Eleven female public speakers in the Hall of Fame, in their own words
These are eleven female public speakers who carry the letters CPAE, the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame. For International Women’s Day, they recorded one short reel together: thirty-three encouraging words, no ego, no hierarchy. Just support. Here is who they are and what that honor really measures.
Eleven women. One social media reel. Thirty-three words. No positioning, no subtle pecking order. And that is exactly why International Women’s Day matters: it reminds us that this is not about standing alone. It is about standing beside one another.
After decades of building careers on excellence, these Hall of Fame speakers understand something deeper. Standing together does not shrink individual achievement. It multiplies collective impact.
That is the kind of leadership International Women’s Day should honor. Not the loudest voice or the longest résumé, but the kind that knows influence is not weakened by proximity to other powerful women. It is strengthened by it.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- CPAE, the Council of Peers Award for Excellence, is the NSA Speaker Hall of Fame and is awarded by peers, never requested or bought.
- Candidates are measured on five dimensions: message, presentation and delivery, experience, professionalism and collateral.
- Lobbying or campaigning for the honor, even the appearance of it, disqualifies a candidate.
- Reputation is built over decades and shows off stage as much as on it.
- When women at the top choose collaboration over competition, it signals strength, not scarcity.
What are Hall of Fame speakers?
Each of these women puts four letters behind her name: CPAE. They stand for Council of Peers Award for Excellence, the highest earned designation of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and widely seen as the top recognition in professional speaking.
Those letters are not a popularity badge. They stand for decades of refinement, stages tested, audiences served and messages sharpened until they can move a room in minutes. The honor is not given casually, not purchased and not handed out for a large following or one breakout moment. It is peer-reviewed. Carefully, quietly, thoroughly.
Hall of Fame speakers are nominated and evaluated by fellow Hall of Famers, people who know the difference between a good presentation and a transformational keynote, and what it takes to command a ballroom, handle a boardroom, run a business and stay relevant over a long career.
For women, that road often comes with extra layers of scrutiny, expectation and visibility. So for female Hall of Fame speakers, CPAE stands for mastery of the craft and also for resilience, professionalism and long-term contribution.
Meet the eleven female public speakers who chose to rise together
In most industries, and especially in performance-based ones, women get positioned as competitors. Only so many spots. Only so many keynotes. Only so many stages. But what if that scarcity story is wrong, and the strongest signal women can send is simply: we rise together?
So for International Women’s Day, these eleven teamed up. When your career is built on contribution, you do not feel threatened by excellence next to you. You welcome it. Here they are, the same eleven women you see in the reel.
Christine Cashen, CSP CPAE
Christine helps organizations reduce stress, resolve conflict and build stronger working relationships, with a mix of humor and practical insight that is hard to resist. She tackles serious topics without making them heavy, and her audiences leave with tools to communicate better, lift morale and shift perspective when it matters. Her point of view is refreshingly direct: laughter opens the door to real change. Energizing, and usable the next morning.
Colette Carlson, CSP CPAE
Colette is a human behavior expert who helps leaders, teams and organizations build trust, connect meaningfully and communicate with clarity, so they perform with more resilience and collaboration. She speaks about the human side of business and shows how intentional connection speeds up engagement, reduces friction and drives results. Her conviction: success at work is not only about skill. It is about presence, curiosity and connection.
Sylvie di Giusto, CSP CPAE
That is me. I am a human behavior speaker who helps leaders and teams make more intentional choices about how they show up, influence and build trust in seconds. I speak about perception and the human signals that decide who gets chosen, so people lead, sell and persuade better without losing their humanity. As the world’s first 3D immersive holographic keynote speaker, I turn complex insights into an experience the audience steps inside, and that moves them from awareness to action.
Meridith Elliott Powell, CSP CPAE
Meridith helps leaders and organizations turn uncertainty into a competitive advantage by changing how teams think, act and grow. She speaks about leadership, sales strategy and cultures where every team member thinks like an owner, which gives organizations the resilience and agility to thrive in change. She challenges the old command-and-control model and shows how proactive decisions, collaboration and ownership lead to real results.
Laurie Guest, CSP CPAE
Laurie helps organizations raise their customer experience by strengthening the human side of service and communication. She speaks about service excellence, empathy-driven interactions and the behaviors that turn everyday encounters into memorable ones. Her belief: loyalty is not built through process alone, but through connection, clarity and consistent care. Leaders and frontline teams leave with practical ways to make exceptional service the standard rather than the exception.
Stacey Hanke, CSP CPAE
Stacey helps professionals and teams communicate with clarity, confidence and executive presence, so they lead and collaborate more effectively. She speaks about communication that eliminates mixed messages, strengthens credibility and builds trust in every interaction. Her approach is all about practical behavior shifts with measurable results, so people show up with consistent influence and an authentic presence.
Lenora Billings-Harris, CSP CPAE
Lenora helps organizations strengthen culture and performance through human connection, inclusion and intentional leadership behavior. She speaks about building environments where people feel seen, valued and equipped to contribute their best, and she inspires audiences to lead with empathy, courage and clarity. Her perspective: authentic connection is a business advantage that breaks down barriers and makes room for diversity of thought.
Sally Hogshead, CSP CPAE
Sally helps individuals and organizations find what makes them uniquely fascinating, so they influence more effectively and stand out with confidence. She speaks about the science of fascination and teaches audiences to use their distinct communication strengths for stronger engagement and memorable impact. She reframes influence as a matter of knowing who you are and differentiating on purpose, so professionals show up not as someone else, but as the best version of themselves.
