The Future of Work is Human Connection.

Coaching

Strategy Coaching for Authors and Speakers

Smiley’s advice has helped thousands of professionals all over the world. 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’s coaching has helped speakers book $15,000 gigs, work with speaker agencies, and get more gigs. Smiley usually offers 1-on-1 coaching in two areas:

  • AUTHORS: Write and Publish Your Book

    Ask Smiley how to ideate your book, how to write your book, whether you should self-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.

  • 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 TEDx talk, how to improve your keynote presentation, how to prep for a big work presentation or pitch, 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 executives write keynote speeches, leaders become more effective communicators, founders pitch their products; speakers book more gigs, increase their speaking fees to $15K and higher, write TEDx talks, improve their keynotes, design their speaker websites, and become an expert in their field.

1-on-1 Strategy Coaching with Smiley

Investment: $525 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. You’ll share your book/proposal or website/reel in advance so I can review, let what you’re working on, 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 author or speaking business to the next level, write/publish/market your book, 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.

VIP Coaching Day with Smiley

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

Format: Smiley’s VIP 1-on-1 Coaching 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 for authors fleshing out their book ideas or book proposals, or speakers fleshing out their TED talk, keynote, or platform. I’ll share my ideas and insights to help solve your challenges and take your work to the next level.

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

Coaching Application

About Your Coach

When companies want to increase workplace belonging, human connection, and team engagement, they call ADAM “SMILEY” POSWOLSKY. Smiley is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, workplace belonging expert, and bestselling author of three books that have been translated into multiple languages, including The Quarter-Life Breakthrough and Friendship in the Age of Loneliness. 

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, and the U.S. Navy. Smiley’s TED talk has been viewed 2 million times, and he has delivered 600 keynotes in front of 250,000 people in 25 countries.

Smiley has sold tens of thousands of books, self-published two books, and received two book deals with major publishers worth nearly $100,000. He has advised over 100 authors, some of whom have received book deals ranging from $25,000 to $500,000.

Friendship in the Age of Loneliness_Book Cover_Author.jpeg

Books by Authors Coached or Mentored by Smiley

Testimonials

Authors Smiley has taught have landed six-figure book deals with Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House, published viral articles in The Atlantic, launched successful self-published books and #1 Amazon bestsellers, translated their books, and even sold film rights for their manuscripts.

“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: HOW CURIOSITY CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE AND CHANGE THE WORLD (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, experience designer, master facilitator

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 am lucky Smiley has guided me in my journey for writing my first book. Especially in the beginning when it was all so confusing and mushy, Smiley helped me get clear on what I needed to do and how to do it.  It was sooo damn relieving to work with him… It’s not just structure — he also gives encouragement, and not in an overplayed “you can do it, shoot for the stars!” kind of way, but a “yes, this shit is hard, this shit takes work, but it is fulfilling and your voice matters. Hang in there, Asya”  kind of way. And you’ll see — he does all of his offerings (coaching, writing, teaching, etc) in a simple way. No BS, humility, simplicity and getting to the heart of matter. This is Smiley’s gift to us.” 

-Asya Azar, creator, storyteller, author

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, founder

Smiley is known as a speaker, but truly he's a world class teacher. Whether on stage, in a classroom, or on a phone call overseas, I have been able to apply his lessons to become a 6-figure speaker myself. His energy, enthusiasm, and clarity of purpose is contagious. He's quirky, inclusive, and ambitious.

-Cam Adair, speaker and founder of Game Quitters

"Smiley's advice has helped me join a top college speaking agency, increase my speaking fee, and grow my speaking business."

-Chris Butsch, Workplace happiness speaker, TEDx speaker, bestselling author, international consultant 

"Smiley’s Author Support Group gave me so much more than I could have expected: it inspired me with stories from real published authors, it educated me on the different ways to create a book on my terms, and it connected me with other in-progress writers who continue to support and encourage me to this day. It would have been a great investment just for the resources alone!" 

-Lisa Curtis, founder of Kuli Kuli, social entrepreneur, author

“Smiley demonstrated an incredible skill of effectively supporting authors at various stages of their book journeys, working on all kinds of different manuscripts. The accountability, information, resources, and encouragement I gained from this group totally exceeded my expectations and I could not recommend it highly enough. Thanks, Smiley!

-Jeanine Cerendulo, professional coach, author

“The Breakthrough Speaker is a practical and powerful guide for anyone who wants to build their personal brand and grow their speaking career.”

-Dorie Clark, adjunct professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, contributor to Harvard Business Review, author of Entrepreneurial You

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.