GZ/
Gary Zelesky, keynote speaker portrait
Keynote Speaker · Author · Human Defibrillator

Reignitethe Passion.Move Peopleto Action.

A 30-year keynote speaker who has impacted 1,000,000+ people live with humor, heart, and unforgettable takeaways.

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Trusted by MasterCard · Boeing · Hilton · Hinman · CareCredit · CDA · AAO
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Trusted by Industry Leaders

Fortune 500 stages. Dental icons. Education leaders.

Boeing✦
MasterCard✦
Hilton✦
Gulfstream✦
Hallmark✦
UCLA✦
Seattle Study Club✦
CareCredit✦
AACD✦
AADGP✦
Chicago Dental Society✦
Atlantic Implant Institute✦
EERA✦
Federated Investors✦
Bay View Bank✦
Central Financial Group✦
Cain Watters✦
Excelladerm✦
Boeing✦
MasterCard✦
Hilton✦
Gulfstream✦
Hallmark✦
UCLA✦
Seattle Study Club✦
CareCredit✦
AACD✦
AADGP✦
Chicago Dental Society✦
Atlantic Implant Institute✦
EERA✦
Federated Investors✦
Bay View Bank✦
Central Financial Group✦
Cain Watters✦
Excelladerm✦
1M+
People Inspired Live
30+
Years On Stage
3
Published Books
500+
Events Delivered

Delivered Nationwide & Internationally

WATCH · SPEAKER REEL

See Gary
in action.

Watch real footage from real events — so you know exactly what your audience is about to experience.

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Let's Tandem — Gary Zelesky
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★ Additional event footage and full keynote recordings available on request Email Cherisse →
Signature Program · Most Booked

Cause for
Applause.

The Ultimate Appreciation Experience
For Practices · Partners · Corporate Teams · Associations

Ready to host an event your partners — and your team — will never forget? This isn't a "thank you" dinner. It's a full-scale experience that blends appreciation, humor, and meaningful connection into one unforgettable night. Originally built for dental specialists, now adapted for corporate, association, and partner-network events.

Referral Partners Feel Valued

Strengthened relationships with referring doctors and partners — a night they'll talk about for years.

Your Team Feels Seen

Customized moment of recognition for the team that makes everything possible.

Your Practice Looks Exceptional

A high-energy, no-dull-moment experience that reflects the excellence of your practice.

"Our attendees refused to leave during the break — afraid of missing something."

— Dr. William R. Hatcher · Hatcher Orthodontics
Host a Cause for Applause Event Email Cherisse Directly
✓ Easy to Book · ✓ Done-For-You Experience · ✓ Customized to Your Practice
Gary at a referring doctor appreciation banquet
HOW IT WORKS · 4 STEPS

From inquiry to
standing ovation.

No long sales process. No 50-page proposals. Just a clear path from "we want to do this" to a night your practice talks about for years.

01
1 business day

Inquire

Submit the inquiry form or email Cherisse. You'll hear back within 1 business day — no chasing, no gatekeepers.

Click → Opens inquiry form
02
30 minutes

Discovery Call

30-minute call with Gary's team to understand your practice, referral partners, and what success looks like for the night.

03
Done-for-you

Custom Event Plan

Gary builds the experience around your audience — venue flow, recognition moments, custom content for your team and partners.

04
The big night

Standing Ovation Night

Gary shows up. Your partners feel celebrated. Your team feels seen. Guests leave saying, 'That was one of the best events we've ever attended.'

Start Step 1 — Submit Your Inquiry
✓ 1 Business Day Response · ✓ No Pressure · ✓ Real Humans
Gary Zelesky in cream blazer and pink shirt
01 / ABOUT

Not just motivation.
A jumpstart for
the life you were created to live.

Gary Zelesky is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, author and executive leadership voice whose message has impacted more than one million people live over the past 30+ years. Known as "The Human Defibrillator" — and called an "edutainer" by the University of the Pacific's Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry — he is a re-engagement expert who helps organizations move beyond burnout, routine, resistance, and disconnection into renewed energy and ownership.

