Conference & Event Speakers
Hire a speaker your audience will remember
Slingshot25’s experienced speakers deliver energetic, relatable, and refreshingly authentic presentations your participants will be talking about long after the event ends.
Our Most Popular Topics
Check out some of our most popular topics. Don’t see something you’re looking for? Contact us for customized talks to fit your agenda and align with your event’s goals.
You’re Just Not That Big a Deal
When it comes to the workplace, employees and leaders often get in their own way by worrying about what others will think or believing they need to know it all. This talk uncovers what prevents you from doing work that matters or leading in a way that unlocks the potential of others. Learn five things that will make you think differently about how you show up every day.
Lead So Others (Want to) Follow
This talk focuses on the often-forgotten and surprising truth at the core of leadership. Learn three ideas that will change the way you lead forever.
Stop Killing Accountability
This talk tells the story of why the simple concept of accountability is so hard to achieve. You will discover the top ways leaders kill accountability and how you can stop these behaviors from undermining your effectiveness as a leader.
The Art of Resilience
In this fun and interactive session, we reflect on the importance of resilience as an essential skill for success in today’s world of persistent change. Learn to discern between dysfunctional persistence and true resilience, examine three practices of resilient people, and take home some helpful tools for gaining perspective on staying resilient in the face of everyday stress and significant challenges.
Coaching: The Secret Skill that Changes Everything
We discuss the common misperceptions of coaching, explain what coaching is and what it isn’t, and how learning to coach can feel like a new superpower for leaders. Also, participants will discover the three core coaching skills they can use right now!
Leading Through Change
Change management is more than a comm plan; it requires great leadership and an understanding of how change impacts people. This talk shows you how ignoring the “people side” of change can derail your transformation and how to avoid making some all-too-common mistakes.
Get Decision Alignment or Get Derailed
Managing changes effectively starts with a business decision. And, if you’re not on the same page from the start, you’ll waste valuable time and money trying to get there. This session shares the common derailers and the steps to take to stay on course.
Change that Lasts
Many organizations resort to one-and-done development programs. While these can provide short-term value, they rarely create the meaningful, sustainable impact that organizations need to thrive. After decades of honing the process, Slingshot25 shares clear strategic steps to ensure progress sticks long into the future.
About Our Speakers
Jackie Pelland
Slingshot25 Partner
Jackie Pelland, co-founder of Slingshot25, is a sought-after speaker who delivers high-impact keynotes and breakout sessions at conferences and leadership events across industries. With 25 years of experience in corporate learning and development roles in both telecom and aerospace, Jackie knows how to navigate the complexities of modern business—and she brings that expertise to every stage she steps on.
Jackie’s speaking style is energetic, relatable, and refreshingly authentic. Her sessions blend humor, hard truths, and practical insights, leaving audiences both inspired and equipped to take action. Whether she’s delivering a keynote to hundreds or facilitating an intimate breakout, Jackie engages her audience with stories that resonate and strategies that work. She’s known for making leadership accessible and helping people at every level understand how to lead with empathy, curiosity, humility and a belief in others.
From navigating corporate politics to creating cultures where people thrive, Jackie tackles the issues that matter most to leaders today. Her passion lies in helping leaders unlock the potential in their teams while maintaining humanity at the core of their leadership.
Jackie has spent her career studying the impact of leadership on organizations. She believes that what we need from our leaders – a desire to contribute our talents, to be valued, and to feel connected to others – is roughly the same now as when we lived in caves. It’s these beliefs that drive Jackie’s insightful, fun, and welcoming approach to leadership development, which focuses on the essential and often-forgotten truth of leading people.
Courtney Smock
Slingshot25 Partner
Courtney Smock is a powerhouse speaker with 20 years of experience in change management and coaching, making her a sought-after presenter for leaders looking to solve big challenges. Known for her engaging and humorous “keep it real” style, Courtney captivates audiences by breaking down complex issues into actionable insights. As the creator of Slingshot25’s change model and Navigating Change Masterclass, she’s designed strategies that help leaders, change managers, and HR professionals influence effectively, care for people, and take decisive action during times of change.
Courtney’s speaking experience spans from Fortune 500 boardrooms to small business workshops, where she shares her expertise on navigating the complexities of transformation—whether it’s restructuring, mergers, acquisitions, or IT system changes. With an IPEC coaching certification and an MBA from the University of Iowa, Courtney brings both depth and authenticity to every presentation.
As a founding partner at Slingshot25, Courtney’s talks are not just theoretical; they’re built on real-world success. Audiences walk away with actionable takeaways, inspired by her unique blend of expertise, humor, and practical advice. For organizations ready to embrace change and thrive through transition, Courtney Smock delivers a speaking experience that makes a lasting impact.
Recent Speaking Gigs
- National ATD National Conference
- Iowa State SHRM
- DisruptHR
- ACMP
- HR & Business Conference – University of Iowa
- Heartland SHRM
- laPELRA
- Women Lead Change
- CBJ Leadership Academy
- Let’s Get Down to Business – CR Economic Alliance
- Eastern Iowa HR Association
- Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Corridor Women Connect
- Iowa Lean Consortium
- EntreFest
- Company meetings (Collins Aerospace, UFG Insurance, PAR systems, CRBT)
