Thought leadership still needs a refresh

In 2014, I did something I really never intended to do: I co-founded a speakers bureau. It grew out of my frustration with the homogenous nature of so many conferences and gatherings, but also my anger that when people of color were invited to speak in those spaces, they were often underpaid, as compared to their White counterparts, and tokenized and mistreated to boot. My husband, John Cary, and one of my best friends and long time collaborators, Vanessa Valenti, and I decided to stop talking about how frustrating it was and actually just do something about it.

Seven years and countless incredible talks later, here we are. When I look back at the manifesto we wrote back then, it still feels all too relevant:

Thought leadership needs a refresh.

21st century speaking should be about sharing great ideas, and converting those ideas into action. That’s what audiences are hungry for–fresh ideas, action, and impact.

Too many speakers derive authority from fancy titles, overhyped books, and relationships formed within elite institutions and events.

This outdated and homogenous culture not only breeds boredom and myopic thinking, but also reinforces structural inequalities.

Not everyone worthy of being heard has written a best-selling book or been to Davos.

It’s time to uncover and elevate the voices of extraordinary individuals making impact in the world, both locally and globally.

Wisdom also comes from years spent in the classroom, or organizing on the ground.

It derives from profound personal pain as well as transformative collective healing.

It is rooted, not in the number of years one has been on earth, but the creativity and innovation with which one has approached their calling.

It’s about time we honored that kind of wisdom.

It’s time to evolve beyond the antiquated “speaker circuit,” and create an ecosystem of thought leaders who are young, brilliant, diverse, and making a mark in the world.

This isn’t just talk. It’s about fresh ideas and a more just world.

If any of this is resonating with you, you are cordially invited to a party we’re throwing in just a couple of hours (9am PST // 12pm EST). You’ll hear from just the kind of leaders that we wholeheartedly believe have the wisdom we need to walk into a different kind of future together: a former foster kid redesigning policy, a warrior seasoned in organizing people against corporate interests in a fragile democracy, a preacher, a beekeeper, a poet, and so many more. Register here.