Coaching for Keynote Speakers.

Smiley’s advice helps keynote speakers grow their speaking business, and authors publish their books.

Smiley is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, workplace belonging expert, and bestselling author of four books that have been translated into multiple languages.

Smiley shares industry-shaping insights and practical tools to attract and retain top talent across generations, create a culture of belonging, and engage high-performing teams, at world-class organizations like Apple, Google, Verizon, JPMorgan Chase, Mayo Clinic, and the U.S. Navy. Smiley’s TED talk has been viewed 2 million times, and he has delivered 700 keynotes in front of 500,000 people in 25 countries. Smiley’s work has been featured in 100 media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, the Wall St. Journal, the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the World Economic Forum.

Strategy Coaching for Keynote Speakers and Authors

Smiley’s advice has helped thousands of speakers, authors, and thought leaders all over the world. Smiley’s speaker coaching has helped speakers book $20K+ gigs, work with speaker agencies, and book more gigs. Smiley’s coaching has helped authors sign with top literary agents, land six-figure book deals with Simon & Schuster, publish viral articles in The Atlantic, and launch successful books.

Smiley usually offers 1-on-1 coaching in two areas:

SPEAKERS: Grow Your Speaking Business
Ask Smiley how to grow your speaking business, how to improve your public speaking skills, how to deliver a successful TED talk, how to improve your keynote presentation, how to prep for a big presentation, how to book more corporate gigs, how to increase your speaking fee, how to get a speaking agent, how to work with speaking bureaus; get feedback on your talk, branding, website, or reel.
Smiley has helped speakers book more gigs, increase their speaking fees to $20K and higher, write TED talks, improve their keynotes, design their speaker websites, work with speaker bureaus, and become an expert in their field.
AUTHORS: Publish Your Book
Ask Smiley whether you should self-publish (or hybrid-publish, or traditionally publish) your book, how to self-publish your book, how to get a literary agent, how to get a book deal with a major publisher, how to write a book proposal, how to market a book, how to build an author platform; and get feedback on your manuscript, proposal, or marketing plan.
Smiley’s coaching has helped authors sign with top literary agents, land six-figure book deals with Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House, publish viral articles in The Atlantic, launch successful books, and even sell film rights for their manuscripts.

1-on-1 Strategy Session with Smiley

Investment: $425 for a 75-minute strategy session. Limited availability.

Format: Smiley’s private 1-on-1 strategy coaching sessions for authors/speakers take place via phone call or Zoom. You’ll share your speaking topic/website/reel/videos (or book manuscript/proposal) in advance so I can review, let me what your goals are, and where you need support. I’ll share my ideas, experience and any relevant insights to help solve your challenges and help you take your speaking business to the next level, and get you closer to your goals. I’ll also recommend follow-up homework for you to complete after our session.

Apply: Please fill out the Application below to work with Smiley.

Half-Day Strategy Session with Smiley

Investment: Custom pricing. Please apply to receive a custom quote. Very limited availability.

Format: Smiley’s VIP 1-on-1 Half-Days take place in-person. You’ll share what you’re working on and where you need support. We’ll schedule a 4-hour Deep Dive Strategy Session in-person in San Francisco or at your preferred location (travel not included, delicious lunch included). VIP Days are best speakers fleshing out their keynote platform and positioning, or authors fleshing out their book ideas or book proposals. I’ll share my ideas and insights to help solve your challenges and take your work to the next level. I’ll also recommend follow-up homework for you to complete after our session.

Apply: Please fill out the Application below to work with Smiley.

