Book this speaker: Jesse Lipscombe

About This Speaker: Jesse Lipscombe

Jesse Lipscombe is one of Canada’s leading keynote speakers, specializing in leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion. He helps organizations transform their cultures, fostering collaborative, high-performing teams. Jesse connects with diverse audiences, guiding companies and individuals toward a deeper understanding of inclusivity, emotional intelligence, and effective leadership. His expertise is trusted by major clients, including Canadian Tire, Loblaws, Kraft, the University of Alberta, Shopify, and Giants of Africa.

Jesse’s career began at 14 when he starred alongside Sidney Poitier in Children of the Dust. His athletic talent led to a full scholarship at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he excelled as a track star. After college, he pursued acting and starred in acclaimed films and TV shows, including It’s Not My Fault, I Don’t Care Anyway, Tiny Plastic Men, and Black Summer on Netflix.

In 2023, Jesse published his debut novel, Jars, a coming-of-age story about self-discovery and acceptance. His book complements his keynote talks, which blend personal stories, humor, and practical strategies for personal and professional growth.

As an entrepreneur and activist, Jesse Lipscombe co-founded the #MakeItAwkward campaign to challenge racism, misogyny, and other forms of hate. He also co-created Not That Funny, a groundbreaking tabletop game that sparks meaningful conversations on difficult social issues. His advocacy and entrepreneurial spirit have earned him multiple honors, including the Obsidian Award for Top Business Leader in Western Canada.

Jesse Lipscombe is also the author of The Art of Doing. This book offers insights on passion, productivity, and resilience, showing readers how to achieve success in both their personal and professional lives.

Speaking Topics: Jesse Lipscombe

The Art of Doing

The most important aspect of achieving results starts with action. A simple concept but a difficult one to master when habits and self-doubt often infringe on the desired outcome. Lipscombe uses lessons from his life as an actor, speaker, writer, entrepreneur, pro-athlete, singer, etc. to craft a simple template that anyone can utilize to ensure they get out of the blocks and continue the momentum towards their dreams and goals.

Lipscombe will discuss:

1. How thoughts become things.
2. The macro to micro-planning strategy
3. Only do what you love or find a way to love what you do
4. Keeping it new
5. Shooting for the stars.

These five steps will put anyone in the best position to do any and everything they hope for, on a personal and/or corporate scale.

Leadership & Equity

As a renowned speaker in the anti-discrimination space, Lipscombe has spoken to thousands of companies about how to ensure they are on the correct side of history. Whether it be through anti-racism training or uncovering one’s one unconscious bias, he has helped many understand their role in creating an equitable workplace and environment.

Too often, these presentations live within their open bubble. Leadership & Equity takes these lessons and teaching to the next level. As a demonstrated leadership coach, Lipscombe weaves a different awareness into the leadership journey through a refreshing lens.

One can expect to walk away with an understanding that Leadership Looks Different depending on how a person arrives at that position. He will open your eyes to the many different ways a person wants to be led, not only through statistical evidence and psychological patterns but also through an array of cultural perspectives that are often overlooked or missed completely.

In the section, You Can’t Lead Until You Understand, one will gain a new perspective into the cross-cultural differences that may influence how a team responds, all while increasing productivity and the bottom line by widening our understanding of our teams.

Racism & Being an Effective Ally

Jesse Lipscombe helps individuals and organizations understand the history of systemic racism, and the challenges BIPOC individuals face daily. Through his powerful storytelling, he will take your audience on a journey of change. Jesse will offer useful and applicable steps to take action and become a better ally.

How to do the Work: Building Your Toolkit to Build Equity and be an Ally

Through personal experiences, honest anecdotes and lessons amassed from over a decade advocating for equity and inclusion, Jesse builds understanding and gives audiences tools for their personal and organizational toolkits to build a more equitable world. This session brings clarity, meaningful dialogue, plenty of laughs and concrete takeaways to push people forward.

Failing is the Only Way to Win

Lipscombe draws on his experience as a professional athlete and actor to help people close the connection between failure and success. Failure is a natural part of life. We must rethink our relationship with failure and better understand how to leverage it towards success. A successful failure is when you push your limits to the absolute max. It’s not until one fails that they have a realistic notion of where they are and what they can do at any particular moment.



Lipscombe explains the theory of “batting 1000” to bring these lessons to life and helps audiences understand how to shift their relationship with failure and give it new meaning so that it can become the very thing we strive for – in the name of growth and ultimate success.

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