Why Josh is a Good Fit for CAL SMACNA

• He's positioned for exactly what this workshop is asking for. Josh describes his own pitch as "an AI speaker who can do construction," not a construction speaker who dabbles in AI. That's the distinction CAL SMACNA is looking for: someone who's actually worked inside a company's AI transformation, not someone speaking about AI in the abstract.
• He has direct consulting experience inside manufacturing and construction-adjacent companies. Before he was a full-time speaker, Josh consulted at Mercer and worked directly with companies in manufacturing and construction-adjacent industries, including Cargill. That gives him real case studies of what AI and technology transformation looked like from the inside, not just outside research.
• Speaks to the workforce, not just the leadership team. Josh's focus is what AI actually means for the people doing the work, not abstract strategy for executives. For a room of contractors and union tradespeople, that distinction matters.
• Picks up where last year's conversation left off. CAL SMACNA's 2026 session covered risk management and how AI helps contractors make faster decisions. Josh extends that thread into what it means for the workforce itself: how roles shift, what skills become valuable, and how to manage that transition without losing people along the way.
• Built for a workshop format, not a keynote-only pass-through. His talks lean on practical frameworks and clear next steps, which fits the brief's focus on practical implementation directly.
• Carries independent credibility. As co-author of Employment Is Dead (Harvard Business Review Press) and a Workforce Advisor at Harvard Innovation Labs, Josh doesn't need CAL SMACNA to vouch for him first.

Recommended Keynote Topics

The Emerging AI Workforce

A new workforce is emerging. It’s more flexible, more capable, and more human than you think.

Josh has written the books on this shift. In Employment Is Dead and After the Jobs Are Gone, Josh offers a new-age look at the workforce that augments our ability to think, reason, and grow together without losing the humanity we’ve worked so hard to build.

This keynote helps teams improve collaboration both human-to-human and human-to-agent by illustrating its implementation today, showing relevant case studies in the industry, and embracing new work ecosystems for building hybrid teams.

Sooner than you might realize, AI agents will sit alongside their human counterparts. The question then becomes: how do you lead a team where human-robot symbiosis is commonplace?

AI can transform workplaces into hubs of human creativity

Most AI keynotes paint a distant future. Josh shows what’s already underway, which is agents joining teams, work decoupling from the 9-to-5 schedule, and new organizational structures emerging where collaboration happens naturally between humans and machines. This keynote gives leaders a leg up in understanding this shift and communicating more effectively across teams.

Key Focus Areas

• From Human Workforce to Hybrid Workforce: Highlighting what changes when the workforce is no longer made up exclusively of people, and how AI agents become genuine counterparts.
• The New Terms of Employment: Exploring the flexible, outcome-driven structures that are rewriting the rules of work.
• Transforming Employee Experience Through AI: How AI tools can immediately improve the way we work by reducing friction.
• Balancing Technology with Humanity: Ensuring that AI adoption aligns with your organization’s values and priorities.

This Keynote is For:

• C-Suite Executives and Boards shaping workforce strategy and deciding how AI agents join the scene.
• HR & People Leaders rethinking org design and AI ready cultures.
• Strategy and Innovation Leaders who need a credible, research-backed view of where work is headed.

Learning Outcomes

1. See the Hybrid Human-AI Workforce Clearly: Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the AI enhanced workforce and how to better collaborate across teams and technologies.

2. Rethink Work to Include AI Agents: Leaders leave knowing which structural shifts to pilot first within their own organizations that they can start implementing the minute the keynote ends.

3. How to Build Symbiosis Alongside Humanity: Attendees will learn practical principles for integrating AI agents in ways that augment human thinking. It’s a playbook for adopting the technology without losing the humans

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Adaptive Leadership for the AI Era

Josh is honest about what’s hard, practical about what to do, and unapologetically optimistic about what leaders are capable of.

You don’t need all the answers when it comes to AI, you just need a new way to lead. The old leadership playbook assumed you had the answers, but in the AI era, the ability to stay aware, ask sharper questions, and create clarity for your teams is how to build trust in the middle of uncertainty. The best leaders are in the trenches with their people, making hard calls on the fly while the ground keeps shifting.

