ABOUT
An award-winning actress, speaker, and hearing impaired comedian, Kathy Buckley inspires audiences to overcome adversity by listening to the mind and heart together.
Kathy Buckley is a motivational speaker and best-selling author who uses comedy to help audiences understand their gifts, their peers, and their choices. A five-time American Comedy Awards Nominee for Best Stand-Up Female Comedienne, Kathy’s keynote speeches about her challenges interweave humor and storytelling to help people bring more compassion to others—and to themselves.
With decades of experience motivating millions of people around the world, Kathy has been a featured speaker at Tony Robbins’ Life Mastery classes, where the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army formally recognized her outstanding efforts toward disability employment awareness. Recently, one of Kathy’s speeches recently went viral—64 million views and counting!—for its refreshing message about human connection and forgiveness.
In addition to her work with Tony Robbins, Kathy is a recognized presence on the nation’s top television networks, with regular appearances on The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, The Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Inside Edition, CNN, HBO, Caroline’s Comedy Hour, An Evening At The Improv, and Howard Stern. E! Entertainment even named her one of the "World’s Most Intriguing Women" in their original special. She also starred in her own original award-winning PBS special called No Labels, No Limits.
A living example of turning lemons into lemonade, Kathy inspires people to determine their life’s course by sharing her own stories of hardship and self-discovery. She is an active volunteer for causes close to her heart, and volunteers at many children’s charities including No Limits, a non-profit organization for children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
If you’re looking to motivate your organization or conference attendees, Kathy Buckley’s keynotes are for you. She’s inspired people around the nation, speaking at corporate events, conferences, universities, and more. Whether performing in a comedy club, appearing on television, speaking publicly, theaters, Carnegie Hall in New York, The Kennedy Center, teaching at camps for children, or appearing in any number of other settings, Kathy Buckley knows that extraordinary becomes reality when the heart and the mind work together.
AS FEATURED IN
Now I know what going viral means.
Goalcast published this Facebook video of one of Kathy’s talks, and it’s racked up over 64 million views.
PRAISE
They said it, not me
“Laughter is one of the most powerful factors in how our lives turn out, and Kathy Buckley reveals its power with love and wit. She is a miracle you must experience.”
“Kathy Buckley is an inspiration.”
“Kathy has you crying one moment, the next you’re laughing. She brings down the house!”
“Your keynote speech left all our employees leaving knowing that we can over come anything thing and the best is yet to come. What a gift to give our company. Everyone is still talking about it. You made me look G-R-E-A-T! Thanks.”
“Over the past 25 years, I have sought out the best of the best in both content and presentation style. Kathy Buckley has ranked at the highest of that list for several years, which is why I continue to bring her back to my schools and events over and over again. If you turn her over to your team or audience, you only need to sit back and let her work her magic and love.”
“Kathy’s opening day presentation at our conference was PHENOMENAL! She speaks with such passion and energy that is both inspiring and hysterical! It was unbelievable to observe how she connected with each and every person in our audience on a deep and truly emotional level. Thank you for being with and inspiring us. You taught us a whole new perspective on the word ‘COMMUNICATION’!”
“From the moment Kathy began speaking, she held those kids in the palm of your hands—and for 16 and 17 year-olds that is no small feat. The evaluations completed by the students indicated she was a huge hit! More importantly, Kathy’s speech got directly to the heart of RYLA. Our goal for young leaders who attended was to look beyond the expectations that others might have for them and see what was in their own hearts. Kathy demonstrated that the only real obstacle in the way of personal fulfillment and success for themselves, and those they lead, were their own perceptions. It was right on target! ”
“Kathy is wise, witty and wonderful. Her amazing story touches your soul and gives you hope and realization that you and your company can overcome any obstacle. I recommend her without any hesitation or reservation.”
“Kathy Buckley is audacious, funny, moving, and inspiring. If I didn’t already have a job, I would devote my life to kissing her feet.”
“What a story! What a lady! One remarkable Hollywood survivor. A tale of courage from a silent world. Mesmerizing and humbling...”
“We thank you for an outstanding presentation and for being with us at this special time. You bring in a whole new meaning on the word communication, which we all could learn from.”
“Thank you for sharing your amazing story with us. I would just like to say on behalf of myself and the entire NeuroHealth Division, we were very moved, many to tears, by your presentation and the compassion you have and show towards others. Kathy, I think you are an angel in bringing my team such great inspiration and confidence to know that they can overcome anything that comes their way. Our motto is Dream It, Believe It, Do It, and there could be no better example than you to light the way.”
“Her word will forever remain in your heart as a way to live life with hope, integrity, and faith.”
“Kathy Buckley has something for everyone. As a motivational speaker, she delivered much more than a spiel—she shared her life story, with a masterful balance of humor and inspiration. Kathy vividly recalled her most personal challenges and triumphs. The audience response to her wit and energy was tremendous. In just 15 minutes, she transformed the entire tone of the conference for the better. Kathy is a great example of what courage and perseverance can overcome. Her story is not only an example to the disabled community (which happens to be the special interest of our conference), but to anyone confronting serious obstacles in life. We would not hesitate to invite Kathy to a future conference.”
“Kathy Buckley is not only extremely funny but she delivers an inspiring message of hope, determination, and success. Once you are exposed to her, you realize the importance of not sweating the small stuff and ignoring the ‘trivial many.’ Kathy is a must for every human being to experience. I am her fan!”
