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Get unstuck and create a sure pathway to progress, regardless of the challenges
In a world permanently transformed by tech upheaval, competitive pressures, talent shortages, and global instability, change and uncertainty have never been more intense. But here’s the truth: change is constant, and it isn’t the enemy. It’s our approach to it that leaves us afraid of taking risks, struggling to adapt and limiting our progress.
Sterling Hawkins shares how he went from multi-billion dollar startup success story to bankruptcy to growth leader and advisor to hundreds of leading companies. The experiences, research and real-world testing shared in this ground-breaking keynote will help you break through your own challenges by reframing your relationship with change. Sterling’s proven framework cultivates a resilient growth mindset that thrives in uncertainty by empowering audiences to commit to real progress rather than burning out or becoming crushed by it.
With his No Matter What mantra, Sterling lights a fire within individuals and teams, uniting them to capitalize on their strengths. By fostering connection, breaking down silos, and empowering team members at every level to confront uncertainty, his system transforms any change into opportunity and any challenge into greater potential.
Outcomes:
This inspirational keynote is designed for leaders who are:
Realize the potential in yourself, your team and your organization with trust-driven leadership
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, there are few constants, leaving paralyzing uncertainty in its wake. It is the role of transformational leaders to build a clear foundation of what can be trusted, enabling growth and consistent success.
From over a decade of exploring myriad growth modalities, Sterling Hawkins introduces a revolutionary methodology for transformational leadership centered on trust. Instead of focusing solely on goals and tasks, this method orients us to the real work of growth, aligns us to our ultimate goals, and connects us with what matters most. Modeled by leaders, these principles become the ground upon which transformation takes place. In practice, the principles inspire teams, win moments of opportunity, deliver differentiated solutions, and unlock greater potential.
This paradigm shift not only reduces turnover and stimulates breakthrough approaches, but also resonates positively with partners, clients, and stakeholders. Embracing trust-driven leadership doesn’t just improve the bottom line; this proven approach enhances the workplace and shapes the very essence of the organization.
Outcomes:
This transformational keynote is designed for leaders who are:
Build your capacity to grow by establishing a fresh relationship with change, control and uncertainty.
True growth comes from stepping toward a place that many fear: the unknown. High performing people and organizations must develop their relationship with the uncertainty that comes from unknowns to reach even higher levels of success.
Created and field-tested alongside some of the world’s largest companies, Sterling Hawkins offers a proven methodology that doesn’t rely on working more or trying harder. Instead, he provides clear steps to radically rethink our relationship with the unknown and the uncomfortable. This shift builds trust that outweighs fear, courage that overrides worry and the capacity to shed our comfort zone and handle uncertainty.
No matter your current situation or level of performance, Sterling’s compelling data, moving stories, and high-energy delivery enable audiences to think differently, elevate conversations, and align to greater goals to maximize the impact of individuals, teams, and organizations.
Outcomes:
This growth keynote is designed for leaders who are:
Practical tools to build a culture of creativity, ingenuity and determination
With AI and other disruptive changes as the new constant, fostering an innovation culture is mission-critical to stay ahead. The catch is, our natural human inclination is to resist any change, seeking comfort in the security of familiar routines.
Sterling Hawkins offers a fresh perspective on innovation built on launching, investing, and growing over 100 startups. He shares a science-backed approach to breakthrough innovation by coming from a place of curiosity, not certainty. To achieve the impact we desire in our businesses, communities and families, we need a complete perspective overhaul.
Learn Sterling’s holistic approach for cultivating a culture of creativity, ingenuity, and determination across all areas of an organization. This keynote goes deeper than a motivational talk: it’s a transformative experience that shows you how to innovate and create from true inspiration.
Outcomes:
This innovation keynote is designed for leaders who are:
Sterling Hawkins is a culture and innovation leader who combines hard-earned startup experience with proven frameworks for organizational change. He’s lived the full lifecycle of entrepreneurship from scaling and leading multi-billion-dollar ventures to rebuilding after significant setbacks and uses that real-world perspective to help leaders reframe uncertainty into opportunity. Sterling’s signature “No Matter What” approach equips teams with tactical playbooks to spark idea flow, scale experiments, and sustain results without burning out.
A sought-after advisor for executive teams, Sterling translates case-study evidence and applied research into hands-on tools that leaders can implement immediately. His work focuses on practical shifts building psychological safety, instituting rapid learning loops, and embedding trust-driven leadership so organizations can operate creatively under pressure and deliver outcomes that matter. Sterling’s sessions are high-energy, story-rich, and built to move people from inspiration to action.
He also wrote Hunting Discomfort, which explores why leaning into the uncomfortable is the backbone of breakthrough performance. For events seeking both strategic insight and useful, repeatable practices, Sterling offers a powerful combination of credibility, method, and executional clarity.
Sterling Hawkins is a transformative figure in the realm of organizational culture and business innovation. Known for his groundbreaking work on creating cultures of innovation and resilience, Hawkins has emerged as a preeminent speaker and thought leader.
His signature speech, “No Matter What,” encapsulates his philosophy of overcoming challenges and fostering an environment where innovation thrives. As the author of the acclaimed book “Hunting Discomfort,” Hawkins provides invaluable insights into embracing and leveraging discomfort to achieve extraordinary results.
With a dynamic blend of practical experience and profound insights, Sterling Hawkins has captivated audiences worldwide. His approach goes beyond conventional motivational speaking, offering actionable strategies that drive real change within organizations.
