Mariana Atencio

Peabody Award-Winning Journalist, Bestselling Author, Media Entrepreneur, Inspiring Storyteller, and Host/Moderator

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Topics

Diversity and Inclusion Leadership and Inspiration Media Personalities Hispanic/ Latino/Latina Healthcare Speakers Leadership Speakers Virtual Keynote Speakers

Mariana Atencio

Peabody Award-Winning Journalist, Bestselling Author, Media Entrepreneur, Inspiring Storyteller, and Host/Moderator

Add To My Favorites Check Fee/Availability

In-Person Fee Range:

$20,001 - $30,000

Fee Details

Virtual Fee Range:

Inquire for Fee

Traveling from:

Florida

Why Book

As a former anchor at Univision/Fusion and national correspondent at NBC News, she’s traveled the world to report on some of the most volatile conflicts of our times, in both English and Spanish, for over a decade.
Her TED Talk “What Makes You Special?” is one of the top 10 most watched on Youtube, translated into 11 languages. Her first book, Perfectly You, was an Amazon Best Seller for Latino Biographies, and selected as an Audible Editor’s Pick and AppleBooks “Must Listen”.
Her first book “Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real” was an Amazon Best Seller, selected by Audible Editor’s Picks and Apple as a “Must Listen.”

Biography

In a world where so much of what we experience is not what it seems, we’re drawn to authentic people and organizations like a magnet. Their humanity and energy stand out and build trust, connection, and purpose – the foundation of great relationships and outstanding organizational cultures.

Mariana Atencio took the world by storm in 2017 with her viral TEDx talk on authenticity, “What Makes YOU Special?” – now with over 25 million views and translations in 13 languages. Her message: What makes you different is what makes you powerful. She inspires leaders and teams with the courage to embrace a blueprint to thrive through uncertainty, constant disruption, and their own self-doubt.

The authenticity lessons Mariana shares in her speeches are personal. She came to America and tried to fit in as she pursued her career as a broadcast journalist. But it wasn’t until she put self-doubt aside and decided to lean into what made her unique that her career began to take off. Her bestselling memoir, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real, chronicles that journey and inspires readers to unlock the power of their personal stories.

Mariana built her journalism career first at Univision in Spanish, then crossed over to English at NBC News, where her boots-on-the-ground reporting on immigration, natural disasters, women’s rights, and cartel violence earned her a Peabody Award, a Gracie Award, three Emmy nominations, and the NAHJ Presidential Award. During her career she reported from the front lines of global events in places like Haiti, China, and the Syrian border. Her in-depth interviews span the spectrum – from world and business leaders to cultural icons.

Today, Mariana brings those same skills to the biggest global stages at live and virtual events for the world’s most respected companies and organizations. In her capacity as event host and moderator, she has interviewed heads of state, Fortune 100 CEOs, and global changemakers. She is unflappable as she moves from discussing innovation, the promise of AI, global economic growth, and a myriad of other important topics.

Mariana is an entrepreneur with her own media company and created the hit podcast Startup Series: Latam to spotlight breakthrough entrepreneurs from the Global South.

Whether she’s delivering a keynote, moderating a CEO panel, or leading a purpose-driven conversation, Mariana Atencio is at ease with her role. Her blend of intelligence, preparation, and signature warmth help to elevate events and make them memorable.

Born and raised in Venezuela, she left her home country amid political unrest and came to the U.S. on a scholarship to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and serves on the board of the future Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, D.C., a testament to her lifelong commitment to storytelling, representation, and community.

Programs

Real Matters: Building Trust in an Unreal World

Curated feeds. Corporate spin. AI-generated everything. Building trust in modern times is harder than ever. It’s also one of the most valuable assets a leader or organization can possess. Employees, customers, and stakeholders are attracted to what feels real – and they can sense inauthenticity in an instant. When leaders show up with authenticity, they create cultures rooted in trust, engagement, and collaboration – the foundations of high-performing teams. Being real is the most powerful way to stand out in an unreal world of filtered perceptions and manufactured narratives. This doesn’t mean rejecting technology – quite the opposite. It means embracing it without losing the human touch in leadership and processes.

