Becoming Awesome: Building a Champion Mindset

In this dynamic, high-energy keynote, US boxing champion Cam Awesome shares his hard-won secrets to achieving unbeatable success in business and life.

Through vivid stories from his journey from bullied kid to world-class athlete, Cam reveals a revolutionary approach to conquering any challenge: embracing failure as rocket-fuel for inevitable success.

With humor and passion, Cam walks audiences through his early days getting pummeled in the ring and his 6-mile daily walks to the gym. He shows how anyone can develop true grit by reframing setbacks as feedback and focusing relentlessly on continuous improvement. As Cam puts it, “The best things that have ever happened to me came after my toughest failures and losses.”

But Cam’s message isn’t just about perseverance – it’s about pursuing audacious, game-changing goals. He breaks down how organizations can apply his championship training techniques, setting moonshot targets and reverse-engineering them into day-by-day discipline. And he demonstrates how a culture of psychological safety, where people feel safe to take risks, fail, and innovate, drives exceptional performance.

Throughout the keynote, Cam shares his hard-hitting lessons for unbeatable performance that can transform any team or organization:

1. Develop Unshakeable Self-Belief: Help every team member cultivate rock-solid confidence, empowering self-talk, and take pride in their unique strengths.
   
   
2. Reframe Failure as Integral to Growth: Create a culture that celebrates intelligent failures and sees setbacks as essential stepping stones to innovations.
   
   
3. Pursue Wildly Ambitious Targets: Set daring stretch goals that push people beyond comfort zones, and break them into achievable daily micro-goals.
   
   
4. Prioritize People and Psychological Safety: Foster an environment where people feel safe to take risks, ask questions, raise concerns, and propose out-of-the-box ideas.
   
   
5. Commit to Continuous Improvement: Encourage an attitude of curiosity, experimentation, and constant learning to build new skills and capabilities.
   
   

Cam leaves audiences fired up to tackle their biggest challenges using his failure-to-success framework. Packed with practical tools, laugh-out-loud stories, and counterintuitive wisdom, Becoming Awesome is a rousing call-to-action for any organization hungry for its next breakthrough.

Cam shows how by welcoming failure as a mentor, any team can become truly awesome and achieve the inevitable success they dream of.

Every day, we move in one direction or another. We’re free to choose from endless possibilities. Only you can choose the direction for the rest of your life. Whether you are a seasoned executive, emerging leader, stay-at-home parent, or college student, frustration is inevitable. Now is the time for you to SHIFT from, “I’m so busy and stressed,” to, “I’m living my ideal life right now.” In this presentation, Derek will teach you a 5-gear process that you can apply in your personal and professional lives. Each gear will uniquely move you from frustrated to fulfilled. Through powerful questions and compelling exercises, you’ll discover how to make today the day you are inspired to change. It’s your next move!

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Discover Who You Are – Confront your fears & form your core values
• Decide Where You Are Going – Pursue personal growth & visualize your preferred future
• Design How You Will Get There – Adopt a positive mindset, personalize your ambitions & exercise meaningful action
• Fulfill Your Ideal Life – Build an aligned life for personal & professional success
• Inspire Fellow Travelers – Become a leader worth following

For too long, our recognition of leadership has been narrowly defined to a select few –– presidents, CEOs or historical icons. We have been captivated by charismatic figures on the cover of Forbes or viral sensations on social media. But what about the everyday leaders who have shaped us on a personal level? The parents, mentors, teammates and family members who have left an indelible mark on our lives? It’s time to reimagine leadership, to celebrate the silent influencers and to recognize that each one of us possesses the power to lead. Are you ready to step into your role as an everyday leader?

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Understand the difference between micromanagement and everyday leadership as well as the importance of empowering and nurturing others.
• Recognize the value of stepping outside one’s comfort zone to facilitate personal and professional growth.
• Seek discomfort to lead to greater growth over time — with strategies for gradually expanding one’s comfort zone through small, everyday actions.
• Appreciate how individuals can have a profound impact on those around them, regardless of their position or title — and show appreciation for those people in your life.
• Discover the importance of finding one’s “why” or purpose as a leader, beyond just pursuing victories or accolades.
• Understand how prioritizing the needs, growth and happiness of others is a key aspect of effective everyday leadership. (It’s not about you)

EXECUTE: 6 HABITS THAT WILL

TRANSFORM YOUR WORK & LIFE

Carefully look over your “to-do” list. Will you commit to action? Reality check: wherever you are in your life and career is a result of your habits, good or bad. Great news! No matter where you are right now, you can transform your life by transforming your habits. The best way to get started is to bridge the gap between being busy and being productive. In this workshop, you’ll learn that the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Derek will help you design every minute of your activities with 6 gap-closing behaviors. You’ll go from, “I’m overwhelmed, stuck, and unfulfilled” to, “I’m laser-focused, making progress, and fulfilled.”

