TOP MOTIVATIONAL & INSPIRATIONAL Speaker in CAlifornia
Are you looking for a motivational and inspirational keynote speaker who can electrify your audience, whether in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Sacramento, the Coachella Valley, San Diego, or across California?
Nick Jankel, an award-winning Cambridge-educated scientist based in SoCal, is a globally renowned keynote speaker and futurist, celebrated for his mastery in guiding audiences, leaders, and organizations through change, innovation, and transformation. With decades of experience on the world’s biggest stages, he seamlessly blends science, storytelling, and strategy into keynotes that not only motivate but also catalyze real change.
Originally from London, now living in LA, Nick is uniquely positioned to connect with California’s dynamic audiences. From intimate executive retreats in Napa to high-energy national events in Palm Springs, from innovation forums in Silicon Valley to major conferences at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, Nick brings relevance, resonance, and results.
Recognized by MSN as one of the Top 10 Speakers in the U.S., Nick is trusted by leading corporations, institutions, associations, and even nations—including Google, LEGO, Pfizer, Unilever, and HP—to deliver exquisitely tailored keynotes that inspire hearts, ignite minds, and spark meaningful change.
A standing ovation! I am already sharing the insights with my leaders. Thank you!
CEO,
Unilever USA
An inspiring keynote for our senior leadership team. Nick inspired us to continue to work on ourself and lead the way. The value of the leadership tool was spot on! Thank you!
SVP
SAP
I left the keynote like I'd just been called to serve in the army. I left feeling motivated, inspired, provoked and challenged.
People Leader,
Regional Bank
Attending the conference for the first time, I was blown away by Nick’s transformative speech.
COO
Eye Associates of New Mexico
Bring Inspiration, Excitement & LASTING IMPACT to Your
California Event
Discerning event organizers across California—corporations, associations, and leading institutions—book Nick Jankel when they need more than motivation. They want a world-class keynote that is tailored, transformative, and delivers a lasting ROI.
A virtuoso keynote speaker and Top 10 U.S. Speaker (MSN), Nick is trusted by ambitious organizations like Intel, HP, Genentech, Google, and Smucker’s, as well as associations and public events such as the Professional BusinessWomen of California (PBWC) , CHRO Summit, Economist Innovation Summit at UC Berkeley, and SoCap in San Francisco.
Nick is a world authority on leading change, innovation, and transformation. He is the creator of the neuroscience-led BTX® Method and has worked with over 100,000 leaders, delivered 250+ leadership journeys, designed 100+ innovation programs, and co-founded 10+ start-ups. This wealth of experience ensures every keynote blends cutting-edge science, practical tools, and powerful storytelling.
As a visionary futurist, Nick explores what is probable, possible, problematic, and preferable across the Future of Work, Leadership, Business, Healthcare, Education, Built Environment and more—always with a clear-eyed view of how today’s leaders can harness tomorrow’s opportunities.
Global giants—from Google, LEGO, and Pfizer to Unilever, HP, and even No.10 Downing Street—choose Nick because his keynotes inspire hearts, influence minds, and ignite change.
As a convert to California's awesome culture, he brings a rare combination of international authority and local insight, connecting with the state’s unique energy of creativity, open-mindedness, civic duty, entrepreneurship, and transformation.
Nick pushes the boundaries of what a keynote can be. His mission is not just to energize a room but to reframe mindsets, rewire organizations, and empower attendees to step up and lead the change. With Nick on stage, your California event will go beyond inspiration to deliver an unforgettable, high-impact experience that resonates long after the closing applause.
some of Nick's UNIQUE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
100K+
SENIOR Leaders COACHED & DEVELOPED
150+
takeaway leadership & INNOVATION tools created
100+
FORTUNE 500 Innovation Programs LED
10+
Purpose-Driven Enterprises Founded & GROWN
5
THOUGHT LEADING, neuroscience-driven BOOKS WRITTEN
4
modules of advanced leadership curriculum BUILT
3
presidents & prime ministers advised
2
top degrees in medical science & Philosophy of science (summa cum laude, Cambridge)
1
original science-backed theory of change: bio-TRANSFORMATION®
4 reasons to book Nick as an inspirational SPEAKER in California
Electrifying, Energizing & HYPER-ENGAGING "WOW" Keynotes
Nick is a virtuoso speaker who harnesses the science, art, and craft of storytelling to open up portals of possibility for your audience. His emotional courage, passion for his work, and conviction in his science-backed, ground-in-gritty-reality ideas will invite attendees of all persuasions to enter possibility spaces with him and experience their work and the world anew. His style can engage even the most tired and cynical"seen-it-all-before" attendees and spark fires of resolve in their bellies. His keynotes ignite meaningful conversations and memorable connections between attendees that can last well beyond the keynote.
