Speaking & Keynotes
Inspiration fades. Insight sticks. Keynotes that challenge how your audience thinks about leadership.
Training builds skills. But sometimes an audience needs something different. They need to be challenged.
Too often, you put real effort into planning an event, then watch the inspiration fade within days. Everyone’s back to the status quo, and nothing has really changed.
My talks are built to stick. They name something your people have felt but haven’t put into words, and give them something they can use the next day.
The ideas come straight from my coaching work with leaders, so they’re grounded in what happens on the job. And every talk is shaped around your audience and the theme of your event.
If you’re looking for a speaker who truly engages the audience, delivers with confidence, and brings world-class expertise, Ryan is the clear choice. Ryan has presented twice for us and feedback from our guests is always - Ryan was fantastic, Ryan made me belly laugh and it felt good, Ryan really opened my eyes to new ways of seeing things. As an event organizer and host, having a flexible, accommodating, and a really invested presenter can make a world of difference. Not only does our Association recommend Ryan but our industry as a whole sees him as great value to their companies.
Darla - Managing Director
Signature Talks
The Star Player Trap
High performers get promoted. It’s how most organizations work. The problem is that the step into leadership asks them to be someone different, and it’s where many of them get stuck. Being the best at the work has become part of who they are, and leading means finding their value through other people.
This keynote unpacks why star players struggle when they step into leadership, and what it takes to go from player to coach. Your audience will leave with the Five Thresholds every new leader has to cross, an action point for each, and a clear place to start.
✅ Best suited for: leadership teams, management retreats, and conferences focused on leadership development, performance, or succession planning.
Beyond the Label
We've spent decades putting people into boxes. Personality assessments, generational categories, communication styles. But labels don't lead people. Leaders do.
This keynote challenges your audience to move beyond the temptation to reduce colleagues to types and instead develop the emotional intelligence to see and lead people as individuals. It's a talk that shifts how teams relate to one another long after the event ends.
✅ Best suited for: team-building events, all-staff gatherings, and conferences focused on collaboration, communication, or emotional intelligence.
If you want the ideas to go further, a talk can lead into a workshop for your new leaders, and 1:1 coaching through The 5 Thresholds of Leadership for the people who need it most.
Ryan Smith, ACC
Founder & Lead Coach
Bio:
Ryan Smith is a leadership coach and the founder of Unearth Coaching Inc. in Peterborough, Ontario. He helps high performers and technical experts transition into confident, capable leaders, working with them and the executives who invest in them through The 5 Thresholds of Leadership, his 1:1 coaching program. He also runs workshops and gives talks for leadership teams on communication, conflict, and how teams work together. Ryan is an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and a certified Everything DiSC trainer.
Lets talk!