Mariana unpacks how trust strengthens team resilience, drives innovation, and builds credibility both inside and outside the organization. Through strategic storytelling and powerful interactive exercises, Mariana delivers practical insights leaders can apply immediately: how to develop trust with those they lead, build authentic brands, and create workplaces where people want to bring their best every day – because when organizations are real, they thrive.

Key Takeaways:
• Identify and leverage your unique leadership abilities to build trust.
• Develop the skills to determine, understand, and guide your team through change effectively.
• Communicate with clarity, empathy, and transparency to navigate uncertainty.
• Unite your teams around a shared purpose to drive collective progress.
• Mariana’s interactive exercises make unforgettable lessons and customized experiences.

Perfectly You: Leveraging the Power Within

Everywhere we look, the world pressures us to perform, conform, and be perfect – often at the expense of being true to ourselves. But the truth is, when we show up authentically, we become magnetic and unlock greater resilience, confidence, and purpose. Authenticity not only helps us navigate change and uncertainty – it attracts opportunities and relationships that align with who we really are.

Mariana’s unique energy and interactive dynamics give people permission to drop the masks and discover the bold power of being “Perfectly You.” Through inspiring stories and practical takeaways, attendees will learn how to embrace what makes them irreplaceable and tap into authenticity as a source of strength and well-being to give their best at work and in life. Audiences leave energized, empowered, and ready to stand out – not by trying to be perfect, but by having the courage to be real.

Key Takeaways:
• Harness the traits that make you unique (and “Perfectly You”) to resiliently navigate change and uncertainty with confidence.
• Discover your sense of purpose and increase your personal fulfillment.
• Learn the three-step framework authentic leaders use to cultivate cultures of trust, collaboration, and purpose.
• Foster meaningful relationships to strengthen team culture and team building.
• Mariana’s energy and empathy create breakthrough moments that audiences remember long after they leave.

Communicating Confidently – Cut Through the Noise and Get Heard

For everyone in business, delivering a message efficiently – internally and in different media – has gotten infinitely more complex in the age of AI. This interactive presentation will help attendees sharpen their communication skills. Mariana equips leaders – from entry level to the C-Suite – with practical tools and tested principles to speak confidently, authentically, and effectively, whether it’s for client meetings, internal communications, Zoom, an important presentation, a traditional media interview, a digital clip and/or a conference stage. Mariana will share tips that took her more than a decade of television and social media experience to learn, working at two of the world’s biggest news networks, in Spanish and English. 45-90 Minutes

Sample Takeaways:
• Learn to distill your main message so it resonates across all platforms.
• Practical tips and pro tricks for in-person and virtual presentations.
• Master the power of persuasion in an era of fleeting attention spans.
• Better storytelling to create connection and leave a lasting impact.
• Establish credibility and build trust in an era of misinformation.
• How to navigate real-time interview scenarios with confidence.

Moderating, Interviewing, and Hosting

With experience as a national network news anchor and reporter, Mariana brings warmth and intelligence to each hosting, moderating, and interviewing assignment. Mariana’s curiosity and poise help her get the most out of those on stage with her.

The breadth of Mariana’s experience speaks to her versatility. She’s moderated conversations on embracing a mindset for change at Microsoft, on the rights of women in Iran, on gender inequality at Foreign Policy magazine’s HERPower summit, on media representation at the Paley Center for Media, on financial literacy at Nasdaq, on building a personal and professional brand at Columbia University, a panel on geopolitics and economics at Citi Private Bank’s autumn dialogues with three heads of state from Latin America, a session at the United Nations General Assembly meeting on global healthcare inequity, plus the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, PepsiCo, JP Morgan, Accenture, Spotify, Google, YouTube, Clorox, AT&T, Spectrum, and more.

Books

Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real

Purpose The Remix: A Mind-Blowing Reunderstanding of Purpose and How It Works

Topics

Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership and Inspiration, Media Personalities, Hispanic/ Latino/Latina, Healthcare Speakers, Leadership Speakers, Virtual Keynote Speakers,

Mariana Atencio Reviews

“Mariana provided some wonderful lessons and insights into her journey and how each of us can celebrate and share what makes us different. It was a fantastic opportunity for our employees to be inspired and to learn more.”

