In a rapidly changing digital world...what if our humanity was our competitive advantge?
Keynotes & Workshops that
amplify our humanity
Esteban (hi, it's me!) and below are three keynotes/workshops that I'm most excited about sharing right now. It all depends on context so reach out and let's find a keynote (or workshop) that works for you and your team!
Keynote/Workshop:
The Creative Toolbox
Creativity for People Who Don't Think They Are Creative
You hired and work with smart people. So why does the brainstorm always feel like pulling teeth? Esteban Gast — comedian, educator, and former creativity professor at the University of Illinois, has spent years teaching creativity to everyone from Fortune 500 teams to skeptical freshmen who swore they didn't have it. In this high-energy keynote, he dismantles the myth that creativity is a talent you're born with and replaces it with a toolbox anyone can use. Science has proven time and time again that creativity is a skill, and it's a skill we can all enhance. Expect concrete techniques, a lot of laughs, and zero excuses.
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Topics: creativity, innovation, team culture, problem-solving, leadership
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Audiences will leave with:
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A working definition of creativity that removes the "I'm just not creative" excuse permanently
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At least three immediately applicable techniques for generating better ideas faster, individually and as a team
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A diagnostic for identifying where creative blocks actually come from and how to dismantle them before the next brainstorm
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A framework for building a team culture where more people speak up, take creative risks, and follow through on ideas
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Strategies for leaders to stop accidentally killing good ideas and start creating conditions where great ones emerge
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Keynote:
Origin Story
How Knowing Where You Come From Unlocks Where You're Going
(perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month)
The skills Latine professionals develop just to navigate daily life, code-switching, cultural fluency, building trust across difference , turn out to be exactly what innovative teams and resilient communities need. Comedian and speaker Esteban Gast draws on his journey from Colombia to Panama to classrooms and corporate stages across the country to show how cultural identity isn't a liability to manage but instead it's a leadership advantage to deploy. In a moment when belonging and retention are boardroom priorities, Esteban makes the business case for heritage without sacrificing the humor, heart, or honesty that make it land. Funny, personal, and genuinely useful — this is a keynote about identity that earns its place on any agenda, any month of the year. But, you know, really great for Hispanic Heritage Month.
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Topics: identity & leadership, belonging, cultural intelligence, resilience, purpose
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Audiences will leave with:
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A reframe of "hyphenated identity" (code-switching, navigating multiple worlds ) as leadership training
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A personal storytelling framework for owning and leveraging your origin story in professional contexts
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Strategies for Latine professionals to stop managing their identity and start deploying it as a competitive advantage
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Tools for non-Latine leaders and colleagues to move from performative inclusion to genuine cultural intelligence
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An understanding of why diverse origin stories don't just improve culture but also improve the actual quality of decisions teams make
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Keynote/Workshop:
Relentlessly Human
YOU are your greatest competitive advantage in an AI world
In a world optimized for algorithms, Esteban Gast makes the case for being gloriously, messily human. It's the one thing AI can't replace...and being fully human requires intentional focus. Drawing from his work as a comedian, educator, and community builder Esteban reveals how creativity, humor, and authentic connection aren't just feel-good ideals. They're measurable competitive advantages. In rooms where people are quietly terrified of being replaced by AI, Esteban gives them something better than reassurance: a practical framework for doubling down on what machines can't replicate. Expect laughs, fresh perspectives, and permission to be unapologetically yourself — because the future belongs to those brave enough to be human.
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Topics: AI & the future of work, creativity, authentic leadership, culture,
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Audiences will leave with:
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A clear framework for identifying the distinctly human skills that AI cannot automate and how to actively develop them at work
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Practical techniques for using humor and levity as tools for trust-building and team-building
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A process to understand where you and your team can be most effective and impactful, especially as AI automates task
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Permission (backed by research and a lot of good jokes) to lead with authenticity instead of performing a role