Erik Qualman
5x #1 Bestselling Author | AI & Digital Leadership Keynote Speaker | Professor, Northwestern University | 60+ Countries
Mariana Atencio
Peabody Award-Winning Journalist | Bestselling Author, Perfectly You | Top 10 TEDx Speaker | Forbes 2025 Most Creative People in Business
Mariana Atencio is a Peabody Award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and one of the top 10 most-watched TEDx speakers on YouTube, with over 20 million views in 13 languages. Named to Forbes España's 2025 Most Creative People in Business, she has spoken for Microsoft, JPMorgan, the UN, and AT&T, and her podcast Lost in Panama hit Apple's top 10. She speaks on authenticity, resilience, and leading through change.
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Mariana Atencio biography
Mariana Atencio is a Peabody Award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the world. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, she left her country during the Chávez era after participating in student protests for democracy and was assaulted in an armed robbery — arriving in the United States on a full-merit scholarship to the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she earned her master’s degree in broadcast journalism. Her journey from political exile to national network correspondent became the foundation of a message that has reached over 20 million people: what makes you different is what makes you special.
Motivational speaker Mariana Atencio is best known for her TEDx talk “What Makes You Special?” — one of the top 10 most-watched TEDx talks on YouTube, translated into 13 languages, with over 20 million views. She built her journalism career first at Univision in Spanish, winning a Peabody Award and an IRE Award for the investigative documentary “Fast and Furious: Arming the Enemy,” then crossed over to English-language television as a national correspondent for NBC News. Her investigative field work on immigration, cartel violence, Latin America, and women’s and migrants’ rights earned her three Emmy nominations, a Hillman Prize, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Presidential Award. In the course of her broadcast career, she has reported from Haiti, the Syrian border, and China, and has interviewed Pope Francis, President Biden, King Felipe VI of Spain, José Andrés, Yuval Noah Harari, and Francis Ford Coppola.
Her bestselling book, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real, published by HarperCollins and selected by Audible and Apple Books, is part memoir, part actionable guide — a call to unlock personal and professional potential by leaning into authenticity rather than away from it. In 2022, she launched Lost in Panama, an investigative true crime podcast series documenting the disappearance of two young women in the jungle, which cracked an eight-year-old cold case and uncovered 40 previously unreported missing women in the region. It debuted on Apple Podcasts’ top 10 list. People magazine described her storytelling platform as “a media empire.”
Recognition, Mission, and Life on the Global Stage
Forbes España named Atencio to its 2025 Most Creative People in Business list. She is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a board member of the future Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, D.C., and has headlined Foreign Policy magazine’s HerPower summit on gender inequality in the Americas. Her work has been featured on the BBC, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and HBO. Columbia University honored her with the First Decade Award for her journalism career, and her production company GoLike has secured partnerships with Wells Fargo, McDonald’s, National Geographic, and the U.S. Census Bureau — named by Hello Magazine as one of the 100 most powerful Latina businesses.
As a speaker, Mariana Atencio brings an extraordinary combination of warmth, storytelling mastery, and real journalistic credibility to every stage. She has spoken for Microsoft, JPMorgan, Citibank, LinkedIn, Spotify, Nasdaq, Bacardi, AT&T, and the United Nations, consistently earning standing ovations and extraordinary client feedback. She speaks on authenticity and the power of being real, resilience and leading through change, diversity and belonging as competitive advantages, and the art of communicating with confidence and empathy. Every keynote is custom-crafted — not a template, but a transformative experience built for each audience.
Mariana Atencio Speaking Videos
Mariana Atencio - What makes you special?
Mariana Atencio - Virtual Keynote Speaker Reel
Mariana Atencio Keynote Topics
In an age of curated personas, AI-generated content, and relentless pressure to conform, authenticity has never been more scarce — or more powerful. In this signature keynote, Mariana Atencio draws on her personal story of leaving Venezuela, arriving in America feeling profoundly different, and discovering that the traits she tried hardest to hide were the ones that made her extraordinary. Through her "Perfectly You Method," she equips audiences with a practical framework for unlocking individual and organizational potential by embracing what makes each person genuinely unique — not despite it, but because of it. Attendees leave with concrete tools for building trust, deepening engagement, and showing up with the kind of authenticity that attracts great people and produces great results.
