Audaciously Inspiring!

Ever wondered what happens when 10 aspiring speakers face a sold-out crowd of 100? Check out the epic moments from our first-ever Drop The Mic Night event!

Our inaugural Drop The Mic Night was a sensational success, where passion ignited the stage! Ten brave aspiring speakers, traveling from 5 states to be here, took the spotlight and captivated the audience in just 5 minutes each. It was a whirlwind of energy, nerves, and newfound confidence!

Missed out? Don't worry! Scroll down to watch highlights and videos of each speaker's presentation. Stay tuned for our next event and learn how you can step onto the stage at our future Drop The Mic Night. Get ready to unleash your voice and shine like never before!

Audacity

Theme

The theme for our June event was AUDACITY.

Our speakers were challenged to prepare a 5 minute presentation related to this theme. Whether they were cracking jokes, sharing a heartfelt story or inspiring us with their wisdom, their mission was to "drop the mic" and leave us wanting more!

Prizes were awarded for the most mic-drop worthy presentations. Who walked away with the Golden Mic? and bragging rights as the first ever Drop The Mic Night Champion? Scroll down to find out!

Watch The Audacious Stortyellers!

Get ready to be inspired as each of these aspiring speakers take the stage at the inaugural Drop The Mic Night, captivating the audience with incredible stories of audacity and determination. Watch each unforgettable performance and see how they shine in front of a sold-out crowd!

1st Place

Rhodie Lorenz

Having The Audacity to Trust Yourself

3rd Place

Marcia Lee

Cut the BS! Your Health, Your Choice

2nd Place

Gina Martin

Dare To Be Audacious

Audience Favorite

Yungie Hahn

Called Many Things, Never Audacious

Michelle Garside

Burn It To The Ground and Start a New Life

Lindsay Potter

The Audacity to Find Your Authentic Self

Oksana Hansen

Dare To Be Negative

Kelsey Boyd

How I Lost My Audacity &

What It Takes to Get It Back

Christine Labate

The Audacity of Me

Treacy Riiska

Does Anyone Have Change For A Million Dollars?

Prizes

1st Prize

Get ready to strut your stuff like a true champion because our first-place winner isn't just taking home the GOLDEN MIC TROPHY – they're also gearing up to unleash some serious style!

Picture this:

You, dazzling & confident, courtesy of a Personalized Styling Session with stylist, Mary Carangelo. Get set for a four-hour consultation that'll leave you feeling like a million bucks! Your prize package includes:

Style Discovery Call
In person or online Style Consult
In-Review email of Style Plan
Copy of Mary's Closet Audit Protocol
Copy of Mary's How to Dress for a Branding Photo Guide

2nd Prize

Ignite your creativity and turbocharge your content creation with a one-month membership to Terri Trespicio's New Rules Studio!

As a member of the Studio, you'll supercharge your writing for your book, blog, email list, social media, podcast, speeches, or just for your personal enjoyment!

That's not all! In addition to the Studio, you'll get a copy of Terri's electrifying book, Unfollow Your Passion: How to Create a Life That Matters To You. This book gives you the tools you need (and the permission you crave) to dispense with the BS, toss the old advice, and lay claim to the life that’s been yours the whole time—so that you can begin to live it on your terms.

3rd Prize

Unleash the full potential of your brand with a PR Brand Audit from Visibility on Purpose!

In this 1-on-1 strategy call you'll review your brand's positioning as it relates to PR and Media Exposure with the experts at Visibility on Purpose.

During the call, they will review the PR Checklist with you to make sure your brand is ready for media exposure. This might look like:

Coming up with topics you feel comfortable speaking on
Solidifying your brand summary
Nailing down your founder bio
As well as looking at your online presence.

Value: $1,500

Value: $250

Value: $199

Apply

Prizes

Meet the Organizers

Jenn Lederer

Jenn is an NYC based award-winning comedian and keynote speaker. Her work has been featured by SiriusXM, Forbes.com, The Huffington Post, Inspiring Lives Magazine, on stages at YALE, Twitter and Google Headquarters in NYC and comedy clubs throughout New York City and Europe. Performing all over the country, internationally and virtually, too! Jenn emcees and leads workshops and keynotes helping audiences learn how to answer the one question everyone hates (but can’t avoid) “What do you do?” using the “comedian’s formula” for educating, connecting and amusing your audience. Jenn’s experience spans 15+ years and at least 8 different avenues in the creative industry that include earning a BA in Dance from Point Park University, co-writing an off-off-Broadway musical, co-writing an album, owning and running a Talent Management company representing actors for film, TV and theater, Motivational Speaking, Business Coaching and now comedy. Stay tuned for what’s next!

