How One Virtual Keynote During the Pandemic Transformed My Speaking Career
Five years ago today, I was scheduled to deliver a keynote at one of the most prestigious financial conferences in the world: the Million Dollar Round Table Global.
The plan? Fly to Dubai and deliver a talk based on my book Finding Focus — all about mental clarity and peak performance in a distracted world.
But then the world itself got… distracted.
When the pandemic hit, everything shut down. All my live events were canceled.
All except one.
The Unexpected Pivot to Virtual
To their credit, MDRT didn’t cancel. Instead, they reimagined their international event as a fully virtual experience and asked if I would still deliver my keynote — now streamed online to thousands of financial professionals around the world.
I said yes, of course.
But as I reworked the talk for a virtual format, I realized something important:
The focus (pun intended) needed to shift.
Financial advisors, like so many professionals, were suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar communication landscape — pitching, presenting, and closing deals over Zoom.
They didn’t need another talk about productivity.
They needed tools to connect, engage, and persuade — through a screen.
So I made a bold pivot.
Rewriting the Message in Real Time
Instead of Finding Focus, I delivered a new keynote on how to communicate with clarity, confidence, and connection in virtual meetings.
It was a crash course in vocal presence, body language, and emotional influence — skills I’d developed over decades as both a mentalist and voice actor.
That keynote, featured alongside Daymond John and Esther Perel as one of MDRT’s daily cornerstone sessions, was a breakout moment.
It helped me discover something I hadn’t fully articulated before:
My real value wasn’t just in what I knew — it was in how I delivered it.
And more importantly, how I could help others deliver with equal impact.
A New Path Emerges
From that point on, I focused my speaking career on teaching subliminal communication skills — the subtle techniques that help people:
Capture attention
Build trust quickly
Influence without being pushy
And communicate with authority and authenticity
Since then, I’ve spoken to sales teams and business leaders across industries, helping them elevate their delivery and drive results — even in high-pressure, high-stakes situations.
And now, five years later, I’m finally writing the book on it.
Want to Follow the Journey?
The book is called It’s How You Say It: Subliminal Skills for Influence and Impact — and I’m writing it chapter by chapter on LinkedIn.
If you’d like to read along, subscribe to my weekly newsletter 👉 “It’s How You Say It”
What started as a canceled in-person talk in Dubai became the unexpected beginning of a new chapter. A chapter in the book I’m finally writing today.
Thanks for being part of the journey.
