The Power of No: Raw Truth on Stage

The third competition of the 2025 season was nothing short of brilliant. On May 27th at Lula Lounge, every speaker brought raw truth and powerful storytelling to the stage, making The Power of No one of the most impactful events to date. The competition was tight, and the judges had their work cut out for them.

1st Place: Vivian Meraki

Parenting Expert, Human Connection Speaker, Founder of Unshakable Parenting

Speech: The Power of No is Knowing

Vivian took first place with a beautifully crafted and on-brand speech.

Prizes Won:

Speaker Slam®: $2,000 cash prize & Invitation to the Grand Slam
Jason Reid: Book Yourself Like A Pro Speaker Launch Guide and Guide to Speaker Marketing Copy, plus Quick Start mentoring package (Valued at $3,500)
Robb Gilbear: The Turn Strangers Into Clients Package, a 60-minute strategic deep dive, personalized LinkedIn profile audit, and the "Get Coaching Clients on LinkedIn" mini-course (Valued at $2,500)
Priya Sam: Strategic Storytelling Consulting, three 45-minute personalized sessions (Valued at $2,250)
Tami Adams: 2 x 1-hour coaching sessions with speaker profile audit (Valued at $1,500)

2nd Place: Patti Bevilacqua

Speaker, Storyteller, MS Warrior

Patti took second place for her brave and inspiring story.

Prizes Won:

Speaker Slam®: Invitation to the Grand Slam
Jason Reid: Book Yourself Like A Pro Speaker Launch Guide and Guide to Speaker Marketing Copy, plus a 60-minute mentoring session (Valued at $2,000)
Robb Gilbear: The Content That Creates Clients Package, a 30-minute strategic session, personalized LinkedIn profile audit, and the "Get Coaching Clients on LinkedIn" mini-course (Valued at $1,500)
Tami Adams: 1 x 1-hour coaching session on all things keynote speaking (Valued at $750)

3rd Place: Ivan Fredette

Entrepreneur and Coach

Ivan took third with a vulnerable and courageous performance.

Prizes Won:

Speaker Slam®: Entry to the Wild Card Race
Jason Reid: Book Yourself Like A Pro Speaker Launch Guide and a 60-minute mentoring session (Valued at $1,500)
Robb Gilbear: The LinkedIn Growth Package, a personalized LinkedIn profile audit and the "Get Coaching Clients on LinkedIn" mini-course (Valued at $500)
Tami Adams: Two top speaker books from our experts

4th Place: Katie Faloon-Drew rounded out the top four with power and heart.

Meet the Judges Who Made It All Happen

Robb Gilbear: Business Mentor, Author, and Founder of Growth Habit
Jason Reid: Speaker Mentor, Professional Speaker
Priya Sam: Story Architect & Strategic Communication Coach
Tami Adams: Founder & Curator of TA Speakers Management

Their presence, wisdom, and generosity made a lasting impact on the speakers. Read more about the panel in Meet Your Judges for The Power of No 2025.

Unforgettable Moments

Words of Wisdom speaker Farah Nasser captivated the audience with a deeply moving story. Grand Slam partner Lucky Book Publishing continued to raise the bar with their $20,000 book deal and Times Square feature.

Calissa Ngozi co-hosted the evening, and the Passion Speed Share and Momentum speakers signalled a powerful future from the same stage. See who competed in Meet the Speakers for The Power of No 2025.