Speakers Bureau: The Lavin Agency: In the Headlines

In the headlines

March 8, 2010

		At the Vancouver Olympics, Taking Athletes from Potential to the Podium With all of Canada watching, how did our athletes keep their composure? Three-time Gold medalist Marnie McBean explains.
Marnie McBean is an expert at turning potential into performance. She's one of only a handful of Canadians to win three Gold medals, so she's used to performing under enormous pressure. After a record-breaking rowing career, she is now Manager of Olympic Preparation with the Canadian Olympic Committee. At the historic 2010 Vancouver Games, she had a vital role as Athlete Mentor. She mentored the Canadian athletes during the toughest two weeks of their lives, making sure they performed at their physical and mental peak. With a record Gold medal haul for Canada, it's safe to say she delivered beyond expectations. In her keynotes, McBean outlines her practical tips for performing under all sorts of pressures and deadlines, whatever the task. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Marnie McBean

March 4, 2010

		Giving Away Shoes and Remaking Retail Blake Mycoskie's company, TOMS Shoes, is one of Fast Company's most innovative retail companies
Fast Company has published its list of the ten most innovative companies in retail. This year, TOMS Shoes -- the company Blake Mycoskie started just 4 years ago -- was ranked #6, joining giants like Apple, Nike and Walmart. "Mycoskie has proven that his socially conscious one for one model" -- whereby TOMS gives a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair it sells -- "is more than just a novelty project." With over 400,000 pairs of shoes sold; successful shoe drops around the world; and a major media profile, including stories on CBS Evening News and Good Morning America, TOMS and Mycoskie have helped usher in a new era of conscious capitalism. They prove -- with both bottom line results and immense public good will -- that companies can be socially relevant and succeed financially. The two concepts, Mycoskie tells audiences, are deeply interconnected. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Blake Mycoskie

February 11, 2010

		The Jihadist Next Door How did a popular American teenager come to lead an Al-Qaeda-linked terror group. Pulitzer Prize winner Andrea Elliott investigates
In a recent New York Times Magazine cover story, Andrea Elliott looks into why a high school student in Alabama -- a cool kid who was president of his sophomore class -- came to lead an Al Qaeda-linked terror group. It's a thoughtful and sensitive look into the roots of domestic terrorism. In another investigative project for The Times last year, Elliott detailed how more than 20 Somali-Americans from the Minneapolis area -- including promising business school students -- left the States to join the militant Jihad in Somalia. In "The Jihadist Next Door: Understanding the Threat of Homegrown Terrorism," a new talk full of human tales and hard analysis, she discusses homegrown terrorism and why young Americans are being drawn to the movement now. To read Andrea Elliott's story, The Jihadist Next Door, click through to her speaker profile. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Andrea Elliott

February 7, 2010

		At Google, He Championed a Culture of Innovation Douglas Merrill provides a rare look into the innovative practices at one of the world's most admired companies
As Google's former Chief Information Officer, Douglas Merrill championed a relentless -- and relentlessly profitable -- culture of innovation. Innovation as strategy, as culture. One of his projects, Google Checkout, is now a multi-billion dollar project. In his fast-paced talks, Merrill pulls the curtain back at Google, and at other companies he's worked for, to show you how to build your own culture of innovation. How do you foster ideas in their infancy? What corporate and team structures drive innovation? Which ones get in the way? Many companies unknowing crush the innovative ideas that right under their noses, Merrill reminds us. With tips on everything from how to build the right teams to how to incorporate new technologies to boost -- and not detract from -- efficiency, Merrill offers a rare, high-level look at how the world's leading companies conpete. The Lavin Agency is pleased to welcome Douglas Merrill as our latest exclusive speaker. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Douglas Merrill

