Keynote speaker, trainer, and educator (sessions 30–60 minutes).
Executives, educators, marketers, entrepreneurs, and future-focused leaders.
Prepare to elevate your sales game in an immersive and interactive workshop. This hands-on learning experience will transform your team’s approach to sales by honing the art and science of persuasive communication.
Throughout the interactive session, participants will engage in the following key components:
Communication extends far beyond words, and this session aims to unlock the power of nonverbal cues in enhancing connections, relationships, and overall communication effectiveness. This session will explore the subtle yet impactful language of body movements, gestures, facial expressions, and other nonverbal cues. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how these signals profoundly influence our interactions, often speaking volumes beyond what words convey.
Throughout the session, Dr. York will share practical strategies and techniques to harness and interpret nonverbal cues effectively, presented in his high-energy and interactive style. Learn how to fine-tune your observational skills, decode hidden messages, and adapt your own nonverbal communication to build rapport, establish trust, and foster meaningful connections in both personal and professional settings.
Key takeaways from this session include:
Whether your audience is seeking to refine their communication abilities, enhance leadership skills, or simply improve their daily interactions, this keynote promises valuable insights that will transform the way you engage with others.
Step into the future of branding and digital marketing in this visionary keynote session. Experience the energizing and immersive exploration into the cutting-edge trends, technologies, and strategies that will shape the future of branding and marketing now and years to come. This session is tailored for marketers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders seeking to stay ahead of the curve and harness the potential of emerging trends in the branding sphere.
Throughout the keynote, participants will dive into the following pivotal areas:
Unlock the keys to impactful leadership and personal branding in this high-energy and engaging keynote. Thousands have engaged with Dr. York in this immersive exploration into the art of cultivating a powerful personal brand that aligns with your values, vision, and leadership aspirations. This session is designed for aspiring leaders, professionals, and individuals seeking to amplify their influence by honing their personal brand.
Throughout the keynote, participants will delve into the following crucial aspects:
Building Your Personal Brand:
Leadership and Influence:
Impactful Communication:
Dr. Dustin York is an Associate Professor at Maryville University in St. Louis, where he inspires students and executives alike with his dynamic approach to digital branding, leadership, and communication. Before entering academia, York worked on high-profile projects including branding for the 2008 Obama Presidential campaign and agency assignments for global clients such as PepsiCo and Nike.
His expertise lies in bridging innovation and strategy—helping leaders and organizations use storytelling, branding, and technology to connect authentically in a rapidly evolving digital world. A sought-after thought leader, York regularly serves as a subject matter expert for CNN, Entrepreneur.com, and Forbes, and contributes to the Harvard Business Review. He is also one of LinkedIn Learning’s most popular educators, with courses reaching thousands of professionals globally.
As a national keynote speaker and corporate trainer, York is known for blending cutting-edge insights with engaging delivery, empowering audiences to lead with clarity, curiosity, and confidence. His work has been recognized widely: he was named a 2024 St. Louis Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree, the 2022 American Marketing Association 4 Under 40, and an Apple Distinguished Educator for his excellence in digital innovation.
Dr. Dustin York is an Associate Professor at Maryville University in St. Louis. Prior to entering academia, Dr. York worked in branding for the 2008 Obama Presidential campaign, and agency clients like Pepsi Co., and Nike.
Dr. York’s specialties include digital branding and leadership branding, which he now brings to life in the classroom. Beyond his primary passion for teaching, Dr. York is a subject matter expert for CNN, Entrepreneur.com, and Forbes, a contributor for Harvard Business Review, one of the most popular LinkedIn Learning educators, and serves as a national keynote speaker and trainer.
Dr. York was awarded the 2024 St. Louis Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award, the 2022 American Marketing Association 4 Under 40, and the title of Apple Distinguished Educator.
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Award-winning professor Dr. Dustin York shares why curiosity fuels innovation, storytelling, and the future of digital transformation for leaders.
Dr. Dustin York, often called one of the most engaging educators in communication and digital branding, highlights how curiosity drives innovation and leadership in the digital era. He recalls discovering his lifelong passion for storytelling and innovation, illustrating it with a retail analogy: Trader Joe’s thrives on experiences compared to Walmart, just as Apple Stores do versus Amazon. Both models show how experiential design leads to stronger margins.
