“I wanted to personally reach out to share our experience with Kelly Swanson, who served as emcee for the Best Banks in America Super Conference last September, 2025. Simply put: Kelly delivered the highest emcee evaluations we have ever received. That statement carries real weight, because over the years we’ve worked with some of the most respected and well-known MCs in the country—people with deep credentials and serious reputations in executive and financial audiences. Kelly outperformed them all. I’ll be honest—when Kelly first walked on stage with her big hair and fabulous jewelry, I could almost feel a few conservative bank CEOs brace themselves. And then, within seconds, she had the entire room flipped. People were leaning in. Laughing. Engaged. Inspired. By the first break, executives were already talking about how powerful, creative, and spot-on her remarks were—and how unbelievably tuned in she was to the audience. Kelly didn’t just emcee the program; she elevated it. She amplified the impact of every speaker, created connective tissue throughout the event, and brought a level of inspiration and polish that made the entire conference stronger. She was not just a good addition to the program—she was a differentiator. If I don’t have Kelly back next year, I’m pretty sure I’ll have a stampede of attendees asking why. Highest recommendation. Full confidence. And deep appreciation for the magic she brought to the room.”
– Roxanne Emmerich | CEO, The Emmerich Group, Inc.
“We booked her for 35 events. Kelly has the perfect blend of talent, energy, insight and humor to inspire audiences. Her message of the power of storytelling is desperately needed in our field (government IT officials). I highly recommend Kelly without hesitation for any type of event in which you want your audience to be motivated, educated, enlightened and entertained.”
– Jack Mortimer, GovTech Magazine 2021
“I just finished reading the second set of evaluations (week two) and just like week one, the attendees found you to be amazing and simply the highlight of the convention. Time and time again the forms listed you or things you said as the most important take away they had from the convention. As a speaker, one does well if they can get people to remember a few things they say. But, if one can change a life through a message, there is no higher praise than that. Thanks for being part of our program. Best wishes in all your future activities. You have a gift!”
– Jeff Harrold, Chairman & CEO, Auto-Owners Insurance
“Having Kelly Swanson as our featured speaker for our Pink Power Speaking Tour was…. a true pleasure, a riot, a lot of fun and just a hoot! … made us laugh ‘til we cried – and still made us think and connect.”
– Sherry Brisson-Jones, Event Coordinator, Vidant Health
“I had already heard Kelly was an amazing humorist, and she exceeded my expectations. … more relevant to our theme than I could have imagined. Took our audience of over 2000 on an amazing journey. We’ve booked her twice as a keynote speaker for Paycon.”
– Dan Maddux, Executive Director, American Payroll Association
“Kelly Swanson provided the perfect closing to our event. … We look forward to using her again and again.”
– Courtney Fleming, VA Bankers Association
“Thank you, Kelly, for a very inspirational, funny, and practical talk! You have kick-started something in our organization that will make a profound difference in our culture.”
– Tri Tang, Carolinas Healthcare
“Kelly had our audience laughing nonstop. … the jubilation of realizing that you are enough.”
– Diane Wood, Tarpon Arts / City of Tarpon Springs
“Kelly Swanson has the unique ability to take any story and turn it into an Oscar-Winning performance!”
– Steve Balaban, Mink Capital
“Working with Kelly is like getting a master’s degree in storytelling…”
– Keith Harmeyer, Smartstorming.com
“When it comes to storytelling and crafting the perfect message, Kelly Swanson is in a category of her own…”
– Meridith Elliott Powell, CSP, CPAE, Business Growth Strategist
“One of the best speakers we’ve ever had.”
– Kim McQueen, AADOM 2018
“I was laughing so hard, I had trouble pouring the water.”
– Banquet Waiter
“She’s like a female Mark Twain.”
“She’s like Melissa McCarthy and Lucille Ball with a touch of Oprah.”
“We certainly had a fun time with you yesterday, and we appreciate all you did to make our event REMARKABLE… you were the tops by far.”
– Beth C. Wilson, Novant Health
“I have to tell you about my experience watching Kelly Swanson… She made me laugh, she made me cry and she made me want to tell others all about her and to stay on the funny side of life.”
– Johnine Fregia, Presbyterian Healthcare
“It was such a pleasure working with you for our recent Focus on You! Event… You were delightful with your southern charm, stories and characters.”
– Linda Skillman, Center for Women’s Health
“Kelly is great! She opened the Pink Ribbon Luncheon for High Point Regional with a laugh and kept us in stitches throughout the performance. Kelly closed with a laugh and a good message to warm the heart.”
– Julie Samuels, High Point Regional Health System
“Kelly’s smile, humor, sensitivity, and genuine nature allowed our audience to connect with her… Kelly Swanson has a message for everyone.”
– Sherrie Byrd, RN, Rex Healthcare
“Kelly Swanson was a real treat at our Convention… Honestly, the best speaker we ever had.”
– Amy Bryson, NC Association of Long Term Care Facilities
“I wanted to reach out to you to thank you for being our Keynote Speaker for Day 1 of the CASBO Annual Conference. I appreciate your message and how well you incorporated your story to our members in their various roles in School Business/Operations and our theme of Mentor, Vision and Purpose. You were extremely engaging and did a great job for your live presentation without having an audience present. Thank you again!”
