April 2026 Showcase | Brand Builder Competition by Speaker Slam®
April 2026 Finals

Ten leaders. One stage. The brands they built.

The April 2026 Brand Builder Competition brings together ten finalists stepping into their thought leadership, with all of them set to pitch live in front of our judges on May 9. Meet everyone who made it to the finals.

2026 Brand Builder Finalists

Ten leaders earned their spot at the May 9 Showcase, chosen through a combination of community votes during Inspiration Week and judges’ selections. The 2026 Leaders to Watch will be crowned live at the finals.

Stacey Laviolette Positioning Graphic
1Stacey Laviolette
Clarence-Rockland, ON
Gladys Paz Positioning Graphic
2Gladys Paz
Toronto, ON
Sofranie Trencia Positioning Graphic
3Sofranie Trencia
Montreal, QC
Angele Lamothe Positioning Graphic
4Angele Lamothe
Gloucester, ON
Armi De Francia Positioning Graphic
5Armi De Francia
Pickering, ON
Marcia Agius Positioning Graphic
6Marcia Agius
Markham, ON
Tammy Ward Positioning Graphic
7Tammy Ward
Hanwell, NB
Ian Aman Positioning Graphic
8Ian Aman
Airdrie, AB
Karen Craggs-Milne Positioning Graphic
9Karen Craggs-Milne
Mississauga, ON
Katrina Houghton Positioning Graphic
10Katrina Houghton
Oromocto, NB

The Finals, in full.

The full broadcast goes live Saturday, May 9 at 11 AM EDT. The replay stays here after the show wraps.

Register to Watch Live →

Get a reminder before the broadcast goes live on May 9.

Think you could build a brand like this?

The Brand Builder Competition runs every spring and fall. Entry is free, and the stage is open to entrepreneurs, authors, speakers, and professionals ready to prove they're leaders worth following.

Enter the Competition →

Meet the Judges

A panel of industry leaders scored each finalist on positioning, presentation, and credibility.

Keka DasGupta
Keka DasGupta
Founder, Art of Lifeing · Award-Winning Brand Strategist
Brand strategist who has shaped work for Nike, Disney, IKEA, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, and Toronto’s Original Santa Claus Parade. With over 50 industry awards to her name, including two “Oscars of the PR industry,” Keka helps individuals build the confidence to lead like a powerhouse brand.
Marty Dickinson
Marty Dickinson
CEO, Here Next Year · Founder, Speakers Speak LIVE
CEO of Here Next Year, a 29-year Colorado-based business growth agency. Known as the “Business Longevity Guy,” Marty helps business owners attract sales opportunities through relationship-driven marketing. He is also the founder of Speakers Speak LIVE, a global virtual platform for professional speakers.
Andrea Reindl
Andrea Reindl
Founder, Legacy Creative · Brand Strategist for Authors
Brand Strategist for Authors and Founder of Legacy Creative. For over a decade, Andrea has helped high-performing visionaries turn their ideas into reality through her signature method and coaching.
Shawn Quintero
Shawn Quintero
Scale Strategist · Personal Brand Advisor
Founder, operator, and scale strategist helping visionary leaders build lives and legacies that last. Shawn helps coaches and founders escape the “golden handcuffs” of personality-driven success by building scalable ecosystems rooted in ownership and long-term value.

The Prize Package

Three tiers. Real value. Here's what goes to the Top 3 every competition.

$12,500+
Total Prize Package Value
Gold

Gold Prize Package

  • 2026 Leader to Watch titlePriceless
  • Signature Legacy Video by Speaker Slam®$1,497
  • Keka DasGuptaBrand Authority Mentorship with Keka DasGupta$4,000
  • Andrea ReindlMake It Clear brand strategy intensive with Andrea Reindl$3,500
  • Shawn Quintero90-minute Monetizing Your Personal Brand 1:1 intensive with Shawn Quintero$3,000
  • Marty DickinsonOne-year membership to Speaker Revenue Accelerator with Marty Dickinson$500
Silver

Silver Prize Package

  • 2026 Leader to Watch titlePriceless
  • Shawn Quintero90-minute Monetizing Your Personal Brand 1:1 intensive with Shawn Quintero$3,000
  • Keka DasGuptaBrand Accelerator Session with Keka DasGupta$1,000
Bronze

Bronze Prize Package

  • 2026 Leader to Watch titlePriceless
  • Shawn Quintero90-minute Monetizing Your Personal Brand 1:1 intensive with Shawn Quintero$3,000
  • Keka DasGuptaBrand Spotlight Session with Keka DasGupta$500

Inside the Prize Package.

What each prize is, and who’s behind it.

SS

Signature Legacy Video

$1,497

A professionally produced brand video featuring the winner’s positioning and message, designed to elevate visibility for pitches, websites, and paid speaking opportunities. Produced by the Speaker Slam® team and built to be used as a calling card for years to come.

  • Gold — Signature Legacy Video ($1,497): A professionally produced brand video, given exclusively to the Gold winner as part of their headline prize package.
Keka DasGupta

Brand Authority Mentorship

up to $4,000

Keka has shaped brand strategies for Nike, Disney, IKEA, American Express, and Mercedes-Benz, and she’s donating a tiered offering across all three placements. Each tier is built around a specific stage of speaker brand growth and gives the winner direct access to her 25+ years of expertise.

