Rather than sending 100 green balloons floating into the Lambertville sky, we thought we’d celebrate in a way that lasts longer (and is kinder to the planet): by sharing 100 stage-tested insights from our Alumni, Faculty, Team, and Founders.

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These aren’t just lessons on paper. They’re full of wisdom forged in the trenches of real-life experience, through deep work, bold leaps, and plenty of time spent in that oh-so-familiar “messy middle.”

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These visionary insights shake up conventional wisdom and deliver sharper, more surprising ways forward (the kind that deserve their own standing ovation).

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The Mindset Shift: Think HEROIC

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Before the spotlight, before the applause, before even picking up a pencil to draft your speech or book, these powerful mindset shifts make all the difference.

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Put your audience first, always.
Bring a beginner’s mindset; stay open to new ways of doing things.
An education is not given, it's taken. Be a front-row learner.
Winging it doesn’t get you where you want to go. Practice does.
Responding with “Yes, And” can deepen your message, elevate your speaking, and transform your leadership.
Trust the process. Transformational work is challenging, but you’re completely capable of achieving it.
Be a performer, not a critic.
Start before you feel ready. Soon, you’ll look back and thank yourself for taking that daring first step.
Education that transforms isn’t easy—it’s challenging, messy, and uncomfortable.
Speaking isn’t just about educating or informing, it’s about connecting and transforming.

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Whether crafting a keynote, iterating your performance, or writing your next bestseller, these mindset shifts can increase your impact exponentially. Embarking on your thought- leadership journey with curiosity, humility, and hunger for improvement can be the difference between achieving mastery or simply dabbling in it.

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Don’t Just Speak, Perform.

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The stage isn’t for the everyday, it’s for the extraordinary. Make bold choices. Expand into the largeness of life. Don’t just speak, perform. Only a true performance moves hearts, shifts minds, and sparks action.

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Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion; you fall back on your training. Preparation is the only way to make real magic.
On a performance level, often you have to go much bigger than you thought.
The “unexpected” is what makes performance so compelling and powerful.
Don’t tell your audience you’re going to tell a story, just tell the story.
Before you move onstage, make sure you know: (1) where you're going to go (2) when you're going to go there, and (3) why you're going to go there.
Stay fully present, especially when telling a story.
Take the beat. Pause. Stay silent. Let your words sink deep.
Your speech is a dialogue, not a monologue.
Authentic audience engagement comes from a well-rehearsed and masterfully delivered theatrical performance full of both insight and entertainment.
Even how you breathe onstage can affect your performance.

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Performance is a craft. And like any other craft, it rewards rigor, repetition, and risk. A truly transformational speech looks effortless—but only because the speaker rehearsed, refined, and reworked every moment until it was stage-worthy. When you turn your speech into a performance, you earn much more than just roaring applause. You change more lives, make a deeper impact, and achieve your goals faster than ever before.

Full Transcript

Don't

At HEROIC, leaders find the courage to make the big choices that transform them and their speaking journey.

What It Takes to Craft a Speech That Transforms

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Create a transformational experience that inspires, surprises, delights, and moves your audience. What makes your speech entertaining, compelling, and transformational is how you perform it.

‍

There’s no one right way to craft a transformational speech.
Being able to deliver a speech without slides is the mark of a true professional.
Practice how you play. Bring your full performance energy to every rehearsal.
Audiences want your ideas, not your life story. Your past matters much less to them than your ability to impact their future.
Sameness is boring. Use emotional, structural, and delivery contrast to pique and maintain your audience’s interest.
Cut, cut, cut. Your audience needs a lot less information to get to the “aha” moment than you might think.
The “little ones”—the insights that seem too plain or simple—are the sparks that become something powerful.
Don’t chase trending speech topics. Find a timeless challenge to conquer.
Add more conflict to your stories; it’s the driving force that takes your story from the stage to their hearts.
Use the Foundational Five to make your speech more compelling, memorable, and transformational.

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The most transformational speeches are a masterful combination of insight and entertainment. Packed with ideas that “wow,” stories that captivate, and a Core Message that transforms, these speeches are crafted specifically for the people who need to hear them.

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When your goal is transformation, connection, and change, your speech is the catalyst that helps you achieve real impact. And onstage, you should be willing to do whatever it takes to leave a mark that matters.

