Kelly Swanson
Kelly Swanson is a Hall of Fame motivational speaker, award-winning storyteller, and comedic powerhouse who’s spent over 20 years on stages helping audiences laugh harder, connect deeper, and flip the script on the stories holding them back.
Price range
- $10,000
Expert
- Attitude
- Change
- Comedian/Comedienne
- Communication
- Female Speakers
- Humor
- Innovation
- Motivation
- Resilience
- Spouse Programs
- Storytelling
- Stress
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About
Kelly Swanson is a Hall of Fame motivational speaker, award-winning storyteller, and comedian known for her powerful ability to make people laugh while teaching them how to transform their mindset through story. She’s a contributor to the Huffington Post, a cast member of the television show The Fashion Hero on Amazon Prime, and the author of Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale, The Story Formula, and The Affirmation Journal for Positive Thinking.She’s performed for Holland America Cruise Lines, headlined major conferences coast to coast, and continues to tour theaters nationwide with her one-woman shows Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale and Southern Fried Gossip. In 2022, she was inducted into the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame.With over two decades of making people laugh while changing the way they see their story, Kelly now teaches leaders, teams, and influencers how to use the power of strategic storytelling to connect, persuade, and create lasting impact. She doesn’t just teach story—she lives it.Sharing her own journey from self-doubt to standing ovations, Kelly will show you how to flip your script, find your brave, and discover the story that’s been waiting to be told—all while laughing the whole way.
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Video Clips
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Topics
Flip Your Script. Reimagine What’s Possible.
The keynote that changes the way your audience sees their work—and themselves.
This powerful, story-packed message meets your people where they are and helps them flip their mindset, rewrite their story, and reimagine what’s possible—at work, at home, and in life. Custom-written for your crowd. Works for any audience.
Ready. Set. Brave.
One story. One coin. One brave choice.
Signature closing keynote. The “mic drop” experience. Audiences leave brave, lit up, and talking about it for years. Anchored in Kelly’s unforgettable coin story.
Master the Moments That Matter
How the stories we tell shape the way we lead, serve, and connect.
High-energy opener. Humor meets depth. Reframes connection, influence, and culture through the power of everyday story.
Bless Your Heart, Not Your Drama
A Southern-fried pep-talk for leading with less stress and more sass.
Emotional-relief valve for stressed-out audiences. Perfect for kicking off or wrapping up a high-content event. Light-hearted, sassy, sneakily profound.
Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale?
Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale?
A hilarious and heartfelt journey from “not enough” to more than enough.
Part comedy, part comeback. Delivers big laughs and bigger heart. Works best as a closing keynote, especially for women’s audiences or conferences with a personal growth theme.
Southern Fried Gossip
Bless their hearts, but somebody’s gotta talk about ’em.
Pure entertainment with a side of wisdom. Think front porch storytelling meets stand-up meets standing ovation. Ideal for banquets, evening slots, or events needing “fun with purpose.”
How to Own the Room Without Having to Roar
The sassy woman’s guide to unforgettable presentation skills.
A confidence makeover for anyone who’s ever been told to “speak up” or “tone it down.” Packed with real talk, bold tips, and hilarious stories.
Stop Chasing Perfect and Start Chasing Peace
The stress-less, messier, much-happier way to get through it all.
A fresh take on burnout and pressure with Southern sass and wisdom. Helps your audience drop the guilt, laugh at the chaos, and find calm in the middle of their story.
FOR THOSE WANT MORE OF A SHOW AND A PERFORMANCE – ASK FOR THE CONCERT EXPERIENCE
Handwritten Masterpieces Created Just for Your Audience
Can’t get enough of Kelly’s stories?
Hearing Kelly speak is awesome, but watching her do pure storytelling as a concert, is SIMPLY MAGICAL.
Hilarious. Captivating. Deeply Moving. Just a few of the words used to express what people feel when Kelly takes them to Prides Hollow, her magical little town about a mile and a hair past nowhere. Whether it’s Crazy Man Harry sitting on the corner of Route 29, Bitsy’s crazy idea at Myrlene, Vyrlene, and Shyrlene’s House of Beauty, Buster’s Fishing Mishap, Old Man Wither’s dying request, or the Beauty Pageant gone bad thanks to Wade and Bo Jr and a homemade tater gun – no matter what the story, the characters will charm you, you’ll laugh yourself silly, feel renewed by the message, and by stepping into their stories, you find yourself stepping into your own.
These shows are handwritten with care and customized to fit your event, your audience, and the message Kelly feels led to deliver. No matter what story you get, you’ll never want to leave. Experience storytelling at its finest. The perfect addition to an event, for the group has seen everything. Here’s an example of a story Kelly wrote for a group of speakers at that National Speakers Convention. Wouldn’t you like a story of your own? All you have to do is tell Kelly about your event and your group, and she’ll do the rest.
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Testimonials
7 people have recommended this speaker
“It was wonderful having you as our speaker at the IL Statewide APA Conference this week. I heard so many positive comments from the attendees of how you really motivated them to make a change for the better in their jobs and in their personal lives. There was laughter and good tears in the audience! It was so amazing to see the impact that you made within our payroll community in just a matter of minutes! After your morning half hour session, the attendees were so eager to hear you speak again at lunch. They also appreciated that you took the time to meet with them afterwards too. I wish you the very best as you touch the people’s hearts one conference at a time!”
“Kelly Swanson provided the perfect closing to our event. Her ability to use storytelling to motivate and encourage a group of business professionals is remarkable. We laughed until we cried and left the event ready to take on the next project. We look forward to using her again and again.”
“Thank you, Kelly, for a very inspirational, funny, and practical talk! You have kick-started something in our organization that will make a profound difference in our culture”
“We booked her for 35 events. Kelly has the perfect blend of talent, energy, insight and humor to inspire audiences. Her message of the power of storytelling is desperately needed in our field (government IT officials). I highly recommend Kelly without hesitation for any type of event in which you want your audience to be motivated, educated, enlightened and entertained.”
“I just finished reading the second set of evaluations (week two) and just like week one, the attendees found you to be amazing and simply the highlight of the convention. Time and time again the forms listed you or things you said as the most important take away they had from the convention. As a speaker, one does well if they can get people to remember a few things they say. But, if one can change a life through a message, there is no higher praise than that. Thanks for being part of our program. Best wishes in all your future activities. You have a gift!”
“I had already heard Kelly was an amazing humorist, and she exceeded my expectations. … more relevant to our theme than I could have imagined. Took our audience of over 2000 on an amazing journey. We’ve booked her twice as a keynote speaker for Paycon.”
“Kelly Swanson has the unique ability to take any story and turn it into an Oscar-Winning performance!”