In a world that desperately needs all the assurance it can muster, positivity and optimism are hard to find, especially from authentic sources. That is where motivational speakers factor in majorly.

Life is a roller coaster of surprises and shocks for all of us. While the former is appreciated, the hoards of trials and tribulations often accompany the latter in our life. Our self-confidence dwindles, and we start questioning our own power in the process. With mental-health taking the forefront (and just not on Instagram!), it’s imperative that our messy emotions, thought-processes, etc., are also checked and boosted from time to time.

Sometimes our own mojo falters in providing that reassurance, and an external source of optimism is needed. Perhaps that is the reason why corporate houses have begun hiring motivational speakers to cheer up their employees more than ever now.

2020 wasn’t an easy year by any chance, and the reality was changing beyond comprehension. Getting the mojo back in life is especially hard this year, but it is no longer an improbability with the help of these motivational speakers.

Here is a list of the top motivational speakers for the year 2023 so that your hope isn’t that hard found.

1. Tony Robbins

Voted the best Motivational speaker, Tony Robbins is a life coach and a New York Times’ Best-Seller born in California. He began his career at the young age of 17 as an apprentice to Jim Rohn. A few years later, with a staggering reach of 50 million folks across 100 nations through his empowering words, he created his fame as the ‘CEO Whisperer’ as many executive people directly attribute their success to Robbins.

From live seminars to podcasts, videos, and life training programs over the years, he has pushed people to strive for their best. Tony Robbins Holdings Inc has given 2000 grants to various NGOs, and his 1 billion challenge along with Feeding America has provided 450 million meals since 2016 and strives to reach the 1 billion mark by 2025.

Robbins’ talks focus on moving past fears, bolstering communicative skills, establishing healthy relationships, and living a healthy life. His authored books like Awaken the Giant Within is an international bestseller that teaches people to tap into the power within to drive their destiny to their desires.

2. Ariana Huffington

The co-founder of The Huffington Post and Thrive Global is ranked at no. 2 in the most popular motivational speaker. Ariana began her journey as an influential feminist and the pioneer of The Detroit Project. This project aided in the production of vehicles that are eco-friendly and alternatively sustainable. Her talk digs deep into the areas of business leadership, ergonomic solutions, and health issues.

In 2018 Forbes put her on the list of 100 Most Powerful Women. Her venture, Thrive Global, trains individuals and companies to develop a work and mindset of optimism and persistent business. She also enables employees to reach their unlimited potential and thereby increasing work efficiency.

Her unique pathway to success is widely acclaimed with practical results at hand. Huffington’s bestselling books Sleep Deprivation talks about the role of a goodnight’s sleep and its relation to success. Another of her bestseller, Thrive, elaborates upon different approaches to success.

She has reached a fanbase of over 10 million worldwide and continues to spread life’s positivity to various people.

3. Nick Vujicic

If hardships had a way of persisting, then getting back up is the only pathbreaker. Nick Vujicic teaches us just that, and have you ever felt that life has a vendetta against you?  But Nick is all about bringing joy into his adversity and putting will over circumstances and encourages his audiences to follow the same.

Nick was born in Melbourne, Australia, with a rare health condition, autosomal recessive tetra-amelia, which is characterized by the absence of limbs. And it is nobody’s guess to imagine how his formative years looked like with this rare anomaly. Alienated by his friends, he took up a perception of positivity.

His topics range from bullying to the importance of self-love to the zeal of drive and ambition. Nick’s journey in itself is inspiring, and his words filled with hope and love have touched people’s lives in 57 countries.

He authored two motivational paperbacks, Life Without Limits and The Power of Unstoppable Faith, where he talks about forgiveness, the positive spirit, and life without judgments (cue in relatives) Nick has made quite some appearances in Oprah’s Lifeclass and TEDx.

4. Chris Gardener

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Gardner is an author of a book that has been translated into over 40 languages and has been hailed by the New York Times and Washington Post as their best sellers. The Pursuit of Happyness was an instant hit with the underdog’s rise to the top. It does not glorify struggle but presents a clear picture of the end result. This book was the premise of the 2006 blockbuster of the same name starring Will Smith. Remember the one where the funny man turned sombre?

