SPEAKER SLAM NEWS

10 speakers. 5 minutes each. One theme: Road Less Traveled. Meet the bold voices taking the stage at Lula Lounge on May 26th, 2026

Speaker Slam® is now accepting applications for Identity, the fourth competition of our 10th anniversary season. Taking place July 21st at Lula Lounge in Toronto, this theme invites speakers who have done the hard work of knowing themselves to share the moment that changed how they see who they are.

Vaughan entrepreneur Pierre Mousseau, President of High Energy Transport Inc. and author of From the Ashes, won first place at Speaker Slam® Breakthrough 2026 at Lula Lounge in Toronto. He shared the loss of his 20-year-old son Parker and the moment that nearly cost him his own life. He advances to the Grand Slam Finals in November. Featured on CTV News Toronto.

Montreal keynote speaker, mindset coach, and former circus artist Sofranie Trencia placed second at Speaker Slam® Breakthrough 2026 at Lula Lounge in Toronto. She shared the story of falling 30 feet from aerial silk at the world's largest circus festival, getting back up, and winning a bronze medal the next day. She advances to the Grand Slam Finals in November.

Pierre Mousseau took first place at Speaker Slam®’s Breakthrough competition with a powerful talk on resilience after the loss of a son. The event brought 10 speakers to the stage at Lula Lounge in Toronto, each sharing deeply personal stories of courage, growth, and transformation.

10 speakers take the stage at Speaker Slam® Breakthrough 2026, March 31 at Lula Lounge Toronto. Featuring Karen Craggs, Sofranie Trencia, and more.

Plane crash survivor, professional skateboarder, and youth pastor Dave Jonsson took first place at Speaker Slam® Against All Odds, the 10th anniversary season opener at Lula Lounge in Toronto. He advances to the Grand Slam Finals in November.

Maryland-based keynote speaker, employment psychologist, bestselling author, and military spouse Dr. Sujata Ives placed second at Speaker Slam® Against All Odds 2026 at Lula Lounge in Toronto. Her finish made her the top-placing U.S. competitor at the event. She advances to the Grand Slam Finals in November.

Dave Jonsson wins 1st place at Speaker Slam's Against All Odds 2026. Dr. Sujata Ives 2nd, Andrew Daye 3rd, Neil Donaldson 4th. Judges: Anna Sinclair, Kevin Bourne, Amanda Cupido, Bobby Umar. Season 10 opener, Toronto.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's Against All Odds 2026: Anna Sinclair (WXN Top 100), Kevin Bourne (SHIFTER), Amanda Cupido (Soundwave Summit), Bobby Umar (LinkedIn Top Voice). Prize package worth $10,000+. January 27, Toronto.

Meet the 10 speakers at Speaker Slam's Against All Odds 2026: Tony Albrecht, Dr. Japji Anna Bas, Neil Donaldson, Dr. Sujata Ives, Andrew Daye, David Blaser, Mark Salatino, Michelle Goldrick, Dave Jonsson, Chrislyn D'Sylva Pires. January 27, Toronto.

Michelle Weger wins 2025 Inspirational Speaker of the Year at Speaker Slam Grand Slam. Charles Achampong 2nd, Rimshah Ahmed 3rd. Judges: Evan Carmichael, Stu McLaren, Angie Seth, Gordon Breault, and more. CBC Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto.

Michelle Weger wins Speaker Slam® Grand Slam 2025, named #1 Inspirational Speaker of the Year and the first competitor in event history to take the stage with a service dog.

Speaker Slam announces 2026 competition themes for its milestone 10th anniversary season: Against All Odds, Breakthrough, The Road Less Traveled, Identity, Reinvention. Grand Slam Finals November 21 at CBC Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto.

Meet the 8 judges for Speaker Slam's 2025 Grand Slam: Gordon Breault, Breanna Xavier-Carter, Jacqueline Clements, Anne Marie Perrault, Kat McMorrow, Angie Seth, Evan Carmichael, Stu McLaren. Prize package worth $50,000+. CBC Glenn Gould Studio.

