Laura has an uncanny ability to know, viscerally, what is at the heart of your problem -- because she is masterful in her knowledge of human beings. I went to her while stuck on an entrepreneurial hamster wheel, trying to figure out who employee #2 needed to be for my organization to grow intelligently. In just 15 minutes, she helped me to see not only the precise person I needed, but also the warning flags to spot as others approached to join us. That 15 minutes created such clarity, we've had an explosive month of growth, and our trajectory for the next year looks amazing!

Jennifer L. Iannolo - Founder & CEO - The Concordia Project - http://concordiaproject.org/

You know that thing when you're coming up against obstacle after obstacle, and feel like you're just stuck in a rut? When you wonder how you were ever able to accomplish what you did at one point in your career? Yeah, that's the thing I had going on when Laura and I talked one day. I had returned to solopreneurship, but I was having a difficult time finding prospects and closing business. I felt like I was out of sync with the market or past my prime. Laura, in her ever-so-subtle way (I hope you're picking up on the sarcasm here) essentially told me to remove my cranium from a place it would only awkwardly fit if I were a yoga enthusiast, and helped me look at the bigger picture of my accomplishments. Like a splash of cold water, she shocked me out of my own narrow field of vision, to help me understand how I'm perceived by others - and why I should embrace that. The approach was half dope-slap, half therapy session, half cheerleading effort. With zero math, as you can tell. But Laura's odd combination of impatience and empathy was enough to fill me with confidence and remind me why I was able to achieve success in the past. The results? More meaningful and fruitful discussions with prospects that has led to contracts that are worthy of me. If you need to get unstuck, or need a fresh point of view that's both candid and instructive, you can trust Laura to deliver.

Scott Monty - Timeless Wisdom - Speaker - http://www.scottmonty.com

We had the pleasure of having Laura speak at our Nonprofit Symposium in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Leading up to the event, she and her team were easy to work with which eliminated a lot of stress that goes into planning a conference. Laura brings years of experience, insight, and enthusiasm to her presentations. I would definitely recommend booking Laura if you're looking for someone who is intelligent, fun to work with, dependable, and an all around great presenter.

Maggie Ortlieb - Marketing Coordinator, Armanino LLP - http://www.nonprofit-symposium.com/sf/2017/

Laura was great! The talk was extremely interesting, engaging, and concrete. As the host of the event, I got a lot of positive feedback from the audience members after the session.

Shira Weinberg - Co Founder, LeadWith, Tel Aviv, Israel - https://www.facebook.com/LeadWith/

Laura spoke for American Dream U at our event in Camp Zama, Japan. She shared the opportunities that the transitioning men and women of our Nation’s military have in the nonprofit world. She helped the audience think outside the box when it comes to transitioning back into the civilian workforce. We can’t wait to have her speak at another military installation in the future!

Jess Holland - Director of Business Development, American Dream U - http://americandreamu.org/

Laura is dynamic, authoritative, expert in leadership and discipline, and best of all, as a speaker, she delivers pithy, memorable, funny, insightful, and USEFUL guidance and inspiration to impact the journey of those with whom she connects. She is generous with her time, and a collaborative partner in making an event all it can be. For Girl Starter LIVE, Laura delivered powerful advice to female entrepreneurs and leaders of all ages, and followed up one on one with members of our audience. We were so fortunate to have her with us.

Dani Davis - Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Girl Starter - https://www.girlstarter.com/

I have had the privilege of working with Laura and to think of some simple words to sum up her awesomeness is quite a challenge. She is dynamic, passionate, and inspires action in her audiences. Her passion to inspire positive change in others is ever present and she is a complete pro in all that she does. I highly recommend Laura for your next event.

Phil Jones - Award-winning international speaker, author and trainer - https://www.philmjones.com/

Want a no nonsense speaker who can both charm and change your audience? Then hire Laura. You can always count on her to deliver the hard truths of business, leadership, and success -- all while keeping the audience engaged and entertained.

Tamsen Webster - Executive Producer, TEDxCambridge and Founder/CEO, Strategic Speaking - http://tamsenwebster.com/

When we launched this experiment, named the Public Interested Conference, in January of 2012, and needed a keynote speaker. We could not have identified anyone better than Laura Gassner Otting. Laura was both substantive and spellbinding and received rave reviews from students and alumni alike. Thanks in no small part to her involvement, this conference has grown to include over 200 alumni and 300 students each year. Laura's compelling remarks helped to build the popularity of this annual event. I highly recommend her.

Gene Corbin - Assistant Dean of Harvard College for Public Service - http://osl.fas.harvard.edu/people/gene-corbin

Laura has a unique ability to connect with her audience on a real and practical level. She breaks down ideas so that anyone can see their applicability and yet feel inspired that they are capable of making that change. Her charisma and interest in supporting up-and-coming leaders is paralleled only by people who mentored her to be this leader herself. Those who get to listen and learn from Laura will be better able to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.

Tam Emerson - Director, Eli J Segal Citizen Leadership Program at Brandeis University - http://www.brandeis.edu/

Laura's fast moving, dynamic style captures a room quickly. Fluid and strategic, she finds creative ways to connect with her audience as she moves them through a set of talking points, often drawing from an impressive set of her own experiences to cement key ideas. Her sharp, savvy mind, crisp analytic approach and energizing sense of humor appeal to and engage participants with wide-ranging depths of knowledge on a particular topic.

Katie Pakenham - New Profit, Director of Network Engagement - http://www.newprofit.org/

Laura has facilitated a session with many speakers on How to Hire a Consultant, led a session on transition planning and even worked with youth as young as high school to talk about career and philanthropic planning goals in her work with us. When she led a session for San Diego nonprofits about succession planning, people in the audience were able to hear what they needed and move forward with action items. Topics can get emotional and uncomfortable in the sector when we put our heart into changing the world, and Laura has helped manage those conversations in a way that allows leaders to feel heard and move forward.

Katherine Scott, formerly of the Boston Foundation and the San Diego Foundation - https://www.sdfoundation.org/

I've asked Laura to come speak in my MBA class for the past three years. Laura is a passionate and enthusiastic speaker who is able to authentically connect with a diverse audience of more than 40 students and engage, energize, and inspire them. Her remarks are always filled with pointed humor and a level of salty candor that relaxes everyone and invites genuine questions and discussion. Laura delivers thought-provoking insights in a relatable, fun way that keeps the students talking beyond the end of class. She's already on my syllabus for next year!

Diane Mulcahy - Babson College - http://www.babson.edu/Academics/faculty/profiles/Pages/mulcahy-diane.aspx

Laura was our presenter for an Encore! hosted workshop on the key fundamentals of the nonprofit job search for the transitioning executive to our Encore!Hartford Fellows. Laura was impeccably prepared, an expert in her topic, and compelling for the full hour presentation. Our Encore!Hartford Fellows were able to put her instructions into immediately actionable steps and see results in employment opportunities.

David Garvey, Ph.D - Director - http://nonprofit.leadership.uconn.edu/encore/

We have worked with Laura over the past eight years in a variety of settings. She is the utmost professional in every way and leads amazing workshops. Staff and board members in attendance were thrilled by her skill and knowledge. Additionally, her ability to run an interactive session made the programs a true delight.

Susan Musinsky - http://www.socialinnovationforum.org/