If you want paid stages, you have to play the numbers gameβon purpose.
A Note From Me
Weβre entering a new month, and before you do anything else, I want you to pause and ask yourself one question:
What are my pitch goals for this month?
Not βHow many times will I post?β
Not βWho do I hope notices me?β
I mean:
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How many pitches will you send?
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How many follow-ups will you complete?
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How many conversations will you intentionally start?
Because speaking is a numbers game.
The speakers who get booked arenβt always the best speakers.
Theyβre the most consistent pitchers.
Momentum doesnβt come from motivation.
It comes from movement β and movement starts with goals.
Reminder: This Is a Numbers Game
Let me normalize something for you.
You may need:
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20β30 pitches to get 3β5 conversations
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10 conversations to land 1β2 bookings
That doesnβt mean youβre doing it wrong.
It means youβre doing it right.
Rejection is data.
Silence is feedback.
Consistency is the differentiator.
If you donβt track your pitches, youβre guessing.
And guessing leads to frustration.
Pro Speaker Thought (Read This Before You Pitch)
Before you look at the vetted leads below and think:
βThatβs not my area.β
Pause.
These leads are starting points, not rigid boxes.
Hereβs how professional speakers approach opportunities:
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Click the link and research who spoke there last year
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Look at the topics and themes that were selected
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Ask yourself: How does my message support their goals?
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Position your talk inside their outcomes β even if your topic wasnβt listed word-for-word
And hereβs another pro move:
If the RFP says they are only looking for workshop speakers, send an email anyway and ask:
βAre you also sourcing keynote speakers for this event?β
Keynotes are often sourced outside of the RFP process β and they are paid at a higher rate for your time and impact.
Use these vetted leads as a launchpad, not a limitation.
The goal is to:
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Stand out
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Show alignment
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Avoid shortchanging yourself
5 Vetted Talk Leads to Pitch This Month
Use these as research-driven opportunities β not quick judgments:
AfroTech
Location: Houston, TX
Date: November 2-6, 2026
Audience: AfroTech is the premier global gathering of innovators, founders, professionals, and allies in tech and beyond. Our mission is to amplify cultural innovation, technology and create opportunities for the next generation of leaders.
Looking for:
AfroTech welcomes submissions from speakers across the globe and across disciplines. Whether youβre an emerging voice or an established leader, if youβre passionate about the future of tech, we want to hear from you.
We especially encourage submissions from:
- Executives and Investors driving innovation and funding change
- Healthcare and MedTech Leaders reimagining care through technology
- Engineers, Designers & Technologists building the next frontier of AI and computing
- Creators & Cultural Architects shaping the digital economy
- AfroTech Global contributors from Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, and beyond
- Educators, Advocates & Policymakers solving for equity in tech
Deadline to submit: April 10, 2026
TEDx ThirdWard
Location: Houston, TX
Date: June 14, 2026
Looking for:
- π πππππ₯, π¦π£ππππππ πππ ππππ
Not a life story. Not a collection of experiences. One central idea that can be expressed in a single sentence. If I cannot tell someone what your talk is about in one line, it needs focus.
ππ‘ ππππ π§πππ§ πππππ¦ ππππππ₯ππ‘π§
If your title sounds familiar, we keep browsing. We are looking for ideas that challenge assumptions, reveal something unseen, or reframe something people think they already understand.
π¦π¨ππ¦π§ππ‘ππ π’π©ππ₯ π π’π§ππ©ππ§ππ’π‘
This is not about hype. We are drawn to ideas rooted in lived experience, research, creativity, or deep reflection. If your goal is simply to inspire, it will not land. If your idea changes how people think, inspiration follows naturally.
π π§ππ§ππ π§πππ§ π ππππ¦ π¨π¦ ππππ‘ ππ‘
Your title is your book cover. It should spark curiosity. It should make us want to know what you know. If it feels generic, it disappears.
π πͺπππππ‘ππ‘ππ¦π¦ π§π’ ππ ππ¨πππ§ πͺππ§π
Every TEDxThirdWard speaker is shaped through a thoughtful coaching and development process. This is not just about what you already have. It is about what your idea can become. If you want your idea elevated, not just presented, you belong here.
This stage is not random. It is intentional. It is designed to elevate ideas that deserve to be heard and voices that are ready to carry them.