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Connection Isn’t Optional, It’s Essential.

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Your message, and how you deliver it, has the power to inspire change. But you have to make your audience feel first. Information alone just isn’t enough.

‍

When you influence how your audience feels, you change the way they think, and ultimately how they behave.
Don’t show off, show up: fully present and ready to serve.
Making eye contact with just a few people can make almost everyone in your audience feel like they’re part of an intimate, personal conversation.
Using “we,” rather than “you” brings a sense of community, inclusion, and collective responsibility.
Focus on what you want your audience to feel during each specific moment in your speech.
Don’t play the “just-like-you” card. Your unique point of view is valuable.
Boldly share a new perspective, an alternative way of doing things, and a different solution.
Your audience is on your side. They want you to succeed. See them that way.
When you nail a joke, take it all in. Bask in the moment and let them laugh.
Stage fright? Shift your focus from yourself to your audience.

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The goal isn’t perfection, it’s presence and connection. When you focus on showing up onstage, and in life, fully present and ready to serve, you’ll be much more likely to shine in the spotlight. Because delivering a message takes more than just well-crafted words, it takes your whole heart.

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The Business Side of Speaking

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To build a sustainable speaking career, establish, nurture, and prioritize relationships. Let every interaction demonstrate you’re the easiest, most prepared, and most helpful speaker they’ve ever worked with.

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You’re not in the speaking business, you’re in the relationship business.
Speakers get speakers work. Your fellow speakers are some of your most valuable assets.
Stageside leads are the clearest indicator of future speaking success.
Speak for free. Offering “lunch-and-learns” can be one of the best ways to help you iterate your speech, improve your delivery, and earn valuable feedback.
Master the art of the follow-up, and keep track of everything.
Bulk book sales (included in your speaking fee) help you negotiate, simplify your logistics, and maximize your revenue.
Your speech—not your marketing—should be what sustains your speaking business and earns you more gigs.
When your speech becomes referable, that’s when keynote invitations start rolling in.
Give your event organizers the red-carpet treatment; crafting a world-class experience starts long before you step onstage.
Speakers who can consistently deliver a reliable and transformational experience earn more gigs.

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In the speaking industry, lone wolves don’t go far. HEROIC co-founder Michael Port has said: “The speakers who are most successful are the ones who are easy to work with, humble, self-aware, and—most importantly—supportive of other speakers.”

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Building and nurturing relationships is essential to speaking success. Whether it’s with event organizers, potential clients, fellow speakers, or audience members, the relationships you form will open doors, touch hearts, and significantly augment your success.

Don't

HEROIC Alumni volunteer to share their unique take-aways at the conclusion of a Masterclass session with Creative Director and Lead Performance Faculty Russell Ewing.

Transformational Writing: Crafting a Book That Leaves a Legacy

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Lasting impact happens when you put your reader first—at every stage of the book-development process.

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Don’t get caught up with perfection. If you try to make everything a masterpiece, you’ll never finish anything.
Your audience doesn’t want to hear quotes from other people, they want to quote you.
Writing a book can enhance your speaking career. (And vice versa.)
Getting stuck is normal. And that “messy middle”? That’s where breakthroughs happen.
Respecting intellectual property (IP) is about honoring your own ideas as much as those of others.
Even the most unimpressive first draft can turn into a masterpiece if you keep writing, revising, and iterating.
Writing is a numbers game. Stick to your daily word-count goal, and you’ll finish.
You don’t owe anyone your pain. How much or how little you share of your life experiences is completely up to you.
Publishers are not fairy godmothers or cranky bosses. They’re your partners, and they want your book to succeed.
As AJ Harper says: “A book is not about something. A book is for someone.”

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Strategically using both writing and speaking can create a rapid iterative process that enhances your success, both as an author and a speaker. Keeping these powerful insights in mind as you draft, edit, and revise your book can help you finish your book, become an author—and most importantly—leave a legacy through your words.

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Courageously Embarking on the Creative Journey

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When you courageously make performance decisions that truly put something significant at stake, you take both yourself and your audience out of the comfort zone. You keep them on the edge of their seats. You create transformation.