York acknowledges digital transformation as a double-edged sword—raising challenges like social media’s impact on teen mental health and data privacy—while also offering tremendous opportunities to accelerate positives. Speaking in a “metaverse version” of himself, he stresses how leaders must embrace curiosity to understand emerging technologies like AR, blockchain, and AI, and their potential to transform education, identification, and healthcare.
He closes with a call to action for leaders: be curious, communicate with employees in meaningful ways to build motivation and retention, and see curiosity not as childlike but as the key to thriving in constant transformation.
00:00–00:25 — Introduction: York as a top educator in communication and branding.
00:25–00:55 — Discovery of passion for innovation and storytelling; retail analogy (Trader Joe’s vs Walmart, Apple vs Amazon).
00:55–01:20 — Digital transformation as a double-edged sword; curiosity needed to address negatives (social media, privacy).
01:20–01:45 — Amplifying positives through AR, blockchain, AI; presented through his “metaverse” avatar.
01:45–02:15 — Importance of internal communication: keeping employees motivated, aligned, and retained.
02:15–02:35 — Closing: call to action for leaders—stay curious, as curiosity fuels innovation and transformation.
Communication professor and innovation strategist Dr. Dustin York explores how Gen Z, AI, augmented reality, and the metaverse are reshaping education, work, and human connection through the power of curiosity.
Dr. Dustin York dives into the habits of Gen Z, noting that while they laugh 120 times a week and check their phones over 550 times, their phones are portals to generative AI, e-commerce, music, and food delivery apps. He demonstrates the disruptive power of AI by showing how tools like ChatGPT can generate original content, while reassuring the audience that his talk is 100% human-created.
Rather than fearing this shift, York urges embracing childhood curiosity. He asks the audience to recall imagining superheroes or toys coming to life as children, imagination that is now tangible through augmented reality (AR). With AR, fossils in museums can animate into lifelike creatures, and educational experiences can transform learning. He points to the potential of wearables, comparing initial skepticism about AR glasses to the ridicule faced by AirPods, which are now a Fortune 200 level business.
York explains that AI isn’t just a futuristic threat, it already powers daily conveniences like Netflix recommendations, navigation, and virtual assistants. He highlights AI’s potential in healthcare, citing a Tulane University study where AI diagnosed colorectal cancer more accurately than pathologists. Rather than replacing doctors, AI frees time for deeper healthcare innovation.
He shares his own story: initially failing at coding, but discovering storytelling as his strength. Using Facebook to market his retail store, he transformed its performance, leading to a career in digital marketing, the Obama campaign, agency work with Nike and Pepsi, and eventually academia. His lifelong passion for curiosity and communication continues to drive his teaching and research, including grants connecting underrepresented middle school girls with technology.
York transitions to the metaverse, highlighting its cultural and economic impact. Concerts in Fortnite, Roblox avatars, and digital fashion purchases are redefining how Gen Z experiences identity and community. With video games surpassing the combined revenue of film, sports, and television, he argues the metaverse is not hypothetical but inevitable.
Concluding with examples from Tesla, Apple, and shifting media landscapes, York reminds the audience that “change happens.” The key to thriving in disruption is maintaining childhood curiosity. Innovation isn’t just about adapting, it’s about reimagining possibilities in business, education, and human connection.
00:00–01:05 — Gen Z habits; phones, AI, and why curiosity beats fear.
01:05–02:10 — Generative AI demo; talk is human-created.
02:10–03:25 — AR explained; Smithsonian fossils, learning use cases.
03:25–04:30 — From phones to wearables; AirPods analogy for adoption.
04:30–05:40 — AI is already here: recs, maps, unlocking, assistants.
05:40–06:45 — Healthcare example: AI assisting diagnosis; humans still essential.
06:45–08:00 — Personal pivot: failed coding, discovered storytelling and social media wins.
08:00–09:05 — Obama campaign, brand work, teaching, grants for girls in tech.
09:05–10:10 — Metaverse today: Fortnite concerts, avatars, virtual commerce.
10:10–11:25 — Gaming’s scale vs film/TV/sports; culture shift already underway.
11:25–12:20 — Adoption stories: Tesla grille, Apple retail, streaming over cable.
12:20–12:50 — Closing: change happens; curiosity is revolutionary.
Yes, he tailors sessions to industry and organizational needs.
Absolutely, he facilitates hands-on sessions for leadership teams and educators.
National and international engagements, both in-person and virtual.
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Yes, he tailors sessions to industry and organizational needs.
Absolutely, he facilitates hands-on sessions for leadership teams and educators.
National and international engagements, both in-person and virtual.
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