In this keynote, Josh makes the case for an entirely new framework to leadership called his AI-proficiency Approach™. He demystifies AI in practical and empowering terms to show decision-makers how to fold it into their leadership.

Leaders walk out with usable frameworks, real-world examples, and the conviction that they get to be AI pioneers to reshape what it means to lead. This is the moment they were built for.

Lead your team with clarity and confidence

Every leader in the room is being asked to make consequential decisions about a technology most have never trained for. This session replaces the pressure to have all the answers with an adaptive operating system for leading through change.

Key Focus Areas

• From Answers to Awareness: Why control-based leadership breaks down in fast moving disruption and how the best leaders trade certainty for awareness.
• Decisions at the Speed of Disruption: How to make hard calls on the fly when the information is incomplete and the stakes are real.
• AI in the Leader’s Toolkit: Demystifying how leaders actually use AI to think, decide, and communicate better.
• Leading the Humans Through the Change: What teams need from their leaders right now is psychological steadiness, honest communication, and a collaborative culture.
• This Is Your Moment: Why the leaders who lean into this era will define the next decade and how to get to the front edge of the change.

This Keynote is For:

• C-Suite Executives who need strategic confidence instead of technical overwhelm.
• Senior Leaders and People Managers responsible for keeping teams engaged and performing while everything shifts.
• Emerging and High-Potential Leaders who want to build their leadership for the future they’ll be taking us into.

Learning Outcomes

1. Fold AI Into Your Leadership Thinking: Attendees will learn how to make AI part of how they lead without getting lost in the technology itself. Josh gives real-world examples of executives using AI as a thinking partner rather than a threat.

2. Trade Control for Adaptability: Participants will learn the habits of adaptive leaders and understand why the command-and-control instincts that worked in stable times become liabilities in disruptive ones.

3. Create Clarity for Your People In Uncertain Times: Attendees will leave with practical frameworks for creating clarity their teams can act on when the path ahead isn’t fully visible and develop strategic confidence from knowing disruption is a part of the game.

Why Neil is a Good Fit for CAL SMACNA:

• He's already spoken to this exact audience. In 2024, Neil led an AI strategy workshop at the Catapult Event for CEOs of Las Vegas HVAC companies, not just a related industry, the actual HVAC trade CAL SMACNA represents.
• He's worked inside construction and property companies, not just around them. His client list includes Swinerton, Irvine Company, and CBRE, giving him direct exposure to how real estate and construction organizations actually operate.
• He's written directly about AI in construction, not adjacent to it. In his article "AI Isn't Transforming Construction," Neil argues the real opportunity sits with subcontractors and field teams, not the enterprise pilots getting headlines: better estimating, safer job sites, and capturing tribal knowledge before it walks out the door with retiring talent.
• His risk management thinking is current, not recycled. His most recent Substack piece, published July 7, 2026, lays out a playbook for Chief Risk Officers navigating AI: direct continuity with the risk management thread CAL SMACNA's 2026 speaker already opened with this audience.
• Practical, staged framework instead of hype. His featured keynote walks leaders through four concrete stages (awareness, adoption, adaptation, and autonomy) instead of jumping straight to automation promises, matching the brief's call for practical implementation.
• Speaks to margin, not just innovation. He points out subcontractors lose 3 to 7 percent of project margin simply from poor visibility into problems: the kind of concrete, bottom-line framing that lands with contractors managing thin margins across 300+ member firms.

Recommended Presentations:

AI Failure to Fortune: A Leader's Path From AI Awareness To Real Business Value

Most leaders know AI matters. What they don’t know is how easily it goes wrong.

Organizations invest in tools, pilots, and automation only to find themselves stuck, often overwhelmed by options, uncertain where to focus, and frustrated by the lack of meaningful return. Some move too fast, chasing AI without strategy. Others move too slowly, waiting for “best practices” while competitors quietly build advantages that are hard to undo.

In AI Failure to Fortune, Neil Sahota reframes the AI conversation away from tools and trends and toward what actually determines success: how an organization thinks, decides, and evolves.