In his seminars and writings, Gardener makes an anecdote of his life story to elaborate upon the steps that one must take to create the life of their dreams. His famous Spiritual Genetics liberated many and allowed people to tap into a metaphysical space of comfort that’s beyond technology, science, or medicine. His three P’s – Promises, Passion, and Planning have inspired his audiences to do their best.

Gardner’s rags to riches story is not only a motivational one but also a lesson in balancing parenthood and ambitions. Another of his best-seller, Start Where You Are, talks about the 44 mantras of a successful life. So now you know whom you should turn to when you get that F!

5. Jack Canfield

Adolescence is tough, period, but Canfield’s Chicken Soup for the Soul warmed it up for many. Jack Canfield, in his true blue warm optimism, changed the world of teenagers with his Chicken Soup series. He was soon nicknamed as “America’s #1 success coach.” He sold 500+ million copies of his chicken soup series. When it seems like the world is conspiring against you, and our adolescent years are often like that with pimples and crushes and what not, have some Canfield’s chicken soup.

Besides being a motivational speaker, he’s also an author, entrepreneur, corporate trainer. His speeches contain all the secrets that one would need to be successful. Jack also authored The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, a self-help book if success seems too challenging at times. His step by step method is goal-oriented, practical, and calls for action at the earliest. The jolly author also accommodates ethics and personal ideals in the strive for ambition.

His lectures and speeches go beyond the what-ifs and buts to arrive at the crux of the delay. Jack talks about how we can transform our fear of failure into that of stepping into opportunities and experiences. His positive and transformative outlook landed him in the Guinness Book of World record for making it to the top of New York Times’ Bestseller for seven consecutive times.

6. Gretchen Rubin

When fun mixes in the inspiration, it makes… Minhaj Hassan… just kidding! We mean Gretchen Rubin, the motivational speaker no six on the list. She was born on December 14. 1965, in Missouri and is currently operating all over the world.

Rubin is an author, an entrepreneur, and is a cognitivist specializing in children and education. Talking about inspirations and hope, she focuses on happiness, health, habits along with creativity, and love to achieve success. Gretchen’s bestseller Better Than Before is a self-awareness book that focuses on creating customized habits suited to bring out the best potential in ourselves. She has also developed a 4-personality type question. This quiz helps in determining blockages and hurdles in our mind. Another of her masterpieces, the Happiness Project, is something of a touch of tradition with science. Here she talks about the meaning of true happiness.

Over her lustrous career span, she has joined hands with Google and Proctor & Gamble to bring her enthralled audiences out of the ‘lack consciousness.’

7. Gary Vaynerchuk

The chairman of Vanyerx made his mark as a motivational speaker through digital media. Gary’s social media strategies are known for raking in millions of followers and increasing engagement of the brand. Gary Vaynerchuk was born in the Soviet Union in 1975. His words about self-worth and self-perception have resonated across the world and provided people with much-needed faith.

He is a sought-after public figure, especially due to his acumen with e-commerce. Vaynerchuk’s speeches focus on online marketing, content strategies, etc. He also has the New York Times’ bestseller book under his repertoire. Crushing It! and Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook are the two books in which he unlocks all the secrets of social media branding and marketing. These books talk about profits, revenue, and successful marketing through e-commerce. His approach is all about throwing an upper-cut to the hurdles.

In the late 1990’s, he established the wine library into the first e-commerce space for alcohols. With several other entrepreneurial ventures under the belt, he has a net worth of 12-15 million USD today! Furthermore, his investments in Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Uber, and Venmo paid off massively, adding to his growing empire.

8. Eric Thomas

A minister and a chairperson of ETA, an educational firm that focuses on athletic development and business strategies, Eric Thomas is a man of many means. And according to LeBron James’ own account, Thomas was a major influence in the NBA star’s success.

