Speaking
Hire the guy who has actually done some things.
Chris is an attorney and executive who kept refusing to be only that. On stage, the result is a talk with an operator’s credibility and a humorist’s timing, which is a rarer combination than it should be.
Attorney. Executive. Entrepreneur. Actor. Humorist. Husband. Dad. Grandpa.
Credentials
- Top 10 Corporate Counsel in the world 2024 OnCon Icon Awards
- Forbes Business Development Council Official member
- Forbes contributor Published author
- Licensed to practice law Texas and Virginia
Rooms of every size, from a seminar room to a convention hall
What to expect
Forty-five minutes that do not feel like forty-five minutes.
01
He does the homework first
Before the date he wants to know who is in the seats, what the event is for, and what a good outcome looks like to you. The argument stays the same. The evidence changes.
02
The laughs are structural
He is a humorist, so the humor is built into the talk rather than bolted on. A room that laughs is a room that is still listening twenty minutes later.
03
Clean, and safe for any program
Clean throughout, nothing that needs a warning in the run of show, and nothing that will land you an awkward email from a parent or a dean.
04
Easy to work with
He has spent two decades in rooms where the details matter. Expect prompt replies, a simple tech rider, and someone who shows up early and stays to talk to people afterwards.
The talk
You Don’t Need a Five-Year Plan. You Need Five Options.
The flagship keynote. It takes the question everyone gets asked from age eighteen onward, shows why it causes more harm than planning, and replaces it with something a person can actually build. Practical, story-driven, and funny on purpose.
Formats
- Keynote45 to 60 minutes, plus Q&A
- Short-form keynote20 to 30 minutes for a packed agenda
- Workshop75 to 90 minutes, interactive, smaller room
- Fireside or moderated Q&A30 to 45 minutes
- VirtualLive, not pre-recorded
Audiences
Where this works.
- Orientation and first-year programs
- Student leadership and honors
- Career services and career readiness
- Student affairs programming
- Graduating seniors
- Entrepreneurship and innovation centers
- Greek life
- Young professional organizations
- Associations and annual conferences
- Corporate all-hands and offsites
Logistics
- BasedAustin, Texas
- TravelAvailable nationally
- TechHandheld or lavalier mic, confidence monitor optional
- SlidesRarely. He would rather talk to the room
- FeeDepends on date, format, and travel. Ask