Allison Massari, CPAE
Allison focuses on mindset mastery, resilience and compassionate leadership, and teaches leaders and teams how to thrive in a world of extreme change. Her immersive, story-driven keynotes spark courage, strengthen self-leadership and give audiences practical tools to turn pressure into performance. Her challenge to every professional: rise, do not react, and lead with strength, humanity and steady presence when the stakes are highest.
Marilyn Sherman, CSP CPAE
Marilyn helps professionals and organizations turn challenges into opportunities by strengthening resilience and human connection. She speaks about workplace behavior, conflict resolution and the communication that builds trust and collaboration across teams. Her point: sustainable performance is not driven by skill alone, but by mindful behavior and intentional interactions, so people lead with presence, adapt with confidence and create places where others thrive.
Kelly Swanson, CSP CPAE
Kelly helps organizations strengthen connection, clarity and culture by teaching people to communicate with purpose and confidence. She speaks about leadership presence, authentic communication and the behaviors that turn good intentions into meaningful impact. Her focus is intentional influence: showing up with credibility and clarity, so people build trust, handle change and inspire performance every day.
What these eleven women were really measured by
When people hear “Hall of Fame,” they think popularity, longevity or visibility. It is none of those. The selection process is structured, disciplined and far more rigorous than most people realize. There are foundational requirements and strict rules for nominations and conduct. No lobbying, no campaigning. Even the appearance of it disqualifies a candidate, which tells you a lot about the integrity of the process.
Beyond basic eligibility, candidates are evaluated on five advanced dimensions.
1. Message
Is it significant, relevant, unique? Hall of Fame speakers are not recognized for repeating trends. Their ideas are researched, developed, tested and refined, and they speak from lived expertise. Not shallow motivation. Substance, anchored in credibility and clarity.
2. Presentation and delivery
This is not about being animated. It is about mastery: a remarkable stage presence, a persuasive delivery and a personal style that is unmistakably their own. A transformational keynote often looks effortless. It is not. It is crafted, and it commands attention without demanding it.
3. Experience
Not counted in years alone. Yes, a sustained career is required. It also means building a viable speaking business: sales and marketing, revenue streams, business acumen and active contribution to the profession. The award honors speakers who did not just build a message. They built a profession.
4. Professionalism
Here character enters the conversation. How does the speaker treat clients, meeting planners and peers? Is the reputation consistent with integrity, and does the public presence reflect sound judgment? Hall of Fame speakers are evaluated not only for what they say on stage, but for who they are when the microphone is off.
5. Collateral
Even the materials matter. Are the communication tools, digital assets and positioning as good as the work itself? Excellence is holistic. It shows in the keynote, the business, the books, the courses, the branding and the follow-through.
Many industries have awards. Few have a lifetime excellence designation awarded by peers. Put the five dimensions together and you see why Hall of Fame speakers are rare. It is not about one viral keynote or a season of momentum. It is about sustained mastery, again and again, with rigor, craft, ethics and care for the profession itself.
What leadership looks like when no one competes
Being among these women is an honor, and it takes years. It takes refining your message when nobody is watching. Bombing a keynote and learning from it. Flying home exhausted and still showing up for your family. Staying relevant while industries change. Staying generous in a profession where comparison creeps in. Being extraordinary on stage and grounded off it.
Recognition is powerful. Unity is transformational.
When Hall of Fame speakers choose collaboration over competition, they show what leadership actually looks like. Not louder. Not higher. Together.
So maybe International Women’s Day is not just a moment to scroll past inspiring quotes. Maybe it is an invitation to notice the women around you who quietly raise standards, open doors, share opportunities, send the introduction email and say, “I see you.” Recognize the ones who choose reinforcement over rivalry. Support the ones who rise and reach back. Hall of Fame speakers are rare. Women who rise together do not have to be.
Building your own speaking career? Start with how to become a keynote speaker and read what being a professional speaker really taught me. Planning an event for women in leadership? See what I bring to the stage as a women’s keynote speaker.
The Image of Leadership: Women Edition
The women above have spent decades shaping how they are seen on stage and off. The Women Edition of The Image of Leadership gives every woman in your audience the same five signals to work with, so she gets chosen for her substance, not overlooked because of the wrong signals.
Frequently asked questions
What does CPAE mean after a speaker’s name?
CPAE stands for Council of Peers Award for Excellence. It is the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame and its highest earned designation. Speakers are nominated and evaluated by fellow Hall of Famers, and the honor recognizes decades of excellence in message, delivery, experience, professionalism and collateral.
How does a speaker get into the Speaker Hall of Fame?
Candidates must meet foundational requirements and are then evaluated by their peers on five dimensions: message, presentation and delivery, experience, professionalism and collateral. Lobbying or campaigning for the award is not allowed, and even the appearance of it can disqualify a candidate. It is earned, never requested.
Who are some female public speakers in the Hall of Fame?
The eleven featured here are Christine Cashen, Colette Carlson, Sylvie di Giusto, Meridith Elliott Powell, Laurie Guest, Stacey Hanke, Lenora Billings-Harris, Sally Hogshead, Allison Massari, Marilyn Sherman and Kelly Swanson. Between them they cover communication, resilience, customer experience, leadership, inclusion and influence.
Why does collaboration among women speakers matter?
Because performance-based industries often frame women as competitors for a limited number of stages. When women at the top of the profession openly support one another, they show that excellence is not a zero-sum game, and they open doors for the next generation instead of guarding them.