Books by Authors Coached or Mentored by Smiley

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Testimonials

“Without Smiley's Author Course, I would NOT have been able to sell my book in a MAJOR DEAL. He fed us all with delicious insights paired with tangible resources that strengthened my proposal and pitch immensely. He’s such a fantastic teacher with real experience of the publishing world. Publishing is a confusing process, and it is the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever done in my career! Don’t make it even more daunting by trying to do it alone!”
- Scott Shigeoka, author of Seek (Grand Central Publishing)
“You'll learn a lot and get first hand experience talking to agents about what they're looking for. Smiley is also a great facilitator who knows what he's talking about.”
-Dr. Marisa Franco, author of Platonic (Penguin Random House)
“Smiley was an invaluable resource throughout the entire book writing process, from working on my proposal, to negotiating with the publisher, to organizing interviews, to actually writing the damn thing. His empathy and sights made the entire journey much less painful.”
-Logan Ury, TED Resident, dating coach, author of How to Not Die Alone (Simon & Schuster)
“Smiley has been an invaluable resource and guide on my book writing and publishing journey. He is so generous with his skills, knowledge and experience and will do whatever he can to help you become a successful author, speaker or whatever dream your heart desires. His care for people and passion for his craft make it a total joy to work with him and learn from him. Smiley elevates and empowers everyone who comes into his sphere.”
-Jenny Sauer-Klein, founder of The Culture Conference, founder of Play on Purpose, co-founder of AcroYoga
Not only is Smiley a memorable, energizing, and engaging speaker on stage, but he teaches his step-by-step methodology for creating and advancing your speaking career. Run, don’t walk, to work with Smiley!
-Amber Rae, bestselling author of Choose Wonder Over Worry
I've been calling Smiley my Best Friendtor (friend + mentor) for years, as his guidance and support has been beyond invaluable to my speaking career. What sets Smiley apart is his combination of extensive experience and genuine caring—not only does he share excellent and concrete advice about how to level up as a speaker, but he also believes in people and will have your back. I can't recommend him more highly to anyone who wants to take their speaking career to the next level and beyond.
-Dr. Emily Anhalt, psychologist, speaker, author of Flex Your Feelings

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you offer an online course or a group coaching program?

Yes. Sign-up for my self-directed online Author Course (enroll anytime). I am not currently offering Author Support Group.

Do you offer financial hardship discounts?

Yes. I recognize that it’s a hard time due to the pandemic. If you cannot afford coaching, please complete the application and contact me to request a 25% discount if accepted. Cannot be combined with any other discount.

Do you do free consultations to see if it’s a fit?

No. I have lots of projects and my time available for coaching is limited, so I reserve my time for clients who are excited about working with me.

Can I pick Smiley’s brain for free?

No. Over the past 10 years, I’ve spent hundreds of hours supporting my community and offering free advice and coaching to people I believe in and want to support. Nothing gives me more joy than helping others—and I spent 7+ years giving away my time for free pretty much when anyone asked. Yet, I’ve learned that if I don’t charge competitively for my time, it keeps me from writing new books, it keeps me from preparing new keynotes, it keeps me from doing my best work; and even worse, it makes me resentful of people I’m giving my time too. I’ve reached a point in my career where I can no longer offer my time for free. Please “pick my brain” by applying for 1-on-1 Coaching, or taking my Author Course, watching my TED talks, or reading my books. I’ve also invested countless hours of time in some incredible free or almost-free resources that will help you build your writing and speaking career (scroll down).

Can Smiley intro me to his literary agent or speaking agents?

Mayyyyybe. Only if you have already done the work. In an effort to make the publishing and speaking industries more accessible (especially to women, Black people, and people of color), I try to use my access, influence and power to break down barriers for my fellow authors and speakers. If you have already done the work (for authors, this usually means you have already built a robust platform, published 20+ articles or book, have a polished 30-page draft book proposal; for speakers, this usually means you have already booked 100+ paid speaking engagements on your own and have a solid video reel); and you want to request an intro to a literary agent or speaking agent in my network, I’d be happy to pass your info along (or intro you to another author/speaker who might have better connects than me). I will do my best to share your information and see if they are interested in working with you, which unfortunately, they may not be. Please include your detailed request on the contact page or email me.