Competitive Performance Expert, Author & Former Olympic Trials Swimmer
Deborah Gardner Biography
Better known by many Fortune 500 companies as "the pit bull in a skirt," Deborah Gardner is a competitive performance expert, entrepreneur, researcher, author, emcee, broadcaster, and professional swimmer. She is recognized as a global keynote speaker known for her high-energy and engaging approach. Additionally, Gardner is a bestselling author of five books and a former Olympic Trials swimmer, the first female broadcaster at CBS Sports, and former hotel sales executive.
With a career spanning over three decades, Gardner’s extensive experience as a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and entrepreneur translates into powerful keynote presentations, teaching audiences how to move beyond obstacles to become champions of business. Her business accomplishments include recognition as a CNN Top 75 Keynote Speaker, Meetings Today Top 20 Meetings Trendsetters 2021, Smart Meetings Top 50 Smart Women Leaders, and Meetings Mean Business Ambassador. She is also a Mrs. Arizona 2020 and Mrs. America 2022 titleholder. Gardner's contributions extend beyond speaking; she has initiated the first-ever International Hospitality Women's Day and serves as the founder and host of "Hospitality Today Live," a top 15% podcast in the podcast world.
Gardner offers highly interactive and entertaining programs designed to support individuals and organizations during times of transformation. She is adept at hosting and moderating large-scale live and virtual events, with extensive television and radio experience that enhances her ability to engage with diverse audiences, including sales teams and CEOs. Residing in Arizona with her husband, Jerry, and their dog, Bear, Gardner continues to be a sought-after speaker for her insights in leadership, culture, resilience, and performance, making her a valuable asset for anyone looking to enhance their personal or business life.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Deborah Gardner and other top speakers and celebrities.
Deborah Gardner Speaking Topics
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Own Your Lane™
In a world where burnout is the badge and chaos is the norm, traditional leadership just doesn’t cut it. The proven Own Your Lane™ is the bold reset your audience needs—an interactive, high-energy keynote that transforms how leaders think, act, and lead. Deborah Gardner, a fierce competitor and captivating storyteller, introduces a powerful new framework rooted in self-competitiveness, courage, and authentic leadership. Perfect for organizations facing change, burnout, or culture shifts, this isn’t just a keynote—it’s a mindset revolution. If you want your people to show up energized, engaged, and ready to take bold action, Deborah is the spark that ignites it all.
Perfect for organizations that want to:
- Energize engagement with a fresh, people-first approach to leadership.
- Master mindset agility to thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
- Ignite bold culture through connection, creativity, and fearless collaboration.
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About the Streamline Method
As a lifelong professional swimmer, Deborah Gardner learned the power of momentum. When you dive into a 50-meter pool, you face over 660,000 gallons of water resistance. However, by using a technique called streamlining, a swimmer can reduce the force of resistance. This is so effective, swimming competitions limit this technique to the first 15 meters of a race.
Throughout her career, Deborah learned you can harness the same momentum gained by using streamlining in business—and life. Today, she speaks around the world teaching organizations how to move beyond obstacles and remove friction. The result, a proactive team that achieves goals.
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How do I book Deborah Gardner to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Deborah Gardner for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Deborah Gardner, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Deborah Gardner or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Deborah Gardner
Speaking fees for Deborah Gardner, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Deborah Gardner are $30,000 - $50,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Deborah Gardner, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Deborah Gardner speak about?
Deborah Gardner is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Athlete, Business, Business Leadership, Change Management, Corporate Culture, Female Leadership, Hospitality, Human Resources, Inspirational, Motivational, Negotiation, Olympic Athlete, Peak Performance, Sales, Sports Motivation, Swimming & Diving, Teamwork & Teambuilding, Women, Women in Business -
Where does Deborah Gardner travel from?
Deborah Gardner generally travels from Phoenix, AZ, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is Deborah Gardner’s agent?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Deborah Gardner for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Deborah Gardner for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Deborah Gardner or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Deborah Gardner is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Own Your Lane™, About the Streamline Method, Streamline Into Action, Streamline for Effective Teams, Cracking the Action Code and Streamline for Leadership Collaboration. The estimated speaking fee range to book Deborah Gardner for your event is $30,000 - $50,000. Deborah Gardner generally travels from Phoenix, AZ, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Cheryl Cran, Dr. Jackie Freiberg, Donna Orender, Erica Dhawan and Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Deborah Gardner for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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