NSA SoCal

NSA SoCal NSA SoCal is where Southern California speakers connect, grow, and thrive together. A community built to elevate your craft, your business, and your impact.

https://nsasocal.org/

Congratulations to Lindsay Benitez, winner of an NSA SoCal Academy Merit Scholarship for the 2026–27 Academy cohort! Lin...
09/01/2026

Congratulations to Lindsay Benitez, winner of an NSA SoCal Academy Merit Scholarship for the 2026–27 Academy cohort! Lindsay will also team up with Academy Directors Chris Holliday and Larry Kay as a Cohort Guide.

Ready to elevate your career with public speaking? A few seats remain for the 2026–27 Academy cohort, starting September 15. Registration and info: https://nsasocal.org/academy

08/27/2026

Tomorrow 10am Pacific Time.

Spill the Beans (and Share Ideas).
This event is open to anyone who wants to pull up a chair and join us.

Our Virtual Coffee Breaks are a relaxed, come-as-you-are space to connect, share ideas, and recharge with fellow speakers. Whether you're looking for inspiration, community, or simply a friendly chat, these online gatherings are the perfect way to stay connected between events.

Bring your favorite cup of coffee (or tea!) and join us—you never know what ideas, insights, or connections you'll walk away with.

Brewing connections, one sip at a time.

Free to Register https://nsasocal.org/events/august-27-2026/

Join NSA SoCal for an informal Happy Hour — a chance to connect with fellow speakers, authors, trainers, coaches, and th...
08/23/2026

Join NSA SoCal for an informal Happy Hour — a chance to connect with fellow speakers, authors, trainers, coaches, and thought leaders over a drink.

📅 September 25, 2026 | 5:30–7:00 PM
📍 Hotel Amarano, 322 N Pass Ave, Burbank, CA

Share what's new in your business, swap ideas, celebrate wins, and spend an evening with people who actually get the speaking profession.

Come as you are. Bring a colleague or guest. Free to attend. Everyone buys their own drinks so no one is stuck with a surprise bill at the end of the night.

🔗 Register here: https://nsasocal.org/events/september-25-2026/

08/21/2026

When 90% of her speaking income disappeared in 2020, Alaina G. Levine, CSP 🦄 didn't slow down — she built a webinar strategy that tripled her revenue and delivered 100+ engagements, including a TEDx.

NSA SoCal is hosting her in person for "Maximize Revenue with a Winning Webinar Strategy" — a session on turning your expertise into a recurring, scalable income stream.

📅 September 19, 2026 | 9:00 AM–12:00 PM | El Segundo, CA

You'll walk away with:

→ A formula to turn your expertise into multiple webinar topics

→ Ideas for bundling and pricing high-ticket packages

→ Tools to promote and position webinars that sell — again and again

→ A pipeline strategy for fresh, in-demand content

→ How webinars can lead to in-person bookings and long-term clients

If you're looking to build consistent income, stay top of mind with your audience, and turn your knowledge into a real business model, this one's worth the morning.

🔗 Register here: https://nsasocal.org/events/september-19-2026/

Thinking about turning your message into a business — but not sure where to start?NSA SoCal is hosting a free virtual in...
08/20/2026

Thinking about turning your message into a business — but not sure where to start?

NSA SoCal is hosting a free virtual info session for the 2026–27 Speakers Academy, and I wanted to pass it along.

📅 August 27, 2026 | 4:00–5:00 PM PT | Virtual

Whether you're just developing your first keynote or you're an established speaker ready to rethink your business model, this session will walk you through:

→ How the 2-semester intensive program works (craft in the fall, business in the spring)

→ Real success stories from Academy graduates

→ The roadmap from signature talk to multiple income streams

→ How bi-weekly masterminds with industry pros accelerate growth

Speaking professionally isn't just about the stage — it's the marketing, positioning, and relationships behind it. This is where that gets built.

Co-directors Chris Holliday and Larry Kay will be hosting and taking questions live.