February 7, 2010

		Avatar: Nature as We Were Meant to See It James Cameron's 3D epic is a biologist's dream, swoons Carol Kaesuk Yoon
"James Cameron's otherworldly tale of romance and battle has somehow managed to do what no other film has done," Carol Kaesuk Yoon writes in a recent New York Times essay. "It has recreated what is the heart of biology: the naked, heart-stopping wonder of really seeing the living world." Yoon is a Times journalist who trained as a biologist. Her "ecstatic wonderment" toward Avatar is easy to understand. In her joyous new book, Naming Nature, she looks at our scientific quest to name life and, along the way, helps us relate more closely to the natural world. Naming Nature has been hailed as "revolutionary" by Publishers Weekly and as "a sensuous delight" by Oprah Magazine. On stage, Yoon, drawing on her book, looks at the clash between instinct and science. To read Carol Yoon's New York Times essay on Avatar, click through to her speaker profile. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Carol Kaesuk Yoon

January 20, 2010

		Glimmer: How Design is Reshaping Business, and the World What can designers teach us about creative problem-solving?
Design is often thought of as nothing more than style. But, as Warren Berger explains, thinking like a designer can help us overcome daunting challenges in business, the environment, and our daily lives. In his new book, Glimmer, Berger shares user-friendly principles that designers use to enliven innovation and the creative process -- principles that can be applied to nearly any business situation. Designers are masters of emphatic research. They unburden themselves from the curse of knowledge. And they see possibilities in the most unlikely of places. In lively, jargon-free prose, Berger recasts our understanding of design, and gives clear voice to a burgeoning and resoundingly hopeful movement. Design is not merely about making things. It's a way of looking at our world -- at business, at society -- with an eye toward changing it. The Lavin Agency is pleased to welcome Warren Berger as our latest exclusive speaker. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Warren Berger

January 11, 2010

		Why We Make Mistakes. And How To Do a Little Better Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph Hallinan reports on the captivating science of human error
Human beings are prone to error. It's as simple as that. Many otherwise lucid-thinking individuals make mistakes with alarming frequency. We are easily distracted. We make bad investments. We fail to see what's right in front of our eyes. And we forget things the minute we learn them. But it doesn't have to be this way. In keynotes customized for any audience, Joe Hallinan, author of Why We Make Mistakes, explains that some of the qualities that make us efficient also make us error-prone. How to prevent these errors--how to anticipate and then "outsmart" them--are at the heart of his engaging and interactive talks. The Lavin Agency is proud to announce Joseph Hallinan as our latest exclusive speaker. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Joseph Hallinan

December 22, 2009

		This Holiday, Lavin Gives Small Loans That Make a Big Difference In lieu of gifts, Lavin will help developing world entrepreneurs through Kiva
This holiday, The Lavin Agency is helping the world's working poor with microloans through Kiva.org. The world's premiere microlending community, Kiva has earned raves from Oprah, Bill Clinton and others, and recently passed $100 million in loans. It was co-founded by our new speaker, Jessica Jackley. Starting at just twenty-five dollars, each loan goes directly to a developing world entrepreneur, who then uses the money to grow their business, and to lift themselves out of poverty. (To be clear: this money is a loan, to be repaid; not charity.) In her energetic and pragmatic talks, Jackley gives fully articulated speeches on a variety of issues: innovative business models, viral marketing, micro-lending, personal growth, and economic development. At the core of Jackley's talks is an unwavering belief that good things--profoundly great things--can happen when we connect people in meaningful ways. To see the entrepreneurs we have lent to, and to make a microloan yourself, please click here. We wish all our clients and our speakers a wonderful holiday, and a happy new year! Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Jessica Jackley