Hawkins’s unique ability to connect with diverse audiences and inspire them to push beyond their limits makes him an indispensable asset for any event focused on growth, innovation, and resilience. Hawkins’s journey from a successful entrepreneur to a globally recognized speaker underscores his deep understanding of the complexities of modern business.
His experiences have equipped him with the knowledge and tools to help organizations navigate the turbulent waters of change and disruption, making him a sought-after speaker for companies aiming to stay ahead in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Throughout his career, Hawkins has been at the forefront of technological and cultural transformations within organizations. His work with Fortune 500 companies, startups, and industry leaders has given him unique insights into the strategies and mindsets required to foster a culture of continuous innovation. By integrating cutting-edge technology with human-centric approaches, he has helped organizations unlock new levels of performance and adaptability.
Hawkins’s speaking influence extends to prestigious global events, where he has shared stages with some of the most prominent figures in business and innovation. His compelling presentations have inspired thousands of leaders to rethink their approaches to culture and innovation, leading to transformative changes within their organizations. His ability to distill complex concepts into relatable and actionable insights makes his sessions not only informative but also highly engaging.
In addition to his speaking engagements, Hawkins is a prolific writer and thought leader. His articles and insights on innovation, leadership, and organizational culture are widely published and have become essential reading for business leaders and innovators. His thought-provoking perspectives challenge conventional wisdom and offer new paradigms for achieving sustainable success in today’s rapidly changing world. Hawkins’s commitment to fostering innovation extends beyond the corporate world.
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He shares from his experience founding a company that became part of a multi-billion dollar startup that collapsed and his journey building himself back to launch over 50 startups and work with some of the largest companies on the planet.
0:00 Intro 0:25 How the message has evolved over time 1:25 Sterling’s background founding a company that became part of a multi-billion dollar startup before collapse 1:50 Growing our capacity for change, challenge and uncertainty 2:32 Organizations Sterling has worked with 3:00 Rapid, relentless and accelerating change ironically causes people and organizations to cling to the status quo and known approaches 4:30 There is a necessity for a new approach to growth based on a proven methodology of building trust
Sterling Hawkins is a writer, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and leader of the No Matter What Movement. Our channel is about the trust, culture, leadership and discomfort necessary for growth in business and life.
0:00 Intro
0:15 How to move from victimized by circumstances to using them for growth
2:20 Why “”hunting discomfort”” beats out any traditional approaches to increasing performance
3:30 What to do to build our capacity for discomfort across all areas
Failure isn’t the end, it’s the beginning of growth. Learn how embracing discomfort, instead of avoiding it, builds resilience, courage, and lasting success.
The speaker opens by sharing his story as a young entrepreneur who co-founded a startup that became part of a multi-billion-dollar company—but ultimately failed. Losing billions, he says, became part of his identity. “I started to believe I was a failure. I lost enough money to pay the tuition of all 20,000 of you.”
That shame of not living up to expectations was crushing. But he explains that while most of the audience isn’t dealing with billions in losses, everyone faces discomfort big or small.
If you shy away from discomfort fear of failure, embarrassment, or living true to yourself—it will profoundly limit your life. He recalls hitting rock bottom, moving back in with his parents, and even losing his girlfriend. “At my mom’s house there was no Netflix and definitely no chilling.”
That moment, however, became a turning point. Instead of avoiding discomfort, he committed to going through it: insecurity, self-doubt, fear. This became the catalyst for transformation.
He began “hunting discomfort” jumping out of planes at 15,000 ft, shark diving, cycling across the Rocky Mountains, trekking the Sahara Desert in 110°F heat. These challenges weren’t about thrill-seeking but about training himself to handle fear and discomfort with strength.
His core message: Discomfort will limit your life until you commit to facing it. To create impact and live fully, you must go through discomfort anchored by three words: No Matter What.
0:10 – Startup failure: losing billions and identity crisis.
1:15 – Rock bottom: back at parents’ house, shame and loss.
2:25 – Realization: avoiding discomfort only limits growth.
3:15 – Hunting discomfort: skydiving, shark diving, Sahara trek.
4:20 – Core truth: discomfort is universal and transformative.
5:05 – Closing mantra: “No matter what.”
Experience isn’t just what we see, it’s what we feel. Discover how human experiences move us, change us, and inspire innovation in life and business.
The speaker asks: “But what is experience?”
Is it a conversation with one person or many? Is it something you can reach out and touch, see, or smell? The answer: it’s all of those things and more.
Experience is anything that touches our senses and, more deeply, moves our emotions. It’s what transports us beyond the physical space we’re in into an entirely new mindset.
The speaker then invites the audience to close their eyes and pay attention to their own personal human experience. Music plays, creating a shared emotional moment.
Afterward, he asks: “How did it make you feel? Did it put a smile on your face? Did you shift in your seat? Did you want to take a picture?”
That is the power of experience: to move people emotionally, to change their state of mind. The best, most innovative brands and retailers use this same principle to elevate business and life.
0:05 – What is experience? Exploring the senses and emotions.
0:45 – Experience as transformation: moving us beyond physical space.
1:15 – Audience exercise: close your eyes, connect to human experience.
2:05 – Music creates a shared emotional shift.
3:00 – Takeaway: leveraging experience to innovate and inspire.
A: Yes — he customizes case studies, frameworks, and exercises to fit your sector and business goals.
A: Domestic bookings generally need 2-4 weeks; international bookings 6-8 weeks to accommodate travel and prep.
A: Yes — Sterling provides half-day workshops and scaled coaching packages to help embed the practices introduced on stage.
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