iO Wright

This keynote is an expanded version of iO’s hit TED talk “Fifty Shades Of Gay”. In it he uses his life story as the thread leading the listener through a journey discussing sexuality and gender, the fluidity of both, and the importance of loving and allowing people to be who they really are. iO uses LGBTQ+ issues to draw a larger connection to any issue people might be facing in dealing with the unfamiliar in those they care about.

His approach is warm, and funny, allowing listeners to feel safe in what they might not know, inviting them in, rather than scolding them for their lack of experience. This talk is perfect for anyone looking for LGBTQ+ topics generally, trying to educate their audience, or encouraging diversity and inclusion on a broader scale.

This talk has been a smash hit with large and small crowds alike. The Pure Romance World conference resulted in a standing ovation from 5000 attendees, and the same talk turned into an intimate discussion with students at Stanford, where a number of them started to shift their perspectives on their own identities. In all cases, Fifty Shades is the perfect arena for a hilarious, self-deprecating, educational inspiration experience.

This keynote is a reminder that sometimes things go sideways. Change can be incredibly uncomfortable, confusing and even painful, but in the end, it’s all for a good reason.

Using his life story, with big dreams as a child actor, and as a survivor of neglect, iO weaves a funny, honest thread of hope and resilience, and the power of shifting your perspective. This talk is inspiring and calming, because it strikes to the core of what we all fear: change and failure. Listeners will come away with tangible tools for morphing “change” into “opportunity”.

This talk is especially impactful with young people (high school, college, graduate school), or those at the beginning of a journey. It has inspired thousands of listeners to shift their perspective on “tragedies” and look at them as building blocks, because…sometimes the old house has to burn down for you to build the home you actually love living in.

This talk looks at how we are hard wired to stick to what we’re used to, and how that hinders our creativity, innovation and decision making, personally, creatively and in business. Like Tim Ferris says, ‘you can’t live an exciting life with the E brake on’.

This talk delves into the power of leaders who break the mold and blaze a path by not sticking to the familiar.

For centuries, we have been conditioned to be biased and prejudiced. It’s not our fault that we grow up with that mentality based on what we learn and observe around us, but the good news is, there is a lot we can do to change it.

In this talk iO looks at how we are hard wired to favor those who look and sound like us, why our work and lives improve when we change that, and how we can each do that in our daily lives without dropping everything and turning to a life of activism.

In this talk iO uses his life story to discuss the importance of doing what you’re made to do – finding your most authentic self, and the flourishing successes that follow. We’re told that we are meant to find our one path in life, and stick to it, but that path has many off roads, and that’s fantastic!

In this inspiring talk listeners learn to embrace their particular gifts and the brilliance they can achieve when they dive into their gifts, rather than telling themselves their gifts aren’t worthy of attention.

Too often we are told that there is one path in life, and one iteration of our future selves. We need to go to college, get a job, get married, have babies, buy a house, die. How depressing and old fashioned. We are in the era of the polymath!

This is the age of the internet, fast travel, and only some of us are taking advantage of it. The only thing standing in the way of our transformative power as creators and innovators is our belief in ourselves.

In this talk we dive into the power of exploration, of doing many things, and the brilliant entrepreneurs and minds that have innovated and changed our world by becoming experts in many areas. Our potential is not wasted when we shift career focus, it comes with us.

Everyone dreams of doing work that makes them happy and coming home to a life they love, but too often we’re made to believe that to have a meaningful life, we have to sacrifice our own comfort. That’s not true! You can do work that makes you happy, AND have a nice car.

In this talk iO uses his own story of overcoming paralyzing fears of failure to finding his authentic voice, and the joy and successes that followed. He’ll take listeners on a journey through their own dream lives, and tell them the story of how he built his, including literally building a house, using Pinterest and YouTube.

They will leave encouraged that their skills and passions matter, and that their dreams are attainable. You’ll discuss practical steps toward visualizing, selling(/buying), and actualizing their visions, both in work, and their home lives and they’ll leave abuzz with possibility. A happier person, makes for a happier organization, and happy people make for greater innovation