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There’s no perfect formula or one right way to do creative work.
Your story is your superpower.
Protect your creative process; develop a red-velvet-rope feedback policy.
Onstage magic might look effortless, but it takes a lot of behind-the-scenes effort and growth to make it happen.
Bombing can become one of your greatest opportunities.
Move from Expertville to Visionary Town.
As Michael Port frequently says: “Often people don’t hear what you're saying until you're sick of saying it.”
Go big. Make daring choices. Walk the tightrope. Raise the stakes.
Don’t take feedback from anybody you didn’t specifically ask for feedback from.
Unwavering support fuels progress, courage, and self-expression. That’s why here at HEROIC, everyone gets a standing ovation.

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Your creative journey might take you down unexpected paths towards unforeseen breakthroughs. When you’re more concerned about making a difference in the lives of the people you serve than being liked or admired, you’ll have a greater impact. You’ll bounce back from rejection quickly. You’ll lead with authenticity. And you’ll achieve what you set out to achieve.

Don't

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“I thought I was signing up to become a trained keynote speaker. And yes, I did that—but what actually happened was so much deeper. I became a fuller, more grounded version of myself. I found my voice in a whole new way. I walked away with clarity, confidence, and a group of friendships I didn’t know I needed—but now can’t imagine being without. To the entire HEROIC team—thank you. You changed me.”

Vitale Buford Hardin

President + CEO at Vitale & Co.

Mastery Is Never Accidental.

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Whether in authorship, leadership, or professional speaking, becoming best-in-class takes time, effort, and commitment.

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Mastery is a lifelong journey.
Focus on results, not approval.
Pursuing mastery isn’t always enjoyable at first. But the better you are at something, the more you like it.
If you think, “I already know this,” ask yourself: “Have I mastered it?” If you can’t yet deliver a flawless performance, repetition isn’t redundant—it’s the path forward.
The speech is never finished; there’s always something you can iterate and improve.
You’re not behind. Don’t compare your success to that of others.
Don’t “fake it till you make it.” Marketing yourself as a big deal (when you’re not) can backfire.
Rehearsal isn’t about memorizing your speech, it’s about knowing it so well you can perform it masterfully no matter what.
Take a minute to see how far you’ve come.
It takes mastery of craft to make real magic onstage.

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Hours and hours of rehearsal. Erasing, rewriting, revising, and editing your first chapter until it’s just right. Continuously seeking for improvement, iteration after iteration. Achieving mastery doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a lifelong journey, a process of discovery, and a creative endeavor that requires patience. Focus on progress, not perfection. Soon you’ll look back and realize you’re leaps and bounds ahead of where you were just a few months ago.

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Standout Moments and Unforgettable Performances

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Those mic-drop moments? They don’t happen by chance. They’re carefully crafted, rehearsed, and perfected until they work every single time.

‍

Center stage is the most powerful spot in the room; when you’re ready to deliver an unforgettable line, stand and land, right in center stage.
Vulnerability is a gift to your audience that reminds them that they’re not alone.
Don’t try to be “good enough.”
A signature bit is a showing solution to a telling problem. It’s a theatrical experience at the intersection of insight and entertainment that drives your Core Message home.
Strive to be helpful; aim to serve, and you’ll hit the mark every time.
Rehearsal is key to peak performance; it’s what takes you from good to wow.
Some of the most powerful moments in your speech will be ones when you’re not speaking.
If you have to explain a joke, it’s just not funny.
Be “extra.” When you bring your “extra” to the stage, people love it.
The audience will never have more fun than you’re having onstage.

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Shining under the spotlight on the big day begins with making big choices, rehearsing like a professional, and focusing on your audience long before you step onstage. When you shift your focus from yourself to the audience, you’ll feel more confident and relaxed, and be able to truly make an impact in the lives of those you’re meant to reach.

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The Bigger Picture: Lasting Impact That Leaves a Legacy

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Whether you're pursuing speaking mastery, building your thought leadership empire, or writing your next bestseller, a supportive community makes all the difference. We grow faster, rise higher, and achieve more when we work together.