Drawing from his work advising global enterprises, teaching executive leaders, and the frameworks behind his latest book, The AI Activation Code, Neil reveals why most AI initiatives fail long before technology becomes the issue. The problem is not AI capability but rather  that organizations attempt transformation without the strategic, cultural, and operational foundations required to support it.

This keynote introduces leaders to a clearer way forward: understanding where their organization truly is in the AI transformation journey and what must happen next. Rather than jumping straight to automation or experimentation, Neil shows how successful organizations progress deliberately from awareness, to adoption, to adaptation, and ultimately to autonomy by becoming businesses that sense, learn, and adapt faster than conventional operations ever could.

The result is not just better use of AI tools, but a more responsive, intelligent organization—one that makes decisions earlier, reallocates resources faster, and builds durable competitive advantage.

This is not an abstract vision of the future. It is a practical, leadership-driven session designed to help organizations stop wasting investment, reduce risk, and begin activating AI in ways that deliver real business value.

Audience Takeaways

• A clear understanding of why most AI initiatives fail, even in well-run organizations
  
  
• Insight into the four stages of AI transformation and how to identify where their organization is today
  
  
• Clarity on what must be in place before scaling AI or investing further
  
  
• A practical leadership lens for moving from AI awareness to sustainable business impact

Ideal for: senior leaders, executives, strategy teams, innovation leaders, and organizations that know AI matters but want a clear, grounded path forward.

Previously Delivered: HVAC Industry AI Workshop (Catapult Event, 2024)

Delivered for CEOs of Las Vegas HVAC companies. Abstract as used for that session:

Leveraging AI is no longer optional; it's essential for staying competitive. This workshop is designed for forward-thinking business leaders eager to harness AI’s transformative potential within their organizations. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how AI can drive efficiency, enhance decision-making, and unlock new revenue streams.

Through practical, real-world examples, participants will explore the strategic advantages of AI, building a solid business case tailored to their unique context. The workshop will guide leaders through the process of identifying specific AI opportunities within their operations, from automating routine tasks to generating predictive insights. By the end of the session, attendees will leave with actionable ideas directly applicable to their businesses, along with a roadmap for implementation.

The workshop will also cover the next steps for integrating AI, including considerations for ethical deployment, change management, and aligning AI initiatives with broader business goals. This is a must-attend for leaders ready to take decisive action towards embedding AI into their company’s DNA, ensuring sustained growth and innovation in the digital age.

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Workshops & Interactive Sessions

For organizations ready to move beyond inspiration and into execution, Neil also delivers highly interactive workshops designed to translate ideas into action. These sessions are tailored to the organization’s goals and can range from half-day intensives to multi-day engagements. Participants work through structured frameworks, collaborative exercises, and real scenarios to develop practical outputs they can immediately apply.

Workshops may include:

• Guided AI ideation and opportunity discovery
  
  
• Applying the TUCBO™ framework to innovation and transformation challenges
  
  
• Building alignment between leadership, business teams, and technical teams
  
  
• Designing actionable roadmaps for AI adoption and organizational change
  

Participants leave with tangible deliverables, clearer decision paths, and a shared language for moving forward—making these workshops especially effective for leadership teams, innovation groups, and cross-functional stakeholders.

Why Jim Harris is a Good Fit for CAL SMACNA

• He's already delivered this exact keynote to a construction trade association. Jim keynoted the Ottawa Construction Association's annual general meeting on AI in construction, covering cost reduction, scheduling, risk management, and predictive maintenance, for 350 industry professionals, and walked away with a testimonial calling it "bang on for the times."
• Every session is custom-built for the room. Jim interviews the event organizer and a cross-section of the audience ahead of time, then tailors the presentation around what that specific group needs, matching the brief's ask for something practical and specific to construction, not a generic AI talk.
• Executive-level credibility that translates to a room of contractors. Named 2024 Speaker of the Year by TEC Canada (Vistage) and a #1 international bestselling author, Jim brings outside validation that a technical, high-stakes audience will respect without needing background explanation.
• Risk management is already built into his framework. His construction-specific keynote explicitly addresses improving risk management alongside cost, scheduling, and predictive maintenance, continuing directly from what CAL SMACNA's 2026 speaker covered.
• High-energy, case-study-driven delivery. His sessions have been described as "mind-blowing" and "riveting," useful for a Thursday morning workshop slot where keeping the room engaged matters as much as the content.

