Sterling Hawkins Keynote Speaker

  • Investor, Entrepreneur & Speaker
  • Founder of the #NoMatterWhat Movement
  • Author of Hunting Discomfort: How to Get Breakthrough Results in Life and Business No Matter What

Sterling Hawkins's Biography

Sterling Hawkins is an author, investor, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker who is globally recognized as a thought leader in organizational culture. Founder of the No Matter What Movement, he shows people how to practice trust to achieve the results they want regardless of obstacles.

Sterling developed his trust-powered success system to learn from the painful collapse of his multi-billion dollar startup involvement. He’s since combined his business background, research, study, and practice to come back and launch, invest in, and grow more than 100 companies. He’s taken that experience to work with C-level teams and leaders and speak on stages around the world. He’s been featured in magazines like Forbes, Fast Company, The New York Times and Inc.

He believes that the depth of your trust determines the extent of your growth and success in life and business. Getting results requires being brave, declaring big goals and stepping outside your comfort zone. To inspire people to unlock their own inherent potential, he shares five practices that help us push beyond our perceived limits to make a difference for our companies, communities, and families. When he’s not at home in Colorado, he may be out skydiving, swimming with sharks or adventuring with the No Matter What Movement.

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Sterling Hawkins's Speaking Topics

  • NO MATTER WHAT – THRIVING THROUGH CHANGE AND UNCERTAINTY

GET UNSTUCK AND CREATE A SURE PATHWAY TO PROGRESS, REGARDLESS OF THE CHALLENGES

In a world permanently transformed by tech upheaval, competitive pressures, talent shortages, and global instability, change and uncertainty have never been more intense. But here’s the truth: change is constant, and it isn’t the enemy. It’s our approach to it that leaves us afraid of taking risks, struggling to adapt and limiting our progress.

Sterling Hawkins shares how he went from multi-billion dollar startup success story to bankruptcy to growth leader and advisor to hundreds of leading companies. The experiences, research and real-world testing shared in this ground-breaking keynote will help you break through your own challenges by reframing your relationship with change. Sterling’s proven framework cultivates a resilient growth mindset that thrives in uncertainty by empowering audiences to commit to real progress rather than burning out or becoming crushed by it.

With his No Matter What mantra, Sterling lights a fire within individuals and teams, uniting them to capitalize on their strengths. By fostering connection, breaking down silos, and empowering team members at every level to confront uncertainty, his system transforms any change into opportunity and any challenge into greater potential.

OUTCOMES

  • Activate High Performance: Empower your team with proven practices that drive high performance, regardless of challenges.
  • Transform Discomfort into Growth: Challenge the "survival" narrative and use discomfort as a powerful catalyst for impact, resilience, and transformation.
  • Accelerate Learning and Results: Embrace a science-backed approach to harness the unknown, accelerating learning and achieving outstanding results.
  • THIS INSPIRATIONAL KEYNOTE IS DESIGNED FOR LEADERS WHO ARE

    Struggling to keep up with technology disruption, competitive pressures, and market shifts.

    Disempowered dealing with unknowns and burned out from relentless change.

    Under pressure to deliver stronger results by rising to challenging circumstances or ambitious goals.

    • TRUE LEADERSHIP FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL GROWTH

    REALIZE THE POTENTIAL IN YOURSELF, YOUR TEAM AND YOUR ORGANIZATION WITH TRUST-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP.

    In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, there are few constants, leaving paralyzing uncertainty in its wake. It is the role of transformational leaders to build a clear foundation of what can be trusted, enabling growth and consistent success.

    From over a decade of exploring myriad growth modalities, Sterling Hawkins introduces a revolutionary methodology for transformational leadership centered on trust. Instead of focusing solely on goals and tasks, this method orients us to the real work of growth, aligns us to our ultimate goals, and connects us with what matters most. Modeled by leaders, these principles become the ground upon which transformation takes place. In practice, the principles inspire teams, win moments of opportunity, deliver differentiated solutions, and unlock greater potential.

    This paradigm shift not only reduces turnover and stimulates breakthrough approaches, but also resonates positively with partners, clients, and stakeholders. Embracing trust-driven leadership doesn’t just improve the bottom line; this proven approach enhances the workplace and shapes the very essence of the organization.

    OUTCOMES

  • Unlock Hidden Potential: Harness cutting-edge, research-backed methods to build trust, enhance learning, and reveal the inherent potential within your team.
  • Catalyze Transformative Action: Implement powerful, actionable leadership practices that drive immediate and lasting change.
  • Sustain Momentum: Create enduring performance improvements that continuously accelerate team momentum and organizational growth.
  • THIS TRANSFORMATIONAL KEYNOTE IS DESIGNED FOR LEADERS WHO ARE

    Called to lead in a meaningful new way to significantly improve morale and results.

    Frustrated with surface-level approaches, lack of clarity and slow progress.

    Ready to truly align to produce breakthrough performance for themselves and their teams.

    • MAXIMIZE YOUR IMPACT

    BUILD YOUR CAPACITY TO GROW BY ESTABLISHING A FRESH RELATIONSHIP WITH CHANGE, CONTROL AND UNCERTAINTY

    True growth comes from stepping toward a place that many fear: the unknown. High performing people and organizations must develop their relationship with the uncertainty that comes from unknowns to reach even higher levels of success.

    Created and field-tested alongside some of the world’s largest companies, Sterling Hawkins offers a proven methodology that doesn’t rely on working more or trying harder. Instead, he provides clear steps to radically rethink our relationship with the unknown and the uncomfortable. This shift builds trust that outweighs fear, courage that overrides worry and the capacity to shed our comfort zone and handle uncertainty.