Experience Kathy’s keynotes for yourself.
CAREER
A few milestones
Kathy’s career has been the result of hard work, luck, and smart decisions across a wide variety of consumer-driven industries.
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A childhood unlike most
Kathy was born in Wickliffe, Ohio. When she was young, Kathy's family chalked up communication challenges to her being "slow." Kathy was in second grade when school administrators and audiologists diagnosed hearing loss as the cause of her challenges with speech development. Throughout her childhood, she was sexually molested and contemplated suicide in her adolescence.
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Post-graduation confusion
At age 20, Kathy hung out on the shores of Lake Erie, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life, when she was run over by a 3,500-pound lifeguard Jeep while sunbathing. She was pronounced dead by attending paramedics and saw life after death. (At least she believed she did.) Kathy was in and out of a wheelchair for two years because of intermittent paralysis in her legs. It took almost five years to completely recover.
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Just when you think it can't get worse
One year after recovering from the Jeep accident, Kathy received more heartbreaking news: a cervical cancer diagnosis. She endured two more years of hospital visits to defeat cancer. And she hadn't turned 30 yet!
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This is not a joke
Kathy started working as a massage exercise therapist, and she found that laughter became effective medicine for her clients' healing. A patient of hers, actress Geri Jewell, had cerebral palsy and encouraged Kathy to have a go at a cerebral palsy fundraiser event called "Stand-Up Comics Take a Stand." Kathy thought the contest was an amateur night, but instead there were professional comedians with decades of experience competing. Kathy ended up winning the first night and placing 4th in the finals out of 80 comediennes who were in the business for 3 to 10 years. And she's been doing comedy ever since.
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The power of comedy
One comedy routine led to another, and soon Kathy became a big name on the US comedy circuit. She made appearances on The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Inside Edition, Turner Entertainment Report, CNN'S Show Biz Today, Real Life, and Geraldo. Soon, Kathy got the acting bug and guest starred on Touched by an Angel, and played herself in a one-woman Off-Broadway show called Now Hear This! which was a spin-off of her award-winning show “Don’t Buck With Me!” which earned the Ovation Award for best writer in a Broadway Musical and several other awards and critical praise. Soon after, Kathy wrote and produced the award-winning No Labels, No Limits! for PBS, which received the CINE Golden Eagle Award and Media Access Award for Outstandng Television Special.
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Motivating by accident
Kathy accidentally discovered her gift for motivational speaking when she was hired to do a workshop for people with disabilities. Instead of referring to complicated instruction books, Kathy shared her understanding of having no self-esteem because of the labels society has placed on her. Since then, Kathy has traveled across the nation, speaking to teens, adults, and seniors to spread a message of positivity. In 2003, she wrote and published an autobiography, If You Could Hear What I See, which became a bestseller.
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Advocating for love, compassion, and forgiveness
Today, Kathy inspires audiences as a motivational speaker. By sharing her story of overcoming adversity, she inspires thousands of people annually in corporations, schools, non-profits, and more. She's a key motivational speaker for Tony Robbins' Life Mastery Classes, a recurring guest speaker at Paul Mitchell Schools, and works with the government on behalf of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Kathy is also a national spokesperson for No Limits, a non-profit organization that provides after-school education and theater programs to children with hearing impairments.
Ready to hear Kathy's life lessons at your event?
KEYNOTES
My message
Just as Kathy recognizes that every individual is different, she prepares a unique keynote for every speaking engagement. Below are a few examples of Kathy’s previous talks for corporate audiences.
No Labels, No Limits
unlock your potential BY REMOVING LABELS
Kathy talks about the labels that society puts on us and the labels we also put on ourselves. She addresses the fact that we subscribe to these labels, which can even modify our own self-awareness. Kathy inspires her audiences to remove the labels and empowers audiences to make a change, become self-confident, self-aware, and experience self-growth. Kathy’s message will free you and awaken the unlimited potential inside each of us.
The Gift of Choice
YOUR LIFE IS YOUR DECISION
By opening your eyes to the opportunities presented in your life, you become empowered to make decisions. In this inspiring talk, Kathy uses personal examples to show that negativity in our lives is directly created by the negative choices we make.
When Kathy was 20 years old, she was run over by a lifeguard Jeep at the beach and pronounced dead by paramedics. Instead of viewing that moment as a tragedy, Kathy saw the event as an opportunity of choice. That day, Kathy made the choice to fight for her life and vowed to live her life to the fullest. By learning from Kathy’s story, audiences will be inspired to make choices that better the lives of themselves, their coworkers, and the world.
Forgive Yourself to Free Yourself
FINDING STRENGTH THROUGH UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
To the external eye, Kathy has been wronged most of her life. She was wronged when she developed a hearing impairment. She was wronged when she was transferred to a school for mentally impaired children, despite having no mental impairments herself. She was wronged to have been molested as a child. She was wronged to have been run over by a Jeep. And she was wronged to have cervical cancer.
But instead of holding on to the wrongs, Kathy forgives. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. It frees you of the burden that comes with holding on to pain. Through examples from her life experiences and the people she’s met along the way, Kathy will open audience’s eyes to the power of forgiveness.
Ready to hear Kathy's life lessons at your event?
