Akeem Haynes

Akeem Haynes

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Calgary, Alberta

Olympic Bronze Medalist - Mindset Resilience, Determination & Overcoming Adversity Expert

Olympic Bronze Medalist and Sports Motivational Speaker Akeem Haynes excelled in sports & specializes in resilience, high performance & personal development. Akeem Haynes shares his inspiring life story of extreme hardships and how he has overcome adversity to achieve success through dedication and determination. Akeem Haynes represented team Canada as the lead-off runner; Akeem Haynes helped Canada break a 20-year-old national record to win bronze in the 4x100m relay at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016. That success came four years after he had placed fourth in the 100m at the 2012 Canadian Championships, earning him a spot on the relay team for London 2012, but he did not compete at the Games. In the years that followed, he struggled with injuries while attending the University of Alabama. But he was named a First Team All-American in 2013 after helping the Crimson Tide’s 4x100m relay team finish second at the NCAA Championships in school record time.

AKEEM HAYNES BIOGRAPHY

Born in Savlamar, Jamaica, Akeem Haynes didn’t have much of an advantage from the beginning. With limited options and tragic events happening early in life, he moved to Canada with his mother seeking a better life. When he was seven, he and his mother moved to Yellowknife before settling in Calgary when he was 10. Akeem’s mother struggled to raise her family as a single mother, and Akeem took a leadership role with his siblings at a young age. They fell into tough times and struggled to find stability. In five months, they moved seven times and eventually found themselves homeless in winter when Akeem was 13 years old.

Down but not out, with some friends’ help, they could get back on their feet. Akeem Haynes became involved in sports, mainly football and track and field. Akeem excelled on the field and the track and won many different awards. In the 11th grade, he started to gain offers from Division I schools in the United States. Nevertheless, Akeem’s path to becoming an NCAA Division I student-athlete was not smooth. After taking the S.A.T. three times and the A.C.T. once, Akeem Haynes failed to get the needed scores. In hindsight, none of this mattered. Akeem was automatically ineligible due to an NCAA violation in his ninth-grade math class.

You would think all this adversity, on top of having multiple learning disabilities, would’ve stopped Akeem from furthering his education. But quitting has never been an option for Akeem. He attended Barton Community College in the fall of 2010. Two years later, he would go on to make his first Canadian Olympic Team and earn All-American honours, becoming a national champion and earning a full athletic scholarship to The University of Alabama. Akeem Haynes eventually became the first in his immediate family to graduate from college and become a Division I Track and Field All-American. Through perseverance, a resilient mindset and a stubborn attitude to succeed, Akeem has become a 2x Olympian (2012 & 2016), helping Canada bring home an Olympic Bronze Medal at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

Akeem attended Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas, before transferring to the University of Alabama, where he earned a degree in General Health. His self-help books entitled Love, Life & Legacy and Fear, Faith & Fruition which about dealing with hardships and setbacks. With his smooth tone, calm demeanour, and ability to paint a transparent picture with his words, there isn’t a room Akeem Haynes has walked into and not left a lasting impact on the audience by resonating with their hearts.

Videos

Podcasts

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Unscripted With Akeem Haynes

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Unscripted With Akeem Haynes

Akeem Haynes Topic Presentations

the relentless pursuit to be the best

  • Virtual PresentationKeynote PresentationWorkshop SessionHalf Day TrainingFull Day Training
  • A presentation based on motivation, perseverance, leadership, and believing in yourself when no one else does. Once homeless, Akeem Haynes tells the story of how he overcame tremendous adversity and setbacks to get to where he is today. Akeem lived in poverty for most of his childhood with a single parent, often not knowing when the next meal would come. His family immigrated to Canada from Jamaica, and raised in Yellowknife and Calgary, Akeem grew up quickly and embraced being the man of his household.

    He had to adjust to Canadian culture quickly, often dealing with racism and exclusion, while continuously having to prove himself. He uses his story to offer the audience inspiration on how to develop and maintain a positive attitude no matter what is going on in their lives. He shows the audience that it was only when he started going outside his comfort zone and faced his fears head-on was when he was able to build the foundation for his success. Akeem Haynes’ presentation explores perseverance, faith over fear, and gratitude for every good and bad experience one goes through. It also explores the important coaches, teachers, mentors and relationships that assited Akeem to become who he is today.

live your story - the olympic dream

own your story - the right balance

write your story - adapt, grow and succeed

ja-canada: from jamaica to yellowknife to olympic medalist

Testimonials

Akeem’s speaking captivates your attention and he always brings a message that feels like it was hand crafted just for your ears. He uses his life experiences, struggles and success to paint a picture of life and what it really takes to achieve what you want from it. When he speaks you can hear the passion behind his words and makes you want to get up and go and light the world on fire. At the same time, he brings a truth that everyone needs to hear.

Ian Warner

CEO and Founder
Kho Health

To have the opportunity to hear Akeem speak is always a highlight to any day. His ability to connect motivation and hard work to attaining goals is truly inspirational. His connection with his audience is so organic and evolves as he starts to reach his clientele. If you have the opportunity to listen to, have this man speak to your work team, or sports team it is an investment of time that is well spent. His ability to help people understand what it means to overcome adversity, face challenges head-on and still achieve at the highest level is beyond inspirational.

Cody Ehrmann

Head Football Coach
Henry Wisewood High School

Akeem is a young man who is wise beyond his years. His story is beyond inspiring, hearing what he’s been through makes you wonder why you complain about anything. A gifted athlete but above that he is a special human being. There aren’t many people who can capture the room as soon as they walk in, His presence is with each word that he says. You can tell that everything he says, he’s lived every minute of it. Akeem is truly a remarkable speaker and the world needs to hear his message. Akeem is worth every single penny and then some. Do yourself a favor and invest in having this young man speak with your company, workers, and leaders.

