Capture your spot on the TEDx stage and transform the lives of millions.
Clarify your life’s message • Uplevel your personal brand • Impact millions • Attract new opportunities
What if you could craft a speech that, in the span of 12 - 18 minutes, perfectly captures your message, creates a movement, and changes the lives of millions?
We’ve been lied to…
We were told only experts and famous people win big speaking engagements.
But that’s just a myth!
Myth #1: landing a spot on the TEDx stage can be difficult
And yet, my team thus far has a 97.5% success rate in booking clients on the TEDx stage.
Here’s what I’ve discovered:
Landing a TEDx talk and having it go VIRAL may not seem easy, but it is simple: You simply write the best speech of your life.
The good news is that this is what me and my speechwriting team do best.
I got my feet wet learning best practices in speaking while working in the Obama administration and now I’m going to pass that expertise along to you.
My team and I have written speeches that went viral, recorded millions of views, landed book deals, established entire brands, and created movements.
Best of all: We have our speechwriting framework down to a science.
Myth #2: You need to be an expert, famous, or have an establishedbrand to land a TEDx talk.
I’ve learned that landing a TEDx talk is about knowing how to share a powerful, life changing story — not your resume.
My team works extensively with our rolodex of TEDx curators to get our clients booked and get results:
- We’ve written 39 speeches totaling 20 million views on the TEDx channels.
- 2 of our speeches ranked in the top 100 TEDx talks on the internet.
- 15 of our clients went on to land book deals, speaking tours and spokesperson brand deals – amongst many other opportunities!
here’s your journey
when you work with us
Step #1:
DISCOVER AN IDEA WORTH SHARING
Step #2:
POLISH YOUR TEDx TALK
Step #3:
WRITE AND RECORD YOUR PITCH VIDEO
Step #4:
GET BOOKED
In 2012, I won an award for my work in counterterrorism, and will never forget meeting a beautiful TEDx speaker named Sarah at the awards ceremony. She had just spoken at the TEDx event hosted with the United Nations … and I told her doing something like that would be a total dream, feeling as though it was way out there, later in my life.
She looked at me when I left, as if out of a cartoon, and smiled: “perhaps that’ll happen sooner than you think.”
Me? I thought.
How would I ever make that happen?
And what message would I even have to share?
That night I flew to Istanbul, Turkey for one of my last work assignments in counterterrorism – reporting on the protests in Taksim Square.
Just days later, I was crouched down in the Grand Spice bazaar with teargas in my eyes, and I felt a buzz in my pocket.
I received a text from Sarah — she recommended me to TEDx Berkeley.
… All I needed to do was submit a pitch and a “speaking reel.”
What’s a speaking reel? I wondered.
I googled the term, only to find a few very fancy 3 minute clips of famous speakers walking across stages with messages that were impacting MILLIONS.
All I had in that moment was my iPhone, so propped up against the bathroom wall, I recorded my soon to be “speaking reel” the TEDx curators requested.
I made up some sort of speech, and much to my SHOCK, they accepted me as a speaker!
I was haunted every night that they would rescind their invitation. But they did not.
After three months of religiously preparing for my talk, it was my turn.
I walked on stage just after Guy Kawasaki. He had the crowd roaring with laughter, and I was petrified!
I was asked to talk about counterterrorism. But instead, I owned my new identity as a career expert as I delivered: Three Questions to Unlock Your Authentic Career.
This was the first speech I’ve ever given in my life … and it went viral.
In fact, TEDxBerkeley put me on the map.
The month that TEDx talk went live, my new private coaching practice was booked in full with a waitlist.
I was then invited years later to give another TEDx at a university in the Netherlands, called “How To Figure Out What You Really Want.”
That talk was much better than my first, a reflection of my years of experience I’d then built in speaking, but it was slow to catch on.
Finally, six months later, it went viral.
And today, it gets 10,000 views a day.
Within three months of this particular talk, I got a $500,000 brand deal, multiple offers for a book deal, and a ton of organic traffic to my podcast, online courses, and private coaching practice. I secured more than $1 million in consulting, landed foreign licensing deals for my books and programs, and so much more.
I’ve lived two lives as a business owner: a life before TEDx, and a life after TEDx.
Before my TEDx, I used so much energy pushing to build my business, including paid ads, posting blogs non-stop, and more. What TEDx gave me was a quantum shift, from leading with masculine energy in my business to leading with feminine energy. Instead of pushing to create results and revenue growth, opportunities started to find me.
How can opportunities NOT find you when you have thousands of people listening to your message, organically, every day? This is the power of the TED brand and this is what I want for you.
What if I could deliver a formula to streamline the process of writing the best talk of your life — and landing a spot on the TEDx stage within the next year?
With the right formula, going viral is incredibly easy. You simply need to write the best talk of your life. You need to craft your story in a way that people truly understand and focus on your idea worth spreading.
