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Mariana Atencio

Peabody Award-Winning Journalist, Best-Selling Author, Entrepreneur, Inspiring Storyteller, and Host/Moderator

Mariana Atencio took the world by storm in 2017 when her TEDx talk “What makes YOU special?” went viral. To date, it has over 17 million views and has been translated into 13 languages. Focused on the power of authenticity, her book “Perfectly You” was an Amazon Best Seller and selected by Audible and AppleBooks. She’s quickly become one of the most sought-after motivational speakers, founding her own media company, GoLike, and teaming up with Microsoft, YouTube, the World Health Organization and the United Nations, among others. A former anchor and reporter for NBC and MSNBC, her work has been honored with a Peabody Award, a Columbia University’s “First Decade Award” and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Presidential Award.

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Travels From: Florida | Fee Range: $15,000 - $25,000

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It’s a fact: People are at their best – at work and in life – when they feel like they can be themselves. They’re more confident in the face of change and uncertainty, more engaged and resilient, and have a greater sense of purpose and well-being. But fear can sometimes keep us from being real. In this presentation, Mariana Atencio brings her energy, humor, and skillful storytelling to inspire people to embrace their authenticity and unleash the power that comes with being themselves. Being “Perfectly You” builds trust and connection – it attracts people like a magnet because authenticity stands out in a world of algorithms and A.I. content. Mariana’s unique personal story and infectious optimism energizes people with the courage to fully engage, adapt to constant change, and reach new levels of fulfillment at work and in life.

Sample takeaways:

  • Unlock the secret of being our real selves, especially at work.
  • How to discover and harness the traits that make you “Perfectly You.”
  • Navigate change confidently. Increase your personal fulfillment and sense of purpose.
  • Why being vulnerable and leading with empathy inspires others, builds trust, and creates more meaningful relationships.
  • 4 steps authentic leaders use to cultivate transformation and innovation and enhance resilience in the face of change.
  • Help leaders create a culture of authenticity that spurs engagement, connection, collaboration, and performance.

In today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving business landscape, the need for authentic leadership has never been more crucial. Award-winning TEDx speaker, journalist, and best-selling author Mariana Atencio delves into the transformative power of embracing your true self as a leader, unlocking unparalleled potential for both individuals and teams. Mariana shares how authentic leadership is the hallmark of visionary and impactful organizations. When leaders courageously shed the façades and hidden agendas that often derail organizations, they cultivate an environment of trust and belonging for teams to deliver their best effort and ideas.

Sample takeaways:

  • Identify and overcome the barriers to authentic leadership in your organization.
  • Develop a personal brand and communication style that enhances focus on meaningful relationships versus transactional interactions.
  • Foster an inclusive purpose-driven culture of openness, empathy, and mutual growth.
  • Leverage your authentic leadership skills to drive organizational change and sustainable success.

For everyone in business, delivering a message efficiently – internally and in different media – has gotten infinitely more complex in the age of AI. This interactive presentation will help attendees sharpen their communication skills. Mariana equips leaders – from entry level to the C-Suite – with practical tools and tested principles to speak confidently, authentically, and effectively, whether it’s for client meetings, internal communications, Zoom, an important presentation, a traditional media interview, a digital clip and/or a conference stage. Mariana will share tips that took her more than a decade of television and social media experience to learn, working at two of the world’s biggest news networks, in Spanish and English.

Sample Takeaways:

  • Learn to distill your main message so it resonates across all platforms.
  • Practical tips and pro tricks for in-person and virtual presentations.
  • Master the power of persuasion in an era of fleeting attention spans.
  • Better storytelling to create connection and leave a lasting impact.
  • Establish credibility and build trust in an era of misinformation.
  • How to navigate real-time interview scenarios with confidence.

With experience as a national network news anchor and reporter, Mariana brings warmth and intelligence to each hosting, moderating, and interviewing assignment. Mariana’s curiosity and poise help her get the most out of those on stage with her.

The breadth of Mariana’s experience speaks to her versatility. She’s moderated conversations on embracing a mindset for change at Microsoft, on the rights of women in Iran, on gender inequality at Foreign Policy magazine’s HERPower summit, on media representation at the Paley Center for Media, on financial literacy at Nasdaq, on building a personal and professional brand at Columbia University, a panel on geopolitics and economics at Citi Private Bank’s autumn dialogues with three heads of state from Latin America, a session at the United Nations General Assembly meeting on global healthcare inequity, plus the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, PepsiCo, JP Morgan, Accenture, Spotify, Google, YouTube, Clorox, AT&T, Spectrum, and more.

Biography

Mariana Atencio is on a mission to help people supercharge their careers, their workplace cultures, and their happiness by embracing the power of authenticity. Coming to America from Venezuela as a young girl, Mariana learned first-hand how feeling self-conscious about being different kept her from engaging. After graduating Columbia University, Mariana wanted to take that experience into her journalism career and tell stories that build bridges and foster understanding. She became a national news anchor and correspondent, earning a Peabody Award for reporting which took her from Haiti to Hong Kong to the Syrian border. Her TEDx talk, “What Makes YOU Special? was viewed over 23 million times and catapulted Mariana into a new storytelling outlet: speaking. Her first book, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real, is a bestselling call to action to unleash the magic of personal and professional authenticity to find purpose and break barriers. Currently head of her own media production company, Mariana pursues stories that capture her curiosity. She also continues to deliver inspiring keynotes and moderate/host at major events.

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