Shannon Malkin Daniels

Shannon is a communication nerd, TEDx speaker, international author and entrepreneur who views obstacles as opportunities and believes anything is possible with the right combination of creativity, hard work and perseverance. Applying this mindset has enabled Shannon to develop innovative solutions and stand out as a leader. In 2018, she drew upon her communication expertise to found encaptiv, an award-winning audience engagement and conversion platform for virtual, hybrid and in-person presentations and events. Shannon holds a master’s in interpersonal communication from the University of Central Florida, has served on the faculty at Columbia University and Iona College, and has been coaching executives, professionals, entrepreneurs and students on effective communication and public speaking skills for a decade. Among her many accomplishments, Shannon has helped clients land, develop and deliver TEDx talks - including one that became a viral phenomenon that turned into a book deal; successfully navigate Shark Tank auditions to get to filming; transform authors' words into impactful keynotes that launched their books...and more! Shannon is the Co-Founder of SOW Victory Fest, a global event that celebrates, elevates and empowers women; and Co-Founder of Stamford Innovation Week, a week-long festival and conference celebrating innovation, entrepreneurship and technology. Her book, Water Yourself, has been read in 10 countries and the second edition was released in April 2023.

Meet the Judges

Terri Trespicio

Terri is an award-winning writer, speaker, brand advisor, and author of Unfollow Your Passion: How to Create a Life that Matters to You (Atria/Simon & Schuster, December 2021). Her TEDx talk, "Stop Searching for Your Passion," has surpassed 8 million views, and she was named by Hubspot as one of the "Top 18 female speakers who are killing it" (she came in at #2—Oprah was #8), and one of the world's leading creatives by Creative Boom magazine. A former magazine editor and radio host at Martha Stewart, she has appeared on the Today Show, Dr. Oz, The Early Show, The Martha Stewart Show and The Anderson Cooper Show. Her work has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, Prevention, Business Insider, Forbes.com, and Inc.com. Certified in the Gateless method for capturing creative genius, she leads workshops and retreats all over the country to help professionals of all stripes take their stories and ideas from page to stage and beyond.

Bridget Aileen Sicsko

Bridget is a speaker, yoga instructor and the co-founder of Visibility on Purpose, a PR and Media company helping small business owners be known for the cool things they’re building. Bridget loves speaking, hosts a top-rated podcast called Visibility Era and is an avid spiritual student and teacher. Ultimately, Bridget believes in the power of words, stories and voices to shift our view of reality, our potential and our purpose on the planet.Bridget has been featured in AskMen, Women’s Business Daily, Medium, on RVN TV, Ticker News, News 12 New York and over 50+ podcasts. In her free time, you can find her cold plunging with her husband, running distance trail races, brewing up some herbal concoction and modeling what it means to live an "ultra" life.

Eddie "Tranzcendent" Martinez

Eddie is a U.S. Army OIF Veteran and was a State of Connecticut Judicial Marshal for 7 1/2 years. After leaving his state job he discovered a passion for community, communications and our youth. Accordingly, today Eddie is the President of the Greater Bridgeport Latino Network and serves as the Board Chair for Leadership Greater Bridgeport, an affiliate leadership program of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council. Eddie is an Inspirational Speaker focusing on the importance of Self Awareness, Personal & Workplace Development Coach and Podcaster. He is a Certified DiSC Facilitator and Certified Facilitator of Girls Circle and The Council for Boys & Young Men, both gender specific development programs. He is the founder/owner of Tranzcendent Outlook, LLC., a company that specializes in personal, organizational, and workplace development, youth gender-specific development coaching and inspirational presentations for events ranging from high school to corporate. Eddie also produces the Tranzcendent Outlook Podcast where he highlights outstanding community leaders & entrepreneurs in Connecticut, among other positive content.