Deborah Gardner

From Olympic Trial swimmer to one of the first female broadcasters with CBS Sports to Mrs. America to a six-time bestselling author to being a professional channel swimmer, Deborah Gardner knows how to lead, compete, and WIN! Today, she’s a sought-after global keynote speaker, competitive performance expert, and CEO of DG International. Through her real-life, first-hand experiences, failures, and successes, she inspires audiences worldwide with their own ACTIONABLE experiences with humor, heart, and no fluff. Let’s just say she has mastered the art of unlocking human potential and turning ambition into real-world results.

Better known as the Pit Bull in a Skirt by Fortune 500 giants, Gardner brings her relatable, fun, high-energy interactive programs that draw from real-life adventures while growing up in a 16-ft trailer, crashing a wedding (on purpose!), operating three businesses, and becoming the oldest woman to swim the 21-mile Catalina Channel, earning her a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. Other accolades include being named one of the Top 30 Global Hospitality Gurus, a Top 50 Successful Meetings Woman Leader, and one of the Top 75 Keynote Speakers Worldwide. She has also been recognized on the Eventex Top 100 Most Influential People in Events list, honored as both Mrs. Arizona and Mrs. America, and featured among Arizona’s Fabulous Women to Watch, among many others.

An energy shifter, Gardner's signature topics include Own Your Lane, Lead Ambitiously, Be Ambitiously You, and more. Her presentations are highly interactive and inspiring, sparking creativity, courage, and action. Audiences don’t just leave motivated; they leave transformed, think bigger, act bolder, and are ready to get off the block and GO!