– Jamie Dial, Event Manager, CASBO President 2021
“Hi Kelly. I want you to know that the time I was able to be with you was life changing! You have unlocked something in me that I use to be so passionate about. Something I was really good at and I can’t thank you enough! You are an amazing person and storyteller. We all were so fortunate in having you at the Huddle. I can’t wait to read the book you gave us. I hope you have a blessed week.”
– Chris Dedman, Owner CDProDJ.com
“Kelly did her research and delivered a targeted message that had us laughing (really hard) and thinking while totally mesmerized. The “formula” she developed will provide us a guidepost for crafting our own compelling messages going forward. I keep getting stopped in the hallway by people who attended, wanting to thank the team for bringing her in. The timing was perfect. We really needed to let loose and laugh. Kelly made a wonderful impression.”
– Sue Hoff, Research and Development, Amway Headquarters
“Our recent Medina County Women’s Conference was a great success, and that success was due, in part, to our outstanding speaker line-up! Thank you so much for accepting our invitation to be an integral part of our program. Describing you and what you brought to all in attendance is not an easy task, but at this moment, two words come to mind: PURE JOY! We could not have asked for a more perfect keynote address. Kelly, you are one of the best we have ever heard! We all left that day with smiles on our faces…thinking of your stories and life experiences, and we will remember you and your message for…well…forever.”
– Susan Denton and Sandy Kunkel, Sisters, Inc.
“Kelly Swanson isn’t just one of the best storytellers in the National Speakers Association, she is an artistic genius; a story-crafter par excellence. She understands how to take apart a story and put it back together so that when you deliver it your audience is with you every step of the way. She is generous of spirit, authentic, funny, and a delight to work with.”
– Dr. Helen Turnbull, PhD, CSP, CEO Human Facets
“Our Senior VP Events and I met Kelly in 2018 at the annual conference of the National Speakers Association, where we went to find the best of the best.
Kelly ran a workshop for her fellow professional speakers to help them improve their own presentations, and we were amazed. Not only was she a master storyteller herself, but she had a genius for helping others to do the same. We said to each other: “Wow, if she can do this for professional speakers, imagine what she can do for us in IT!” So, we booked her for all our events throughout 2019.
I am writing this testimonial in December 2019, and Kelly has been an absolute pleasure to work with this entire year. She was the keynote for ten of the events I personally ran for our company, but she actually spoke at 36 of our events. She is professional, funny, easy to work with and dependable. What more can you ask for?
It was very impressive to see Kelly build a keynote to fit our niche audience of executive government IT folks. She did a wonderful job educating our attendees on the importance of storytelling in life and business, while making it real to them on how they can apply this skill in their fields.
My favorite part of her session was when she would go into the audience and interview random people to find out what they do, who they help, problems they run into, etc. to pull their story out of them while giving tips on the spot to help tell that story in an impactful way to garner more interested and stakeholder support.
Kelly can motivate anyone while keeping it light and humorous. I definitely recommend her to any business or organization! She has become a good friend and we will definitely be staying in touch.”
– Reilly Mortimer, National Conference Director, Government Technology Magazine
“Wonderful! Very insightful and inspiring!” – Zandi Peterson
“Kelly is awesome! I would like to hear more from her. And I want a Chub Rub Club shirt!!” – Melissa Martin
“Kelly has helped me to realize that the stories I tell and share with my patients have a huge impact on the patients I take care of…” – Ina Amend
“Wow! I really needed that! I feel motivated, empowered, and more supportive of myself! Thank you!” – Joanna Garneau
“Great tips and tricks that will help me start my storytelling journey.” – Karina Avila
“PLEASE COME TO FRUITA, COLORADO AND SPEAK AT FAMILY HEALTH WEST!!!! I want everyone to hear it all!! Thank you so much for the tears and the laughs.” – Amanda Wright
“I love your authenticity!” – Randall May
“Touching – will be connecting online. Idea of being strategic in method was a great takeaway.” – Jeanne LaChance
“Simply a delight. I could listen to her every day.” – Turi Woelfle
“Amazing! Learned a lot about how to tell an effective story.” – Jeremy Conoyer
“The organic and real conversation in the moment is far more inspirational than a rehearsed speech.” – Kari Deringer
“Absolutely amazing…. So engaging.” – Nicci Hays
“Great insight into stories and their power.” – Jim Coombs
“Dived into the importance of storytelling but also into deeper topics and how the emotions in the people always come back to stories.” – Katelyn Nugent
“Very enlightening. Very relatable.” – Christopher Gulledge
“This will definitely make me a better leader.” – Scott Alwin
“I hope I can remember some of the gems she shared on how to tell a story…” – Erika Ruddy
“I am just so blessed by your gift of public speaking and positivity!” – Tiffany Mandelkow
“She had great engagement with the audience. I will visit her website.” – Krista Jones
“Very engaging!! Full of lots of ideas to help connect with patients.” – Sarah Cammack
“Love the session. I learned so much. Excellent presentation and discussion.” – Tory Sanders
“The session was open and honest and helpful to so many. Thank you.” – Britta Tracy
“Thank you for the victory moment.” – Michelle Hill
“I appreciated that Kelly made a very ambiguous topic of stories and storytelling very practical…” – Rachel Sowders
“Makes me feel like I have a purpose, and my story is just as important as anyone else.” – Rebecca Mason
“Loved the conversation dialogue.” – Kaitlin Caldwell
“Very thought-provoking and great tools for the tool box.” – EZ Niles
“Thought-provoking to not only share your story but draw the stories out of others.” – Morgan Allison