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Set an inspiring goal
• Create a deadline
• Block off alone time
• Commit to deep work
• Say no
• Do it afraid

Sustained high performance under pressure isn’t accidental. It is engineered. 

Landing on the pitching deck of an aircraft carrier at night. Total darkness, 165 mph and a  runway the size of a football field.  

Flying inches from another jet at 600 mph in front of millions. 

Executing extreme low-level canyon runs for one of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. 

In these high-stakes environments, there is no room for hesitation, ego, or excuses. The lessons  forged there don’t stay in the cockpit, they transform how we lead, perform, and build teams in  business and in life. 

Frank takes audiences behind the scenes of elite naval aviation, from serving with the world renowned U.S. Navy Blue Angels to leading junior wingmen into combat and flying the extreme  low-altitude maneuvers for Top Gun: Maverick. Through riveting stories and powerful insights,  he reveals how operating where the margin for error is zero reshapes leadership, teamwork, trust,  and accountability. 

This is not theory; it’s performance when it matters most. This keynote is fast, it’s intense, it’s  inspirational and deeply practical. More than anything else, it challenges teams to raise their  standard immediately. 

Strap in. 

Signature Keynotes 

Excellence Under Pressure 

Leadership & Teamwork Lessons from Naval Aviation, the Blue Angels, and Top  Gun: Maverick 

When the stakes are highest, the best don’t overreact, they execute. 

In this keynote, Frank shares how elite aviators maintain composure and precision in life-or death situations, and how those same principles drive elite business performance. 

Audiences Will Learn How To:

• Execute with absolute clarity through laser focus 
• Underreact in extreme situations to make better decisions 
• Perform consistently at elite levels, even under sustained pressure 
• Prepare rigorously so execution feels instinctive 

Inverted Leadership 

Flipping Perspectives from the Blue Angels and Top Gun: Maverick to the  Boardroom 

Sometimes the breakthrough isn’t about pushing harder, it’s about seeing differently. 

Drawing on the Blue Angels’ culture and combat aviation experience, Frank challenges leaders  to invert their thinking, question assumptions, and lead with decisive conviction when the margin  for error is razor thin. 

Audiences Will Learn How To: 

• Invert perspective to unlock new insight and opportunity 
• Lead decisively when ambiguity and risk are high 
• Embrace a “failure-focused” mindset that pushes performance to the edge of the envelope • Build courage and clarity in uncertain environments 

Supersonic Teams 

Extreme Trust & Aggressive Accountability, From Aircraft Carriers to the Blue  Angels 

In elite aviation, trust is not a buzzword, it is survival. 

Frank reveals how the highest-functioning teams in the world build deep trust through  vulnerability, candor, and uncompromising standards and how organizations can replicate that  culture. 

Audiences Will Learn How To: 

• Build deep trust through vulnerability and transparency 
• Create a culture of aggressive accountability without destroying morale • Normalize candid feedback at every level 
• Prepare for adversity so challenges strengthen the team instead of fracture it

Leading Through Uncertainty: Building Resilient Leaders and Teams

When change becomes constant, resilient leadership becomes your competitive advantage.

Keynote Overview

Today’s leaders are navigating unprecedented levels of uncertainty, change, and pressure. In this impactful keynote, DeDe Halfhill shares proven leadership principles that help organizations strengthen resilience, improve communication, and lead with confidence during challenging times.

Drawing from her military and executive leadership experience, DeDe provides practical frameworks leaders can immediately apply to build trust, increase accountability, and create stronger, more adaptable teams.

Additional Keynote Options

• Adapt and Thrive: Leadership Strategies for a Changing Workforce 
• Resilient Leadership: Strengthening Teams in Times of Disruption 
• Culture Under Pressure: Leading with Trust, Accountability, and Connection

Thrive in Uncertainty

Turning disruption into opportunity.

• Adapt quickly
• Identify opportunities
• Drive growth

Sales Strategy Reset

Modern strategies to win more business.

• Improve sales process
• Increase close rates
• Build relationships

Breaking Barriers

Overcoming limiting beliefs to lead.

• Build confidence
• Embrace growth
• Step into leadership

Courage to Lead

Developing leadership courage and resilience.

• Take bold action
• Lead authentically
• Inspire others

Leading Through Change

How to guide teams through uncertainty.

• Communicate clearly
• Align teams
• Maintain momentum

Strategic Alignment

Getting everyone moving in the same direction.

• Clarify priorities
• Improve execution
• Drive results

Mission Ready Leadership

How to lead and perform in high-pressure environments.

• Build resilience
• Lead with clarity
• Execute under pressure

The Resilient Team

Strengthening teams to perform consistently in uncertainty.

• Improve team trust
• Increase adaptability
• Sustain performance