Leader to Watch | The Title Earned at the Brand Builder Competition by Speaker Slam®

About the Title

A title you have to earn.

Every year, entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches, authors, and changemakers enter the Brand Builder Competition to build a personal brand worth following. They spend weeks sharpening their message. They submit a positioning graphic that captures who they are. They rally their community through Inspiration Week.

Only ten reach the Top 10. Those ten pitch live at the Virtual Showcase in front of a panel of expert judges. Only three earn the title of Leader to Watch.

Everyone who competes walks away with a sharper personal brand and a community that now sees them more clearly. The title of Leader to Watch is a recognition of the three competitors whose brand lands hardest when everything is on the line.

Awarded by

Speaker Slam® is a speaker development agency best known for creating North America's largest inspirational speaking competition. Speaker Slam® has helped thousands of speakers, authors, and entrepreneurs build their brand.

The Brand Builder Competition is a personal branding competition by Speaker Slam® held twice a year. Winners are selected by a panel of expert judges across five categories: positioning statement, photo and image, brand presentation, uniqueness, and credibility.

Earning the title takes more than a strong graphic. Competitors first rally their community through Inspiration Week to reach the Top 10. From there, they pitch live at the Virtual Showcase. Only the Top 3 by final score earn the title of Leader to Watch.

Visit Speaker Slam® →

Past Recipients

2024 Leaders to Watch

The April 2024 Brand Builder Competition

Gold · 1st Place

Calissa Ngozi

Youth Mental Health Advocate

Calissa Ngozi has had a remarkable career spanning over two decades, with a diverse background in mental health, hospital care, education, private practice, and acquired brain injury rehabilitation.

2024 Leader to Watch

Silver · 2nd Place

Carlyn Morris

Outdoor Adventurer and Solution Scout, Back to Wild Adventures

Carlyn is reinventing how leaders and teams approach creative thinking and problem-solving. Through her 6-step process, she encourages everyone to reconnect with nature to unleash their full potential.

2024 Leader to Watch

Bronze · 3rd Place

Lucia Gouveia

Founder, Coaching Collective

A business strategist and accountability coach empowering coaches to soar to new heights by transforming their passion into a thriving business.

2024 Leader to Watch

Past Recipients

2022 Leaders to Watch

The inaugural Brand Builder Competition

Gold · 1st Place

Angie Bailey

Registered Nurse and Calming Calligraphy Practitioner

A registered nurse of 32 years known as the singing nurse, Angie discovered calligraphy as a mindfulness practice after struggling to reduce her own stress through meditation. She now helps nurses overcome burnout through calming calligraphy.

2022 Leader to Watch · Winner of the inaugural Brand Builder Competition

Silver · 2nd Place

Kristin Light

Accessibility Advocate for Disabilities of the Mind

Kristin speaks, writes, and consults with businesses on mental illness and neurodiversity. A former event venue owner and co-owner of Toronto's largest swing dance studio, she traded her dancing shoes for a microphone after eight weeks in an inpatient psych hospital.

2022 Leader to Watch

Bronze · 3rd Place

Mell Balment

The Deep Belief Hacker

A mindset mentor who has supported 650 business owners and franchise leaders through their mindstorms. Her work places her in the top 1% of leadership coaches in Australia and the top 10 energy healers globally. Featured in Yahoo and Thrive Global.

2022 Leader to Watch

Leader to Watch.

A title you have to earn.

Awarded by

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