🔗 Registration is free

https://nsasocal.org/events/august-27-2026-sa/

Professional Speakers, picture this. It's 9:58am on a Wednesday. You've got a keynote in six weeks, a client who keeps "...
08/16/2026

Professional Speakers, picture this. It's 9:58am on a Wednesday. You've got a keynote in six weeks, a client who keeps "just checking in," and a coffee that's gone lukewarm because you got distracted rewriting your opener for the ninth time.

Then you remember: it's Coffee Break day.

You open your laptop. No slides to load. No AV check. No one's judging your home office lighting. Just a small screen full of faces who *get it* — the ones who know exactly what it feels like to walk offstage buzzing, or to bomb a joke in front of 200 people and have to keep going anyway.

You share the client thing. Someone's dealt with worse. You laugh about it. Someone else mentions a trick for handling "quick 90-minute keynotes" that changes how you price your next gig. An hour later, you close the laptop and you're... lighter. Recharged. Reminded why you do this.

That's not an accident. That's what happens when the right people share a room — even a virtual one — with nothing to sell and nowhere to be but present.

The most successful speakers you know aren't the ones grinding alone. They're the ones who show up for their community, again and again, in the small unglamorous moments — because that's where the real ideas, referrals, and reminders-you-needed actually happen.

So here's your invitation to be one of them.

☕ NSA SoCal Virtual Coffee Break

📅 Aug 27, 10–11am

💻 Virtual, free, link sent on registration

Bring your mug. Bring your mess. Bring yourself.

Hosted by NSA SoCal Board Members, Cesar Cardona and Sam Osborne

👉 https://nsasocal.org/events/august-27-2026/

Professional Speakers. Your have 2 chances this week to invest in your voice and one of them is free. 🎤Thinking about tu...
08/11/2026

Professional Speakers. Your have 2 chances this week to invest in your voice and one of them is free. 🎤

Thinking about turning your expertise into a paid speaking practice? NSA SoCal's Speakers Academy is a 9-month virtual program built by working speakers and CSPs — foundations in the fall, acceleration in the spring. For speakers, by speakers.

First — come see if it's your fit. (Free.)

Join Chris Holliday and Larry Kay for a relaxed, no-pressure Info Session. Ask anything. No sales pitch — just a real look at what you'll learn and who it's for.

🗓 Thursday, Aug 13 · 4:00–5:00 PM PT · Virtual

Register 👉 https://nsasocal.org/events/august-13-2026/

Then — lock in your spot before the price goes up.

⏰ Early Bird pricing for Speaker Academy ends Saturday, Aug 15.

Academy 101 kicks off Sept 15 — you'll walk away with a working signature talk, a peer mastermind cohort, guest CSPs, and chapter membership included.

Register 👉 https://nsasocal.org/speakers-academy-2026-27/

Your voice matters. Your time is now.

NSA SoCal's Influence Insights SeriesConversations with NSA SoCal members who attended Influence 2026 in Austin, TXEpiso...
08/09/2026

NSA SoCal's Influence Insights Series
Conversations with NSA SoCal members who attended Influence 2026 in Austin, TX

Episode 001: "Put the Audience in the Picture" — with Larry Kay

Watch Now [20 minutes]
https://lnkd.in/gP78RYxJ

Host: Sam Osborne, President-Elect, NSA SoCal
Guest: Larry Kay (3-time Influence attendee · Speaker Academy co-lead)

Episode summary

In this first installment of NSA SoCal's Influence Insights Series, Sam sits down with three-time attendee Larry Kay to unpack what actually changes when you keep showing up to NSA's national conference. Larry talks about the welcoming "first-timer" culture, the difference between the national room and the local chapter, and the single deconstructed moment on the main stage that reframed how he thinks about storytelling — shifting from "I" to "you." He also shares the systems and context he built before Influence so he could come home with momentum instead of overwhelm, plus a candid look at what it really costs and why he treats it as non-negotiable.