My clients frequently say: But I don’t know what to talk about or I’m not established enough in my career.
Well, I had no idea what to talk about and I was a BRAND NEW career coach before I spoke at TEDx Berkeley.
We will work together to unlock your core message and idea worth spreading, whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned professional. In fact, we can write ALL of your speech for you– or you can opt to write it collaboratively, with our support.
The opportunity is available to you.
I tell my clients:
Don’t do what you love. Do what you are.
For me, I’m a speechwriter and a creative. This is my zone of genius and my gift to you.
And I’ve created a team to work with me so that you have the best access to all the pieces you need to be successful on the TEDx stage.
We’ve written 40 TEDx talks for clients and 39 of them were booked on stage. We have a high success rate because we’re mindful about who we work with, and hence our application is a bit extensive.
We work with people who, most importantly, deeply want to help the world with a positive message, and are willing to practice the speech we provide them with love, care and intentionality until the day of their scheduled speech.
Tiffany Tedesco
Program Manager
Second Forest Food Bank
San Francisco, CA
Working with Ashley was life changing. I came to her at a time of my life when I was so hard on myself, and really unclear on my career path… I left her office more empowered than I ever been, and landed a few job offers that really were game-changers for me. I’ve not been the same since working with her, for the better. She is gifted at what she does. All women need someone like her in their corner.
Kimberly Nanney-Pine
Marketing Director
Rocky Mountain Green Boulder
Longmont, C
Best investment I ever made in myself.
Kristi Siemsen
Associate CRM Manager
American Eagle
Pittsburgh, PA
Before finding Ashley, I was so stuck emotionally and career-wise. After working with her, I upgraded my mindset and landed a job offer that was so good for me. You don’t have to sit in your stuckness alone — work with her.
Land a TEDx Talk this year. It’s your time.
You’ll be ready.
The TEDx brand is so powerful — what started as 800 people attending one live TED talk a year has grown to more than 13,000 independently run TEDx events in more than 150 countries and spoken in 100 languages.
More than a million people a day watch TED talks online. The TED and TEDx channels have tens of millions subscribers, presenting you with an unmatched opportunity for massive exposure when your talk gets released on their channel.
Giving a TEDx talk simply gives you the best shot possible of catapulting yourself forward in ways you never thought possible.
What’s included in The Talk Program?
Up to 4 Zoom meetings (1-2 hours each) with Ashley Stahl on zoom
1 Zoom meeting with Ashley Stahl’s chief speechwriter (1-2 hours)
1 In-person delivery prep meeting one month prior to your TEDx talk with Ashley Stahl in Los Angeles, CA (3 hours)
The 6 Steps
Step
DISCOVER YOUR IDEA
(a 3-5 hour zoom with Ashley Stahl)
You will examine your life and work experiences in the past, and work together to define your talk’s goals, storyline structure, and key points.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Clarity on your idea worth sharing, an outline with a clear framework for your TEDx talk content, and a written opener with key points and writing structure. You have the option of working on it more, or waiting for the next meeting.
Step
POLISH YOUR TALK
(a 1-2 hour zoom with our chief speechwriter)
Spend time with our chief speechwriter looking at your draft, tightening it together, and adding to it based on our “18 minutes of impact” speech framework.
KEY TAKEAWAY: A finalized first draft of your talk, be it through the zoom call, or after the zoom call having us finalize the writing for your speech (we’re happy to finish it for you).
Step
BOOK YOUR TALK
Once your speech is drafted with our wizardlike writing team, and your 1 minute pitch video is filmed using our video framework, we’ll be ready to pitch your talk!
KEY TAKEAWAY: We have a 97.5% success rate in booking our speakers into TEDx talks, but it can take up to 6 months to secure a YES for you to book your talk through one of our curators.
Step
ACE YOUR DELIVERY
(1-2 hour zoom with ASHLEY STAHL)
Now that your talk is BOOKED, hop on zoom with Ashley Stahl to practice your delivery and devise a strategy to effectively remember and memorably deliver your talk on the big TEDx day. You’ll also discuss your sense of humor or personality, and how it’ll infuse itself into your talk, as well as your outfit, your final talk title, and other small details for your big speaking day.
KEY TAKEAWAY: You’ll know exactly what you need to do to practice your talk, and you’ll have effective methods and tools to aid you in your improv and delivery.
Step
PRACTICE LIKE A PRO
(Optional)
This is an optional 3 hour afternoon with Ashley Stahl. This part of the TALK program is one-on-one, in-person with Ashley Stahl in LA. You will practice your talk in person for LIVE feedback, tips, and tricks. (Travel expenses are not included. This in-person training is optional, but available to anyone who wants to travel to LA.)