Keith Luce

Owner and Chef
Tavernetta Restaurant

Akeem is so young and yet so talented. As a University graduate, Olympic Medal-winning athlete, and now a novelist. He has experienced highs through the dedication and determination needed to achieve success, while his life story is one that will truly inspire. Hearing Akeem speak is what I imagine Anthony Robbins to have been like when he first started motivating people. I have been so moved by Akeem’s presentations. I, therefore, give him the highest of recommendations. Look no further for an exceptional motivational speaker.

Tom Higgins

Former Edmonton Eskimos Head Coach (2003 Grey Cup Winner)
Canadian Football League

Mr. Haynes, I would like to applaud you on the impressive speech that you gave in June of 2018 regarding “Mental Health”. I was encouraged to attend your speaking engagement last minute by a friend who was also in attendance. I am extremely glad that I was able to attend, as you exceeded our expectations! From the moment you made your entrance and began speaking, you captured our attention and connected with your audience so very well.

Simon Hodnett

Head Track and Field Coach
Long Island University Brooklyn

Articles & Media

Coming Soon!

Books

Love, Life & Legacy
Love, Life & Legacy
Love, Life & Legacy
Fear, Faith & Fruition
Fear, Faith & Fruition
Fear, Faith & Fruition

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Interested in booking Akeem Haynes for an event?

Are you looking to hire Akeem Haynes for your event? Akeem Haynes Calgary, Alberta is a dynamic and engaging speaker that offers audiences researched content paired with expertise and a dynamic speaking ability. Akeem Haynes is also a Canadian corporate consultant and coach and facilitates workshops and training sessions for a corporate audience. Akeem Haynes is an expert keynote presenter and speaks on wide variety of topics. Hiring a great speaker for your event is important and working with a thought leader like Akeem Haynes from Speakers Canada's roster will engage audiences into the content of the presentation to bring awareness and a fresh perspective for their approach to their work and their lives. Book Akeem Haynes to educate, motivate and activate the audience through an interactive and entertaining presentation at corporate meetings and gatherings.

Known as a popular key note speaker in Canada, Akeem Haynes creates life changing experiences for the participants with practical insights and strategic advice they can implement right after the session. Working with a one our leading expert speaker like Akeem Haynes from Calgary, Alberta offers organizations a fresh perspective to assist the people of the organization. No matter if it is a government, association, or business crowd, Akeem Haynes is a perfect speaker for your event. Through unique practical insights for trending topics and years experience speaking to different organizations, Akeem Haynes focuses on changing individuals to make better decisions at work and their lives. No matter if you are holding an in person or virtual event, having an influential speaker such as Akeem Haynes will engage, motivate, and activate the audience to make a change in their lives and inspire action for results to meet organizational goals. Your workforce will benefit from Akeem Haynes's presentations and speeches, with measurable results set to shift the people of the organization and core direction of the company. Book Akeem Haynes speaker for your annual general meeting, conference, summit, or convention in Canada.

How much does it cost to hire Akeem Haynes for a keynote presentation or virtual event?

Akeem Haynes is an expert professional key note speaker with a lot of experience speaking and delivering engaging talks to organizations and audiences in Canada. Each of Speaker Bureau Canada's talent have different ways to assess their fees, and Akeem Haynes speaker fee ranges depending on the size of the audience, event format (in person or virtual), event location, and if the organization booking them is a non profit, association, government department/government agency or business/corporation. The speakers we work with are flexible with their fees, and it is important for us to learn more about your event before we approach them, as it is our role to work for you, and to help you find a speaker within budget. 

Please contact Speakers Bureau of Canada and provide us with your event details so that we can contact Akeem Haynes to check availability or confirm the pricing and associated costs to hire a great speaker like Akeem Haynes for your event. As Akeem Haynes's agent and as a Canadian top speaker bureau and talent agency for speakers, we are able to propose each event opportunity from each host organization's behalf to try to help you get in touch with Akeem Haynes and confirm them for your in person or online meeting/event. We can also provide and advise on the booking process and potentially negotiate their fee. Speakers Canada is a client focused speaker agency, and we work for you in finding good speakers for your team meetings and booking processes.

Akeem Haynes Disclaimer

Speakers Bureau Canada assists companies and event planning teams seeking to hire talent like Akeem Haynes for speaking engagements, virtual meetings, conference appearances, training sessions and workshops facilitations. Our Canadian speakers bureau does not claim to exclusively represent Akeem Haynes, however they are represented by Speakers Canada, and we work with them closely for their Canadian speaking opportunities and bookings. As Canada's top speaker bureau, we represent Canadian motivational keynote speakers and professional guest speakers that will be available on your upcoming events date and location that are withing the budget. Our talented bureau speaker booking agency can help find business speakers or celebrity speakers that aligns with each organization, audience, event theme and the topic themes you hope for the speaker to address in their presentation. 

When SBC receives a request to book Akeem Haynes we provide you with their speaker fees, travel costs and check their schedules. We work closely with the host organization's event planning team and the speaker to handle the logistics and to relay or negotiate associated costs. Our talented team members then will work with our talent directly or their agent/manager/assistant to confirm the Canadian speaker fee and travel expenses, so that event planning teams can receive an official quote for the speaker appearing at the event. Speaker fees and travel costs vary per speaker and our role is to contact Akeem Haynes about your event, after we have connected with the event organizers to learn all the event details and/or conference program. Each booking request is unique since session durations and audience sizes can vary which may affect the speaker's fees. If you are looking to hire Akeem Haynes, we recommend filling out the booking request form so a booking agent from Speakers Bureau Canada can get in touch with our talent to help you coordinate with your team to engage the speaker for a successful event.