Meet the 14 finalists at Speaker Slam's 2025 Grand Slam: Jenni Cathcart, Pat Doyle, Ivan Fredette, Regula Fischer, Rimshah Ahmed, Patrick Morrison, Charles Achampong, Inga Tkachenko Ramage, Bethelene Hart, Robert Alexander, Michelle Weger, Aanchal Vash, Vivian Meraki, Patti Bevilacqua.

Robert Alexander wins 1st place at Speaker Slam's Leaders 2025. Jenni Cathcart 2nd, Aimee Mack 3rd, Inga Tkachenko Ramage 4th. Judges: Camille Dundas, Simon Ostler, Klaudia Zinaty, Zarak Fatah. Lula Lounge, Toronto.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's Leaders 2025: Camille Dundas (ByBlacks, IDEA Practice), Simon Ostler, Klaudia Zinaty (Women Empowerment Awards), Zarak Fatah (The PATH). Prize package worth $10,000+. September 16, Toronto.

Meet the 10 speakers at Speaker Slam's Leaders 2025: Dean Correia, Nadee Fernando O'Driscoll, Inga Tkachenko Ramage, Heather Coleman, Robert Alexander, John McGraw, Aimee Mack, Lalita Dixit, Emily Branton, Jenni Cathcart. September 16, Toronto.

Patrick Morrison wins 1st place at Speaker Slam's The Underdog 2025. Bethelene Hart 2nd, Rimshah Ahmed 3rd, Michelle Weger 4th. Judges: Tara Slone, Jennifer Ettinger, Jodie Davis. Lula Lounge, Toronto.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's The Underdog 2025: Jennifer Ettinger (Pink Dreams Inc.), Tara Slone (SiriusXM, NHL), Jodie Davis (ET Canada). Prize package worth $10,000+. July 15, Toronto.

Meet the 10 speakers at Speaker Slam's The Underdog 2025: Micha Edwards, Saurabh Malpani, Karen Craggs-Milne, Samantha Kinoshameg, Bethelene Hart, Tania Chomyk, Michelle Weger, Rimshah Ahmed, Patrick Morrison, Victor Lopez. July 15, Toronto.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam®'s 2025 Power of No competition: Jason Reid, Robb Gilbear, Priya Sam, and Tami Adams. May 27th at Lula Lounge in Toronto.

Meet the 10 speakers competing at Speaker Slam®'s "The Power of No" on May 27, 2025 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Lacey Artemis, Paula Johnson, Alessia Di Cecco, Danielle C. Baker, Craig Colby, Vivian Meraki, Patti Bevilacqua, Liz Jakoi, Katie Faloon-Drew, Ivan Fredette.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam®'s "No Risk, No Reward" competition on March 25, 2025 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Judges: Stephanie Lui-Valentim, Jay Wong, Steve Lowell, Theresa Beenken. Prize package worth up to $10,000.

Meet the 10 speakers competing at Speaker Slam®'s "No Risk, No Reward" on March 25, 2025 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Vaishali Joshi, Lindsey Mazza, Shannon Talbot, Pat Doyle, Charles Achampong, Jessica Spence, Herbert Fong, Sofranie Trencia, Carlyn Morris, Aanchal Vash.

Regula Fischer wins 1st place at Speaker Slam®'s Resilience 2025. Richie Keirouz 2nd, Lyne Frank 3rd, Merav Richter 4th. Judges: Amira de Vera, Cam Beaudoin, Farah Nasser, Catalina Margulis. Lula Lounge, Toronto.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam®'s 2025 Resilience competition: Amira de Vera, Cam Beaudoin, Farah Nasser, and Cat Margulis. January 28th at Lula Lounge in Toronto.

Meet the 10 speakers competing at Speaker Slam®'s "Resilience" on January 28, 2025 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Chris Atwell, Richie Keirouz, Regula Fischer, Lauren Daniels, June Svetlovsky, Jessica Swift, Chantal McDougall, Deborah Fletcher, Merav Richter, Lyne Frank.

Speaker Slam® announces 2025 competition themes for its 9th year: Resilience, No Risk No Reward, The Power of No, The Underdog, and Leaders. Grand Slam Finals at CBC Glenn Gould Studio, November 22, 2025.