— Microsoft

“Mariana was powerful on stage, engaging, thought provoking and the perfect speaker for our flagship global annual conference held in Miami. She was such a pleasure to work with that she ended up interviewing and moderating two very critical panels for the agenda. Mariana’s experience and professionalism will make any company that chooses to work with her look great.”

— Citi Private Bank

“Mariana was an excellent partner leading up to and on-site at our event. She is a true professional who custom-built her presentation to our needs. We had her as a keynote for 2 hours, but it could have been more. We would absolutely work with Mariana again in the future.”

— L’Oreal USA event in New York, NY

“It was a pleasure working with Mrs. Mariana Atencio and her Team during Bacardi’s Spirit Forward event. Not only was she highly engaged and accessible from the very beginning of the planning process, but flexible and open to ensure that her speech flowed well with the Summit’s overarching theme. She was inspirational, motivational and real, and we received wonderful feedback from the attendees. We would be happy to work with her again.”

— Bacardi USA, Inc.

“Passionate. Authentic. Powerful. Mariana Atencio is in a class all her own. We
are constantly evaluating speakers to share their message and platform with
our 6,500+ strong Women’s Network. Mariana is a special talent and left our group inspired, pumped, and feeling renewed. She easily infused personal stories, actionable next steps, videos, and music. Book Mariana.”

— CBRE, Inc.

“Marianna did a tremendous job for the FPPTA. She not only inspired our audience with sharing her “Perfectly You” message. Very motivating. Following her keynote, Marianna then moderated a trustee panel about the keys to understanding the Pension Formula, utilizing her professional skills and experience as a journalist. Tremendous job!”

— Florida Public Pension Trustees

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Mariana Atencio and what is she known for?

Mariana Atencio is a Peabody Award-winning journalist, inclusion expert, and keynote speaker exclusively represented by Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau. Her TED Talk What Makes You Special has over 10 million views. She was an anchor and correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC and is the author of Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real. Originally from Venezuela, she brings unique perspective on belonging and inclusion.

2. What topics does Mariana Atencio speak about?

Mariana Atencio delivers keynotes on inclusion, belonging, diversity, personal branding, and authentic leadership. Her signature program draws from her viral TED Talk and bestselling book, helping audiences understand what makes them special and how to create environments where everyone feels they belong.

3. What makes Mariana Atencio different from other diversity speakers?

What sets Mariana apart is her combination of world-class journalism credentials and deeply personal story. Her Peabody Award demonstrates professional excellence, while her TED Talk with 10+ million views shows her ability to connect emotionally with audiences. Her immigrant experience gives her authentic perspective on what it means to belong.

4. What types of events does Mariana Atencio speak to?

Mariana Atencio speaks at corporate conferences, diversity summits, women’s leadership events, and association meetings. Her audiences have included Fortune 500 companies, healthcare organizations, and any group seeking to create more inclusive cultures where people feel valued for who they are.

5. Is Mariana Atencio available for virtual keynotes?

Yes. Mariana Atencio is available for both in-person and virtual keynote presentations. Her extensive television experience makes her exceptionally effective in virtual formats.

6. What is Mariana Atencio's speaking fee?

Mariana Atencio’s speaking fee varies depending on the event format, location, and specific requirements. To get an exact quote, contact Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau by calling 973-313-9800, emailing info@eaglestalent.com, or completing the Check Availability form on her profile page.

7. Has Mariana Atencio written any books?

Yes. Mariana is the author of Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real. The book shares her journey from Venezuela to becoming a national news anchor and provides guidance on embracing authenticity and finding belonging.

8. How do I book Mariana Atencio for my event?

Mariana Atencio is exclusively represented by Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau. To check her availability or request a quote, call 973-313-9800, email info@eaglestalent.com, or visit her speaker profile at EaglesTalent.com and complete the booking inquiry form.