)

"Today, more than ever, we need to find our way back to kindness, respect and civility. At school, at home and in our workplaces. Shola Richards is by far among the top motivational speakers I have worked with (or heard) in a 25+ year career in media and marketing. He's entertaining, relatable to every demo and GENUINE. As a speaker, or as a corporate educator, I would highly recommend Shola. His skills, attitude and message will pay tangible dividends to your team or event...and leave every participant personally motivated and engaged to do (and be) better colleagues, teammates, classmates, etc. Unlike so many other speakers, the 'shine' you take away from Shola does not fade." 

"Shola's enthusiasm and positivity are infectious. He spoke for our staff program at UCLA Extension and left our audience inspired by his stories and practical advice on ways to develop emotional intelligence. Shola's message is an easy-to-follow prescription for leading a happier and more resilient life."

"Shola is an inspirational and engaging keynote speaker. Statistics, anecdotes and family stories are delivered with such passion and energy the whole room will be a buzz. Tips from his book on spreading positivity in the workplace is a problem solver for so many issues and something every employer, industry and person should adopt into their lives at work and home."

"Shola spoke at UC Berkeley's Next Opportunity at Work (NOW) Conference and it was evident that he has the ability to his story to motivate and inspire. I read his book, Making Work Work, I have attended his keynote speech, and I attended his workshop at our event. I have also attended this conference three times and Shola will be the one of the most memorable people I've met. If you want a dynamic presenter at your next big event, Shola is the one."

"If you want your company's culture (and your team members) to be more engaged, more productive, more enthusiastic and actually enjoy their work--Shola's your guy. Not only will he inspire your team to be better, he will teach them how, then help make it happen. Shola's the REAL DEAL. Engage him. You and your team will be thrilled you did. Guaranteed."

If you want your audience to be engaged, energized and inspired, DEFINITELY CALL SHOLA! I've seen Shola speak in front of a crowd as well as one-on-one. I've come away from each experience wanting to help make the world a kinder place, one workplace at a time. His passion for his message of positivity is infectious. He doesn't just speak it. He lives it and exudes it."