Cedric KingMotivational & leadership speaker
Twenty-one months after losing both legs, he ran Boston.
Inspiring testimonials
Quite simply, Cedric is a force. His messages of optimism and perseverance, of faith and hard work, apply to all of us, which is why I have invited him to meet my family and speak to groups who face their own hurdles.
Oh no, you're a cold piece of work, bro! Yo… Cedric, appreciate you coming.
He's a hell of a story. He came and spoke to our team… He's a tremendous man. He really is a tremendous American, true patriot guy who sacrificed an awful lot. And he had a nice message for our players. Just when you don't think you can, you can.
He embodies the incredible resilience and strength of all of our wounded warriors.
Book him with confidence
One voice carries your whole room. Cedric makes that an easy call: he learns your audience before he picks the talk, so the keynote is built for your people rather than delivered at them.
The proof is that organizations book him twice. Paul Mitchell across seven years. The Carolina Panthers across eight. Cigna across six. Sixty-four organizations in total, and the list is public.
Before
A call with you, to learn who is in the room, what they are carrying, and what the day is meant to do.
On the day
The talk chosen for that room, and aimed at what your people are actually facing.
After
A Q&A that goes wherever they take it, and something they are still using on Monday.
Every keynote is built around your goals
Cedric does not have a one-size-fits-all talk. The same story lands differently depending on who is in the room, so the talk is chosen and aimed for yours.
Corporate & sales
Aimed at what holds a team together when the plan fails. Used for kickoffs after a hard year, restructures, and leadership offsites.
Military units
Told by someone who was in the formation. 82nd Airborne, Ranger Class 5-04, wounded in Afghanistan on July 25, 2012.
Universities
For students deciding what they are willing to be bad at first. Orientation, commencement and athletics.
Healthcare
The patient's side of the bed, described by the patient. Clinician conferences, nursing weeks and trauma teams.
Government & public sector
Service as a decision rather than a job title. Agency all-hands and association conferences.
Faith communities
Faith, Focus and Family, told without a sermon. Men's and family events, congregations.
Example keynotes
Three of the talks Cedric is booked for most. Which one you get is decided with you, once he knows the room.
The Gift of Crisis
What a person decides in the first hours after everything changes, and why the decision matters more than the circumstance.
The Courage to Comeback
Coming back is not the same as going back. What it takes to rebuild capability after a loss nobody planned for.
Faith, Focus and Family
The three things still standing when everything else was gone, and what they were actually holding up.
July 25, 2012
On a reconnaissance of a suspected explosives distributor in Afghanistan, Cedric's platoon took machine-gun fire. Advancing afterwards, he stepped on a pressure-plate improvised explosive device.
He woke up eight days later in the United States with severe internal injuries, a disfigured right hand, and both legs amputated. Twenty-one months later he finished the Boston Marathon.
Get used to it.
The Making Point
How to Succeed When You're at Your Breaking Point. Published February 2019.
The breaking point is where most people stop. Cedric's argument is that it is also the only place real capability gets built. The book is the long form of what he says on stage, and it travels well as a gift to attendees.
Master Sergeant Cedric King represents not only the best of America, but the best of humankind.
His second book, Marathons, Mindset and Mercy, is finished. His story is also in development for the screen under the title Endurance.
Three steps
Send the details
Date, city, who is in the room and what the day is meant to do. Six fields.
Talk it through
A short call about the audience. Cedric recommends the talk; you say whether it fits the agenda.
Confirm
Contract, travel and technical requirements confirmed in writing before the date.
Tell him who is in the room.
Send the date, the audience and what the day is meant to do. You will get back which talk fits and what it looks like on your agenda.