So as professional speakers, we know that success isn't just about what you say. It's about how well you connect, you communicate, and build bridges with your audience. If you're serious about expanding your influence, your impact, and your income, our next speaker has insights that you cannot afford to miss. Are you ready to connect the cultural dots that will help you resonate with audiences across industries and borders? In a world where expectations are shifting and audiences demand authenticity, this conversation isn't just relevant, it's a game changer. Dr. Lisa Jenkins Brown doesn't just talk about culture, she equips speakers and leaders to thrive in it. A former HR leader for two Fortune 100 companies, a professor at the largest public university system in the country, and a sought after speaker herself, she knows how to navigate evolving landscapes and making a lasting impression. She's been the voice of the American Stock Exchange, shaped inclusive leadership strategies, and was named one of the New York State's top 100 influential faith leaders.

And today, she's here to help you strengthen your message, expand your reach, and lead with greater influence. When she's not on stage breaking down barriers, you might find her watching a Marvel movie, reminiscing about her days as a model for the Apollo Theater, or locked in a baseball showdown cheering for the Mets while her newlywed husband Vincent stays loyal to the Yankees. Let's give a big warm NSA welcome.

To Dr. Lisa Jenkins Brown. Sometimes I'm right, but I can be wrong. My own beliefs are in heart.

Hello.

Thank you so much. Listen, this is my first time on an NSA stage, so you're gonna have to forgive me. I feel like I'm on Broadway. You cannot tell me I'm not on Broadway. You cannot. This stage, the lights and this audience, this is fantastic. I am so grateful. Thank you, Mimi, for the introduction shout out also to Adrod.

Was he not amazing as well? Awesome, awesome, awesome. Listen, we're just going to make sure that we get this moving, okay? The culture connection. We're here to talk about how we can connect the dots for culture. Now, listen, I said I'm excited, but I'm also a little bit disappointed. Disappointed because my husband that she mentioned was supposed to be here with me and he's not. He had surgery and he had to stay put as the doctors told him. Vincent and I, we dated. Or actually we met in 1993.

1990. 1993. And we went out for a while, a couple of years, and then we broke up. We reconnected during COVID 2020, got married, and according to the new York Times. The rest is history. So even though he can't be here, let's send up some good vibes, prayers, wishes that he will recuperate. Thank you so much. And that he will be healed.

Now, we're here to talk about inclusion and how it relates to us as professional speakers, as global speakers. And we know that the landscape has changed literally overnight as far as diversity, equity and inclusion. You heard Jamie mention that for some people, it just changed overnight and people's income has actually been diminished in a great way. One of the things that we want to talk about also I just want to get out of the way, is that you may have heard that DEI does not work is what some people have said. But I just want to say get this out of the way. There's a reason that why dei, diversity, equity, inclusion may not have worked. Because back in May of 2020, when George Floyd was killed, a lot of people, a lot of organizations wanted to get on the diversity equity inclusion bandwagon. And the racial equity bandwagon hired a newly trained speaker overnight.