KEYNOTES that CREATE AWARENESS & INSPIRE ACTION
RECENT SPEAKING CLIENTS
REAGAN on STAGE
SIGNATURE KEYNOTE TOPICS
THE PARTICIPATION PRINCIPLE:
On Showing Up
Before You Feel Like It
The most capable people in any room are usually the most likely to hold back. Drawing from his book Too Emotional, Reagan makes the case that acting before you feel ready is exactly how confidence gets built. Attendees leave with language for what's keeping them on the sidelines and a framework for breaking free.
MAKE YOUR OWN MEANING:
How to Find Purpose
Without Changing a Thing
Most folks spend their career searching for meaningful work. Here’s the thing - meaning isn't something you find when circumstances improve, it's something you learn to make from what you already have. This keynote provides a practical framework for building purpose without waiting for better conditions.
YOU CAN'T TELL PEOPLE TO TRUST YOU:
How Storytelling Creates the Connection
Your Leadership is Missing
Most leaders lead with expertise and wonder why trust doesn't follow. But people decide whether they trust you before they care about what you know. This keynote gives teams in technical, sales, and high-stakes roles a practical framework for leading with story so their information has somewhere to land.
The Participation Principle
Every team has people who are genuinely capable and invested in the work, but still hold back in the moments that matter most.
They sit on ideas that deserve a voice and wait for a certainty that never quite arrives. Most organizations assume this is a confidence problem that can be fixed with enough encouragement or the right training - but that rarely does the trick.
Reagan's book Too Emotional and the framework at the heart of this keynote reveal that, for talented, committed people, the actual barrier is almost always the belief that confidence is supposed to arrive before action does - that you need to feel ready before you're allowed to start. That belief is what keeps capable people on the sidelines longer than any skill gap ever could.
The Participation Principle is the reframe and the boost your need. This keynote gives you the language to recognize what's happening when you hold back, and a repeatable approach for moving through hesitation rather than waiting for it to pass on its own.
You'll leave understanding why the most conscientious people in any room are also the most prone to holding back, and with a concrete way to do something about it.
In this session, attendees learn:
Why self-doubt and high performance travel together, and what that actually means for you
The specific internal scripts keeping capable people on the sidelines the longest
A practical framework for moving through hesitation instead of waiting for it to clear
On Showing Up Before You Feel Like It
Make Your Own Meaning
Most people who care deeply about their work eventually ask some version of the same question: is this it?
Reagan has heard it from high performers, from leaders who've built things they're proud of, from people who by any external measure are doing fine. It tends to show up in the middle of a week where nothing is particularly wrong, which is what makes it so disorienting.
We've been trained to find meaning through outcomes and recognition, and when those things arrive differently than expected or don't arrive at all, the sense of purpose tends to go with them. What Reagan has found, and what the most fulfilled people he's worked with consistently demonstrate, is that meaning is less something you locate in the right circumstances and more something you build from whatever circumstances you're already in. It's a skill most people were never taught.
This keynote walks you through why meaning is so hard to hold onto, what goes wrong when work starts to feel empty, and why the instincts most people follow in that moment tend to make things worse. You'll leave with a practical framework for finding meaning in the work you're already doing, without needing anything to change first.
In this session, attendees learn:
Why chasing meaning through outcomes leaves you one disappointment away from losing it
A practical framework for finding and building meaning in the work you already have
How to develop meaning as a repeatable skill rather than a feeling you wait around to have
How to Find Purpose Without Changing a Thing
You Can’t Tell People to Trust You
In technical, high-stakes environments, the reflex when a conversation isn't working is to explain more thoroughly. The problem is that information doesn't create trust on its own, and trust is almost always what's actually missing when a conversation keeps stalling out.
Reagan's central argument is that people form a judgment about whether they trust you before they start evaluating what you know. In relationship-driven work, expertise that arrives before trust does tends to increase distance rather than close it, which is the opposite of what most leaders intend. The leaders who move people most effectively aren't necessarily the most knowledgeable in the room, but they’ve learned to lead with connection before they lead with information, and story is the tool that gets them there.
Story works because it's how people feel understood before they're asked to decide. This keynote gives teams in technical, sales, and high-stakes roles a practical framework for communication that builds trust first, so the expertise they bring to every conversation actually has somewhere to land. Reagan shows you why the conversations that keep stalling are stalling, and gives you a simple, repeatable structure for changing them.
In this session, attendees learn:
Why information and expertise alone fail to build trust in high-stakes conversations
A simple, repeatable structure for stories that create connection before persuasion
How to lead any conversation so your expertise actually lands
How Storytelling Creates the Connection Your Leadership is Missing
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"I just can’t say enough good things about Reagan. Laugh. Cry. Be motivated. Be inspired. Be moved. Reagan makes you feel it all in 60 minutes."
Lindley Workman Alyea, Texas State University
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"We always hope to end our conference in a motivational and upbeat fashion and Reagan absolutely hit the target! His presentation was very well received."
Stella Rodriguez, Texas Association of Community Action Agencies
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"Reagan is so easy to work with, down to earth, and communicates every step of the way. Our members absolutely loved him and we can’t wait to have him back in the future."
Amber Bailey, Cornerstone League
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"Reagan captivates with energy, compelling stories, and actionable insights - and his understanding of the Credit Union movement makes his message land. He doesn't just speak; he connects, motivates, and equips. I Can't recommend him enough."
Amanda White, 5Point Credit Union
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“Reagan’s presentation was inspiring, fun, and a perfect fit for our lending kickoff. He ranked #1 in our feedback survey for what the team enjoyed most, and we’re still hearing people reference ‘participation’ around the office.”
Terrie Doggett, UFCU
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