The Bankable Speaker Newsletter

Hey Bankable Speaker,

This is your biweekly guide to the speaking business you actually want.
Every issue is loaded with value to help you show up, stand out, and secure real opportunities to speak.

Here’s what you can expect in every drop:

✅ The Bankable Tip of the Week – one actionable move to implement this week to grow your speaking business
✅ Speaker Leads Spotlight – vetted opportunities you can pitch today
✅ Training Corner – deep insights and strategy to improve your visibility, positioning, and profits as a speaker
✅ Special Invitations – as a subscriber of the newsletter you will have access to insights to special events or opportunities that can take you to the next level faster

Your mission this week: Read it, take action, and complete the quick survey at the end to tell us your speaker industry so we know whos here. Be sure to read all the way to the end because there are actionable things you won't want to miss!

Let’s get into it.👇🏽

💰 The Bankable Tip of the Week

Create a Pitch Folder You Can Reuse—This Week.

If every speaker request sends you digging through old docs, it’s time to get organized.

This week, create a simple Pitch Folder with these 5 essentials:

Your updated bio (short + long)
2-3 talk titles with descriptions
High-res professional photo
A video clip (Zoom or in-person—doesn’t have to be fancy!)
Your preferred contact info

Save it in Google Drive or Dropbox with a short link you can easily send in any pitch.

This alone can cut your pitching time in half.

📌 Speaker Leads Spotlight

Here are 6 real opportunities my team vetted for you this week in the following industries-HR, IT, Classical Education, Women in Business, and Behavioral Health. We just saved you hours of online searching!! Check them out!

🎯 1. SHRM Savannah

Looking For: Speakers interested in presenting at 2026 monthly chapter meetings, events, and Resilient HR Conference
Audience: HR professionals
Location: Savannah, GA
Apply By: July 1, 2025 @ 5 pm
Direct Contact Info: Submit a proposal

🔥 2. National Symposium for Classical Education

Looking For: Speakers who focus on classical learning across the curriculum
Location: Tempe, AZ – In person
Theme: Classical Education and the American Experiment
Apply By: June 30, 2025
Direct Contact Info: Submit a proposal

🔥 3. Invest Conference

Looking For: Behavioral health business professionals/mental health professionals
Location: Nashville, TN – In person
Event Dates: Oct 2025
Apply By: No deadline given
Get more info on event Submit speaker interest

🔥 4. Women's Business Conference

Looking For: Qualified candidates to present entrepreneurial and business related topics from their area of expertise or experience for women
Audience: Women in business
Location: Eau Claire, WI – In person
Event Dates: Nov 12, 2025
Apply By: No deadline given (ASAP)
Submit speaker proposal
🔥 5. HR in Hospitality
- Looking For: Expert lineup of speakers from across the industry
- Audience: HR professionals in hospitality (500+)
- Location: Hollywood, FL– In person
- Event Dates: March 2026
- Apply By: No deadline given (ASAP)
- More conference info Submit a speaker proposal
🔥 6. SPARK 2026
- Looking For: Seasoned leaders or rising voices in the ITSM community/IT
- Audience: Bright minds in service management come together to learn, network, and shape the future of the service desk
- Location: UK– In person
- Apply By: June 30, 2025
- Submit speaker proposal For more conference info

✅ How to Use These Leads:

You will notice that these leads are from various industries. Each time the newsletter drops biweekly, this will be the case. We want to provide leads for as many industries as possible to make this newsletter valueable for a wide range of speakers. You can expect a mixture of stages, podcasts, and other speaking opportunities to help you grow your speaking business. The gift to this is that these leads are vetted by my team to ensure they’re real opportunities with direct contact information—not random online listings. While we don’t guarantee they are paid or that you will be booked, they are real stages. It’s your job to:

Confirm the event details
Pay attention to due dates for proposal submission
Ask about compensation, if not listed
Evaluate if this audience aligns with your brand/message
Follow up with a personalized, clear pitch

🎯 Action Step: Pick ONE lead above, and send your pitch using your new pitch folder.

🧠 The Bankable Speaker Training Corner

Booked or Busy? 3 Myths Keeping You Off Stages

Let’s be real, most speakers are doing something, but it’s not always the right things. These 3 myths might be quietly holding you back:

❌ Myth #1: If I build it, they’ll find me.

They won’t. Stages don’t chase you-at least not at first. Consistent pitching is the strategy.

❌ Myth #2: I need a speaker reel before I pitch.

Not true. Start with what you have—a well-lit Zoom, IG Live, or teaching clip. Real delivery -- quick production.

❌ Myth #3: I need more followers first.

Organizers don’t book you because of your social following—they book you for your clarity, content, and connection to their audience.

Truth: The only way to get booked is to pitch with a plan and follow up with confidence.

Ready to get out of your own way?

🚀 Want to Actually Turn Leads into PAID Gigs?

I’m giving you the leads—but how you use them and how you are positioned is what separates the overlooked from the overbooked.

That’s why I created the
🎓 Bankable Speaker Bootcamp | July 13–16

This 4-day virtual training is your blueprint for:

✔️ A clear plan to get booked and paid (now that you have real leads)

✔️ Insider strategies to build a bankable speaker brand that gets noticed

✔️ Everything you need to finally feel confident calling yourself a professional speaker

✔️Dr. Shana's secret sauce to get booked and rebooked!!

➡️ Grab your seat now — Spots are limited. Don’t miss your shot to finally master the speaking game and become a true bankable speaker.

✍🏽 Help Us Help You

Want more leads tailored to your lane? Complete this 60-second survey and tell us your speaker industry so my team knows what industries you're looking for opps in.
🎯 Take the Bankable Speaker Industry Form

🎁 Founder Member Bonus Training Invite

Because you joined The Bankable Speaker Newsletter early, you’re getting exclusive access to this one-time live training designed to help you immediately start working the leads we send your way.

🎓 Bonus Training:

Pitch Like a Pro: How to Use Speaker Leads to Get Booked
🗓️ Date/Time: July 7 at 600 pm CST
📍 Location: Private Zoom Register HERE
🎯 Exclusively for Founding Members ONLY

🔑 What You’ll Walk Away With:

How to Evaluate a Speaking Lead Strategically
→ So you can focus your energy on gigs that align with your brand and goals.
The Essentials of a Strong, Clear Speaker Pitch
→ So you know exactly what to say to get noticed—even without a reel or big following.
How to Confidently Inquire About Compensation
→ So you can ask the money question without sounding awkward or unsure.

This session is packed with practical insight to help you turn your leads into bookings.

👉🏽 Be sure to show up live—this training will not be recorded, repeated or re-shared.

You’ve got the mic,
Dr. Shana D. Lewis
Founder, The Bankable Speaker Newsletter
The Bankable Speaker | Speaker Coach | Mental Health Expert

🎤 The Bankable Speaker Newsletter – Issue #1 | June 23 Helping speakers get booked—and paid—to share their message.