I'm Jess Ekstrom and I'm On a Mission to Help You Create MOTIVATION That Lasts

Why? Because after starting two 7-figure social empires that have helped millions of women and girls, I realized our intrinsic motivation is the key to making change happen.

STANDING OVATIONS FROM:

I live by three words: INSPIRATION FROM FRUSTRATION.

Whenever something feels broken, unsustainable, or unfair, I can’t help but ask a different question: What if there’s a better way? That question has shaped my work as a social entrepreneur, speaker, and author for more than a decade.

In 2012, that frustration turned into a $300 idea and a company called Headbands of Hope, created to support kids facing serious illnesses. What started small grew into a global brand that has donated millions of headbands worldwide, partnered with the NBA and WNBA, and is sold nationwide in Kohl’s stores.

Along the way, I found myself increasingly drawn to the why behind success, not just the outcome. How do we stay motivated when the work is hard? How do we keep going when the finish line keeps moving?

Those questions led me to the stage.

Today, I’m a Forbes Top-Rated Speaker, delivering keynotes for organizations like Netflix, Canva, Zappos, Edward Jones, Chick fil A, Circle K and more. My work focuses on internal motivation that lasts, not external hype that fades, helping audiences rethink success, pressure, and what it means to keep showing up in a world where we’re never really “done.”

While I love being on stage, my career has never been just about me. In 2018, I founded Mic Drop Workshop®, a company dedicated to helping more women share their ideas as paid public speakers and authors, because the world is better when more voices are heard.

I’m also a bestselling author of Chasing the Bright Side and Create Your Bright Ideas. My work has been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Vanity Fair, Forbes, People, QVC, and in a global Canva campaign that followed me running my business from an Airstream on the road.

My work is always rooted in my real life. On stage, you’ll hear research and case studies, but you’ll mostly hear personal stories (the good and the bad) that led me to where I’m at today. I’m married to my college sweetheart, raising two kids in Raleigh, North Carolina. You’ll usually find us hiking, playing Monopoly Deal, or cheering on the NC State Wolfpack.

The throughline in everything I do, on stage and off, is simple: progress doesn’t come from chasing the next finish line. It comes from learning how to stay motivated while you’re still in motion.

Jess’ new book #1 on Inc.

"Making It Without Losing It" Named #1 on Inc.'s Booklist

#1 on Inc.’s Booklist for 5 books to Help Leaders Avoid Burnout on the Journey to Success

Jess Ekstrom named to Inc.'s Female Founders 500 list

For launching the first AI public speaking agent and establishing a women’s public speaking meetup in 35 cities.

The Female Founders 500 list comprises accomplished female founders from 500 organizations, including public and private companies and nonprofits from the U.S. and (for the first time) other countries as well. Inc.’s editorial team reviewed and scored each founder, evaluating their organizations success and their impact as a leader.

Watch Jess’ Canva Commercial!

Jess Ekstrom's story is a great example of how pursuing your entrepreneurial passion and being a force for good can lead to extraordinary things!

ZACH KITSCHKE
Canva CMO

When I was in college, I interned at a wish-granting organization for kids with life-threatening illnesses. I discovered that a lot of kids losing their hair to chemotherapy loved to wear headbands after hair loss, but they were only given wigs and hats. I searched Google to see if there was any business or organization donating headbands to kids with cancer and came up dry.

So I thought: WHY NOT ME?

I could figure this out- I can give headbands to kids with cancer.

So I started Headbands of Hope. For every headband sold, one is donated to a child with cancer. After a few missed swings, running in circles, a loan from a family member, losing that loan to a fraudulent manufacturer which turned into a lawsuit, crickets on the other end when I launched it…

Headbands of Hope was born!

Hey, I never said things were easy, but they should be worth it.

Now, Headbands of Hope has been endorsed by celebrities like Lauren Conrad, Khloe Kardashian, a bunch of people from the Bachelor franchise (because I’m obsessed with that show). We’ve been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, The View, and I’m a regular guest on QVC.

But most importantly, we’ve donated over 650,000 headbands to kids with illnesses all over the world.

But none of this would have happened if I didn’t have two things:

As Headbands of Hope grew, so did my story.

So now,

I like to help women

move past the slice of pizza and get paid as professional speakers and authors. I do this through:

Prompted

my guided online journaling service for doers

Business on the Bright Side

my top 25 entrepreneurship podcast

My online courses

for women to learn how to tell & sell their story through public speaking and book publishing

Make a Living, Make a Difference

You should know I believe that:

An inclusive world is a better world here are some free email templates I created for speakers to refer women of color for the next speaking event.

Everything I create is to help women monetize their story and feel good about what they have to offer the world.

I’ll leave you with my values that myself and my team believe in. Because I’m not just some influencer on the internet that promises you the world and doesn’t give a crap after your card is swiped.

Take one step in my community and you’ll see I’m here to do one thing: help you make a living and make a difference at the same time.

Sometimes the home-run product you're looking to launch, is the story you already have.
I am here to help you tell it.

My guided online journaling service for people who DO