With a Master's in Executive Leadership from William Jessup University, and a story that includes surviving a heart attack and major health challenges, Gary doesn't speak about resilience as theory — he speaks it as lived experience. The result is a rare blend of humor, storytelling, and practical insight that audiences from MasterCard to Hinman keep inviting back.

Keynote Speaker
Author of 3 Books
Heart Attack Survivor
M.A. Executive Leadership
02 / SIGNATURE KEYNOTES

Four signature
messages.

Every message is customized to align with your audience, your culture, and your objectives — so your keynote becomes the most seamless and impactful part of the event.

The Passion Centered Person

How to Go from Having Just a Career to Having a Life

Gary brings the practical side of passion directly into your organization — where energy, attitude, and engagement determine performance. His signature 'beyond-burnout' framework re-engages teams who've gone routine, resistant, or quietly disconnected.

  • →The Passion Cycle™: Passion → Productivity → Profitability → Pleasure
  • →Build a referral mindset that grows the business
  • →Activate personal and team passion drivers
  • →Tools to increase both energy and results

Cause for Applause

The Ultimate Appreciation Experience

A signature done-for-you appreciation experience that blends humor, recognition, and meaningful connection — strengthening relationships and re-energizing your team in one unforgettable night. Designed for dental practices, corporate teams, partner networks, and associations.

  • →Partners and clients feel celebrated
  • →Customized recognition for your team
  • →A high-energy, no-dull-moment experience
  • →Guests leave saying "one of the best events ever"

Life on the Ledge

The Power of Teamwork

When the stakes are high and the margin is thin, the team that holds the ledge wins. This high-energy session shows what it takes to build trust, share weight, and pull each other forward when it counts.

  • →How real teams move under pressure
  • →Trust, communication, and shared ownership
  • →Why people stay (or leave) — and what to do about it

Game On!

The Playbook for Taking Action

Leadership isn't about position. It's about your ability to inspire people to want to follow you, work with you, and bring their best.

  • →5 fundamentals of high-performing teams
  • →Exit vs. Entrance Mentality
  • →Turn ideas into immediate action
Bring Gary to Your Event
03 / WHO GARY SERVES

Industries built by people — re-energized by Gary.

Dental & Healthcare

30+ years partnering with AAO, AACD, Hinman, CDA, Seattle Study Club, Patterson Dental, Nobel Biocare, Straumann, CareCredit, Carestream, RDH, Yankee Dental, Chicago Midwinter, Star of the North, UOP Dugoni, UCLA, Univ. of Michigan, Marquette, and dental schools worldwide.

HinmanAAOAACDSeattle Study ClubCareCreditCDAYankee DentalChicago MidwinterNobel BiocareStraumannPattersonCarestream

Corporate Leadership

Fortune-class brands trust Gary to re-energize teams, sales orgs and leadership offsites — from boardrooms to ballrooms.

MasterCardBoeingHiltonHallmarkGulfstreamHyatt

Associations & Conferences

Keynote favorite at national gatherings, member associations, and education summits across the United States and abroad.

NECAAMFAEERAAADOMAADGP

Law Enforcement & Service

Trusted voice for first responders, correctional leadership, highway patrol, and frontline service teams under pressure.

CDCRPelican BayNational Jail Assoc.VI Hwy Patrol
08 / VERIFIED RESULTS

Receipts, not
rhetoric.

Real ratings, real attendee counts, real return engagements from the organizations who hire Gary year after year.

5×+
AAO
American Association of Orthodontists
Annual Meetings Presented
90%
PCSO 1998
Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists
Rated 'Excellent' · 250+ attendees
4.9 / 5
Pacific NW Dental 2008
Pacific Northwest Dental Conference
Two programs · 8,500 attendees
★★★★★
RDH Under One Roof 2007
RDH Magazine Keynote
Reviews described as 'off the charts'
4.3 / 5
A-dec
Corporate Sales Training
Internal evaluation score
22nd
AACD
American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
Annual Scientific Session presenter
★★★★
Chicago Midwinter
Chicago Dental Society
Rated 'Very Good to Excellent'
Recurring
UOP
University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni
Invited speaker (multi-year)
CAUSE FOR APPLAUSE · TRACK RECORD

Referral relationships,
measurably stronger.

