Inspirational "Touch the Sky" programs

Eleni Kelakos CSP®, a.k.a. The Speaker Whisperer®, has spent over two decades helping business professionals communicate with a calm, confident, Charismatic Presence® in high-stakes spotlight moments so they can have greater impact.  Drawing on her background as a professional actor in New York and Hollywood and years of touring as a singer-songwriter, Eleni helps people communicate at their best when it matters most.

When she’s not coaching individuals, or facilitating trainings at companies like General Motors, Allstate, and Little Caesar’s Pizza, Eleni practices what she preaches, firing up hearts and minds with her signature keynote presentations at conferences nationwide.

Eleni holds a double major in Theatre and Semiotics from Brown University and is a past president of the National Speakers Association of Michigan. Her designation as a Certified Speaking Professional (earned by fewer than one in five members of the National Speakers Association) indicates her ability to deliver presentations at the highest level of value and engagement.

Eleni has sung the national anthem at Shea Stadium for three (winning) Mets games and has produced four acclaimed CDs of her original songs.

Her book, Touch the Sky: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth, Make Your Mark, was a gold medal winner of the 2014 Global e-Book Awards. Her second book, released in 2022, Claim the Stage: A Woman’s Guide to Speaking Up, Standing Out and Taking Leadership, hit #1 best-seller status on Amazon. Eleni’s third book, released in 2026, Charismatic Presence: Five Principles for Magnetic Presentations, also reached Amazon #1 best-seller status as well as a Literary Titan Gold Medal Book Award and a Firebird Book Award.

In recognition of a “phenomenal history of leadership and philanthropy to advance the arts, sciences and humanities,” Eleni was awarded the Ignitors Medal by Washtenaw Creative.

She lives happily in Ann Arbor, MI with her husband, Jim, and her big, snuggly, red cat, Max

Signature Keynotes

Touch The Sky!

Are your employees at risk for burnout?

Have they forgotten their true value and purpose?

Is “bottoming-out” affecting their bottom line?

Let Eleni Kelakos, CSP®, inspire the people in your organization to reconnect and re-commit to what’s important, so they can reach their potential on a daily basis.

Touch the Sky is Eleni’s flagship motivational keynote performance. It’s a perfect way to open or close your next conference. And it’s different, because it reflects her background as a professional singer, songwriter, and actress.  Not only does she give people a fresh perspective, she tells them what they need to know and do to stop playing small, so they can be their best (and bring out the best in others) every day.  And she does this with just the right mix of powerful stories, original songs, and simple strategies woven together to create an experience, not just a lecture.

Touch the Sky can be customized to fit the unique needs of your group. Eleni also delivers practical breakout sessions that reinforce personal empowerment.

Touch the Sky zeroes in on four themes:

1. The Gift of Authenticity: Celebrate—and commit to realizing—your unique value, purpose, and potential. “No one can be better than you. And no one can do what you’re here to do better than you.”
2. The Gift of Obstacles: Shift your perspective about obstacles, seeing the as an opportunity to learn and grow. “Obstacles equal Opportunity”
3. The Gift of Choice: Overcome internal and external obstacles by making bold, positive choices. “When you choose to choose, you cannot lose.”
4. The Power of the triple A’s: Embrace a contagious can-do Attitude, take consistent Action, and be Accountable so you be resilient and bounce back better.

Touch the Sky leaves people feeling:

• More valued and appreciated by your organization
• More hopeful for a brighter future
• More energized and better equipped to handle job stress, take concrete steps forward, and to motivate their team members.

This program is a great fit for: Health and wellness organizations, direct sales marketing groups, administrative personnel, and educators.

Charismatic Presence

Charisma. Pizazz. Gravitaz. Charm, Executive Presence. Leadership Presence.

Whatever you want to call it, it’s the “it” factor that helps leaders move their team into action and inspire trust with customers and prospects. Eleni calls this innate magnetism Charismatic Presence. She believes that every person is not only born with Charismatic Presence but has the power to either nurture or neglect it.

With a consistent, maximized Charismatic Presence, your credibility, influence, and persuasive ability expand. Without it, your pitches, presentations, and leadership communication risk falling flat, and your big ideas might not get the traction they deserve.

Great actor, like great leaders, understand the value of a maximized Charismatic Presence and learn to nurture it so they can shine in spotlight moments. This presentation highlights the key Charismatic Presence-building principles that Eleni learned during her initial career as a professional actor in New York and Hollywood—the same principles she’s taught to countless executive coaching and training clients for over two decades.

Audiences Learn:

1. Three guiding principles to create consistent, magnetic Charismatic Presence.
2. Techniques to pinpoint and reframe the limiting beliefs that weaken Charismatic Presence
3. Pre-show techniques actors to active the three Presence Planes
4. What it takes to be courageously present in critical conversations, pitches and presentations.

This program is a great fit for:

Business professionals in leadership positions in technology, medical, innovation, higher education, or financial services spaces.

Eleni is available for booking through The Speak Well Being Group for keynotes and workshops health and wellness conferences, direct sales marketing groups, administrative personnel, and educators. Business professionals in leadership positions in technology, medical, innovation, higher education, or financial services spaces.

There is no additional fee to you for working with The Speak Well Being Group — The Speak Well Being Group is compensated by the speaker. You get 28 years of vetting, personal knowledge of Eleni and her work, and someone in your corner from first inquiry through event day.