Recommended Keynote Topics

How Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Transforming Construction

AI will be transformative in construction by:

• Reducing project costs
• Optimizing resource allocation
• Improving scheduling and supply chain
• Improving risk management
• Monitoring progress in real-time
• Minimizing waste and downtime
• In preventative maintenance, monitoring thousands of parameters and predicting machinery failure before it happens
• Enhancing data analysis and client communication with updates

The audience will leave with:

• How AI is transformative for organizations and industry
• Where to start the process and steps to guarantee success

Jim customizes all his programs to the organization and industry. This fast-paced, dynamic session focuses on proven, practical strategies, tactics, and actionable tools, highlighting dozens of AI and GenAI apps and case studies focused on improving customer satisfaction, dramatically shortening cycle times, increasing sales, and cutting costs.

Jim's sessions have been called "mind-blowing," "riveting," and "eye-opening." Jim customizes each AI presentation by interviewing the event organizer and executives responsible for the meeting outcomes, then interviews a dozen people representing a broad cross-section of the audience. Based on the hour-long objective-setting session and the interviews, combined with research the client provides, he creates a completely customized presentation.

Why Jay is a Good Fit for CAL SMACNA:

• He's already pitched this exact talk to a construction-adjacent trade audience. Jay built this keynote for MCAA's 2027 Health + Safety Conference, delivered alongside SMACNA and TAUC, meaning it's already been shaped for exactly this kind of mechanical and sheet metal contractor audience.
• Deep bench of safety-industry credibility. He's partnered directly with the National Safety Council, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, Edison Electric Institute, NECA, electric cooperatives, and Workers' Compensation Boards, giving him real fluency in how zero-harm cultures actually operate, not just AI theory applied to safety.
• Frames AI as a safety tool, not a threat. His talk positions Agentic AI as a way to surface leading indicators before failures happen, directly aligned with the brief's risk management ask, and reframes AI adoption as a change management problem, not just a technology one.
• Construction-tested delivery. "Definitely makes you think about innovation in a different perspective for the construction industry," per a past Concrete Ontario audience.
• Recognized by an independent body for exactly this expertise. A 2024 PMI Future50 Honoree for leadership in AI Fluency and Agentic AI adoption.

Recommended Keynote:

NAVIGATE: Leading Safety Teams Through Change in the Age of AI

The safety profession is in the middle of its biggest shift in a generation.

We're moving from behavior-based safety to Human and Organizational Performance. From counting incidents to preventing serious injuries and fatalities. From lagging indicators that tell us what already went wrong to leading indicators that show us where the next failure is forming. And we're asking our teams to make this shift while regulations evolve, workforces turn over, and Agentic AI quietly reshapes how the work itself gets done.

So how do we lead our teams through a shift this fundamental, without losing the trust we've built and the progress we've already made?

In this 60-minute keynote, innovation strategist and bestselling author Jay Kiew will unpack Change Fluency™, the idea that change is a language we can learn to speak. Drawing on his work with safety leaders across the National Safety Council, Edison Electric Institute, electric cooperatives, NECA chapters, and Workers Compensation Boards across North America, Jay will share how trailblazing safety organizations are turning HOP from a framework into a learning journey their teams actually own, while using Agentic AI to surface the leading indicators that matter most.

The transformation that participants experience

• Identify the Change Mindsets that quietly stall HOP adoption and SIF prevention efforts
• Learn the three core skills required to build a Change Fluent safety culture
• Come away with a Change Fluency™ roadmap to lead your teams through the shift from compliance to capability, with Agentic AI as a force multiplier rather than a threat

Perfect for...

