Perseverance: Some of the Best Speaking in Eight Years
On July 16th, 2024, we proudly declared that Perseverance featured some of the best speaking we had witnessed in eight years of Speaker Slam®, and we stand by that. The storytelling, the delivery, and the overall experience were all top notch, with creative props, soulful singing, and a crowd that was thoroughly entertained.
The theme proved itself before the first speech. Despite floods and power outages across the city that day, the speakers and the audience showed up and made it a phenomenal evening at Lula Lounge.
1st Place: Danielle Campo McLeod
Paralympian, Resiliency Expert, Author, Public Speaker
Speech: Pray Now We're Losing Her
Danielle took the gold with a powerful tribute. A former Paralympic gold medallist and world record-holding swimmer, this victory made it nine medals for her. The morning after the competition, she joined Tim Bolen on CHCH Good Morning to share her story of survival and triumph. Watch the interview.
Prizes Won:
- Speaker Slam®: $2,000 cash prize & Invitation to the Grand Slam
- Nicole Servinis: The Ultimate Speaker Success Package, 1-year mentorship with in-person video coaching and content-capturing sessions (Valued at $10,000)
- Ty Hoesgen: Elite Communication & Body Language Mastery: VIP Platinum Program (Valued at $10,000)
- Orlando Bowen: NextLevel Canada VIP Admission plus strategy meeting and social media shout-out (Valued at $5,000)
- Jenny Shin: Media Kit + 2 One-Hour Coaching Sessions (Valued at $1,000)
2nd Place: Mary "Madette" Mendoza
Artist, Music Teacher, Youth Mental Health Speaker
Madette took the silver with a poignant and heartfelt dedication to music and to Marci.
Prizes Won:
- Speaker Slam®: Invitation to the Grand Slam
- Nicole Servinis: The Speaker Growth Package, 6-month mentorship (Valued at $5,000)
- Ty Hoesgen: Elite Communication & Body Language Mastery: Premium Coaching Program (Valued at $5,000)
- Orlando Bowen: NextLevel Canada VIP Admission + strategy meeting (Valued at $2,500)
3rd Place: Maya Woronicz
Women's Motivational Coach, Entrepreneur
Maya took the bronze with an inspiring message: "We are not the writers of our own stories, but rather the editors."
Prizes Won:
- Speaker Slam®: Entry to the Wild Card Race
- Nicole Servinis: The Emerging Speaker Package, 3-month mentorship
- Ty Hoesgen: Elite Communication & Body Language Mastery program access
4th Place: Sandra T. rounded out the top four with a beautiful speech memorializing her husband and her proactive approach to grief.
Meet the Judges Who Made It All Happen
- Orlando Bowen: Entrepreneur, Community Champion, Communicator
- Jenny Shin: PR Professional, Social Advocate, TEDx Talks Scout and Coach
- Ty Hoesgen: Communication Coach & 2x Bestselling Author
- Nicole Servinis: Journalist + TV Personality
Their insightful feedback and stellar introductions were invaluable. Special thanks to Orlando for a riveting and inspiring Words of Wisdom talk. Read more about the panel in Meet Your Judges for Perseverance.
Unforgettable Moments
Floods, power outages, and a room full of people who came anyway. See the full lineup in Meet Your Speakers for Perseverance.
Perseverance was the fourth of five competitions in the 2024 season, on the road to the Grand Slam that November.