BigSpeak’s 2019 Top Speakers as Holiday Treats

The Holiday Season is upon us! With the year and decade coming to a close, we want to share our 2019 top-booked speakers with you, even if you haven’t had a chance to bring them to a stage near you.

If you can’t host one of our amazing top speakers, enjoy their holiday dessert counterparts. We’ve matched each of our expert speakers with a holiday treat that speaks to them as a speaker and person. We’ve even included links to several recipes for those with a floury thumb.

Happy baking!


Robyn Benincasa: Leadership Speaker, Motivator, Adventurer, and Firefighter 

Treat: Gingerbread. This sturdy treat travels well, is immensely versatile, sweet & just a little bit spicy, just like Robyn.

Old Fashioned Gingerbread

Gingerbread Cookies

 

Molly Bloom: Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author and Operator of the Most Notorious Private Poker Game in the World

Treat: Croquembouche. This French confection is an immensely elegant crowd pleaser.

Classic Croquembouche

Easy Croquembouche

 

Jia Jiang: Top Inspirational Speaker and Founder of Rejection Therapy

Treat: Fudge. Sweet, on the informal and friendly side, and very, very hard to say no to. Rejection proof, one might say?

Peppermint Fudge

Marshmallow Fudge

 

Matthew Luhn: Storytelling Maestro and Former Pixar Animator and Story Artist

Treat: Frosted sugar cookies. These playful, colorful, sweets easily evoke nostalgia for your childhood and can spark your creativity when it comes time to ice them.

Alton Brown’s Sugar Cookies

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies

 

James Clear: Decision-making Expert and Bestselling Author of Atomic Habits

Treat: Chocolate advent calendar. A habit you can’t break and don’t want to!

15 Best Chocolate Advent Calendars

 

Marc Randolph: Entrepreneur, Co-founder of Netflix, Mentor and Angel Investor

Treat: Biscotti. This classic but casual Italian snack holds up under pressure, is a little tough, and suggests maturity without being too serious or intimidating.

Biscotti With Chocolate Chips and Almonds

Classic Biscotti 4 Ways

Ken Schmidt:  Former Director of Communications at Harley-Davidson and Author of Make Some Noise

Treat: Candy cane. This no frills, striped little shepherd’s crook is iconic and memorable, with colors that immediately catch your attention.

The Best and Tastiest Candy Canes

 

Eric O’Neil: Cyber-security Expert, Bestselling Author, Former FBI Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence Operative

Treat: Risalamande, a traditional Danish pudding . Its refreshing and no-nonsense exterior conceals a hidden element.

Outrageously Tasty Danish Rice Pudding with Cherries

Risalamande (Several Different Ways)

 

Bill Benjamin and JP Pawliw-Fry: Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Experts

Treat: Thumbprint cookies. These speakers joined our roster at the same time and co-authored a book together. Thumbprint cookies are made of two main elements that are delicious individually, but also harmonize beautifully, resulting in a super crave-able snack.

Raspberry Almond Thumbprints

Easy Jam Thumbprints

 

Mitch Lowe: Top Business and Entertainment Speaker and Netflix Co-founder

Treat: Pumpkin pie. Like this traditional dessert, Mitch is a classic who has been around the block and established himself as a favorite who is here to stay.

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

 

Omar Johnson: Branding Speaker, Former CMO at Beats by Dre and Former VP Marketing at Apple

Treat: Rugelach. This croissant-like confection is stylish and aesthetically bold, but unfussy.

Ina Garten’s Rugelach

Cinnamon Roll Rugelach

 

Natalie Nixon: Innovator, President and Founder of Figure 8 Thinking and Strategy Expert

Treat: Baked Alaska. This seemingly complex dessert requires careful planning (one could say strategizing) and a healthy dose of creativity, but the end result dazzles. 

Easy Baked Alaska

Best Baked Alaska

Barb Stegemann: Social Advocate and Entrepreneur, Founder of  7 Virtues

Treat: Molasses cookie. Sweet and comforting, this unpretentious nosh delights the senses even more than a whiff of an enchanting perfume.

Chewy Molasses Cookies

Old-fashioned Molasses Cookies

 

Kevin O’Leary: Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful, Investor, Author and Venture Capitalist

Treat: Yule log. This old-school dessert is classic, reliable, and enjoys a cult following among holiday dessert fans.

Chocolate Yule Log

Mocha Yule Log

 

Tan Le:  Innovative Technology Speaker and Entrepreneur, Inventor and CEO of EMOTIV

Treat: Peppermint bark. Multi-layered, sweet and fun… are we describing Tan, or the bark?

Almost Famous Peppermint Bark

5 Minute Peppermint Bark