Kevin Brown | APB Speakers (2023)

Author & Creator of The Hero Effect®

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Biography

Kevin’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking. He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan where his blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. With a streetwise aptitude and a never quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines in business to the executive boardroom. Read More >

Kevin understands what drives organizational excellence and customer loyalty. He knows first-hand how great brands think, feel and act. He is a branding and culture expert with a 30+ year career in franchise development. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little-known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion dollars. Since 2016, he has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible.

The HERO Effect® is a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else. Kevin is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential and grow their results. And, as the father of a child with autism, he knows firsthand how the principles of true success reach beyond the boardroom and into the lives of real people facing the challenges of everyday life.

As a highly sought-after keynote speaker, Kevin has had the privilege of speaking to a wide variety of organizations including American Express, Delta Airlines, Nationwide, H&R Block, PayPal, New York Life, Million Dollar Round Table, Southwest Airlines, Merck, Atrium Health, and many more.

Kevin is the bestselling author of The Hero Effect® (2017/2019). In his second book, Unleashing Your Hero (Harper Collins Leadership/Nov 2021), Kevin shares how the heroes who transformed his life are people just like you. People who were willing to use their gifts and abilities to serve others at a high level. This book is a guide to help everyday people discover and unleash their hero at work and in life.

Kevin has received numerous honors, including being named one of the ‘Top 10 Keynote Speakers of 2021’ by SpeakInc and one of the ‘Top 41 Motivational Speakers Who Can Energize Any Sales Team’ by ResourcefulSelling.

Kevin entertains, inspires, and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life!

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Speaker Videos

The Hero Effect: Virtual Keynote Experience

Heroes Help People… With No Strings Attached

Leading Through Crisis

Apple Pancakes

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Speech Topics

The Hero Effect®: Being Your Best When It Matters The Most!

In a fresh and entertaining style, Kevin shares ideas, strategies and principles that will inspire and equip participants to show up every day and make a positive difference. At the heart of Kevin’s message is a simple, yet powerful philosophy for life that drives every thought, every action and ultimately every result we achieve both personally and professionally. Your team will be motivated to reach beyond what is required and do something remarkable! Read More >

This program is designed to help participants:

Achieve greater results by eliminating “ordinary" thinking and mastering the habit of
Own the moments that matter (and they all matter) by taking responsibility for their attitude, their actions and their results.
Create meaningful relationships and deliver an extraordinary experience for every “customer” at work and at home.

Key themes:

Heroes Help People...with NO STRINGS ATTACHED!

They go “all in” every time they take the field. They understand that in business and in life it’s always personal and never perfect. Heroes create strong connections and reach beyond the borders of transactional thinking to create transformational moments!

Heroes Create an Exceptional Experience:

The HERO’s calling card is pure excellence. It’s about using their talents, gifts and abilities to their fullest potential and highest purpose. The HERO uses the best of who they are to serve more people, more often, in bigger and better ways. The HERO is committed to personal development and shows up better today than they were yesterday. Heroes build trust by serving others with an authentic passion that turns everyday moments into superhuman experiences. The HERO is driven to serve others and understands that the greatest rewards in life are determined by how well we take care of the people we live and do business with.

Heroes Take Responsibility:

HEROES own the moments that matter! They are actively present and engaged and do not believe in random acts of kindness. The HERO is motivated instead by intentional acts of difference making. They live by a simple code: “bring your best stuff to the present moment and pour it into the lives of others.” They understand that before you can lead anyone else, you must first be able to lead yourself. The HERO owns their attitude, their actions and their results. They are committed to the best possible outcome in every situation regardless of circumstances or events beyond their control. The HERO leads by example and knows that true success is found in the power of simple choices.

Heroes Live and Work with Optimism:

HEROES see the world differently. For them, it’s not about positive thinking, it’s about perspective. Looking through the lens of optimism gives the HERO supernatural vision. They see what others cannot. They see opportunities instead of obstacles – possibilities instead of problems. When things go wrong…and they will…optimism is what helps the HERO turn life’s messes into a masterpiece.

In his signature style, Kevin uses real life stories and examples combined with rich content and humor to drive home The HERO Effect principles and ideas. This program delivers actionable ideas that every leader can implement immediately to begin creating a culture of excellence at every level in their organization.

IDEAL AUDIENCE:

This message is applicable to all industries as well as all employees and people no matter their position in the organization or life. Kevin customizes his stories and deliverables based on his audience’s profile. (Ask us for a copy of the leadership version of The Hero Effect^® Keynote)

FORMAT:

45 to 60 minute keynote; can be followed by a 60 to 90 minute “deep dive” into the actionable ideas shared during the keynote. Read Less ^

The Hero Effect®: Creating a Culture of Heroes at Every Level

Kevin has a simple philosophy when it comes to leadership. He believes that you are "a leader of one or a leader of none." He believes that leadership begins with mastering self along with the daily habits required to become world-class leaders, mentors and coaches to the teams we live and do business with. The foundation of this program can be summed up in one powerful idea…we reproduce what we are! Read More >

The role of leadership in an organization is to create an environment where people can be the best version of themselves. That is what serves a brand well and stands out in a crowded marketplace.

This program is designed to help participants:

Create an environment where people are inspired to be the best version of themselves and deliver world-class performance to the people they serve.
Develop a team of people that are committed, focused and on fire for the brand they are helping to build.
Design and deliver an organizational obsession statement that drives high performance and a world-class customer experience.