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Your speech is not for everyone. A speech for “everyone” is actually a speech for no one; specificity is what breeds authentic connection.
To do transformational work for people, you must do transformational work on yourself.
You don’t need a million connections to be a successful speaker. But you do need a systematic and organized plan to stay connected with the people you meet.
The most effective thought leaders are humble, empathetic, resilient, original, integrous, and courageous—they’re HEROIC.
There’s no such thing as a bad crowd.
Consistently overdeliver through craft, performance, and professionalism.
There’s always more to learn.
Make and keep promises. When you do what you say you’re going to do, doors open and opportunities abound.
A speech has the power to save the world and the people in it, including the speaker.‍
We can do more together than we can alone.‍

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Whether onstage, through the pages of a book, or via podcasts, presentations, or personal coaching, the impact you make as a leader is the legacy you leave. When you lead with mastery, when you experience real transformation, when you deliver a masterful performance—you become transformational.

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Moving forward with purpose, impact, and power inspires real, lasting change in the lives of your readers, your audience, your followers. It makes a tangible difference in the world. It's what lays the foundation of the vivid and enduring legacy you're building, brick by brick, one message at a time, one individual at a time.

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What’s the most valuable insight you’ve gained on your HEROIC journey? Comment below—your insights light the path for fellow speakers and leaders as they journey toward mastery and impact.

Don't

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What It Takes to Craft a Speech That Transforms

‍

Create a transformational experience that inspires, surprises, delights, and moves your audience. What makes your speech entertaining, compelling, and transformational is how you perform it.

‍

There’s no one right way to craft a transformational speech.
Being able to deliver a speech without slides is the mark of a true professional.
Practice how you play. Bring your full performance energy to every rehearsal.
Audiences want your ideas, not your life story. Your past matters much less to them than your ability to impact their future.
Sameness is boring. Use emotional, structural, and delivery contrast to pique and maintain your audience’s interest.
Cut, cut, cut. Your audience needs a lot less information to get to the “aha” moment than you might think.
The “little ones”—the insights that seem too plain or simple—are the sparks that become something powerful.
Don’t chase trending speech topics. Find a timeless challenge to conquer.
Add more conflict to your stories; it’s the driving force that takes your story from the stage to their hearts.
Use the Foundational Five to make your speech more compelling, memorable, and transformational.

‍

Connection Isn’t Optional, It’s Essential.

‍

Your message, and how you deliver it, has the power to inspire change. But you have to make your audience feel first. Information alone just isn’t enough.

‍

When you influence how your audience feels, you change the way they think, and ultimately how they behave.
Don’t show off, show up: fully present and ready to serve.
Making eye contact with just a few people can make almost everyone in your audience feel like they’re part of an intimate, personal conversation.
Using “we,” rather than “you” brings a sense of community, inclusion, and collective responsibility.
Focus on what you want your audience to feel during each specific moment in your speech.
Don’t play the “just-like-you” card. Your unique point of view is valuable.
Boldly share a new perspective, an alternative way of doing things, and a different solution.
Your audience is on your side. They want you to succeed. See them that way.
When you nail a joke, take it all in. Bask in the moment and let them laugh.
Stage fright? Shift your focus from yourself to your audience.

‍

The Business Side of Speaking

‍

You’re not in the speaking business, you’re in the relationship business.
Speakers get speakers work. Your fellow speakers are some of your most valuable assets.
Stageside leads are the clearest indicator of future speaking success.
Speak for free. Offering “lunch-and-learns” can be one of the best ways to help you iterate your speech, improve your delivery, and earn valuable feedback.
Master the art of the follow-up, and keep track of everything.
Bulk book sales (included in your speaking fee) help you negotiate, simplify your logistics, and maximize your revenue.
Your speech—not your marketing—should be what sustains your speaking business and earns you more gigs.
When your speech becomes referable, that’s when keynote invitations start rolling in.
Give your event organizers the red-carpet treatment; crafting a world-class experience starts long before you step onstage.
Speakers who can consistently deliver a reliable and transformational experience earn more gigs.

‍

Dont

At HEROIC, leaders find the courage to make the big choices that transform them and their speaking journey.

Transformational Writing: Crafting a Book That Leaves a Legacy

‍

Lasting impact happens when you put your reader first—at every stage of the book-development process.