Deadline to submit: Feb 21, 2026
Florida Assisted Living Association Annual Conference
Location: Orlando, FL
Date: August 2-5, 2026
Audience: Florida Assisted Living Association is Florida's largest state association representing assisted living facilities and adult family care homes, proudly serving our members for the past 30 years. With more than 400 Facility Members and nearly 300 Associate Members, FALA serves an active and diverse network of owners, operators, and employees of assisted living providers and adult family care homes, ranging from 3 to 350 beds and all licensure types.
Looking for:
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Topics of Interest:
- AI & Technology
- Destination: Rejuvenate Station for Seniors
- Dementia & Alzheimer's
- Diet, Exercise & Incorporating Culture
- Staying Active Outside your Community
- Life's Journey - Journey to Compliance
- Wound Care
- Mental Health (EX: Difference between Mental Health & Dementia AND Finding Purpose for People Living in ALFs
- Marketing your Facility/Establishing an Online Presence
- Know your Resources: How to Collaborate with Other Facility Types (hospital, nursing home, etc.)
- Medicaid - The Upgraded Medicaid Database
- Empowerment/Motivational
- VA Benefits for People Living in ALFs
Deadline to submit: March 6, 2026
Women of the Channel Leadership Summit East
Location: New York, NY
Date:Dec 7-8, 2026
Audience: This Women of the Channel event focuses on fostering and energizing your positive influence at work from wherever you sit. Join other women in tech ready to share and sharpen their leadership techniques through sessions with expert speakers on how to lead without authority and the art and science of influencing.
Looking for: The Channel Company strives to deliver events rich in content to our audiences. We are always interested in learning about prospective speakers - industry subject matter experts, inspirational leaders and individuals with unique perspectives - who can educate and empower our event attendees on a wide range of topics, such as leadership strategies, tech trends and business-model optimization.
Deadline to submit: None provided so ASAP
Note: Selected speakers at our events receive complimentary admission, the opportunity to network with attendees and in certain cases, travel stipends. Speakers benefit from significant marketing coverage both at the event as well as in our online networks and media sites, as appropriate. Many of our selected speakers have generated subsequent paid engagements as a result of presenting at The Channel Company events. If you require a specified speaking fee to participate at our event, please indicate that in the Additional Comments field for consideration.
WICxWellness Summit (Women in the Cloud)
Location: Virtual
Date: Feb 26, 2026
Audience:
#WICxWellness 2026 creates a safe, intelligent, and deeply grounded space to explore how individuals can preserve joy, vitality, executive clarity, and inner peace when life is unpredictable and often overwhelming.
This summit is designed to help you learn how to live fully while holding complexity with discipline, preparation, and self-respect.
Through expert-led conversations, real-life frameworks, and practical tools, #WICxWellness 2026 helps attendees strengthen:
- Executive functioning under stress and emergency demands
- Physical vitality and metabolic resilience
- Hormonal, auto-immune, and cardiac health awareness
- Crisis readiness across health, legal, and financial domains
- Emotional steadiness, boundaries, and sustainable leadership
This is wellness not as a luxury but as a leadership capability.
Looking for:
- Licensed health professionals and specialists
- Experienced caregivers or leaders managing invisible illness
- Wellbeing strategists, HR/DEI experts, and trauma-informed coaches
- Entrepreneurs, founders, or advocates with unlockable wellness solutions
- People with lived experience whoβve turned personal trials into tools or systems
Deadline to submit: Feb 10, 2026
----------------------------------------------------
Build It in 21 Days (With Structure + Support)
If youβre ready to stop winging it and start building your speaker business with intention, this is your invitation.
Inside The Bankable Speaker Academy on Skool, youβll follow a clear 21-day structure designed to help you move from ideas to action β without overwhelm.
This is not about doing more.
Itβs about doing the right things, in the right order.
Inside the Academy, youβll get:
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A step-by-step 21-day framework to build your speaker business
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Clear structure for pitching, booking, and follow-up
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Accountability so you donβt start and stop
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Community support from other speakers doing the work
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On-demand training you can implement immediately
All for ONLY $17 per month.
This is where consistency gets built β and confidence follows.
π Join The Bankable Speaker Academy on Skool
Closing Message From Dr. Shana
Before you go, I want to remind you of this:
No is part of the process.
Silence is part of the process.
Waiting is part of the process.
If things arenβt happening as fast as youβd like, it doesnβt mean youβre doing it wrong.
It means youβre building something real.
Keep pitching.
Keep following up.
Keep refining.
Momentum comes from staying in the game β not quitting too soon.
Youβre closer than you think.
And you donβt have to do this alone.
Keep going.
β
Dr. Shana
The Bankable Speaker Coach
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