Key themes:

Heroes Help People...with NO STRINGS ATTACHED!

Heroes Create an Exceptional Experience:

Heroes Take Responsibility:

HEROES own the moments that matter! They are actively present and engaged and do not believe in random acts of kindness. The HERO is motivated instead by intentional acts of difference making. They live by a simple code; “bring your best stuff to the present moment and pour it into the lives of others.” They understand that before you can lead anyone else, you must first be able to lead yourself. The HERO owns their attitude, their actions and their results. They are committed to the best possible outcome in every situation regardless of circumstances or events beyond their control. The HERO leads by example and knows that true success is found in the power of simple choices.

Heroes Live and Work with Optimism:

HEROES see the world differently. For them, it’s not about positive thinking, it’s about perspective. Looking through the lens of optimism gives the HERO supernatural vision. They see what others cannot. They see opportunities instead of obstacles – possibilities instead of problems. When things go wrong…and they will, optimism is what helps the HERO turn life’s messes into a masterpiece.

IDEAL AUDIENCE:

This message is applicable to leaders at every level, across all industries. Kevin customizes his stories and deliverables based on the audience’s profile.

FORMAT:

45 to 60 minute keynote; can be followed by a 60 to 90 minute “deep dive” into the actionable ideas shared during the keynote. Read Less ^

Testimonials

"YOU WERE AWESOME! I knew you would be. We received comments all the way to the day we left about how you were the FAVORITE speaker at our event. You have a gift for this. You are a great story teller and connect with people on such an emotional level. And your humor is great on top of it all. I could not have been more pleased and am blessed to have met you. Thanks for making our event special."

- Georgia Credit Union Affiliates

"Kevin is amazing! His presentation was spot on at my event. I’ve had attendees call my office and say, "My eyes were misty when he spoke about his parents. Couldn’t have had a better speaker if we’d searched the WHOLE world!" and "Kevin hit a home run with his keynote!"

- State Farm

"Kevin’s message truly resonated and I can say with certainty there have been few speakers who moved our audience as much as he did. We have been tracking speaker scores since 2011 - Kevin is now the No. 1 rated speaker out of nearly 500 speakers our attendees have evaluated at XChange events over the years. Truly an amazing accomplishment."

- The Channel Company

"Amazing performance!!! I’ve never seen people standing and applauding eagerly at the end of a keynote performance; Kevin made the closing of our event successful. Kevin’s passion and gift of speech makes his “Hero Effect” keynote a one of a kind: Entertaining, energizing and powerful message."

- Employee Safety Advisor, ExxonMobile Pipeline

"First- let me start with saying how completely blown away everyone was with Kevin. He was perfect on so many levels and really effected everyone right in the spot that they needed it. The feedback was overwhelming and we are just still thrilled with our interaction with Kevin. We are already thinking of avenues in which we can work together again in the future. Kevin was exceptional to work with - as was his team!"

- One of the Largest Pharmaceutical Companies in the World

"To say that Kevin was phenomenal would be an understatement. I have never seen a room captivated the way it was a few weeks ago with Kevin on stage. He commanded the room through his stories, compassion, humor and overall demeanor. He and his story are truly a treasure and we appreciate your team working with us to make it all a reality!"

- Marketing Manager, Eliassen Group

"Kevin was our closing speaker this week at our national convention for Success Group International. We have been hiring professional speakers for the last 20 years to come to our annual events. Kevin's message was inspirational and motivational. He made us laugh and cry, but most of all, he made us all recognize the hero within. I cannot recommend him enough!"

- President, Success Group International (SGI)

"Everyone enjoyed your presentation. We always send out an evaluation to get feedback for improvement and the responses were the most positive we have ever received. I can't tell you how many people said on the evaluation that it was the best speaker they ever heard. Several people said they had heard speakers for 30 and 40 years in education and you were the best ever! I have even had several emails from teachers that were so appreciative.Thank you for making our back to school PD the best."

- Superintendent Bryant School District, Arkansas

"You were a HUGE HIT with our conference attendees. You're a pleasure to work with."

- Event Marketing Manager, Blue Cross Blue Shield

"Kevin - thank you so much for inspiring our group. I have heard lots of wonderful feedback about how much everyone enjoyed hearing you speak at our Leadership Summit. I knew The Hero Effect was the right message for our audience, but I was really impressed and delighted with the way you connected to our core values and helped our audience relate to your message in those terms - well done!"

- Helzberg Diamonds

"Kevin’s program was a great reminder of the importance of customer service and what it means to make an interaction with someone truly exceptional and memorable. We had about 500 employees attend his presentation, including several from our IT area. We laughed, cried and walked away inspired to be everyday heroes. Kevin’s presentation and message were different than our typical guest speakers’ – and it showed. We received rave reviews from employees, and many asked to have more speakers like him in the future."

- Supervisor of Benefit Projects, Country Financial ®

"Kevin is not a story teller. Kevin is a truth teller. His truth is an aspiration that we all must have. His inspiration comes from his heart and his soul, and it is extremely obvious. Kevin, you are my HERO. Thanks for making a difference in my life and in the lives of 110 people that you opened up to this week."

- Vice President, Worldwide Sales & Applications, Microchip Technology, Inc.