Meet the 8 judges for Speaker Slam®'s 2024 Grand Slam: Gordon Breault, Sarah Bean, Cesar Cervantes, Nakita Singh Hans, Darius Bashar, Christina Carpio, Fennella Bruce, Jayson Gaignard. Prize packages worth up to $50,000.

Meet the 14 speakers competing at Speaker Slam®'s 2024 Grand Slam on November 9, 2024 at CBC Glenn Gould Studio. Theme: Brave. Featuring Meagan O'Nan, Calissa Ngozi, Christine Farrugia, Yusuf Khoja, Alana Moor, and more.

Meet the 10 speakers for Speaker Slam's Power of Yes competition on September 17, 2024 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. The last qualifier before the Grand Slam.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's Perseverance 2024: Nicole Servinis (CP24/CTV), Ty Hoesgen (Bestselling Author), Jenny Shin (TEDx Scout), Orlando Bowen (Keynote Speaker). July 16 at Lula Lounge.

Meet the 10 speakers for Speaker Slam's Perseverance competition on July 16, 2024 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Featuring Ebi Oginni, Danielle McLeod, Madette Mendoza, and more.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's Freedom 2024: Angie Seth (journalist), Andrea Reindl (brand strategist), Joze Piranian (5x TEDx Speaker), Esther Caszo (producer). May 28 at Lula Lounge.

Meet the Top 10 speakers for Speaker Slam's 2024 Brand Builder Competition. A virtual showcase celebrating unique brand identities, with prizes worth up to $10,000.

Meet the 10 speakers for Speaker Slam's Freedom competition on May 28, 2024 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Stories of breaking free and living authentically.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's 2024 Brand Builder Competition. Industry experts in branding, speaking, and media will evaluate the Top 10 brand pitches on April 27.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's Human Connection 2024: Niki Papaioannou, Brian Miller (3.6M view TEDx talk), Cher Jones, Roger Petersen (CTV). March 26 at Lula Lounge.

Meet the 10 speakers for Speaker Slam's Human Connection competition on March 26, 2024 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Stories that celebrate the power of genuine connections.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's Reinvention 2024: Priya Sam, Petar Josic (Spoken Artists), Bobby Umar (5x TEDx), Rania Walker (Front Door PR). January 30 at Lula Lounge.

Meet the 10 speakers for Speaker Slam's Reinvention competition on January 30, 2024 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Kicking off Speaker Slam's 8th year.

Speaker Slam announces its 2024 competition themes: Reinvention, Human Connection, Freedom, Perseverance, and Power of Yes. Now in its 8th year. Grand Slam Finals in November.

Martin Lesperance (Montreal), Lauren Pires (Mississauga), and Lindsy Matthews (Aurora) crowned at Speaker Slam's 2023 Grand Slam at CBC Glenn Gould Studio. 14 speakers competed for Inspirational Speaker of the Year.

Martin Lesperance wins the title of Inspirational Speaker of the Year for 2023 at Speaker Slam's Grand Slam at CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. 14 speakers competed from across North America.

Meet the 7 judges for Speaker Slam's 2023 Grand Slam on November 18th at CBC Glenn Gould Studio. Theme: JOY. Judges include Katie Zeppieri, Shannon Loftus, Brian Miller, and more. Prize packages up to $50,000.

Meet the 14 speakers competing at Speaker Slam's 2023 Grand Slam on November 18th at CBC Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto. Theme: JOY. Featuring speakers from across North America and Estonia.

Speaker Slam's 2023 Wild Card Race - 9 speakers compete for 5 spots in the Grand Slam Finals. Vote for your favorite speaker September 25-29, 2023.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's Empowerment competition on September 19, 2023 at Lula Lounge: Blake Fly (8x TEDx), Laura Slinn (Avalon Empowerment), Tami Adams, and Marcos Mendosa.

Meet the 10 speakers for Speaker Slam's Empowerment competition on September 19, 2023 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Featuring Tyler Charlebois, Louise Jackson, Jamie Kelly, Martin Lesperance, and more.