December 18, 2009

		Scientist Jared Diamond on How Big Business Can Save the Planet The Guns, Germs and Steel author explores sustainable practices in corporate America
Are corporations such as Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola and Chevron unfairly criticized? Perhaps so. According to Pulitzer Prize winner Jared Diamond, these three companies, and many more, employ some of the best sustainable thinking on the planet. Wal-Mart uses its influence to reduce packaging among its suppliers. Coca-Cola--whose survival is tied to fresh water availability--has embraced water neutrality. And Chevron immaculately cares for its oil fields, preventing spills and boosting morale. In a far-ranging New York Times Op-Ed, Diamond, an initial skeptic of big business, draws out a persuasive argument. "Economic reasons furnish the strongest motives for sustainability, because in the long run (and often in the short run as well) it is much more expensive and difficult to try to fix problems, environmental or otherwise, than to avoid them at the outset." Diamond highlights corporate America's powerful response to the climate crisis in order to broaden—and to further—the most important discussion of our time. To read Jared Diamond's New York Times Op-Ed, "Will Big Business Save the Earth?," click through to his speaker profile. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Jared Diamond

December 17, 2009

		In War-Torn Sudan, a Miraculous School Emerges Valentino Deng--subject of Dave Eggers' What is the What--educates Sudanese children in a state-of-the-art facility
Valentino Deng, one of the millions displaced by civil war in Sudan, has opened a high school in his hometown of Marial Bai, where there is no electricity or running water. The school was built, from scratch, in just one year. Recently, New York Times columnist Nicolas Kristof wrote an op-ed praising the school as well as Deng's "resilience, compassion, and charity." (Deng is the subject of Dave Eggers' bestseller What is the What, a book that President Obama recently read and shared with his staff.) Kristof reminds us that, as the world's leaders ignore Sudan, and now Darfur, moral leadership has come instead "from university students and refugees like Valentino." A focus on educating more girls--and building them a dormitory--is next up for Deng; in Southern Sudan, a region with 8 million people, only 500 girls graduate annually from elementary school. After a life filled with both horrors and hope, Valentino Deng's real work has only now begun. To read Nicolas Kristof's New York Times Op-Ed, click through to the speaker link below. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Valentino Achak Deng

November 17, 2009

		Global Vertigo: Why Immigrant Children are Struggling to Adapt Marcelo Suarez-Orozco uncovers a strain of depression and dislocation among immigrant children
In a recent editorial, The New York Times writes of how we are failing the immigrant children who are struggling to adapt to their new homes, their new schools, their new lives. The editorial was inspired by the groundbreaking work of Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, the co-director of immigration studies at NYU, and the world's leading expert on globalization and immigration. For five years, he studied 400 newly arrived immigrant children from China, Mexico and South America, many of whom were separated from one or both of their parents. Most suffered from what he calls "global vertigo," a term referring to the feelings of isolation and depression found in immigrant children. Numbering 16 million, these children comprise one of the fastest growing demographics in America, and, as Suarez-Orozco reminds us, their future is our future. To read the editorial, click through to the speaker profile. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Marcelo Suarez-Orozco

November 13, 2009

		Running. For Their Lives On Oprah, and in a new book, Lisa Shannon recounts her journey to help Congolese women
Lisa Shannon is the founder of Run for Congo Women, the first national grassroots initiative to help women in the Congo, a country often called "the worst place on earth to be a woman." Shannon left behind a seemingly perfect life to start and grow a mass movement with little experience. It is this story of personal transformation that animates her keynotes. From her first lone 30-mile run in Portland to her trips to the Congo to her much-discussed appearance on Oprah, she explores the world's deadliest war through the intimate lens of friendship. Shannon shares the harrowing but hopeful stories of the unforgettable women--the sisters--she's met, making a powerful case for the empowerment of women worldwide. Her book, A Thousand Sisters, which has been compared to Three Cups of Tea, is due in April 2010. The Lavin Agency is pleased to welcome Lisa Shannon as our latest exclusive speaker. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Lisa Shannon