What you'll take away

Why the "first-timer" badge is permission, not a rookie label — and how it opens every conversation in the room
The introvert/extrovert case for a 1,000-person room that still feels intimate
The mindset shift from "I" to "you" — putting the audience inside your story — and the measurable engagement it creates
How to arrive with context (ideally through your local chapter) so you don't get "hit by the fire hose"
Building a post-conference system so momentum starts the Monday you land, not months later
"See one, do one, teach one" — why teaching accelerates your own craft
A realistic budget for attending Influence, and how to make it a non-negotiable

🎓 Speaker Academy — Info Session (virtual)
Thursday, August 13, 2026 · 4:00–5:00 PM PT ·
Register 👉 https://nsasocal.org/events/august-13-2026/

Fall semester: the craft of professional speaking. Spring semester: the business of professional speaking. Plus a new roadmap to design your own path.

🌐 NSA SoCal — https://nsasocal.org

🎤 NSA Influence (2027 heads to Scottsdale, AZ) —
Let them know you are an NSA SoCal member!!
https://portal.nsaspeaker.org/events/influence-2027

Make it a non-negotiable. Put your money toward what gives you the best return and lets you serve your audience in bigger ways.

Recorded on a Sunday, because that's how the NSA SoCal room rolls. See you at the Info Session Thursday — and in the room at Influence 2027.

Subscribe & connect
🎙️ Follow NSA SoCal's Influence Insights Series
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOnUJzB5_y-U

New Guest Speaker Spotlight just dropped!Watch here https://youtu.be/Y-02XVDha9EDid you know the most critical 45 second...
08/08/2026

New Guest Speaker Spotlight just dropped!

Watch here https://youtu.be/Y-02XVDha9E

Did you know the most critical 45 seconds of your keynote might be the part someone else reads?

Far too many professional speakers rely on a dry bio that sets expectations too high or bores the room before they even step on stage.

In this pre-event interview, NSA SoCal President-Elect Sam Osborne sits down with Hall of Fame speaker Joel Weldon (CSP, CPAE) and "Undercover Speaker" creator Jenny Locklin for an exclusive preview of their upcoming program.

Tune in to hear why your intro is your most powerful pre-stage asset, then join us virtually on Friday, August 14, 2026 (9:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT) for their full workshop, "Your Introduction is Not Your Bio".

You’ll master a proven 4-part framework, learn how to coach your MC, and refine your own intro live.

Register for the virtual event here

https://nsasocal.org/events/august-14-2026/!

NEXT WEEK !!!!! Are you an aspiring Professional Speaker? You have the message. You know it matters. What you may not ha...
08/08/2026

NEXT WEEK !!!!! Are you an aspiring Professional Speaker?

You have the message. You know it matters. What you may not have yet is the roadmap to turn it into a thriving speaking business.

That's exactly what the NSA SoCal Speakers Academy is built for — and on August 13 we're pulling back the curtain on how it works.

Join Academy Co-Directors Chris Holliday and Larry Kay for a free virtual Info Session & Q&A. In one hour you'll see:

→ How the 2-semester intensive actually works — from developing your signature talk (Academy 101) to the business side of positioning, marketing, and closing deals (Academy 201)

→ What's new and bigger about our Fall 2026 cohort

→ Real success stories from graduates who've transformed their speaking careers

→ How bi-weekly masterminds with working pros accelerate your growth

This is for you if you're ready to develop your keynote, build a speaking business from scratch, or adjust a model that's plateaued — whether you're a speaker, coach, trainer, or entrepreneur who wants more influence.

The most gifted speakers often stall on one missing piece: reaching decision-makers, the marketing know-how, or a business model that's quietly capping them. The Academy is the map.

📅 Wednesday, August 13 · 4:00–5:00 PM PT · Virtual · Free

Register here

https://nsasocal.org/events/august-13-2026/

Enrollment for the 2026–27 Academy is now open.

Learn more about the program

https://nsasocal.org/speakers-academy-2026-27/

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1400 Parkview Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA
90266

Opening Hours

8am - 1pm

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