• Safety leaders moving their organizations from behavior-based safety to HOP
• Executives focused on serious injury and fatality prevention as a strategic priority
• Teams shifting from lagging metrics to true leading indicators
• Organizations treating safety as a continuous learning journey, not a once-a-year refresh

 Highlights

• 2024 PMI Future50 Honoree, recognized by the Project Management Institute for leadership in AI Fluency and Agentic AI adoption
• Organizational transformation strategist advising senior leadership teams on AI-enabled change, digital disruption, and workforce evolution
• Research-backed authority on change fatigue, engagement, and resilience in rapidly evolving organizations
• Extensive experience working with Senior Director and C-suite audiences navigating technology-driven change
• Known for translating AI and transformation complexity into clear, repeatable leadership actions that scale across organizations

Extended Offer: AI Hackathon Workshop + Keynote https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_-vMj4vhpW8fBFZnMsYWDRyJeiEcVenO/view?usp=sharing

Jay kicks off the day with his 60-min signature keynote, EVOLVE: Driving Innovation in the Age of Agentic AI.

Participants have the option to immediately apply what they learn in a 90-min AI Hackathon, where they are presented with 4x industry-based challenges to choose from (as well as the option to Choose their own Adventure).

Each team picks one problem - and collaboratively builds an AI solution (chatbot, agent) with live coaching and roaming technical support.

Upon completion, they share their solution in a live demo with their peers at a plenary lunch.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Apply mainstream AI tools to a real, defined problem, moving from theory to hands-on application.
• Build and demonstrate a working AI-assisted solution within a time-boxed sprint.
• Collaborate across experience levels and functions to solve a problem faster than they could alone.
• Evaluate an AI solution for impact, feasibility and responsible, ethical use.
• Leave with a repeatable method for continuing to apply AI to their own work.

Why Jonathan is a Good Fit for CAL SMACNA

• Genuine AEC-industry relationships, not just AI-industry positioning. Jonathan's work includes partnerships with Autodesk, JLL, HOK, and The Durst Organization, giving him real exposure to how construction and real estate organizations are actually adopting AI, not just theory.
• Executive-caliber credibility. Ranked the #1 Futurist in the World by Forbes and formerly Futurist-in-Residence at Amazon and Global Futurist at HP, Jonathan carries a level of outside validation that lands with a room deciding whether to trust an outside AI voice.
• Organizational change lens, not just tools. His signature framework, the "Octopus Organization," argues that AI value comes from decentralizing decision-making down to the teams doing the work, a workforce implications argument that fits the brief's ask directly.
• Track record at scale. He's helped bring 350+ products to market generating over $27 billion in revenue, and has drawn on over a million workforce surveys to build his frameworks, real operational depth behind the ideas.

Recommended Keynote Topics

AI & the Octopus Organization™: The gap between firms that adopt AI holistically and those that dabble at the edges will be the gap between survival and extinction.

The age of AI is upon us. How can your business use it to grow?

Over the next five years, the gap between companies that integrate AI and those that merely experiment with it will spell the difference between survival and extinction. The companies who are willing to embrace change, fundamentally shift mindsets, and adapt at lightning speed will dominate.

In a world of constant change, resilience is no longer enough. Organizations must evolve beyond endurance to agility, developing the capacity to sense market changes early, respond intelligently to customer needs, and adapt faster than competitors. Agility is not about moving faster; it's about thinking faster, through decentralized intelligence, AI-augmented decisions, and empowered teams at every level.

This means rethinking the traditional hierarchical model and imagining an organization structured like an octopus. While it has a central brain for strategy and oversight, each arm has its own mini-brain, autonomous, responsive, and deeply aware of its market surroundings. A neural ring coordinates these nodes in real time, allowing the institution to make rapid, informed decisions across its entire system, often faster than the central brain could alone.

This isn't theory. Brill has studied organizations already moving in this direction, guided dozens of transformations, and drawn on over a million workforce surveys. What he found is clear: success comes not from simply automating tasks, but from reimagining how organizations function at every level.

By the end of this transformative keynote, you'll know exactly how to:

• Understand how to redesign your organizations around adaptability, not control.
• Learn how to use AI to create autonomous SuperTeams that push creative boundaries, and make better, faster decisions.
• Cultivate the vision, values, and goals your org and team needs to leverage AI effectively.

