Speaker Slam® Unveils Judges for the 2025 "The Underdog" competition
Jun 23, 2025
Speaker Slam®, North America's largest inspirational speaking competition, returns with a theme that champions resilience, grit, and the unstoppable spirit of the underdog.
Join us on July 15, 2025, at the iconic Lula Lounge in Toronto for “The Underdog”—an unforgettable evening where brave speakers share the moments they rose from doubt, defied the odds, and turned obstacles into stepping stones. These are the stories of perseverance, determination, and quiet strength—the kind of triumphs that only come from being counted out, overlooked, or underestimated.
This event is a celebration of comeback stories, unlikely victories, and the courage to keep going when no one believed you could. Each speaker will take the stage with a powerful personal narrative that proves: being the underdog isn’t a setback—it’s a setup for greatness.
Meet Your Judges for "The Underdog"
We’re proud to introduce our esteemed panel of judges—visionaries in storytelling, leadership, and impact—who will guide and elevate the incredible voices competing in this life-changing event.
Jennifer Ettinger
President & CEO, Pink Dreams Inc.
Aurora, Ontario, Canada
Jennifer Ettinger is Canada’s first Social Media Correspondent and a globally-connected powerhouse. An American-Canadian growth hacker, she’s a dual social citizen who’s built her profile and that of the brands she’s worked with organically, and authentically.
You may recognize Jennifer from her role covering premieres, launches, campaigns, Up Fronts, and Red Carpet events, including the Golden Globes and Oscars. Throughout her extensive career, Jennifer has also covered red-carpet events for Vanity Fair Social Club, as well as corresponded for ET, Insider, and Access Hollywood.
Giovanni Marsico
Entrepreneur, Film Producer, Community Builder
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Giovanni Marsico is the CEO and founder of DESTINY and ARCHANGEL - organizations that serve entrepreneurs on a mission to impact millions of people together. He produces his flagship event DestinyFest every spring in Austin and fall in Toronto, for thousands of attendees, and has had over 250,000 people attend his events. He's also a 2x EMMY® award-winning film producer, creating a new genre he calls 'real-life superhero movies' with films like DREAMER and HERO to inspire millions of people to dream bigger, unleash their gifts, and change the world.
Tara Slone
Radio Host (SiriusXM), Broadcast Host (NHL), Juno-Nominated Singer
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Tara Slone began her professional journey in music as the lead singer of the Juno-nominated rock band Joydrop and earning international attention as a finalist on the hit CBS reality series Rockstar: INXS.
From there, Tara made the leap into broadcasting, spending 8 years co-hosting the ground-breaking NHL broadcast Rogers Hometown Hockey alongside Ron MacLean. She also hosted the series Top of [HER] Game.
Currently, Tara commutes to the Bay Area, where she works as a host for The San Jose Sharks and NBC Sports. She also hosts two weekly shows on SiriusXM: No Filter and No Offense, But...
Jodie Davis
Entertainment Executive
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jodie is an award-winning executive producer with over 20 years of experience working on some of the most successful and longest-running series in North America.
He is best known as the co-executive producer of Entertainment Tonight Canada, where he led the team in producing a daily, half-hour network studio show watched by over half a million Canadians each day.
Jodie has also produced the aftershow for Bachelor Canada, several nationally televised live New Year's Eve specials, and behind-the-scenes specials for some of television’s biggest hits, including Survivor, Vikings, and Rookie Blue.
The Prize Package
Our judges have generously contributed to a game-changing prize package designed to propel our winners to the next level of their speaking careers:
First Place
-
Speaker Slam®: $2000 Cash Prize + Invitation to the Grand Slam.
-
Giovanni Marsico: 1 Platinum VIP Ticket to DestinyFest Toronto with 1 year access to Archangel Synergy membership (Value: $3,000).
- Tara Slone: 3 hours of media training and interview preparation (Value: $3,000).
-
Jennifer Ettinger: Pink Dreams Power Hour: Two hours Social PR Consultation - A deep dive to curate your PR and social media strategy with clarity, conversation, and community in mind (Value: $1,500)
-
Jodie Davis: 3 hours of media training and mentorship
Second Place
-
Speaker Slam®: Invitation to the Grand Slam.
-
Giovanni Marsico: 2 Destiny Gold tickets to DestinyFest Toronto ($500 each)
(Value: $1,000). - Tara Slone: 1 hour of media training and interview preparation (Value: $1,000).
-
Jennifer Ettinger: The Pink Dream Alignment Session: 1 hour Social PR Consultation - Sharpen your Brand's messaging and visibility goals (Value: $550).
-
Jodie Davis: 1 hour of media training and mentorship
Third Place
-
Speaker Slam®: Entry to Wildcard Race.
-
Giovanni Marsico: 1 Destiny Gold ticket to DestinyFest Toronto (Value: $500).
- Tara Slone: 1 hour of media training and interview preparation (Value: $1,000).
-
Jennifer Ettinger: The Vision Strategy Map Session: 1 Hour
Social PR Consultation - Check in, map, and assess your brand's current presence and identify quick wins with long-term impact (Value: $375). -
Jodie Davis: 1 hour of media training and mentorship
