It’s January 2026! Time for losing 80 lbs, thinking only positive thoughts, drinking kale, and making a million dollars as a motivational speaker.
Before we get to February 2026—where Dry January makes us snort, the bills arrive from all our holiday-season “generosity,” and beer cheese soup with a pretzel becomes a staple—we can do something about the making-money-as-a-motivational-speaker part.
Don’t get me wrong. I know a few—read that again, a FEW—who make a bajillion dollars as motivational speakers. That may not be the goal, but making some money as a professional speaker is absolutely possible. And while it’s not easy, it is easier than drinking kale.
Here’s one place to start.
Know whether your talk solves a problem that is costing organizations money. That’s it. I could walk off stage here and this article would be complete.
However, I shall dive a little deeper.
Many people want to be motivational speakers because we’re passionate about helping others through something we’ve experienced—or something we’re an expert in. Whether that’s sales, rescuing puppies, mental health, or making kale delicious.
Then we reach out to organizations by telling them how much we know, why rescuing puppies is great, and how eating kale can add years to your life.
The problem with this is: Nobody. Cares. It’s true. They don’t. Ouch, right?
Your talk has to solve a pain point that is costing organizations money. Only then will they throw money at it—aka you—and your talk.
I hate this reality. I’ve had plenty of moral high-ground, soapbox moments about it. But it’s unfortunately part of the speaking business. Key word: business. You can speak wherever you want for free as a hobby. To make money requires a business—and business means you solve a problem.
A wonderful speaker friend summed this up perfectly for me. I didn’t like it—but it was painfully accurate.
He said, “Stacy, people don’t spend money on vitamins. They spend money on pain pills. Look at how much is spent in the world on one versus the other.”
Your talk and your outreach need to address their pain. This can include lack of sales, disengagement, burnout, or poor leadership.
I used to think, Well, I don’t talk about any of that because I don’t know any of that. Here’s the thing: Any subject can be morphed into addressing a pain point.
Let’s say your passion is needlepoint made from cat hair. No one is paying money to hear about cat hair or how talented you are at turning it into art.
But take that same talk and reframe it.
Cat hair adapts to changing environments. It insulates, protects, and responds to stress. Every strand is different, yet it all works together to keep the system functioning.
Now you’re no longer talking about cat hair.
You’re talking about adaptability during change. You’re talking about resilience. You’re talking about leadership in unpredictable environments.
Same topic. Different framing.
One gets polite applause. The other gets a check.
When you reach out to organizations, it’s not about how great you are, what you know, or what you’re an expert in. It’s about what problem you solve, how you solve it, and why it matters to them.
Period. End of sentence.
That paragraph alone can make you money as a speaker. And you didn’t even have to pay me $25k for a program explaining it. You’re welcome. (I mean…you can pay me if you want.)
If you’re wondering why nobody is hiring you as a speaker, start here: What problem are you solving, and for whom?
If you fell off Mt. Everest, got lost in the jungle, lost three arms and two legs, then went on to build a multimillion-dollar company before leaving it all to become a monk…interesting—but also, nobody really cares.
It solves zero problems for the person just trying to get through the day, pay their bills, and have a somewhat enjoyable life.
Be the pain pill that gives them the tools to eventually take their vitamins—not the other way around. That’s a sellable speech.
Speaking of sellable—and since I, too, unfortunately run a business rather than a monastery—I have a few pain pills to hock.
I have a new ebook called “The Center Stage Method.” Here’s the pain it solves for speakers:
• How to tell stories that hold attention • How to use humor without forcing it • How to engage an audience without losing authority • How to recover when energy shifts or something goes wrong
It’s $27, and you can find it here: https://stacypederson.mysamcart.com/ebook-the-center-stage-method
I’m off to drink kale—at least for now.
Wishing you a truly wonderful, fulfilling 2026.
Kindly, Stacy P.