Dr. Eric Thomas’s speeches aim to motivate young professionals, college students, and athletes. Apart from being a motivational speaker, he also makes a regular appearance on ESPN and Fox News as a commentator. He conjoins his role as a servitor to God and as a human by delivering speeches that are as serene as the sermons. He is the cool dud with cooler wisdom! Want to give him a go? Head over to his YouTube channel where he has got some millions of subscribers

With books like The Secret to Success (2012), Greatness Is Upon You: Laying the Foundation (2014), and Average Skill Phenomenal Will (2016), he gained a strong following. His YouTube following is also impressive, with over a million subscribers. Owing to his humble beginnings, his struggles touch and then inspire people to do better for themselves too. Eric’s community activism is also hailed by and has healed a lot of people. He also worked hard for empowering academically risked, minority students at the University of Michigan. He changed the narrative of failure for many of his audiences and also paved their path of success.

9. Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra has acquired almost legendary status with his motivational speeches. From authoring many self-help and inspirational books to propelling the New age Movement, the resume of Chopra is far-reaching at the least.

Chopra immigrated to the US from India to study medicine, and in 1985, his encounter with Maharishi Mahesh Jogi introduced him to the spiritual world through his Transcendental Meditation Movement. In 1993, he rose to fame after Oprah interviewed him on his books.

He believes that the human body is composed of energy and information as is mentioned in “quantum mechanical body” and therefore can attain “perfect health” free from all ailments and diseases. After leaving the TM movement in 1993, he became the executive director of Sharp HealthCare’s Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and later in 1996, he founded the Chopra Center for Well-Being.

Although his approach to Alternative Medicine may have been critiqued several times, millions of testimonies prove just otherwise. His talks take on a spiritual angle with a dosage of medicinal suggestions, and he draws heavily from the Indian Ayurveda system to back his findings.

10. Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart is known for his spiritual and philosophical teachings all across the world. But he takes his hardships with a pinch of salt. After getting his education at Cambridge and London, he chose a spiritual path. He began as a spiritual counselor in London and soon rose to prominence. His #1 New York Times bestseller, The Power of Now, is translated into 33 different languages. Eckhart’s highly-acclaimed sequel, A New Earth, is also regarded as the most poignant, spiritual book of the 21st century.

At the age of 29, he underwent an epiphany, which led to his spiritual awakening, and from thereon, after his teachings and speeches aim at awakening the spiritual center within all of us. He believes that the consciousness of transformation is the next step of human evolution, and he inspires people to find peace within to create a harmonious world outside.

Eckhart’s speeches, seminars, podcasts, CDs all are available and often translated to mend the language gap. He makes consistent appearances at EckhartTolleTV.com by making live appearances, quizzes, etc. His unique approach to blend in technology with spiritual spaces has integrated people from all over the world into a single feeling of wholeness. He has written a few books on meditations and various other meditative practices too.

11. Malcolm Gladwell

Primarily an author, Malcolm is a global thinker who has also gained a spot in TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people. He began his career as a journalist at Washington Post and then moved onto NewYorker, where he won several accolades for his brilliant work.

His bestseller list is a treasure trove of hope and love- Outliers, The Tipping Point, Blink, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants. While in  David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants, he quantifies privileges and adversities, in Tipping Point, he talks about the chain of idea distribution. His book, Blink, takes a broad outlook on decision-making and the power of self-preservation, and in Outliers, he examines the pillars and makings of success.

Furthermore, his podcast, called Revisionist History, takes the underlinings of certain events in the past that were neglected and rejected. This is also released in an audiobook format. His poise, eloquence, and edgy approach is a crowd-puller. He is a paparazzi that you will love to listen to!

12. Barbara Corcoran

Barbara Corcoran is part of one of the favorite entrepreneurial reality show, Shark Tanks, as a judge. Apart from a part-time shark, she is also a full-time motivational speaker. Barbara’s story from an underdog to a top dog is inspiring and extremely optimistic. She often incorporates this as an anecdote in her speeches to invoke a sense of positivity in people.

From being a below-average student in high school to running a full-time corporation with a $1000 loan, Barbara is an icon of hope for all who are struggling with no ends at sight. By the time she reached 23, she had tried her hand at various kinds of jobs and finally took her leap of faith with her entrepreneurial venture, The Corcoran group.

