Keynote speaker · Author · Leadership mentor

Keynotes That Develop Leaders Who Develop Others.

Chad Reelfs combines real operating experience, personal vulnerability, memorable storytelling, and practical tools to help organizations close the mentorship gap, strengthen culture, and multiply leadership. Every message is shaped around your audience, event goals, and the change you want to create in the room.

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Founding employee at SojernHelped scale from 5 to 600+ employeesContributed to a $250M company exit20+ years of leadership experienceJohn Maxwell & Ryan Leak Trained & Endorsed SpeakerJon Gordon Certified Coach and TrainerFounder of Ads Value & Legacy BeyondCo-Founder of Lead Different: Legacy Beyond

Trusted by

Maxwell LeadershipThe Jon Gordon CompaniesMontgomery CompaniesHCS

Watch Chad in action

Energy that engages. Vulnerability that connects.

Chad moves audiences from humor to honesty, from reflection to responsibility, and from inspiration to a clear next step.

Chad is energetic, fun, and contagious. He genuinely enjoys the audience, and because of that, the audience enjoys him. From the moment he walked on stage, he connected with the room through a strong opening, clear goals, vulnerability, openness, and honesty. Chad allows people to see his humanness, and that is what makes him such an effective communicator. He is the kind of speaker people immediately like, and I would sit and listen to him speak any day.
— John C. Maxwell
Chad has a rare ability to move an audience from laughter to deep vulnerability and back again. His humor, timing, energy, and authenticity allow him to connect with people in a powerful way. What impressed me most was that the same energy and character Chad brought to the stage was the same person he was offstage. It was a phenomenal talk from a phenomenal human being, and I believe God is bringing a new wave of influence his way.
— Ryan Leak
Chad Reelfs speaking on stage at the Lead Different Experience in Omaha, with full stage lighting and a large screen behind him
Lead Different Experience · Omaha

What audiences leave with

More than inspiration. A clear next step.

Chad’s audiences leave ready to:

  • Recognize the leadership or mentorship gap limiting their organization
  • Develop people instead of merely managing performance
  • Strengthen trust, alignment, accountability, and ownership
  • Take one practical step to invest intentionally in someone else

Signature keynotes

Find the right message for your audience.

Chad does not force the same presentation into every room. Each message is customized around the audience, event goals, organizational culture, and desired outcome.

How to Keep Our Humanity in All This AI Insanity

AI is not only a technology shift. It is a leadership test.

Ideal for: Corporate teams, executives, sales and marketing organizations, innovation conferences, and companies navigating rapid change.

AI is changing how people work, communicate, create, and make decisions. It is also reshaping culture, trust, judgment, and human connection.

Chad helps organizations approach AI with curiosity and confidence without surrendering the responsibilities that must remain human.

Audiences will learn to

  • Lead people through rapid technological change
  • Protect trust and culture in an AI-driven workplace
  • Clarify where human judgment and responsibility still matter most

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Vision Carriers

How great leaders multiply vision, create alignment, and build momentum.

Ideal for: Executive retreats, leadership conferences, sales kickoffs, company offsites, entrepreneur events, and leadership-development programs.

Most organizations do not struggle because they lack vision. They struggle because too few people know how to carry it.

Drawing from helping scale Sojern from 5 employees to more than 600, Chad shows audiences how to move from criticism and confusion to alignment, ownership, and execution.

Audiences will learn to

  • Become vision carriers instead of vision critics
  • Translate organizational direction into daily action
  • Build trust and move forward when every detail is not yet clear

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From Comfort to Calling

When success looks good but something still feels missing.

Ideal for: Churches, men’s events, Christian business leaders, leadership retreats, faith-based organizations, and values-driven audiences.

Many leaders are successful, respected, responsible, and faithful, yet they know they are playing it safe.

In this deeply personal and faith-forward keynote, Chad draws from his journey through achievement, failure, surrender, restoration, and renewed purpose.

He challenges audiences to recognize when comfort has become a cage and take a courageous step toward greater obedience, growth, and impact.

Audiences will learn to

  • Identify where comfort may be limiting growth
  • Separate personal identity from professional achievement
  • Take one clear and courageous next step

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Become The Mentor You Wish You Had

A blueprint for intentional mentorship.

Ideal for: Colleges, universities, young professionals, emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, founders, churches, and mentorship initiatives.

Many leaders know they should invest in others but do not know where to begin.

