Evolution: A Champion Comes Full Circle
On November 19, 2022, the top speakers of the year took the stage at CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto for the Grand Slam, the finale of the very first Momentum Conference. Co-founder Rina Rovinelli called it "the icing on the cake" of the day.
The theme was Evolution, a fitting word for a year in which Speaker Slam® marked six years. Looking back on that journey a month earlier, Rina wrote that it had been "an incredible EVOLUTION."
1st Place: Marcos Mendosa
Artrapreneur, Poet, Speaker, Beat Maker
Marcos was named the 2022 Inspirational Speaker of the Year. In 2016 he was crowned the first ever Speaker Slam® champion at Revival bar, so the title brought his story full circle. A 3x award-winning speaker and keynote concert producer, he used his moment on stage to thank the judges, the audience and his parents watching from home.
2nd Place: Justin Senense
Lifestyle Champion and Creative Unicorn Speech: "A Stage, I'm Meant to Be"
Justin took the audience into his final callback for a Broadway revival of The King and I at Lincoln Center, where his voice cracked on the highest note. Walking out into the fall wind, he found a moment of clarity: "not all dreams are made to reach but every dream made is made to teach."
3rd Place: Daniel Burns
ICF Certified Performance Coach and Canfit Pro Personal Trainer
Daniel began with the eight-year-old boy laughed at in a school locker room, who learned to hide his body and his feelings. Today he leads with empathy, curiosity and high energy as he helps clients build the best version of themselves.
Meet the Judges Who Made It All Happen
- Blake Fly, Husband, Dad, Entrepreneur, and 8-Time TEDx Speaker
- Laura Slinn, Entrepreneur, Trainer, Author
- Satish Verma, President and CEO of Think and Grow Rich Institute
- Sonia Zarbatany
- Stu McLaren
- Theresa Beenken
- Tricia Brouk, International award winning director, author, producer and Founder of The Big Talk Academy
Prizes donated:
- Laura Slinn: a Trauma Aware Triple Certification Training for 1st place ($9,000), plus the Activate Your Potential program for 2nd and 3rd
- Tricia Brouk: the Influential Voice Legacy Package for 1st place ($6,750), plus podcast and template prizes for 2nd and 3rd
Words of Wisdom Speaker: Marjorie Aunos
Marjorie Aunos, the Mom on Wheels, psychologist and inspirational storyteller who competed at Catalyst earlier that year, delivered the night's Words of Wisdom talk.
Meet the full lineup in Meet Your Speakers for the 2022 Grand Slam and the panel in Meet Your Judges for the 2022 Grand Slam.