In Shark Tank, she has guided 20 small and large businesses to success with her investments and then taking them to the pinnacle with her business acumen and experience. Her sharp eyes for talent and visions of the future makes her an excellent motivator and mentor.

13. Les Brown

Les Brown is a name synonymous with Fortune 500 CEOs, entrepreneurs, NGOs, community leaders, and students. He built up his repertoire by interviewing corporate leaders and bringing the boardroom strategies down-to-a-pat for all. Brown’s speeches are that magnetizing that sometimes he has to accommodate an audience of 80000!

He empowers his audience to make a conscious choice for the community as well as the self. Through Facebook and YouTube, Brown interacts with the live audience on a daily basis. He was awarded the Chicago area- Emmy and then Golden Gavel Award for leadership in communication. A legend among his peers, he was felicitated with the Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE) by National Speakers Association.

One of Les Brown’s famous lines, “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears,” hits one too many for a lot of people. His motivating words like “It’s possible” boost up any beat-down morale and invites people to step into their power.

14. Robin Sharma

Robin Sharma is The Monk who Sold his Ferrari at the right time! With the overnight success of his book, Sharma reached the pinnacle in no time. Sharma’s eloquent words and keen insights soon made him a world-class speaker.

From Nike, Microsoft, FedEx, PwC, HP to Nasa, Yale, and GE have chosen Robin Sharma to deliver their keynote. His insights on leadership, personal awareness, responsibility are highly valued, and if his social media is anything to go by, he amasses over 6 million viewers per year worldwide across all his social media spaces.

A life coach with a purpose to do better by the world and to integrate people in his mission; Robin Sharma takes a crack at changing the ways of the world. His book, “Megamind” is a venture into the channels of the thought process that makes or breaks an individual. Robin has worked with several companies to get their workplace efficiency at 100%.

15. Naomi Judd

Naomi Judd is an American country singer and performer, who made her mark in the singing world as well as on the stage as a motivational speaker. She is the prime example of how positive thinking can alter realities.

Judd began her singing career with her daughter Wynonna. The duet-album sold 20 million copies and won various awards, including 7 Grammys. However, her joys came to a halt when she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and was given a lifespan of 3 more years. But Naomi turned these lemons into a vodka shot through her positive thinking, strong will, and medical care, became free of Hepatitis C, which in itself is considered a medical miracle. 

In 2015, she restarted her singing career with her daughter by performing at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Following her recovery, she channeled her bravery through speeches and decided to empower many in their struggles and hardships. She advocates wellness and holistic healing.  Naomi’s Breakthrough Guide: 20 Choices to Transform Your Life became an instant hit in 2004.

16. Marianne Williamson

Williamson is the common factor between Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose & Bill Maher, where she appeared as a popular guest. Out of her seven bestsellers, A Return To Love is considered as a guide to the New Spirituality. Her words are the holy grail of optimism for the GenZers to the Millennials.

Williamson led the Angel food project in 1989, which provided homebound people living with AIDS in Los Angeles hot meals on wheels. It has reached over 8 million people in 2020. In her strive to decrease the hunger problem of the world, she joined the RESULT organization as the Board of Directors.

Her list of bestseller includes The Law of Divine Compensation, The Age of Miracles, Everyday Grace, A Woman’s Worth, Illuminata, Healing the Soul of America, A Course in Weight Loss, The Gift of Change, Enchanted Love, A Year of Miracles, and her latest release, Tears to Triumph: The Spiritual Journey from Suffering to Enlightenment.

A native Texan, Marianne is also a spiritual coach without the bounds of an institution. Almost evangelical in her approach, she creates a common ground for all individuals irrespective of their faith.

17. Simon Sinek

A prolific TEDx speaker and an author, Simon is known for his “WHY” concept, which he talked about in length in his 2009 TEDtalk. This video became the fourth most-watched video on YouTube. In 2017, his interview on Workplace for Millenials gathered more than 200 million watchers over a month, and this made him one of the most searched men on YouTube.

