FRESH Speakers Academy is a digital training program on the art and business of thought leadership.

Being able to skillfully share your story and work is one of the most powerful ways you can support the issues you lead and champion.

About the Academy

FRESH Speakers Academy is a 6-month long training program that follows the arc of developing a successful public speaking and thought leadership practice.

What we’ve seen over the course of history is that the most impactful leaders are highly effective communicators, whether they’re on a stage, in the op-ed pages, or in a meeting with potential collaborators. The academy is about giving you all the tools and knowledge we can to make you effective in all of these contexts with all kinds of audiences.

What you get in your membership

The program includes three core components:

• •  ONLINE COURSES – You will have access to twenty 20-30 minute courses, taught by some of the most impactful leaders in the world.  Think about it as a Masterclass on thought leadership, where members create a toolbox of assets they can utilize over and over again — including a short TED-style talk, a soulful elevator pitch, a plan to leverage your public speaking for fundraising, and much more.
  •  PERSONALIZED COACHING – You’ll receive coaching from one of the nation’s best experts along the way, providing direct feedback onyour assets and helping you keep track of your goals.
  •  ACCESS TO SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES – Upon graduation, you’ll received a certificate of completion and be inducted into The FRESH Directory, a catalog of public speakers that channels members directly into the inboxes of event and media curators.

Other perks include becoming part of our powerful community of changemakers, peer coaching sessions, monthly conversation series, and more.

About the team 

We are FRESH Speakers, a speakers bureau with the mission of creating more inclusion and equity in thought leadership. We have curated and coached for over a dozen high profile institutions across the globe, like The Obama Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Sundance Institute, and have coached many main stage TED speakers, with cumulative views exceeding 50 million. FRESH has a deep bench of experienced coaches and facilitators, the majority of them BIPOC+, who have vibrant careers communicating about everything from transgender rights to travel culture to land repatriation. Lucky us. Now lucky you.

How to know if the Academy is for you

Applications are now open to a select number of institutional partners for the Fall 2023 Class. Ideal partners are social change organizations, foundations, and companies that host fellowship, grantee, or leadership development programs and think this opportunity would be beneficial for the leaders you support. 

Reach out to learn more about joining our vibrant community of leaders making a mark in the world.