    No matter your current situation or level of performance, Sterling’s compelling data, moving stories, and high-energy delivery enable audiences to think differently, elevate conversations, and align to greater goals to maximize the impact of individuals, teams, and organizations.

    OUTCOMES

  • Master Uncertainty: Avoid common growth pitfalls and confidently navigate the unknown to propel your objectives forward.
  • Establish Psychological Safety: Apply proven practices to cultivate psychological safety within, unlocking dramatic new results in any situation.
  • Transform Your Culture: Shift from fear-driven reactions to proactive purposeful actions, fostering deep trust and maximizing long-term impact.
  • THIS GROWTH KEYNOTE IS DESIGNED FOR LEADERS WHO ARE

    Ready to reach the next level of performance with a radical new approach.

    Seeking a framework to advance sales, business results or breakthrough performance.

    Inspired to make a bigger difference without sacrificing health and wellbeing.

    • CREATING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION

    PRACTICAL TOOLS TO BUILD A CULTURE OF CREATIVITY, INGENUITY AND DETERMINATION

    With AI and other disruptive changes as the new constant, fostering an innovation culture is mission-critical to stay ahead. The catch is, our natural human inclination is to resist any change, seeking comfort in the security of familiar routines.

    Sterling Hawkins offers a fresh perspective on innovation built on launching, investing, and growing over 50 startups. He shares a science-backed approach to breakthrough innovation by coming from a place of curiosity, not certainty. To achieve the impact we desire in our businesses, communities and families, we need a complete perspective overhaul.

    Learn Sterling’s holistic approach for cultivating a culture of creativity, ingenuity, and determination across all areas of an organization. This keynote goes deeper than a motivational talk: it’s a transformative experience that shows you how to innovate and create from true inspiration.

    OUTCOMES

  • Break Free from History: Identify and release outdated narratives that hinder team progress.
  • Cultivate a Culture of Innovation: Apply practical tools to foster an innovative culture that distinguishes your organization in a competitive market.
  • Embrace Failure to Succeed: Adopt a neuroscience-backed approach to break down silos, embrace failures, and uncover breakthrough opportunities.
  • THIS INNOVATION KEYNOTE IS DESIGNED FOR LEADERS WHO ARE |

    Seeking a new approach to innovation that drives organic growth, competitive advantage and higher performance.

    Looking to break free of legacy thinking, limiting beliefs and fear of failure to realize next-level breakthroughs.

    Inspired to take smart risks, desire to embrace new technologies or approaches and need to collaborate in deeper ways.

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    Videos of Sterling Hawkins

    Speaking Reel
    Speaking Reel
    Why Discomfort Turns out to be a Biological Superpower
    Why Discomfort Turns out to be a Biological Superpower
    How To Use Your Problems As Your Path Forward
    How To Use Your Problems As Your Path Forward
    The Necessity of Commitments Greater than your Discomfort
    The Necessity of Commitments Greater than your Discomfort
    25,000
    25,000
    Discomfort is Necessary for Innovation
    Discomfort is Necessary for Innovation
    Innovation Starts With You
    Innovation Starts With You
    Hack the Transformative Power of Courage to Transform Challenge into Opportunity
    Hack the Transformative Power of Courage to Transform Challenge into Opportunity

    Articles, Media & Podcasts

    Books by Sterling Hawkins

    Hunting Discomfort by Sterling Hawkins
    Hunting Discomfort: How to Get Breakthrough Results in Life and Business No Matter What

    Comments & Testimonials

    Sterling combines powerful storytelling with meaningful information and tools leaving listeners excited and empowered to take action. He’s one of only a few speakers I’ve seen that actually makes a real difference. We’ll definitely have him back!
    Michael Mikyska Retail Managing Director, Innerworkings, Inc.
    Sterling delivered the best keynote we’ve had in our company’s history! As an organization, we’re going through significant changes; Sterling took the time to understand our business, our challenges and our people to incorporate that learning into a talk that truly spoke to us. His messages were inspiring, but also actionable in a way that people could grab onto and use immediately. I can clearly see how Sterling’s message has sustainably impacted all of us as we continue to grow into the future.
    John Glaze CCO, LK Packaging
    Sterling Hawkins is a game-changer! When our company was on the brink of transformation, Sterling's keynote and workshop redefined our approach and left each leader with actionable insights and takeaway value. His inspiration was the catalyst to unite the teams, open up communication, build deeper connections and turn our discomfort into a pathway of growth. Working with Sterling is a transformative experience that will make your company better and make each individual better as leaders. Sterling is the go-to expert for anyone navigating transformation or seeking to strengthen team alignment and culture.
    Ron Wilson Chief Supply Chain Officer, Fortune Brands Innovations
    Sterling is an inspiring, engaging and highly motivating speaker. His message is clear and driven to inspire action from the audience through his #NoMatterWhat campaign. Our team really enjoyed working with him.
    Michelle Cooper SVP, Global Field Marketing, SAP
    Sterling's keynote was a game-changer for our organization! It was a real partnership that focused on our challenges and delivered on our goals with more resources than I’ve ever seen. His approach was so tangible and accessible, the impact lives on long after the event.
    Brooke Fawcett SVP, Brand & Marketing · Partner, Plexus Groupe
    Sterling's message was highly engaging, feedback was very positive, and the event increased accountability and alignment. Since the keynote, there has been a noticeable rise in team engagement and ownership.
    CHRISTOPHE JEUSSE CEO, PEOPLELINK

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