Why Johnny is a Good Fit for CAL SMACNA

• Built for audiences who thrive on grit and results. Sheet metal and HVAC contractors know what it means to show up under pressure, meet deadlines in tough conditions, and keep a project moving when things go sideways. Johnny’s story connects directly to that world — he doesn’t talk about resilience in theory, he lived it on an Olympic track and an NFL practice field.
• The sports/adventure keynote CAL SMACNA is looking for, done right. The convention specifically requested a speaker with a sports and adventure flair. Johnny is one of only three people in history to play professional football and compete in the Winter Olympics, and that story lands in any room — especially one filled with competitive, high-performing tradespeople.
• The P.U.S.H. framework translates to construction leadership. His framework maps cleanly to how a contractor runs a job site — collaboration under pressure, staying adaptable when plans change, and building teams that don’t fold when things get hard.
• Highly customizable to the audience. Johnny is known for tailoring his content specifically to the client’s world. For a construction and contracting audience, his themes of building something from nothing, performing in difficult conditions, and leading teams that execute under pressure are a natural fit.
• Proven with trade and industry association audiences. His client work with organizations ranging from chamber of commerce events to national sales meetings shows he can hold a room across a wide range of industries and audience types.

Recommended Keynote Topics

PUSH WHAT’S POSSIBLE: The Olympic Formula for Breakthrough Performance in Any Season

Every high-achieving team faces unexpected moments that test everything they’ve got — their discipline, their focus, and their self-belief. When the stakes are high and the outcome uncertain, how do you not just survive the season, but stay ready for what’s next?

From NFL locker rooms to the Olympic starting line, Johnny Quinn learned that readiness isn’t luck. It’s built through the right mindset and daily disciplines that prepare you for opportunity before it even arrives at your door.

In this relatable and instantly applicable talk, he reveals the P.U.S.H. framework that turns great teams into unstoppable ultra performers.

AUDIENCES LEARN HOW TO:

• Collaborate under pressure by finding a way to get the job done with the people and resources available
• Build the habits that keep them prepared for whatever comes their way
• Turn “no” into “next” by choosing readiness over resistance

WHEN “NO” MEANS NEXT: The Olympic Mindset that Turns Setbacks into Comebacks

Getting cut three times from the NFL should have ended Johnny Quinn’s athletic dreams. Instead, it led him to the Olympics.

In this inspiring and practical keynote, Johnny reveals the mental framework that separates those who let rejection define them from those who use it as rocket fuel for what’s next.

Through his journey from NFL rejection to Olympic competition, Johnny shows how to develop the mindset that doesn’t just bounce back from setbacks — it uses them as stepping stones to breakthrough performance.

AUDIENCES LEARN HOW TO:

• Develop the mindset that keeps them moving when others quit
• Build the discipline that drives winning results
• Master the fundamentals that keep you ready when your next opportunity arrives

Why Angela is a Good Fit for CAL SMACNA:

• A physical, high-stakes athletic story that resonates with a trades audience. As a 6x American Ninja Warrior competitor who tore her ACL live on national television and rebuilt herself to compete again, Angela's resilience story is rooted in physical performance under pressure, not an abstract corporate metaphor, something a room of tradespeople can relate to directly.
• Built for a closing session, not an opening one. Her keynote style is high-energy and interactive, designed to re-energize a room after a multi-day, content-heavy convention, exactly the job of a Saturday morning closing slot.
• Practical frameworks, not just motivation. Both of her keynotes (the R.I.G.H.T. Framework and Be the First) give attendees a repeatable system to apply, not just an inspiring story, consistent with how the rest of this proposal is built around practical takeaways.
• A comeback story that mirrors the trade. Construction is physical work with real injury risk; Angela's own on-camera ACL tear and recovery gives her direct credibility talking about pushing through setbacks and getting back to work stronger.
• Sends the convention out on a high note. Past clients describe her as bringing "fresh and vibrant energy to the stage," well suited to closing four days of programming rather than opening it.

Suggested Keynotes:

1) What If It All Goes R.I.G.H.T? The Mindset Shift That Turns Challenges into Breakthroughs

What if, instead of focusing on what could go wrong, you started asking: What if it all goes right?