October 28, 2009

		Does Obama Make Us Want to Drink More Pepsi? In his new book, Chuck Klosterman makes outlandish (but accurate) pop culture connections
Why do fans always hate the latest album by their favorite band? Why do Americans, but not Germans, react so predictably to laugh tracks? Does Obama make you want to buy more Pepsi? What's up with Mad Men, and with a whole host of seemingly insignificant (but actually important) phenomenon? These are some of the questions Chuck Klosterman answers in his new book, Eating the Dinosaur. Klosterman is America's most popular cultural critic and the bestselling author of Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs. In related news: his memoir Fargo Rock City will soon be a major motion picture, with screenplay co-written by Craig Finn of indie band The Hold Steady. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Chuck Klosterman

October 28, 2009

		One on One with History's Newsmakers Peter Mansbridge collects his best interviews, from Brian Wilson to Barack Obama
In his new book, One on One: Favourite Conversations and the Stories Behind Them, Peter Mansbridge revisits some of the best interviews from his CBC Newsworld show. To read these probing, long-form interviews is to see a great interviewer--a curious mind--at his peak. For the book, Mansbridge has written new introductions and conclusions that offer a rare, candid glimpse into the workings of modern media culture. Including conversations with Diana Krall, the Dalai Lama, Sidney Crosby, and Conrad Black, One on One is occasionally funny and always intriguing--a thoughtful summation of the last ten years of newsmakers. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Peter Mansbridge

October 19, 2009

		Amelia Earhart Takes Flight for a New Generation Mira Nair's Amelia, starring Hilary Swank, re-examines an American legend, and mystery
Seven decades after becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart--one of America's first (and most enduring) celebrities--is the talk of a nation once again. At the core of this fresh wave of interest is the new film Amelia, starring Hilary Swank and directed by Mira Nair. In the film, Nair explores one of her classic themes: how a talented outsider overcomes stereotypes to achieve success on her own terms. Nair's most high profile movie to date, Amelia captures a time when the concept of celebrity (much less flight) was not yet ubiquitous--a time when our nation could be held in collective wonderment by the achievements of one pathbreaking proto-feminist. The film opens nationwide tonight, Friday, October 23. Click on the speaker link to view the trailer. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Mira Nair

October 17, 2009

		What's Wrong with What We Eat? New York Times columnist Mark Bittman helps us rethink our relationship to food
In America, the overproduction and overconsumption of nutritionally worthless food is wrecking havoc on both personal and planetary health. In his book Food Matters, which reached #7 on the New York Times bestseller list, Mark Bittman draws the links between diet and global warming. He takes to task various food-related industries, and shows us how, with simple adjustments, we can greatly improve our health while drastically reducing our personal impact on the environment. Bittman writes The New York Times' popular food column, The Minimalist. He also hosts a variety of shows on PBS, frequently appears on NBC's The Today Show, and is the author of How to Cook Everything, a staple in millions of American kitchens. The Lavin Agency is proud to welcome Mark Bittman as our latest exclusive speaker. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Mark Bittman

October 2, 2009

		In Grade School, Extraordinary Kids Are Made, Not Born More "required reading" from Rafe Esquith, America's most celebrated teacher
With his bestseller Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire, Rafe Esquith invited us into his extraordinary classroom in a gang-infested Los Angeles neighborhood where, for 12 hours a day, six day a week, his students learn about the pleasures of hard work and Shakespeare. The book cemented his reputation as "the most influential school teacher in America" (Washington Post). His new book, Lighting Their Fires, may be even better. It show us, definitively, that extraordinary children are made, not born. Framed by a trip to a baseball game, Esquith, in his deceptively simple, humorous tone, espouses practical and fun tips for helping kids grow their minds, make better decisions, build character and develop enriching lives. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Rafe Esquith