ORIGINAL Science-BACKED IDEAS, ACTIONABLE Ah-HA! INSIGHTS & Real-world EXAMPLES
Each keynote Nick gives blends evidence-based and neuroscience-powered thought leadership, bold yet useful ideas, and hard-won experience drawn from 30 years of work on the frontlines of disruption, supporting 100+ Fortune 500 corporations, major institutions, and start-ups crack innovation, transformation, change management, and exceptional leadership. Nick is particularly good at getting smart people (e.g., execs, engineers, scientists, professionals, technologists, etc.) to engage in a keynote fully and always holds the intention to ignite multiple Ah-Ha! moments for each attendee.
Exquisitely Customized KEYNOTES to fit your brief & ELEVATE YOUR EVENT
Every keynote Nick designs and delivers is crafted to fit your specific event goals and context, speak to your business needs and strategy, and connect with your unique audience type and culture. The resulting tailored keynote content and delivery style is intended to amplify and accelerate your specific event ambitions, drive the biggest impact possible for you and for your attendees, and deliver beyond expectations for the work a keynote can do.
TAKEAWAY TOOLS & PRACTICAL HACKS THAT TURN INSPIRATION INTO ACTION
Nick often includes and shares in his keynotes powerful tools and short yet effective mindset practices (from his world-class leadership and innovation firm) that attendees can put to work in the hours, weeks, and years after your event. His tools and practices can turn inspiration into action out in the world and are designed to ignite meaningful change. Attendees will be given a way to access his materials, which they can use to switch on their teams and colleagues to some of Nick's ideas, cascading the impact across their organizations.
NICK'S top KEYNOTE TOPICS in california
(Always Customized To Your Event)
It was great to hear Nick layout the transformational shift happening across industries. Most importantly, he highlighted nuggets on what leaders should be thinking about in times of uncertainty to overcome challenges.
Senior Director,
National Vision
Nick was the highlight of the 2-day conference. He made it worth going to. Thought-provoking, insightful, and very enjoyable.
SVP
Investment Bank
A WONDERFUL job. People found the talk so inspiring. Nick was motivating, thoughtful, and so well delivered. THANK YOU!
Director,
McCormick & Co
Very inspiring and clear, full of valuable content not just a formula. Thank you.
VP,
AbbVie
CALIFORNIA-BASED SPEAKER
NICK JANKEL
virtuoso motivational & inspirational keynote speaker
Expert futurist (future of work, business, healthcare etc)
world authority on MINDSET Mastery & Leading Change, Innovation & Transformation
Nick Jankel is a global Top 50 keynote speaker, futurist, and serial entrepreneur who has built a career at the cutting edge of transformation, leadership, and innovation. Nick has lived and worked in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and has run workshops and given keynotes across the Golden State.
Known for delivering electrifying keynotes that shift mindsets and spark meaningful change, Nick helps audiences see—and seize—the future before it arrives.
A Cambridge-educated scientist (Triple First / summa cum laude), Nick left medicine to pioneer the field of transformation in business and society. He has co-founded multiple start-ups, designed breakthrough innovation programs, and developed the neuroscience-based BTX® Method, which equips leaders and organizations to adapt and transform at speed.
Beyond the stage, Nick is a prolific thought leader and media commentator. His insights on the future of leadership, work, and wellbeing have been featured by CNN, BBC, MTV, and The Economist, among many others. His books—including Now Lead the Change—push the boundaries of what’s possible for leaders and organizations, blending science, strategy, and soul into practical guidance.
At the heart of Nick’s work is a relentless entrepreneurial vision: to empower leaders and changemakers to unlock bold ideas, reimagine possibilities, and turn disruption into opportunity. His keynotes don’t just inspire in the moment; they lay down the blueprints for building resilient, innovative organizations ready to thrive in a fast-changing world.
Nick Jankel’s talks are routinely described as “game-changing,” “deeply visionary,” and “profoundly practical.” Whether unveiling new paradigms of leadership or mapping the future of industries, he brings the rare combination of big-picture foresight and hands-on entrepreneurial grit, a combination that makes him one of the most compelling voices on global stages today.
Whether headlining at a conference or inspiring a top 50-500 leadership event, Nick seeks to touch the hearts and minds of all attendees and inspire them to rethink, reimagine, and rejuvenate so they rise to their challenges with more creativity, clarity, and courage than ever. He reliably delivers WOW-inspiring talks at the intersection of technology, futurology, transformation, change, and innovation.