Angela Gargano teaches individuals and teams how to shift from hesitation to high performance using her RIGHT Framework:

• Recognize & Feel
• Identify What You Want + What You Can Control
• Game Plan it Out
• Hold the Adaptable Mindset
• Take Relentless Delusional Action

This proven system empowers people to navigate uncertainty, embrace change/failures, build resilience, and take bold action—even before they feel ready.

Instead of being paralyzed by worst-case scenario thinking, they gain the tools to adapt, innovate, and turn challenges into opportunities. By focusing on what’s possible, rather than what’s preventable, they unlock a mindset that fuels growth, confidence, and long-term success.

The result? Stronger leadership, greater adaptability, and the ability to take decisive action—again and again.

This keynote is more than just motivation—it’s a battle-tested strategy for resilience, leadership, and achieving impossible goals.

When most people stop, you will keep going, growing, and leading.

Key Outcomes & Takeaways

• How to navigate uncertainty like a high performer—whether in leadership, business, or life
• A battle-tested, reliable system for moving through hard things—the RIGHT Framework
• How to break big challenges into manageable steps—so you don’t just start, you finish
• Reframing failure and setbacks as fuel for your next breakthrough
• Mastering emotions, building confidence, and taking bold action in high-pressure situations
• How to show up as a powerful leader—whether for your team, your clients, or yourself
• Stories that inspire, strategies that stick, and a mindset shift that lasts long after the event
• A deeper sense of fulfillment, excitement, and ownership over your work and life

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2) Be the First

Why bold, scary firsts build the strongest version of you.

Be the First is a high-energy keynote where Angela Gargano empowers audiences to step beyond fear and uncertainty and do something they’ve never done before. Because “being the first” isn’t about being the strongest, smartest, or most experienced—it’s about having the courage, discipline, and mindset to take that very first step into the unknown.

Drawing from her journey as a 6-time American Ninja Warrior, former biochemist, and coach to thousands of women achieving their first pull-up, Angela blends science-backed performance strategies with unforgettable storytelling. She shows leaders and high performers how to embrace change, reframe failure, and create unstoppable momentum—whether that’s sending a daring email, launching a bold project, or making an epic comeback after a setback.

Audiences learn that courage gets you started, but discipline and mindset are what keep you moving—long enough to turn the “impossible” into reality.

Key Takeaways:

• A science-backed blueprint to move through fear, failure, and uncertainty with confidence.
• How to build the courage, discipline, and mindset to do something you’ve never done before.
• Tools to reframe setbacks as springboards for resilience and growth.
• A framework for creating unstoppable momentum—starting with your very first step.
• Inspiration to stop asking “What if I fail?” and start leading with “What if it all goes right?”

Why Siri is a Good Fit for CAL SMACNA:

• World champion under pressure, not just an inspirational speaker. As a two-time ITU World Champion triathlete and Hall of Fame athlete who went from world-ranked-nowhere to #1, Siri's story is built on grinding through failure toward elite performance, a mindset that translates directly to a trade built on physical endurance and high stakes.
• A second comeback that raises the stakes even further. Beyond her athletic career, Siri navigated a life-threatening cancer diagnosis using the same mindset she teaches on stage, giving her story a depth that goes beyond sports metaphor.
• Built for a closing moment, not a mid-conference session. Past clients describe her keynote as "soul-shifting" and emotionally memorable, exactly the kind of high-impact, emotional close that sends a multi-day convention off on a high note.
• Coaches, not just competes. As an Olympic and world champion coach, including mentoring 3x Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae, Siri brings a leadership and coaching lens, not just a personal highlight reel, translating well to a room of contractors managing crews and teams.
• High-energy, emotionally authentic delivery. Testimonials consistently point to her vulnerability and stage presence, not polish, as what makes her sessions memorable.

Suggested Keynotes:

Unleash Your Champion Mindset

This powerful keynote shares the transformational story of how Siri went from a self-doubting outsider to a two-time world champion. Packed with practical tools and heartfelt stories, Siri teaches audiences how to tap into their courage, face fear with intention, and lead with authenticity. Whether navigating personal challenges or leading change, participants leave with a newfound fire to step into their greatness.