September 9, 2009

		"The Informant" Projects Corporate Scandal Onto the Big Screen A transformed Matt Damon stars in the movie version of Kurt Eichenwald's classic book
With corporate scandals taking down America's financial sector -- and our savings -- Kurt Eichenwald's work, which has uncovered fraud at the highest levels of corporate America, is again in the spotlight. Perhaps best known for his bestselling book on Enron, Eichenwald first broke onto the scene with The Informant, which follows the price-fixing scandal at Archer Daniels Midland -- in particular, one of its executives, who became the highest level FBI informant in U.S. history. The book was named one of the best non-fiction books of the decade by The New York Times. The movie version, directed by Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich) and starring a physically-transformed Matt Damon, will be released on September 18th. To view the trailer, click on Eichenwald's speaker link below. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Kurt Eichenwald

September 7, 2009

		Why 350 is the Most Important Number in the World Bill McKibben, a leader of the environmental movement, stages a worldwide day of action
Bill McKibben is a prescient environmental author, a man who puts the "active" into activist. Many consider him the father of the modern environmental movement. His 1989 book, The End of Nature, was the first book on global warming for a mass audience. Deep Economy, a more recent title, brought the idea of localized economies into the national conversation. This October 24th, as part of his 350 Organization (350.org), McKibben will hold the International Day of Climate Action, an unprecedented event that will feature thousands of gatherings around the world dedicated to getting world leaders to drastically reduce carbon emissions. In anticipation, McKibben recently visited The Colbert Report. Click on his speaker link to watch the full interview. The Lavin Agency is proud to announce Bill McKibben as our latest exclusive speaker. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Bill McKibben

September 6, 2009

		Exploiting Chaos: Innovation and Opportunity in Times of Crisis A new book, bursting with ideas, puts Jeremy Gutsche into the top rank of business authors
Riding a wave of pre-release hype that made it Amazon.com's #1 pre-order title in both Creativity and Entrepreneurship, and earning rave reviews from Seth and Guy Kawasaki, Jeremy Gutsche's Exploiting Chaos is finally out. And in terms of layout, attitude, provocation, and insight, it's unlike any other business book of 2009. Visually stunning and highly readable, Chaos shows how iconic companies such as GE and FedEx have achieved tremendous success in times of crisis and recession. Dan Pink (A Whole New Mind) calls the book "a rousing battle cry for the kind of creative, risky thinking that is most needed in times of change." To read chapter one for free, click through to Gutsche's speaker's page. Get More Information About Speaking Engagements For Jeremy Gutsche

With all of Canada watching, how did our athletes keep their composure? Three-time Gold medalist Marnie McBean explains.

Blake Mycoskie's company, TOMS Shoes, is one of Fast Company's most innovative retail companies

How did a popular American teenager come to lead an Al-Qaeda-linked terror group. Pulitzer Prize winner Andrea Elliott investigates

Douglas Merrill provides a rare look into the innovative practices at one of the world's most admired companies

James Cameron's 3D epic is a biologist's dream, swoons Carol Kaesuk Yoon

What can designers teach us about creative problem-solving?

Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph Hallinan reports on the captivating science of human error

In lieu of gifts, Lavin will help developing world entrepreneurs through Kiva

The Guns, Germs and Steel author explores sustainable practices in corporate America

Valentino Deng--subject of Dave Eggers' What is the What--educates Sudanese children in a state-of-the-art facility

Marcelo Suarez-Orozco uncovers a strain of depression and dislocation among immigrant children

On Oprah, and in a new book, Lisa Shannon recounts her journey to help Congolese women

In his new book, Chuck Klosterman makes outlandish (but accurate) pop culture connections

Peter Mansbridge collects his best interviews, from Brian Wilson to Barack Obama

Mira Nair's Amelia, starring Hilary Swank, re-examines an American legend, and mystery

New York Times columnist Mark Bittman helps us rethink our relationship to food

More "required reading" from Rafe Esquith, America's most celebrated teacher

A transformed Matt Damon stars in the movie version of Kurt Eichenwald's classic book

Bill McKibben, a leader of the environmental movement, stages a worldwide day of action

A new book, bursting with ideas, puts Jeremy Gutsche into the top rank of business authors