‍

Don’t get caught up with perfection. If you try to make everything a masterpiece, you’ll never finish anything.
Your audience doesn’t want to hear quotes from other people, they want to quote you.
Writing a book can enhance your speaking career. (And vice versa.)
Getting stuck is normal. And that “messy middle”? That’s where breakthroughs happen.
Respecting intellectual property (IP) is about honoring your own ideas as much as those of others.
Even the most unimpressive first draft can turn into a masterpiece if you keep writing, revising, and iterating.
Writing is a numbers game. Stick to your daily word-count goal, and you’ll finish.
You don’t owe anyone your pain. How much or how little you share of your life experiences is completely up to you.
Publishers are not fairy godmothers or cranky bosses. They’re your partners, and they want your book to succeed.
As AJ Harper says: “A book is not about something. A book is for someone.”

‍

Courageously Embarking on the Creative Journey

‍

There’s no perfect formula or one right way to do creative work.
Your story is your superpower.
Protect your creative process; develop a red-velvet-rope feedback policy.
Onstage magic might look effortless, but it takes a lot of behind-the-scenes effort and growth to make it happen.
Bombing can become one of your greatest opportunities.
Move from Expertville to Visionary Town.
As Michael Port frequently says: “Often people don’t hear what you're saying until you're sick of saying it.”
Go big. Make daring choices. Walk the tightrope. Raise the stakes.
Don’t take feedback from anybody you didn’t specifically ask for feedback from.
Unwavering support fuels progress, courage, and self-expression. That’s why here at HEROIC, everyone gets a standing ovation.

‍

Don't

Vitale Buford Hardin

President + CEO at Vitale & Co.

Mastery Is Never Accidental.

‍

Whether in authorship, leadership, or professional speaking, becoming best-in-class takes time, effort, and commitment.

‍

Mastery is a lifelong journey.
Focus on results, not approval.
Pursuing mastery isn’t always enjoyable at first. But the better you are at something, the more you like it.
If you think, “I already know this,” ask yourself: “Have I mastered it?” If you can’t yet deliver a flawless performance, repetition isn’t redundant—it’s the path forward.
The speech is never finished; there’s always something you can iterate and improve.
You’re not behind. Don’t compare your success to that of others.
Don’t “fake it till you make it.” Marketing yourself as a big deal (when you’re not) can backfire.
Rehearsal isn’t about memorizing your speech, it’s about knowing it so well you can perform it masterfully no matter what.
Take a minute to see how far you’ve come.
It takes mastery of craft to make real magic onstage.

‍

Standout Moments and Unforgettable Performances

‍

Those mic-drop moments? They don’t happen by chance. They’re carefully crafted, rehearsed, and perfected until they work every single time.

‍

Center stage is the most powerful spot in the room; when you’re ready to deliver an unforgettable line, stand and land, right in center stage.
Vulnerability is a gift to your audience that reminds them that they’re not alone.
Don’t try to be “good enough.”
A signature bit is a showing solution to a telling problem. It’s a theatrical experience at the intersection of insight and entertainment that drives your Core Message home.
Strive to be helpful; aim to serve, and you’ll hit the mark every time.
Rehearsal is key to peak performance; it’s what takes you from good to wow.
Some of the most powerful moments in your speech will be ones when you’re not speaking.
If you have to explain a joke, it’s just not funny.
Be “extra.” When you bring your “extra” to the stage, people love it.
The audience will never have more fun than you’re having onstage.

‍

The Bigger Picture: Lasting Impact That Leaves a Legacy

‍

Your speech is not for everyone. A speech for “everyone” is actually a speech for no one; specificity is what breeds authentic connection.
To do transformational work for people, you must do transformational work on yourself.
You don’t need a million connections to be a successful speaker. But you do need a systematic and organized plan to stay connected with the people you meet.
The most effective thought leaders are humble, empathetic, resilient, original, integrous, and courageous—they’re HEROIC.
There’s no such thing as a bad crowd.
Consistently overdeliver through craft, performance, and professionalism.
There’s always more to learn.
Make and keep promises. When you do what you say you’re going to do, doors open and opportunities abound.
A speech has the power to save the world and the people in it, including the speaker.‍
We can do more together than we can alone.‍

‍

What’s the most valuable insight you’ve gained on your HEROIC journey? Comment below—your insights light the path for fellow speakers and leaders as they journey toward mastery and impact.

Don't