KEY TAKEAWAY: Giving your speech out loud to a live audience — even an audience of one — can be intimidating. You’ll walk away with a fine-tuned delivery of your TEDx talk.
Step
PROMOTE YOUR TALK
(1-hour zoom with ASHLEY STAHL)
Now that you’ve given your TEDx talk, learn how to talk about it! One of the biggest things TEDx can do for you is put your personal brand or your business on the map.
Think about what would happen if thousands of people were watching your story every single day? What opportunities would that create in your career?
During this coaching session, you’ll learn how to leverage your talk through landing more publicity, pitching yourself for speaking, booking podcast guest tours, and more. I’ll also show you how to turn your TEDx talk into an updated keynote you can use over and over again.
KEY TAKEAWAY: You’ll leave with a formula that shows you exactly how to promote your TEDx talk to land a book deal, boost product sales, get corporate or individual consultation opportunities, and speaking engagements.
Total investment: $25,000*
(payment plan available)
We hand-select just five applicants
each month.
*50% due once you’ve been accepted
25% due when speech and video pitch are complete
25% due when TEDx talk is booked
FAQs
We’ll book a consultation within one week of determining whether your application looks like a good fit. At that time, we’ll mutually decide if it’s a fit. If it is, we’ll finalize the booking. Once your deposit is received, we’ll schedule your 3-5 hr zoom intensive with Ashley to brainstorm and ideate your concept, message, and outline. The process of writing your talk with Ashley and her chief speechwriter depends on you! But generally it takes 2-6 weeks, whether you choose to finalize the talk outline or have our speechwriter do it for you. After your speech is done, you’ll meet with our video strategist to record your video pitch (this takes 1-2 weeks). Next, it’s our turn to pitch you to our rolodex of TEDx curators. From experience, it can take up to 6 months for your speech to get booked on the TEDx stage. From start to standing on stage can take as little as 3 months and as long as 12.
The TALK Program is competitive. Ashley personally takes no more than 5 clients per month. We often have a waitlist, and tend to book client start dates 3-4 months from initial contact.
We have a 97.5% success rate booking our clients on TEDx stages because our speeches are high quality, and we’re incredibly selective about who we work with. That being said, if you have not booked a TEDx talk within one year from your first zoom with Ashley, and you’ve done everything on your part within the 12 months of allotted time, we’ll refund 50% of your investment. You keep the talk as your own.
Clients have landed brand deals, spokesperson deals, book deals and sales, increased podcast listenership, launched course, and more. The TEDx brand builds trust because it only accepts top caliber talks — and so do we!
Here’s what some of our past clients are doing now:
Rachel Donalds
Rachel Donalds delivered “Digital” Determinants of Health at TEDx New Bedford. Her talk has received 349K views. Ms. Donalds is well-respected in the medical community where she is an Reseach Assistant at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She delivered a mind-blowing talk about the link between the health of one to the health of the whole. She is the creator of the Biosay app, which analyzes biometric data to determine how your physical and mental health are shaped by your phsycial and social surroundings. The Biosay app effectively measures, monitors, and manages energy, emotion, and stress. Her research is in socioemotional functioning, wellness, resilience, and healthtech.
James O’Keefe
James O’Keefe spoke at TEDx Tallaght: Homesexuality: It’s about survival, not sex. So far, it’s received 4.1M views. Dr. O’Keefe has been named one of USA Today’s Most Influential Doctors. He’s a top rated cardiologist, who has contributed more than 300 articles to medical literature and authored best-selling books on cardiovascular health for the professional community. In his talk, he shares a deeply personal exploration of why homesexuality is a necessary cog in nature’s wheel of perfection
Susan Sparks
Susan Sparks’ TEDx Peachtree talk has received 4.9K views. She “speaks” laughter. She’s a former trial lawyer turned preacher, comedian, and best-selling author. She’s an inspirational speaker and award-winning nationally syndicated columnist. She used the TEDx platform to deliver a talk about why laughter is the best medicine to help us see our common humanity.
Claire Snyman
Claire Snyman shared: How to Save Your Life in a Complex Health Care System at TEDx Stanley Park. She shares her personal story before looking at how you can become more proactive in your health care. Her talk has received 161K views. She owns Synapse Consulting where she works with businesses to bring ideas to life. She has worked in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, China, and Japan.
Steven Kahan
You Can Be a Startup Superstar, delivered by Steven Kahan has received 621 views. Mr. Kahan has successfully helped grow seven start-ups from early stage development to going public or being sold, resulting in $5B in shareholder value. He’s a best-selling author and well-known for his genius in planning and executing marketing strategies that accelerate revenue, grow market share, and deliver returns.
Total investment: $25,000*
(payment plan available)
We hand-select just five applicants
each month.
*50% due once you’ve been accepted
25% due when speech and video pitch are complete
25% due when TEDx talk is booked