The most effective leaders in times of disruption are not those with the most information or the most certainty — they are those whose teams trust them enough to follow. In this keynote, Mariana Atencio introduces the four pillars of authentic leadership she developed through a decade of reporting on crisis, resilience, and transformation across four continents: unyielding courage, dynamic agility, powerful communication, and an unwavering growth mindset. Drawing on interviews with Pope Francis, heads of state, CEOs, and communities rebuilding after catastrophe, she shows leaders how to build cultures of psychological safety, communicate with empathy and clarity through uncertainty, and unite diverse teams around shared purpose — so that when change comes, and it will, the organization is ready.
The organizations that are best positioned to thrive in the decade ahead are those that have learned to harness the full spectrum of human experience — and that requires more than a diversity statement. It requires belonging. In this keynote, Mariana Atencio — the first Latina national correspondent at NBC News and a spokesperson for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino — explores the business case for genuine inclusion, the specific leadership behaviors that build or destroy belonging, and the cultural shifts that allow diverse teams to perform at their best. Through storytelling, evidence, and interactive exercises including her signature "Your Top 3s," she helps audiences discover and celebrate what makes each person irreplaceable — and what that means for the organizations they are part of.
In a world of information overload, attention scarcity, and AI-generated content, the ability to communicate with real clarity, conviction, and human warmth is the rarest and most valuable skill a leader can have. In this high-impact keynote, Mariana Atencio shares the investigative journalism tools and storytelling techniques she developed across fifteen years of live television, field reporting, and global stage performance — and shows how they apply directly to the way leaders communicate with their teams, their clients, and the world. Drawing on her "5 W's" framework and her own experience communicating under pressure in some of the most challenging environments on earth, she gives audiences a repeatable system for cutting through noise, landing a message, and connecting with any audience — in any format.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Mariana Atencio
Why Mariana Atencio?
Booking Mariana Atencio means bringing one of the most compelling and credentialed voices on authenticity, resilience, and leadership to your event — a Peabody Award-winning journalist, TEDx phenomenon with over 20 million views, and bestselling author whose personal story of leaving Venezuela with nothing and becoming a national network correspondent is as powerful as any framework she teaches. Forbes España named her among the 2025 Most Creative People in Business, People magazine called her platform "a media empire," and organizations from Microsoft and Citibank to the United Nations keep bringing her back because her talks don't just inspire — they change how people show up. Her keynotes are fully custom-built for each client and delivered with a broadcaster's command of the room. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check Mariana Atencio's availability and speaking fees.
What is Mariana Atencio's TEDx talk about?
Mariana Atencio's TEDx talk, "What Makes You Special?", is one of the top 10 most-watched TEDx talks ever on YouTube, with over 20 million views and translations into 13 languages. It draws on her personal story of arriving in the United States from Venezuela feeling profoundly different — in language, background, and appearance — and the realization that the qualities that made her feel out of place were precisely the ones that made her exceptional as a journalist and as a human being. The talk delivers a universal message: what makes you different is what makes you special, and authenticity is not a soft skill — it is a competitive advantage for individuals and organizations alike.
What awards has Mariana Atencio won as a journalist?
Mariana Atencio has earned some of the most prestigious honors in American journalism. She is a Peabody Award winner — received for the Univision investigative documentary "Fast and Furious: Arming the Enemy," which exposed illegal weapons trafficking across the Mexican border. She also holds a Gracie Award for her documentary on press freedom, an IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors) Award, a Hillman Prize for socially conscious journalism, and three Emmy nominations for her investigative reporting on immigration, family separation, and cartel violence during her tenure at NBC News. Columbia University honored her with its First Decade Award recognizing the most impactful alumni in their first ten years of journalism practice.
What topics does motivational speaker Mariana Atencio cover?
Mariana Atencio speaks on authenticity and the power of being real at work and in life, resilience and reinvention in the face of uncertainty and change, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as drivers of organizational performance, confident communication for leaders in the age of AI and disruption, and the leadership qualities that allow individuals and teams to thrive when the world is changing fastest. Her keynotes are regularly booked for Fortune 500 leadership summits, diversity and inclusion events, HR conferences, annual kick-offs, and large-scale motivational events. She also excels as a moderator and emcee for high-stakes corporate events. To book Mariana Atencio for your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Mariana Atencio as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Mariana Atencio as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Mariana Atencio's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Mariana Atencio or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Mariana Atencio speaking fee?
Mariana Atencio speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Mariana Atencio to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Mariana Atencio.
How can I contact Mariana Atencio?
We only work with Mariana Atencio on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Mariana Atencio and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Mariana Atencio speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Mariana Atencio for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Mariana Atencio for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Mariana Atencio is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Mariana Atencio for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