OMSC of Minnesota
300+ attendees · Booked 5×+

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Consultants — the largest oral surgery practice in Minnesota. Gary has been brought back five times to deliver referral appreciation and team development events drawing 300+ attendees.

— Repeat Client · 5× Booked
Hatcher Orthodontics
Encore booking due to demand

Seminar for referring offices. Attendees refused to leave during break — afraid of missing something.

— Dr. William R. Hatcher
Mark S. Douglas, DDS, MSD
Best year ever

Referral luncheon + team-building reinvigorated the entire practice and external partner network.

— Dr. Mark S. Douglas
Bartley H. Benson, DDS, MS
Repeat booking · high attendance

Referral-source seminar with strong turnout; brought Gary back for follow-up engagements.

— Dr. Bartley H. Benson
International Engagements

Spoken in 5+ countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomLondonIrelandBahamas
Specialty Practice Experience

Repeat clients across every specialty

OrthodonticOral SurgeryEndodonticImplant DentistryPediatric DentalCosmeticGeneral Practice
04 / WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Words from
the room.

"His ability to connect with an audience is more than a skill — it is truly a gift."
Judy Burch
American Association of Orthodontists (AAO)
01 / 07
CORPORATE & ASSOCIATIONS

Beyond dental.
Trusted by global brands.

Gary has delivered keynotes for Fortune 500 corporate audiences, hospitality leaders, financial services teams, and associations across the U.S. and abroad.

Hilton WaikoloaMasterCardBoeingHyattHallmarkGulfstreamFederated SecuritiesBay View BankExcellaDermEERACain WattersAmerUs Life

"What an INCREDIBLE presentation! The feedback from the staff has been extremely positive. Every person who attended walked out with a feeling that the time was well spent. My only regret is that we didn't allow for more time."

Robin K. Graf
Executive Assistant Manager — Hilton Waikoloa Village

"Your enthusiastic program offered our attendees both a professional and personal perspective on today's ever-changing and demanding world. Your ability to customize the speech to our specific goals and objectives helped to motivate our audience."

Adrienne Chambers
MasterCard International — New Markets Acquirer Forum

"Besides Gary being entertaining, he easily conveyed our vision of teams working together — focusing, asking questions, and leading to create passion for our jobs."

Brenda C. Wolf
Director, Supplier Management — Boeing C-130 AMP Supplier Conference

"You touched the hearts, souls and minds of everyone in the room each night. Gary, you are truly a professional to work with. I have never asked a speaker to return the following year but your message was special enough that I would like to have you come back."

Mark R. Gensheimer
Executive Vice President — Federated Securities Corp.

"Gary was able to customize our program, geared to sales and marketing, while giving it a personal touch. His FAMILY tips applied equally well to our business goals in today's competitive marketplace. The Z-Man will be invited to future meetings. We like his attitude."

Jeanne E. Miller
Senior Vice President — Bay View Bank Auto Finance Group

"Your combination of relative information and inspirational humor was the key to the success of the seminar. After the presentation, several Representatives came to me expressing their appreciation and how your message really touched them."

Diane Carrier
President & CEO — ExcellaDerm Corporation

"Your presentation 'Life on the Ledge: The Power of Teamwork' was both engaging and motivating, and greatly contributed to the overall success of the meeting."

John Truitt
President-Elect — Electrical Equipment Representatives Association (EERA)

"Your energy is very contagious. Our group loves to laugh and learn. After you spoke, we all felt energized, inspired, and we left smiling."

Darrell W. Cain
Cain Watters & Associates, P.C. — Dallas

"Your message was enthusiastic, meaningful, applicable, and extremely well received. One respondent even singled you out: 'Gary was fantastic!' Thank you for making our conference one of the best ever."

