Sami Jo Small kicked off our seminar with an energetic and inspirational keynote on how to beat the odds and achieve success despite adversity. Her remarks could not have been more tailored to our seminar's theme, and our clients were thoroughly engaged and motivated during her speech. Sami Jo was very professional on and off the stage with our clients, partners and colleagues.
C. Richard Donnelly
Global Principal Consultant - Dams and Waterpower
Hatch
We kicked off our multi-day company offsite with Sami Jo Small's terrific keynote speech, and days later the team was still talking about how inspired and moved they were by her story. Sami Jo's message put everyone in the right frame of mind to tackle goals as a team, and her warmth and down-to-earth attitude set the tone for a positive, productive meeting.
Susan Catto
Head of Content & Publishing, Canada
Travelzoo
Sami Jo was awesome and exceeded our expectations.She is very real, compassionate, delightful and inspirational.You could feel the buzz in the room following her keynote address.
Lois Irvine
Community Development Coordinator
North Simcoe Community Futures Development Corporation
The power of belonging to a team really shone through as Sami Jo shared her life challenges. I've seen a lot of speakers and few compare with what she delivered. The speech was well constructed and Sami Jo connected with the audience during her delivery. I was most impressed by her vulnerability and sharing of the not so glamorous struggle in making a decision to put the needs of the team ahead of her own. Sami Jo moved me to tears through her authenticity. The message was powerful. I recommend Sami Jo Small as a professional keynote speaker.
Connie Bird
Life is Sales
We were honored to have Sami Jo and Billy join us as our special guest speakers during our annual national dealer tour. Their stories on how to keep fighting through adversity and reaching your goals was very touching and made every one remember the power of resilience. Their professionalism and going the extra step to sign autographs and speak with our teams, right until the last guest had left, was something that I'll never forget. I would recommend all corporations looking to re-invigorate the spirit or cultures of their organizations have Sami Jo and Billy speak - their words will truly make a difference.
Benjamin H Lee
Senior Manager, Marketing and Sales
Nissan Canada Finance
Sami was a total professional from start to finish - she was very prepared to speak to the group of coaches at our event on her Olympic experiences, insights to coaching, and how leadership has affected her career. She was personable, funny, and highly engaging.
Erika Campbell
Manager, Marketing Partnerships
Canadian Olympic Committee
Sami's keynote presentation to our group of luxury real estate professionals was a smashing success! The audience was inspired and moved by Sami's Olympic story. Her underlying message of teamwork inspired our group to think beyond the individual and focus on the team behind each transaction. Her keynote ended with a standing ovation. I would strongly recommend Sami! She's a true pleasure! Thanks so much!!
Kate Ledbetter
Director of Marketing and Events
Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate
Sami Jo was absolutely amazing. She was great to work with and really kept everyone engaged. Her speech really hit home for many of our attendees at our AGM and Awards Banquet. Her message of how you play your role created a lasting impression on the audience. Sami Jo's story succeeded in uplifting the audience and creating a positive look on given roles, although not always the role you choose. Sami Jo shows you that you can flourish in your own role, you just need play that role positively. It was a true pleasure working with Sami Jo.
Melanie Kornacki
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Sport North
The Conference was a GREAT Success! Sami Jo was fantastic and got a standing "O". Fantastic personal story of hard work and determination.
Steve
SCORE Statistical Consulting Inc.
Our meeting went exceptionally well and Sami Jo was a big hit with our group. I would definitely recommend her as a speaker for any group. She speaks very well, and she is very inspirational and insightful. She speaks with a great deal of passion and truly has an amazing message to pass on.
Geoff Jones
Sales Director
Sylvite Sales Burlington Ontario
Many people have commented that in the 10 years of this event, you were the best speaker we have ever had! Your message was perfect and you presentation entertaining and fun - and then you finished it off by signing autographs and having pictures taken with, it seems, almost everyone in attendance!
Skip Crosby
Community Service Coordinator
Clarington Community Services
Sami's talk was highly motivational and as a leader, she embodied the three C's of Character, Competence and Commitment we had discussed in class. She shows high commitment, energy and a commitment to always improve.
Dr. Gerard Seijts
Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour
Executive Director Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership
Faculty Scholar, The University of Western Ontario
You words have taught us that it is not only important to envision and set goals but to be prepared for the unexpected - and - when the unexpected occurs - to remember that there are choices for moving forward - pushing our limits, even in times of emotional discomfort. You are a true inspiration and touch the very core of being human. You have left us with the understanding that as individuals we are all members of a team and therefore rely on one another for support - beyond solo gains. Although we all have a unique set of life experiences - what we do have in common is the ability to pick each other up when we fall down. In following your motto, "try to do to better today than yesterday". Finally, thank you for reminding us to grab hold of our dreams and "light the fire within us"!
Lisa Amati
Education Officer, English Language
Education Quality and Accountability Office
Sami Jo's presentation was truly inspiring. She was able to craft a message for our audience that combined her experiences into their needs. The audience left feeling inspired and motivated to get a little better every day. Sami is such a dynamic, engaging and versatile speaker that we felt lucky to have on stage.
- Coaches Association of Ontario
Eric McLoughlin
Events & Partner Development
Coaches Association
Thank you so much for speaking at our annual conference! Your message of doing your utmost best no matter what role you're playing on the team really resonated well with our group! As any company, there are many different roles that make up our day to day work, and this was an amazing reminder that each and every single team player is just as important as the next in reaching the common team goal, whatever that might be! Thanks so much!
