Jordan’s Talks

Unlock Communication
7 Lessons I Learned from Losing My Family…
and Getting Them Back

We’re taught that communication is about what we say.
But real connection? It’s about what we’re willing to hear.

When I came out as queer, I lost my family for 20 years. Not because we stopped loving each other—but because we didn’t know how to talk across difference, disappointment, or fear. Since then, I’ve lost jobs, friendships, and opportunities for the same reason: I didn’t know how to bridge emotional gaps or speak my truth.

This talk is about what I’ve learned on the long road back—how honest, vulnerable communication not only helped me reconcile with my family, but also deepened my leadership, my work, and my relationships.

Whether you’re leading a team or healing a connection, communication is the doorway to trust. Together, we’ll explore how to:

• Break cycles of disconnection

• Create space for truth-telling and repair

• Build relationships, workplaces, and cultures where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued

This isn’t about having the perfect words. It’s about having the courage to show up.

And when we do that? Everything starts to change.

Unlock Leadership
5 Lessons I Learned from Bad Bosses

Let’s be real: we don’t learn leadership by watching perfection.
Some of our best lessons come from surviving disasters.

I’ve had my share of bad bosses—

• The micromanager who never trusted anyone.

• The ghost who disappeared when it mattered most.

• The tyrant who led through fear instead of vision.

It would’ve been easy to shut down, grow cynical, or repeat what I saw. But I chose a different path—one rooted in empathy, clarity, and integrity.

In this talk, I share five transformational leadership lessons shaped by those hard experiences. I also pull from my work with global brands like Disney, TED, and Summit to show how even our worst professional moments can become blueprints for real growth. (And yes, I’ve had amazing bosses too. You rock, Logan Smalley!)

Leaders will walk away with tools to:

• Build trust through emotional intelligence

• Communicate with clarity and courage

• Create cultures where people feel seen, supported, and safe to thrive

This isn’t about bashing bad bosses. It’s about doing better—because now, we know better.

It’s about becoming the kind of leader people choose to follow.

Unlock Authenticity
5 Lessons I Learned from 10,000 Queers

We’re taught to perform — to say the right thing, play it safe, and keep the peace. But the cost of all that pretending?

Burnout. Disconnection. A life that doesn’t quite fit.

60% of leaders say they’re emotionally drained at the end of the workday. Nearly half are considering quitting. Why? Because faking it is exhausting.

I know that feeling. I spent years trying to be who the world wanted me to be — until I came out, lost my family for 20 years, and finally found my way back to myself. Along the way, I traveled the country collecting stories from hundreds of LGBTQ+ people. Their courage, joy, grief, and resilience changed my life — and taught me that authenticity isn’t just personal. It’s powerful. It’s a life strategy.

In this program, I share five transformational lessons from those stories — and from my own. I also spotlight bold humans, including some from the world’s biggest companies, showing how authenticity fuels trust, alignment, and meaningful culture change.

You’ll leave with a new lens on what it means to be yourself — and practical tools to:

• Align who you are with how you live (and lead)

• Build trust through real connection

• Inspire your community (and your team) by showing up fully — not perfectly

Because when you reconnect to what’s real, everything shifts. And who you are becomes more than your role — it becomes an unstoppable ripple effect that inspires a world world that feels more like home to all of us.

Unseen & Unheard
A History of Censorship and it’s Impact on Communities

From Vaudeville to TikTok, storytelling has always been shaped by power—by who gets to speak, and who gets silenced. In this talk, I trace the hidden history of censorship in American media and how it’s systematically erased voices from LGBTQ+, Black, immigrant, disabled, and non-Christian communities.

But this isn’t just a history lesson. It’s a call to action for storytellers. I share how resistance—through courage, creativity, and community—has broken through those silences to change what’s possible on screen. We’ll explore everything from the Hays Code to algorithmic suppression, from Moonlight to Fellow Travelers, and reflect on what it means to create brave, equitable work in today’s media landscape.

Whether you’re in a writers’ room, a boardroom, or a classroom, this talk invites you to see censorship not just as a policy issue—but as a cultural force we can choose to resist.