  • Gold — Brand Authority Mentorship ($4,000): Four 1:1 sessions over a month to build the strategic foundation of your speaking business, including positioning and the marketing collateral that gets you booked.
  • Silver — Brand Accelerator Session ($1,000): A one-hour 1:1 consultation with Keka to position yourself, amplify your brand, and build a thriving speaking business.
  • Bronze — Brand Spotlight Session ($500): A 30-minute 1:1 Q&A focused on shining a spotlight on your speaker profile and personal brand.
Learn more about Keka’s work →
Andrea Reindl

Make It Clear

$3,500

Andrea’s signature engagement for authors and visionaries who need to translate big ideas into clear brand positioning. Built on her decade of work supporting high-performing leaders, the intensive helps you articulate what you stand for so the right audiences can find you.

  • Gold — Make It Clear ($3,500): A full brand strategy intensive with Andrea, designed to take your message from cluttered to clear so you can show up with confidence on every channel.
Learn more about Andrea’s work →
Marty Dickinson

Speaker Revenue Accelerator

$500

A full year of access to Marty’s program for professional speakers building sustainable income from their expertise. As the “Business Longevity Guy” and CEO of 29-year growth agency Here Next Year, Marty teaches relationship-driven marketing strategies that turn speaking into a long-term business.

  • Gold — Speaker Revenue Accelerator ($500): One year of membership in Marty’s program, giving you ongoing access to his frameworks for attracting paid speaking opportunities through relationship-driven marketing.
Learn more about Marty’s work →
Shawn Quintero

Monetizing Your Personal Brand

$3,000

A focused 1:1 working session with Shawn, who’s generated millions across coaching programs, masterminds, and retreats. Walk away with a strategy for replacing hustle with infrastructure, so your personal brand grows without you having to be everywhere at once.

  • Gold — Monetizing Your Personal Brand ($3,000): A 90-minute 1:1 intensive with Shawn focused on turning your personal brand into a scalable, monetizable asset.
  • Silver — Monetizing Your Personal Brand ($3,000): The same 90-minute 1:1 intensive, given to the second-place finisher.
  • Bronze — Monetizing Your Personal Brand ($3,000): The same 90-minute 1:1 intensive, given to the third-place finisher.
Learn more about Shawn’s work →

Build your own brand next.

Sit in on a free Momentum class. Saturday mornings, 10 AM EST.

Book a Free Class →

Every leader who stepped forward.

Fifty-five leaders entered the April 2026 Brand Builder Competition. Here they are, together. Each one built their positioning and declared who they are to the world.

Aanchal Vash
Aanchal Vash
Angele Lamothe
Angele Lamothe
Anjalin Islam
Anjalin Islam
Anna Sotnykova
Anna Sotnykova
Anu Tahemaa
Anu Tahemaa
Armi De Francia
Armi De Francia
Asse Sauga
Asse Sauga
Bethelene Hart
Bethelene Hart
Catherine Wallis
Catherine Wallis
Charlene Lal
Charlene Lal
Christine Gold
Christine Gold
Connie Rotella
Connie Rotella
Diane Devenyi
Diane Devenyi
Dzhavhelo Mukwevho
Dzhavhelo Mukwevho
Ebi Oginni
Ebi Oginni
Emmy Rousseau
Emmy Rousseau
Gillian Nycum
Gillian Nycum
Gladys Paz
Gladys Paz
Ian Aman
Ian Aman
Ivar Raav
Ivar Raav
J. Calvin Shaw
J. Calvin Shaw
Jacqui Farley
Jacqui Farley
Japji Anna Bas
Japji Anna Bas
Jeanette Toro
Jeanette Toro
Jeremy Berriault
Jeremy Berriault
John-Edward McGraw
John-Edward McGraw
Josie LoPorto-Freeborn
Josie LoPorto-Freeborn
Kalyani Pardeshi
Kalyani Pardeshi
Karen Craggs-Milne
Karen Craggs-Milne
Katrina Houghton
Katrina Houghton
Kenny Mikey
Kenny Mikey
Lacey Artemis
Lacey Artemis
Lang Netzler
Lang Netzler
Liz Doyle-Harmer
Liz Doyle-Harmer
Marcia Agius
Marcia Agius
Marcia Golding
Marcia Golding
Michael Kollwitz
Michael Kollwitz
Michelle Cochlin
Michelle Cochlin
Michelle Goldrick
Michelle Goldrick
Michelle Weger
Michelle Weger
Mitch Krayton
Mitch Krayton
Nadia Shana Krauss
Nadia Shana Krauss
Neika Thesalus
Neika Thesalus
Nelson Jong
Nelson Jong
Patrick Morrison
Patrick Morrison
Philip Wiseman
Philip Wiseman
Sara Knapp
Sara Knapp
Sofranie Trencia
Sofranie Trencia
Sophie Fengaras
Sophie Fengaras
Stacey Laviolette
Stacey Laviolette
Sujata Ives
Sujata Ives
Tammy Ward
Tammy Ward
Teri Kingston
Teri Kingston
Wesley King
Wesley King
William-Joe White
William-Joe White