He authored several books including the Start With Why which became a global bestseller, Leaders Eat Last, which turned out to be New York Times and Wall Street Journal’s bestseller, Together is Better, which was also a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, and Find Your Why and his latest book, The Infinite Game. Simon has shown the path to many companies and organizations that made it to the list of Fortune 500. Apart from that, he has been an aid to the government and the United Nations. He is also a part of the think tank, RAND. Sinek has also worked with the US Navy, Airforce, Coast guard, and The Marines.

18. Brené Brown

A research professor and motivational speaker by day, Brown is a prominent figure in the social space. At the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, she teaches as the Professor of Management.

Brown’s speeches are abundant with the sensitive topics of courage, shame, vulnerability, etc. She has reached over millions of people through her videos. Brown was selected as the New York Times’s best-selling author with her five books, namely, The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and Dare to Lead.

Her range of podcasts and TEDtalk includes The Power Of Vulnerability is the most-watched video of TEDx. Call To Courage is her Netflix special, which talks about the leap of faith and has garnered international audiences. Brown’s speeches are known for their versatile and to the point call for action aspect and are famous amongst the student community.

19. Andy Frisella

Andy is the CEO of the world’s leading nutritional supplement company, First Phorm International. He is an entrepreneur with a flair for public speaking. All of Andy’s five businesses rake in over 200 million in revenue annually.

Andy makes several virtual appearances, among which The Real AF podcast and the MFCEO Project are his brainchildren. The podcasts are business and success focused and soon became the best Business/Entrepreneurship/Personal Development channel.

As a speaker, he is sought after for his customer holding and loyalty, company environment, and marketing strategies. All of his charismatic and dynamic talks are focused on business developments and workplace ethics. Andy’s knowledge in turning a small one-room brand into an online sensation makes him the highest-paid speaker of 2020. Many leading organizations in the world name Andy behind their success. He makes regular appearances at corporate events and seminars.

His wise words and techniques are also noted in his bestselling books. Andy has extensively written for young minds and encouraged them to develop a mindset of success and growth. Forbes named him the entrepreneur of the year 2016, and he has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine too.

20. Sir Richard Branson

A business mogul with a fleet of multimillion companies under him, Sir Richard Branson is a name synonymous with success. His net worth is estimated at 4 billion USD, and the Virgin Brand rakes in most of the big dollars. From Virgin Atlantic to Virgin Galactic, his business conglomerates have skyrocketed in the past decades.

Sir Richard Branson is a motivational speaker, and his childhood adversities are a lesson for all losing hope. As a child, he struggled in school and dropped out of it at 16. Following this, he created the mail-order record company, Virgin Records. Soon, this grew as a record label and signed Mike Oldfield, whose Tubular Belts was a chart-topper. The brand grew as Branson signed in heavyweights such as The Rolling Stones, Culture Club, Sex Pistols, and Genesis. In a few years, his label became the leading name in the music industry. In 1992 he sold it for $1 billion.

Branson then expanded his business into space and flights. Virgin Atlantic airlines was a common name in the commercial airline sector, and Virgin Galactic specialized in space-tourism. In 2010, he began his real estate empire with the Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada, and he took over the Hard Rock Hotels in 2018. His business acumen to his never-giving up spirit makes him a keynote speaker of true success.

Final Verdict

Life as we know it is a muddle of warm and hard, rough and smooth. It is not easy traversing the course of life, and disappointments often hit hard, and getting back up seems impossible at times. But that is the rule of life; our best view comes after the hardest climb. Losing motivation, crying, frustration and breaking up with your bff a 100 times is fine, but what is not okay is to give up and let failure define this life.

Without a doubt, times are trying right now. The situation may seem impossible for us but to get bogged down by it makes it even harder. Success stories that we hear didn’t happen overnight, but it happened with persistence and a lot of tears and frustration. Seeking motivation from outside, for instance, YouTube videos or TedX talks can be beneficial. Even talking to a dear friend or confidante at times can help immensely.

Patience, Perseverance, and Practicality are what makes all that difference. Going through a tough time is hard but getting out of it is worth all the turmoil and the motivational speakers listed above are all about guiding people to their true potential.