Catalyst: The First Gold of 2019

Catalyst opened the 2019 season on January 29th at Lula Lounge, and it felt like a dream to run an event with hundreds of people who were loving, supportive, engaged, and connected. The speakers were phenomenal. The stories were funny and emotional and intense, and everyone in that room was impacted.

1st Place: Marlon Shaw

TEDx Coach and Speaking Coach

Marlon's speech was the perfect marriage of technically brilliant and powerfully inspirational. He won the first gold medal of the year.

2nd Place: Hassan Wadi

Personal Trainer, Speaker and Philanthropist

3rd Place: Alexis Dean

Community Builder and Facilitator

4th Place: Renee John earned an honourable mention. The lineup was so strong that speakers who finished 4th and 5th could have won in past months. When Renee took the stage, Lillie texted from the back of the room: "Renee was incredible, I was sobbing, she will definitely go viral."

Meet the Judges Who Made It All Happen

• Codi Shewan
• Steven Tulman
• Shae Invidiata
• Margo Gouley

They had the very tough task of choosing a winner.

Unforgettable Moments

Lillie Rovinelli and Sam Demma jumped on stage to share about Youth Speaker Slam, which launched that spring. And amid the excitement, the room received the news that Joze Piranian had gone live with a new speech.

Seven years later, Catalyst returned as the theme of the 2026 Grand Slam.