Rethinking Leadership: It’s Not Rocket Science
A new model for leadership in the AI-driven workplace.
Our model of leadership has needed an overhaul for years. Leaders are expected to make good decisions without enough information, keep up with a flood of messages, be available whenever someone needs them, and somehow still have time to think. More and more of the job has become keeping up.
AI can help with that. It can make information easier to find and take some of the load off. But it cannot make a group work well together. The human work we’ve labeled “soft” cannot keep being left until everything else is done.
In May 2025, Venus Aerospace flew the world’s first high-thrust rotating detonation rocket engine. Whether it flew came down to the human side of the work: did everyone know their own job and let the others do theirs, could they argue without it getting personal, and did they like each other enough to laugh on a day when a mistake could cost a life?
In this keynote, Curt Steinhorst draws on fifteen years working with leaders from Nike to the U.S. Naval Academy and on his work as Head of People at Venus Aerospace to make the case for a leader’s job that gets easier as the tools get better: what comes off their plate, what stays, and how to build a team that will tell you the truth while there is still time to use it.
You’ll learn to:
Make it easier for your team to tell you when something is wrong.
Identify work you can delegate or stop doing.
Reassess what your team needs from your leadership as AI changes the work.
Protect the attention your team needs for work that requires careful thought.
Keep your team questioning assumptions under pressure.
Work through disagreements without making them personal.
Curt Steinhorst
For nearly two decades, Curt Steinhorst has helped leaders solve this human equation. Long before AI became every C-suite’s top strategic priority, his bestselling book Can I Have Your Attention? revealed how technology was reshaping human cognition—identifying the attention crisis as just the opening symptom. Today, his research guides leaders through the next evolution: from managing digital distraction to maintaining human judgment in an AI world.
Curt brings rare operator credibility to these conversations. As an executive at Venus Aerospace, he helped build the team and strategy that pioneered rotating-detonation engines—a fundamental break from 60 years of rocket design and a generational leap in efficiency and cost. They achieved it with a culture that moved fast, embraced risk, cut through bureaucracy, and put people first—proving breakthrough technology doesn’t have to break the people behind it.
A Forbes contributor with 500+ keynotes delivered across four continents, Curt is a trusted voice for Nike, Deloitte, Southwest Airlines, JPMorgan Chase, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Curt bridges the gap between AI potential and human adoption. His core message: sustainable competitive advantage isn’t about the technology you deploy—it’s about the human capabilities you cultivate.
The Eclipse Mindset: How to Break Barriers, Adapt, Innovate, and Create History
Jon Carmichael’s journey to capturing one of history’s most breathtaking images of a solar eclipse wasn’t just about photography—it was about perspective, audacity, and the relentless pursuit of possibility. In this inspiring keynote, Jon shares how embracing The Eclipse Mindset—one that sees beyond obstacles and reimagines limitations—allowed him to turn uncertainty into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Through captivating storytelling and stunning visuals, Jon takes audiences on his journey from a childhood dream to a high-stakes mission at 39,000 feet, where teamwork, intuition, and bold thinking led to a breakthrough moment. Just like an eclipse reveals a hidden beauty that’s only visible for a fleeting moment, Jon shows how our biggest opportunities often emerge from the shadows of challenge and change.
Audiences will leave equipped with:
- A powerful shift in perspective—how to eclipse self-doubt and old ways of thinking
- Strategies for embracing uncertainty as a launchpad for innovation
- The courage to take bold action, even when the path is unclear
- A renewed sense of curiosity and limitless possibility
Jon’s story proves that when we step into our eclipse moment—where preparation, intuition, and risk-taking collide—we can transform setbacks into breakthroughs and create history.
Jon Carmichael
World-renowned astrophotographer known for one of “History’s Most Amazing Photos”
In a world of constant challenges, success depends on our ability to reimagine what’s possible. Through stunning visuals and compelling storytelling, Jon Carmichael helps organizations and individuals transform their perceived limits into launching points for breakthrough success. Jon’s journey from passionate photographer to worldwide inspiration proves that when we dare to reimagine our boundaries, we discover opportunities we never knew existed.
A world-renowned astrophotographer celebrated for capturing the critically acclaimed “history’s most amazing Executive Speakers Bureau photograph,” Jon Carmichael captivated the world when he unveiled his image of the 2017 Great American Eclipse, taken from an airplane at 39,000 feet after years of meticulous planning. His relentless pursuit of a seemingly impossible vision—convincing the captain of a commercial airliner to alter its course—embodies the power of audacity, empowerment, and aiming higher. The thrilling story behind the photograph and the obstacles he overcame have inspired audiences worldwide.