Key Takeaways:

• How to turn fear into fuel
• Tools to develop a world-class mindset
• Steps to lead with heart and resilience

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Leadership with Heart: Build Culture, Purpose, and Connection

In this engaging program, Siri reveals what championship leadership looks like in the real world—built not on ego, but on empathy, vision, and deep connection. Drawing from her experience coaching Olympic athletes and leading nonprofit missions, she shares lessons in trust-building, communication, and sustainable motivation.

Key Takeaways:

• How to create high-performing, values-aligned teams
• Tools for building trust and shared purpose
• The importance of leading with emotional authenticity

Why Justin is a Good Fit for CAL SMACNA

• Built for the Saturday closing slot. Justin is a former UFC heavyweight fighter and a national champion wrestler, so his story lands squarely in the Sports/Adventure theme and gives the convention a high-energy, memorable close.
• Grit this audience will recognize. Sheet metal and HVAC contractors build careers on physical work, discipline, and showing up when it's hard. Justin's path from the wrestling mat to the octagon to the Congo rainforest speaks the same language of earned toughness.
• A real comeback, not a highlight reel. At the height of his fighting career Justin struggled with addiction and depression, and he later survived malaria three times while doing humanitarian work abroad. That gives the talk emotional weight beyond a typical sports keynote.
• A story with a purpose behind it. Founder of Fight for the Forgotten, which has delivered clean water to more than 52,000 people and helped free over 1,800 individuals from slavery, Justin's talk moves past overcoming adversity into a concrete example of what to do with the comeback.
• Credentialed and camera-tested. Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame inductee and TEDx speaker, with a level of name recognition, including his appearances alongside Joe Rogan, that helps sell the room on a Saturday morning close.

Recommended Keynote:

From the Ring to the Rainforest: Leadership Principles from an Ultimate Fighter’s Remarkable Journey

A once prominent UFC fighter, Justin emerged from a near death experience, found purpose through service to others, and now stands as a force for good on the international humanitarian stage. The visionary Founder and CEO of Fight For The Forgotten, his organization has provided life-changing clean water, housing, healthcare, land ownership and freedom from slavery for thousands of the world’s most disadvantaged people.

In his inspiring keynote, From the Ring to the Rainforest: Leadership Principles from an Ultimate Fighter’s Remarkable Journey, he unveils the rollercoaster of his life – from headlining MMA (UFC) fights in front of capacity crowds in Las Vegas, to plummeting into the abyss of addiction, and ultimately, to his extraordinary redemption deep in the jungles of Africa helping those most in need. With raw vulnerability and emotion, he narrates how one flawed man, grappling with his own insignificance, discovered the power to create change, one person, one life, at a time.

People leave Justin’s presentation revived in the belief that their own work matters.  Their personal individual efforts can create meaningful impact.  No matter your place on the corporate ladder, everyone’s effort matters in the mission of the company or organization.  He is not asking the audience to pursue a life of service, not at all, that is his calling.  Instead, he reminds people that you are never out of the fight, you can always get back up, and that big impact can occur one drop at a time.

Justin speaks of how personal accountability, resilience in the face of adversity, and profound gratitude for each new day can ignite a fire in all of us to create meaningful change in our work, in our lives, and in our world.  

Audiences travel with Justin to the remote Congo Basin Rain Forest for a rare insider’s view of the Mbuti Pygmy people, where they laugh, cry, and stand up and cheer as they bear witness to an improbable yet profoundly inspiring tale of redemption – a testament to the enduring power of second chances.

Depending on the company or industry he is speaking to, the purpose of the event, and a client’s specific requests, Justin will frame two or three other key takeaway messages into his presentation around the themes of:

Key Takeaways:

• Teamwork
• Creating Opportunity
• Setting Ambitious Goals
• Taking Action Matters
• Getting Uncomfortable in Order to Grow / Embracing the Grind
• Overcoming Fear
• Ultimate Focus - Unleash Impact