Based on Chad’s book, Become The Mentor You Wish You Had: A Blueprint For Mentorship, this keynote removes the belief that mentoring requires a formal title, perfect expertise, or a complicated program.

The challenge is simple. Do not wait for the mentor you never had. Become the mentor someone else needs.

Audiences will learn to

  • Understand the difference between influence and mentorship
  • Begin mentoring without a formal title
  • Build meaningful mentoring relationships with clarity and consistency

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Specialty keynote

Mentorship Multiplies Leadership & Culture

Leadership shapes organizations. Mentorship shapes the leaders who will run them.

Experienced leaders want to invest in the next generation. Emerging leaders want guidance but often do not know how to find it or receive it well.

The result is a mentorship gap that affects engagement, retention, culture, and succession. Chad equips mentors and mentees in the same room, giving both sides practical tools to begin building stronger developmental relationships.

Ideal for: Leadership conferences, company-wide events, HR and L&D teams, multigenerational organizations, universities, and emerging-leader programs.

Audiences will learn to

  • Turn mentorship from a good intention into a leadership habit
  • Develop future leaders without creating another complicated program
  • Strengthen engagement, retention, and succession

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Not sure which message fits?

Choose the change you want to create.

Desired changeRecommended keynote
Leadership development, retention and successionMentorship Multiplies Leadership & Culture
Alignment, ownership and executionVision Carriers
Courage, identity and callingFrom Comfort to Calling
Intentional mentorshipBecome The Mentor You Wish You Had
Human leadership during technological changeHow to Keep Our Humanity in All This AI Insanity

Chad will recommend the strongest fit based on the audience and outcome you describe.

If another message, or another speaker, would serve the room better, he will tell you.

Help Me Choose the Right Keynote

Customized for your room

Shaped for your people. Not pulled off a shelf.

Before the event, Chad works to understand:

  • Who will be in the room
  • What the audience is navigating
  • What the organization wants to strengthen
  • What people should think, feel, and do differently afterward

Stories, examples, frameworks, and takeaways are then adapted around that context.

Messages can be delivered in broadly applicable corporate language, explicitly faith-forward language, or a thoughtful combination of both.

Available formats

  • Conference keynotes
  • Company-wide presentations
  • Executive and leadership-team sessions
  • Interactive workshops
  • Keynote-and-workshop combinations
  • Church, men’s-event, and retreat messages
  • Virtual presentations

Discuss the Right Experience

Why Chad

Built under real pressure. Refined through real life.

Chad brings more than leadership theory to the stage.

He helped scale a global company from 5 employees to more than 600 and contributed to a $250 million exit. He understands the pressure of growth, the challenge of transferring leadership, and what happens when culture and people development fail to keep pace.

He also speaks honestly about personal failure, marriage restoration, faith, accountability, and the mentors who helped him rebuild his life.

That combination allows Chad to connect with both:

The leader responsible for the organization, and the person behind the title.

Learn More About Chad

For event planners

Questions you may be asking.

Every presentation begins with the audience and desired outcome. Chad adapts the stories, examples, language, and application around your organization and event.

Yes. Chad serves corporate, association, university, church, and faith-based audiences. The level of explicit faith language is discussed during planning and shaped appropriately for the room.

Yes. Selected messages can be extended into workshops, executive conversations, leadership-team sessions, or keynote-and-workshop experiences.

The earlier the better, especially for major conferences and travel dates. However, submit the inquiry even when the event is approaching so availability can be confirmed.

Chad personally reviews the opportunity. You will receive an availability update, an honest assessment of fit, and a recommended next step.

The booking process

From first conversation to final applause.

01

Tell Chad About the Room

Share the event date, audience, leadership challenge, preferred format, and what you want to shift.

02

Confirm Fit and Shape the Message

Chad personally reviews the opportunity, recommends the strongest message, and works with your team to customize the experience.

03

Create a Moment That Leads to Action

Chad delivers an engaging, practical, and personal message designed to create immediate connection and lasting application.

Check Chad’s availability

Give your people a message that outlasts the event.

Tell us about your audience, date, leadership challenge, and the change you want to create in the room.

Our team reviews each opportunity. You will receive an availability update, an honest assessment of fit, and a recommended next step.

Speaking Inquiry

We will review your event details and respond with availability and the strongest next step.

Final word

Tell Chad about the room, and what you want to change in it.

The right message should do more than fill a time slot.

It should help people see differently, lead differently, and take meaningful action when they return to the people they influence.

Check Chad’s Availability