Beyond his stunning visual work, Jon is a remarkable storyteller and business motivational speaker. His signature Eclipse Mindset challenges individuals and teams to push past perceived limitations, embrace bold thinking, and elevate their goals beyond what seems possible. Through his inspiring keynotes, he shares how vision, grit, and daring action lead to extraordinary breakthroughs. His storytelling compels audiences to take risks, defy expectations, and confidently navigate uncertainty—turning obstacles into stepping stones for success.
Jon’s captivating work has been spotlighted on Good Morning America, the Wall Street Journal, INC Magazine, USA Today, and even Times Square. With over 20 years of experience, he has been the trusted lead photographer for top brands such as Twitter, Dell, Microsoft, and ESPN.
His impressive portfolio includes collaborations with notable figures like President Obama, the Dalai Lama, David Copperfield, Lady Gaga, and even Batman. A pivotal moment in Jon’s career came in 2015 when Elton John, a renowned photography enthusiast, became the first to collect his limited-edition photographs, marking a transformative turn in his artistic journey.
Jon Carmichael doesn’t just deliver a speech—he takes audiences on an immersive journey that aligns with their unique challenges and aspirations. Whether the focus is on leadership, innovation, resilience, or pushing beyond perceived limits, Jon weaves his message through breathtaking real world stories of chasing audacious dreams and redefining what’s possible.
With stunning visuals, heartfelt emotion, and moments that make audiences laugh, reflect, and dream bigger, Jon’s keynotes are more than just talks—they’re transformative experiences designed to ignite ambition, fuel innovation, and inspire people to aim higher than they ever thought possible.
Disrupting Disruption: Build Organizations that Stay Ahead of Change Instead of Chasing It
Disruption used to be an event. Now it’s the environment. The real challenge for leaders isn’t reacting to change but learning how to disrupt the pattern of disruption itself — to stop being surprised by what’s next and start building systems, cultures, and capabilities that can adapt in real time.
From AI to automation to shifting customer expectations, the forces reshaping business are no longer episodic, they’re continuous. This keynote helps organizations move beyond urgency and into deliberate momentum, showing leaders how to decode emerging technologies without the hype, redesign workflows for an accelerated world, and build teams that thrive in ambiguity rather than resist it.
Drawing on the proprietary P.A.C.E. framework, Mitch Joel will equip audiences with a strategic operating system for change. Audiences will learn why disruption is no longer a threat but a source of advantage, how to align people and technology around shared direction, and how to turn uncertainty into opportunity before competitors even recognize it.
“Disrupting Disruption” is a roadmap for organizations ready to lead the future instead of inherit it and for leaders willing to rethink not just how they respond to disruption, but how they design for it.
Mitch Joel
Future Strategy, AI Transformation, and Modern Marketing Expert
When brands like Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Cisco, and Unilever want to know what’s next for them (and their customers), they call Mitch Joel. He brings clarity, direction, and momentum at a time when every industry is wrestling with rapid transformation, new technologies, and rising customer expectations. Having been on the frontlines of media, culture, and technology for more than 30 years, he helps organizations innovate, stay relevant, and rethink the future in ways that are meaningful, not theoretical. His engaging, entertaining, thought-provoking, and customized keynotes leave audiences with practical insights they can use immediately.
Named one of North America’s leading visionaries” by Strategy magazine and awarded the highly prestigious “Top 40 Under 40”, Joel has delivered thousands of keynote presentations to organizations around the world, across both the B2B and B2C industries. He is also the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete and the host of Thinking with Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. It features weekly conversations with renowned thinkers and business leaders.
Joel is the co-founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class thinkers into team meetings, events, and off-sites in surprising and meaningful ways. Prior to this, Joel was both an executive and entrepreneur in technology and media. He published music magazines, launched a record label, built media sales for one of the first search engines (before Google), marketed early mobile content platforms (before smartphones), and ultimately built and sold his own global marketing agency, which operated in 25 countries with close to 3,000 employees.
In 2019, Joel was named to Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s “100 Coaches” list, celebrating the world’s top leaders, thinkers, and executive coaches. Thinkers50 included him in their Radar class of 2021, recognizing the thinkers set to shape the future of business. He regularly publishes articles and makes weekly radio appearances exploring the intersection of business transformation, technology, artificial intelligence, and culture.