Art Dinkin, CFP, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF
Central Financial Group / AmerUs Life — Iowa Assoc. of Insurance & Financial Advisors
★ All quotes verified from original letters on company letterhead — references on file
FIRST RESPONDERS · LAW ENFORCEMENT

Speaking to the
hearts of those
who serve.

Gary's work with law enforcement, corrections leadership, highway patrol, and first responders is a calling — bringing renewed purpose to those who carry the weight of protecting everyone else.

CDCR Executive LeadershipPelican Bay State PrisonFolsom State PrisonCALIBRE PressTASROVirginia Highway PatrolVirginia DMVNational Jail Association

"In my 30 years of public safety, it is hard to find individuals who can reach and inspire our men and women of law enforcement. Gary has a unique ability to speak life into those who dedicate themselves to protect us all."

"There are times when it takes someone who has never worn a law enforcement uniform to speak into the hearts of those who serve us all. We are in different times today."

"Gary can speak to the hearts of those that are hurting and uplift them and restore their purpose."

Ralph Diaz
Former CDCR Secretary
California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation
★ Additional law enforcement endorsement letters available on request
Gary embracing audience members after a keynote
The Bottom Line

When Gary finishes speaking,
the connection
doesn't end —
it deepens.

Attendees stay. They engage. They often respond with something as simple and powerful as a hug. Gary's authenticity and accessibility reflect what he believes speaking should be: real human connection.

05 / PUBLICATIONS

Books that jumpstart
the people who read them.

Three titles built from 40+ years of platform experience, leadership, and lived resilience.

The Passion Centered Person book cover

The Passion Centered Person

How to Go From Having Just a Career to Having a Life

Gary's signature work — co-authored with Tim Vandehey and endorsed by Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul): "You are a WOW of a WOW!" On rediscovering the internal fuel that helps people rise, adjust, reconnect, and keep moving forward.

Whispers from the Master book cover

Whispers from the Master

The Language of God · 52-Week Leadership Study to a Deeper Purpose

A 52-week leadership devotional drawn from decades of leadership, loss, faith, and renewal — a quiet companion for the leader who wants to lead from a deeper place.

06 / BOOK GARY

Let's make your
event
unforgettable.

Tell us about your audience and your goals. Gary's team responds quickly — and every keynote is customized to align with your culture, your message, and your moment.

Customized keynotes for corporate, dental, association, healthcare & service teams
Virtual, in-person, and hybrid formats — domestic and international
Direct response from Gary's booking team within 1 business day
Prefer email?
Cherisse@GaryZelesky.com
07 / FREQUENTLY ASKED

Questions,
answered.

Gary Zelesky is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, author, and executive leadership voice with 30+ years of experience. Known as 'The Human Defibrillator,' he has spoken to more than one million people live for clients including MasterCard, Boeing, Hilton, Hinman, CareCredit, and AAO.

Cause for Applause is a referral-appreciation experience designed to help dental specialists honor referring doctors and teams while strengthening relationships and re-energizing their own staff.

Team engagement, patient experience, referral relationships, practice culture, communication, leadership, resilience, workplace attitude, and human connection. His four signature keynotes are The Passion Centered Person, Cause for Applause, Life on the Ledge, and Game On!

Yes. For 30+ years Gary has spoken for dental conferences, study clubs, associations, manufacturers, dental schools, and specialty practices — including AAO, AACD, Hinman, Chicago Midwinter, Seattle Study Club, Nobel Biocare, Straumann, Patterson Dental, CareCredit, and the University of the Pacific.

Submit the inquiry form on this page or email Cherisse@GaryZelesky.com. Gary's team responds within 1 business day. Virtual, in-person, and hybrid formats available — domestic and international.

Gary is the author of The Passion Centered Person (co-authored with Tim Vandehey, endorsed by Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup for the Soul), Whispers from the Master, and Executive Leadership Devotional.

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