Keynotes that challenge, equip, and inspire.
Choosing the right keynote speaker is crucial. Here’s why Curt might be the right fit for your team.
I was struck by Curt’s ability to think differently and immediately booked him.
-Scott Borchetta, Founder & CEO of Big Machine Label Group, American Idol Mentor
What makes Curt different?
Nothing off-the-shelf: Your time is stretched, your needs are unique, and you deserve more than a one-size-fits-all presentation. That’s what I’ll bring—a keynote that actually addresses your specific needs.
I’m in the trenches with you: I’ve been in your shoes, leading teams and navigating the same challenges you face. I understand the real-world pressures of leadership, and I bring that inside perspective to every keynote. I know what works and what’s just noise.
500+ speeches: I’ve delivered upward of 500 speeches to some of the biggest audiences out there. On stage, you’re getting a seasoned professional who knows how to keep your team engaged, entertained, and moving at a pace that keeps everyone on their toes.
Deeply researched content: Every speech I deliver is backed by years of study and research. I’ve worked across industries, which means I bring a broad lens to your organization—sharing the best practices and insights from various fields to help you stay ahead.
How I show up: Offstage, I live by the advice a friend once gave me: ‘Be kind to everyone you meet, for they are in the fight of their lives.’ I know how much you’re juggling, so I’m here to lighten your load, not add to it.
I help leaders:
Protect and elevate what only humans can do
Focus on human value in an age of AI
Build the skills machines can’t and cultures don’t reward — but the future demands
Reclaim the human advantage in systems, strategy, and people
Adapt to uncertainty as technology continues to drive change
My Most-Requested Keynote Topics
At the intersection of technology, transformation, and human behavior, Curt helps organizations amplify the human advantage in an era of automation and acceleration. Here are the latest topics he is addressing that are helping leaders emphasize human flourishing in the midst of a technological explosion.
It’s Not Rocket Science: It’s Harder
The faster your organization moves, the more essential its culture becomes—and the more likely it is to break.
At Venus Aerospace, the mission was to design a commercial aircraft that could cross the Pacific in under two hours. While engineers pushed the boundaries of physics, Curt Steinhorst was responsible for something equally critical: building and maintaining the people strategy to keep pace.
Because when everything is accelerating—timelines, expectations, complexity—the challenges aren’t just technical. They are human.
This keynote explores what holds people together when everything else is changing.
Drawing from firsthand experience leading at one of the most ambitious aerospace startups in the world, Curt shares:
How to build leadership systems that sustain speed without burnout
Why your operating environment—not just your values—shapes performance
What to watch for when speed erodes alignment, belief, or belonging
Practical tools for creating clarity in chaotic environments
Ideal for organizations that are:
Navigating disruption.
Entering new markets or exploring unfamiliar territory.
Challenging legacy thinking or internal inertia.
Looking to unlock fresh ideas across silos and systems.
Curiosity as Strategy: The Superpower for a Post-Playbook World
Curiosity isn’t a personality trait or soft skill—it’s the foundation for adapting to disruption, building trust, and staying relevant when the rules change.
But in today’s fast-moving, high-pressure environment, curiosity is quietly disappearing. Leaders are rewarded for certainty. Teams deliver at speeds that eliminate exploration. New requests arrive faster than people can process previous ones.
Without realizing it, organizations lose the one capacity that makes everything else work.
In this keynote, Curt Steinhorst reframes curiosity as a leadership discipline and a strategic asset—especially in times of transformation. Leveraging the latest in brain science and on-the-ground work with fast growth organizations, this session reveals how to activate and embed curiosity into the core of how teams think, build, and lead.
This keynote helps leaders:
Reclaim curiosity as a core leadership capacity
Understand the neuroscience behind curiosity and how to activate it
Recognize organizational dynamics that suppress curiosity and counteract them
Embed curiosity into transformation initiatives, technology adoption, and daily culture
Lead with curiosity in high-stakes moments—when it matters most
Ideal for:
Teams beginning or accelerating enterprise transformation
Organizations adopting new technologies (e.g., AI, automation, digital platforms)
Leaders responsible for building resilient, future-ready teams
Offsites or kickoff events where mindset alignment is essential
Focus is a Leadership Discipline: Directing Attention in a Distracted World
Before you manage time or people, you must learn to manage attention.
In today’s workplace, distraction is not a nuisance—it’s a system. Work has become a constant barrage of notifications, demands, and shifting priorities. Leaders are rewarded for speed and penalized for stillness. But in reality, the leaders who shape the future aren’t the busiest—they’re the most focused.
In this keynote, Curt Steinhorst—bestselling author of Can I Have Your Attention?—challenges outdated models of productivity and introduces a new lens for leadership: attention as a strategic asset.
This talk equips leaders to:
Recognize the hidden forces draining attention across your organization.
Break the cycle of reactive leadership and reclaim strategic presence.
Create environments that value clarity over constant communication.
Treat attention—not time—as the most limited and valuable resource in modern work.
Replace distraction loops with systems that foster focus, prioritization, and real progress.
This keynote is both a wake-up call and a practical guide. Curt doesn’t just talk about the problem—he offers a path forward. For leaders who are tired of the noise and ready to build cultures of clarity and deep work, this session delivers the mindset and tools to lead differently—and more effectively—in a distracted world.
The Chef’s Special: Let Curt Choose the Adventure
Chefs design menus to offer excellent options to their customers. But the very best meals—often with seasonal ingredients and timely twists on proven recipes—are the chef’s specials, in which the diner trusts the expertise of the chef to serve his or her best.
In the same way, I’ve set the menu for some of my best “meals” in the main topics, but our world and businesses are ever-changing, I’m always learning, and you and your companies are experiencing new challenges.
The Curt Special, as it were, is the opportunity for me to show up with all the right seasonal ingredients, my favorite tools, and my latest take—borne of wisdom and experience—and create the best experience for you, unconstrained by a singular topic. In every situation, my tools are the same:
How I Show Up
1. Choose What Matters- Ignore the rest.
2. Improve the Room - You choose how you show up.
3. Be Curious - Learn and re-learn all you’ve been made to accomplish.
4. Be Courageous - Nothing is a risk.
5. Be Kind to Everyone - They’re in the fight of their lives.
6. First In, Last Out, Laugh Loudest.
The Human Advantage: Maintaining Relevance in the Age of AI
Algorithms, automation, and generative Ai are leaving leaders are under pressure to optimize, adopt, and scale. But what if the next strategic edge isn’t faster tech—but stronger humanity? The future of leadership depends on what machines can’t replicate...
It’s tempting to believe that, in light of obvious technological shifts, human contribution is becoming obsolete. But the opposite is actually true. What makes us human has never been more valuable—or more at risk. In this provocative and hopeful keynote, Curt introduces a framework for understanding and elevating the distinctly human capacities that will define value going forward.
This session helps leaders:
Navigate today's unique leadership challenges with confidence
Excel in fast-paced, AI-enhanced environments
Harness new tools to expand their impact and effectiveness
Transform uncertainty and disruption into opportunities for growth
Cut through the noise to focus on real strategic threats and opportunities
Embrace distinctly human leadership in an accelerated world
Ideal for:
Senior leadership teams shaping the organization's future-of-work strategy
C-suite and board-level audiences confronting the impact of AI on talent, trust, and value
Industry conferences focused on the future of leadership, workforce transformation, or ethical tech
Organizations seeking to define the human edge in an increasingly automated world
