Deborah Gardner, CMP, CVP: Performance Expert
Competitive performance keynote speaker and hospitality leader Deborah Gardner drives action, resilience, and high-performance leadership with humor, heart, and no-fluff execution.
Quick Facts:
- Highlights:
- Former Olympic Trials swimmer and CBS Sports broadcaster
- CEO of DG International and six-time best-selling author
- 30+ years of leadership in hospitality and events
- Creator and host of Hospitality Today Live
- Formats: Keynote speaker, hospitality strategist, and performance coach
- Audiences: Hospitality professionals, meeting planners, sales teams, leaders, and organizations focused on performance, engagement, and results
- Outcomes:
- Increased personal and team accountability
- Practical tools to perform under pressure and drive results
- Renewed energy, confidence, and competitive mindset
- Travels from: Phoenix, AZ
- **Fee range: $10,000 - $15,000
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
Own Your Lane™
Navigating changing waters and making waves
Get ready for an empowering and transformative experience like no other, based on Deborah’s bold and inspiring recent feat.
Equip leaders and teams with a simple, actionable strategy to align your inner drive with impactful external action. This program provides the tools to take ownership, embrace challenges, and thrive in a world of constant change and turbulence.
This high-energy, interactive keynote dives deep into the mindset of owning your lane, tapping into your competitive edge to outdo your past self and navigate personal and professional growth. Whether you’re conquering workplace obstacles or life’s everchanging currents, you’ll be ready to make waves with confidence, purpose, and ambition.
Bold Takeaways:
- Master Self-Competition
Learn how to shift your focus from competing externally to elevating yourself— unlocking confidence, resilience, and unstoppable momentum. - Set Ambitious Goals
Transform “what if” into “what’s next” by creating bold, actionable goals that drive change and amplify results. - Celebrate the Journey
Discover the power of celebrating every win—big or small—to fuel motivation, build momentum, and energize your path forward.
This keynote is for leaders, teams, and professionals ready to shift from surviving to thriving confidently and purposefully. Ideal for anyone seeking clarity, ownership, and actionable tools to manifest goals and take bold action, it’s a transformative experience that inspires personal “ah-ha” moments and empowers participants to make waves in work and life.
Lead Ambitiously
Mastering Bold Leadership in a Resistant World
In today’s fast-paced, high-pressure environment, leaders face mounting demands, fierce competition, and constant change. The chaos is real , but so is the opportunity. Your secret weapon? Ambition.
This isn’t your typical program. It’s a fast-paced, game-changing experience that recalibrates your thinking, challenges your mindset, and turbocharges your leadership skills. Ready to lead ambitiously? Buckle up! This is your moment! Let’s GO!
Golden Nuggets:
- Transform Resistance into Opportunity
Confront challenges head-on, turn obstacles into opportunities, and lead with resilience
in a relentless world. - Unshakeable Decision-Making
Learn how to make bold, confident decisions under pressure and turn uncertainty into
growth. - Empower Bold Leadership
Cultivate the tools to lead with clarity, purpose, and ambition, driving progress and
innovation, even when the heat is on.
This keynote is perfect for ambitious leaders and teams who want to transform challenges into opportunities and achieve exceptional results in today’s relentless world. It’s designed for those ready to break through barriers, embrace bold decision-making, and foster a culture of unstoppable progress. Participants will leave energized, equipped to lead on their own terms, and empowered to take confident, immediate action toward their goals.
Talent Short Bio
Deborah Gardner is a performance keynote speaker and CEO who specializes in turning resistance into measurable action for hospitality and corporate teams. Drawing on a unique journey that spans elite athletic training, broadcast leadership, and hands-on executive experience, Deborah created the Streamline Method a practical framework designed to boost engagement, speed decision-making, and lift team performance. Her work targets the everyday friction points that slow organizations down, replacing them with clear routines and playbooks leaders can deploy immediately.
Deborah’s presentations are high-energy and grounded in real-world application: she mixes storytelling with specific tools and replicable tactics so participants leave with both the why and the how. She’s particularly effective with audiences that must balance guest experience with operational constraints helping managers and frontline staff align around simpler processes that produce consistent results.
Beyond the keynote, Deborah leads workshops and implementation sessions to embed the Streamline Method into workflows, coaching leaders on how to measure impact and sustain improvements. Event planners choose Deborah for her ability to translate strategy into operational habits that produce visible results in short order.
Read Full Bio
Competitive Performance Expert | Keynote Speaker | Hospitality Powerhouse | Six- Time Bestseller
From Olympic Trials swimmer to one of the first female broadcasters with CBS Sports to Mrs. American, Deborah Gardner knows what it takes to compete, win, and lead. Today, she’s a sought-after global keynote speaker and CEO of DG International, where
she energizes organizations to take ACTION and perform at their highest level with humor, heart, and no fluff.
Known as the “Pit Bull in a Skirt” by Fortune 500 giants, Deborah Gardner brings her relatable, high-energy programs that draw from real-life adventures — growing up in a 16-ft trailer, crashing a wedding (on purpose!), running three businesses, and now training to become the oldest woman to swim the 21-mile Catalina Channel this October aiming for Guinness World Records.
Deborah has 30+ years of hospitality experience. A certified meeting professional (CMP) and creator/host of Hospitality Today Live show, Deborah Gardner is a respected voice in the industry, producing broadcasts for global hospitality celebrations and thought leadership.
Industry Accolades Include:
- Top 30 Global Hospitality Gurus
- Top 50 Successful Meetings Women Leaders
- CNN’s Top 75 Keynote Speakers Worldwide
- Eventex Top 100 Most Influential in Events
- Meetings Today Trendsetter
- Meetings Mean Ambassador
- Arizona Fabulous Women to Watch
- One of the Most Requested Speakers by Meeting Professionals and more
Fun Fact: Meetings & Convention Magazine’s poll by meeting professionals cited Deborah Gardner as one of the best speakers ever heard, putting her in the category with Bill Clinton, General Colin Powell, Barbara Corcoran, Les Brown, Magic Johnson, and Tom
Brokaw
Trusted By Top Brands & Organizations:
Walmart · Marriott · Nike · Blue Cross Blue Shield · FOX Restaurants · Fairmont ·
Northstar · Best Western International · Outdoor Industry Association · Direct Selling
Association · PM Hotels · MPI · Smart Meetings · SGMP · PCMA · FleetCon · Teneo
Hospitality · Hotel Interactive · Women Leading Travel · Meetings Today Live · Global
Business Travel · North Carolina Apartment Association · Crown Plaza Hotels and more.
Although Deborah wishes she were a mermaid, off stage, Deborah lives in Arizona with her husband Jerry and their wildly lovable pup, Bear.
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Speaker fees can vary depending on factors such as expertise, demand, and event specifics. While some speakers may charge a flat fee for their services, others may have hourly rates. It’s best to discuss fee structures directly with the speaker or their representative to understand the pricing model.
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Keynote speeches typically range from 30 to 90 minutes, with the duration determined by the speaker’s expertise, the event’s agenda, and audience preferences. Keynote speeches often include a combination of inspirational stories, practical insights, and actionable advice tailored to the event’s theme or objectives.
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