The FRESH 50 is an exclusive new program born out of FRESH Speakers Academy for organizational leaders advancing social change work.

FRESH Speakers Academy graduate Ebony Underwood.

About the FRESH 50

After training over 300 leaders across the globe on the art and business of thought leadership, FRESH Speakers Academy is providing an exclusive opportunity for individual organizational leaders to experience our top-rated training program for the first time.

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.

The FRESH 50 selects fifty emerging leaders working to advance the most critical issues of our time. Our goal? Help them externalize their groundbreaking ideas and take their thought leadership practice to the next level.

Through sponsorship from their organization, selected leaders will engage in our four-month long, high-touch training program on how to communicate about their work in an unforgettable way. Our January 2025 program is seeking leaders working on the following issues:

• Democracy and technology
• Economic justice
• Gender and racial equity

Our mission is two-fold: To give “on the brink” leaders a high-touch experience to define the ways they want to communicate in the world, and foster powerful connections with other leaders in their field. The way we see it: it’s not about being a hero in a spotlight, but being as powerful as you can be at saying what only you can say as part of a chorus. If we’re going to build the world as we know it can and should be–with more justice, more equity, more beauty–than it’s going to take all of us. We believe in collaboration, narrative change, and collective thought leadership.

What you get 

• •  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 on your 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 300+ change-makers, live learning sessions, monthly conversation series, office hours, and more.

About the Academy

FRESH Speakers Academy is a 4-month long digital training program that follows the arc of developing a successful public speaking and thought leadership practice.

Previous Academy graduates tout the program as “transformational,” saying that it “changed the game” for their public leadership, and was “hugely worth it.” Many have landed op-eds in big publications, secured TED talks, and doubled their speaking fees. Others have simply learned how to communicate about their work in a crystal clear way to funders or other stakeholders.

How to apply

Applicants will be selected on an invite-only basis. Once selected to apply, sponsorship commitment from their organization is required before moving to the application process. Download details here. If you would like to nominate a leader for consideration, please fill out this form. 

The FRESH 50 list will be announced on November 15th. The program will begin January 2025.

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.

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