Discover 10 compelling reasons to compete at Speaker Slam, North America's largest inspirational speaking competition. From career-launching opportunities to personal transformation.

Discover how Speaker Slam provides a transformative and cathartic journey where participants overcome their deepest fears, find healing, and inspire others through their stories.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam's Belonging competition on July 25, 2023 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Featuring expert industry judges in speaking, coaching, media, and personal development.

Meet the 10 speakers for Speaker Slam's Belonging competition on July 25, 2023 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Featuring speakers from the USA, Canada, and beyond sharing stories of belonging.

Claudia Chan's winning speech at Speaker Slam's Personal Transformation competition. A life coach empowering Asian women, Claudia shares her journey of breaking free from cultural expectations and choosing herself.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam®'s Personal Transformation competition on June 27, 2023 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Featuring Adam Rodricks, Ashna Bharkhada, Randy Phipps, and Keka DasGupta.

Meet the 10 speakers competing in Speaker Slam®'s Personal Transformation competition on June 27, 2023 at Lula Lounge, Toronto.

Discover why life coaches should compete at Speaker Slam®. From refining your message to expanding your reach, the competition provides a unique platform for coaches to amplify their impact.

Lindsy Matthews, a mother battling Stage 4 cancer, wins Speaker Slam®'s Against All Odds 2023 competition with a powerful story of resilience and hope.

Press release: Lindsy Matthews, a local mother battling Stage 4 cancer, wins Speaker Slam®'s Against All Odds 2023 competition in Toronto.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam®'s Against All Odds 2023 competition on April 25 at Lula Lounge, Toronto. Featuring Darius Bashar, Shannon Loftus, Priya Sam, and Joze Piranian.

Meet the 10 speakers competing in Speaker Slam®'s Against All Odds 2023 competition on April 25 at Lula Lounge, Toronto.

An inspiring story of overcoming failure and following your dreams. Through perseverance, self-belief, and hard work, Justin Senense transformed from a failed audition to becoming a top trainer, actor, and public speaker.

Daniel Burns shares his journey from shame to strength through vulnerability. His story at Speaker Slam® demonstrates how embracing our deepest struggles can become our greatest source of power.

Speaker Slam® co-founder Dan Shaikh shares the number one lesson he's learned about finding your passion and turning it into purpose.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam®'s 2022 Grand Slam: The Inspirational Speaking Finals. The top speakers of the year compete for the title of Inspirational Speaker of the Year.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam®'s 2022 Brand Builder competition in Toronto. Expert industry judges evaluate speakers on storytelling, message clarity, and transformative impact.

Meet the 12 speakers competing in the 2022 Grand Slam: The Inspirational Speaking Finals at the first-ever Momentum Conference hosted by Speaker Slam®.

The first-ever Speaker Slam® champion Marcos Mendosa returns to the stage after a 6-year hiatus and wins again at the 2022 Comeback competition.

Marcos Mendosa wins the 2022 Comeback competition at Speaker Slam® as Lula Lounge sells out for the return of live events after a 2-year hiatus.

The story behind how the Our Yellow Brick Road book was created within the Speaker Slam® community, inspired by 2021 Inspirational Speaker of the Year Marjorie Aunos.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam®'s 2022 Impact competition: Brian Miller, Geeta Nadkarni, Nim Stant, and Jason Reid.

Meet the judges for Speaker Slam®'s 2022 Comeback competition: Joel Brown, Tarzan Kay, Bobby Umar, and Maria Locker.

Speaker Slam® announces the Our Yellow Brick Road book launch, an anthology featuring 13 Speaker Slam speakers in collaboration with Life to Paper Publishing.

Meet the 10 speakers competing at Speaker Slam®'s 2022 Comeback competition at Lula Lounge, marking the return of live events after a 2-year hiatus.

Speaker Slam® reveals the competition themes for 2023: Belonging, Perseverance, Against All Odds, Identity, Body Beautiful, and Empowerment.

2021 Inspirational Speaker of the Year Marjorie Aunos is featured on Motiversity with her Grand Slam winning speech.

Speaker Slam® co-founder Dan Shaikh shares how he navigated entrepreneurship during the pandemic and came back stronger.