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Eric Thomas — keynote speaker on Purpose & Motivation

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Purpose & Motivation keynote speakers

Eric Thomas

'ET the Hip Hop Preacher' — Motivational Speaker and Author of The Secret to Success

Speaking feeFee on requestConfirmed for your date on request
  • Keynote · Fireside chat · Virtual
  • English
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Signature keynotes

What your audience walks away with

  • Outcome

    When You Want to Succeed as Bad as You Want to Breathe (signature)

    The keynote that made him a global phenomenon. Eric takes the famous parable of the student and the guru held underwater and turns it into a standard your people will never forget: you will be successful when you want it as badly as you want your next breath. It is equal parts story, challenge, and altar call — a talk that redraws the line between the people who wish and the people who do.

  • From Homeless to Ph.D.: The Power of Determination

    Eric's own arc — a high-school dropout homeless on the streets of Detroit who went on to earn a master's and a PhD from Michigan State — becomes a resilience playbook for anyone facing long odds. It is proof, not theory, that circumstances don't get the final say, delivered by the man who lived every chapter of it.

  • You Owe You: Ignite Your Power, Your Purpose, and Your Why

    Built on his New York Times bestseller, this talk is a wake-up call for anyone who has quietly decided that success is for other people. Eric makes the case for radical ownership — understanding yourself, finding your why, and refusing to wait for inspiration to strike — and hands the room the first concrete steps to take control of their life.

  • Execute the Plan: No Excuses, No Days Off

    Motivation is easy; execution is rare. Eric turns desire into discipline, showing teams and individuals how to close the gap between what they say they want and what they do every day — the consistency, standards, and accountability that actually move the numbers.

  • Success Is Never on Discount

    Meaningful success demands full price — in effort, in sacrifice, in ownership. Eric dismantles the shortcut mindset and replaces it with a grind ethic that leaders can install in a culture: the willingness to out-work, out-prepare, and out-last, without waiting for conditions to be perfect.

  • Pain Is Temporary, but Quitting Lasts Forever

    A reframing keynote for teams and people under pressure. Eric shows how to sit inside the discomfort of hard seasons knowing it will pass — and how to recognize that the only permanent damage is the decision to quit. Practical, raw, and built to steel a room for whatever it's walking into next.

The story

Who Eric actually is

Eric Thomas, Ph.D. — known worldwide as "ET, The Hip Hop Preacher" — is one of the most recognized motivational speakers alive, a New York Times bestselling author, educator, minister, and consultant whose story is inseparable from his message. Born in Chicago in 1970 and raised in Detroit by a single teenage mother, he dropped out of high school and spent roughly two years homeless, sleeping in abandoned buildings on the city's streets. A church community encouraged him to earn his GED and pursue an education, setting in motion one of the most improbable comebacks in the personal-development world.

That comeback runs through the classroom. Eric earned a bachelor's degree from Oakwood University, then a master's in education administration in 2005 and a Ph.D. in education administration in 2015, both from Michigan State University, where he also worked as an academic advisor and co-developed a retention program for academically high-risk students. His breakthrough came in 2008, when a raw, high-energy speech he delivered at Michigan State — "How Bad Do You Want It" — went viral on YouTube and drew millions of views, cementing the "Hip Hop Preacher" identity: the cadence of hip-hop fused with the fervor of the pulpit, aimed squarely at what it takes to succeed.

Today Eric is the CEO of ETA (Eric Thomas & Associates), a consulting firm whose educational, athletic, and executive-development work has taken him inside Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric, AT&T, Nike, Under Armour, and UPS, and alongside professional franchises across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS. He is the director of Breathe University, his online coaching and education platform, and the senior pastor of A Place of Change Ministries in Lansing, Michigan. His books include his 2011 autobiography The Secret to Success, Greatness Is Upon You (2013), and the New York Times bestseller You Owe You: Ignite Your Power, Your Purpose, and Your Why (2022), which carries a foreword by NBA star Chris Paul.

With a combined audience in the millions across YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook — and speeches sampled by artists including Disclosure and Meek Mill — Eric has turned a single question, "how bad do you want it?", into a worldwide standard for ambition. What sets him apart on stage is that he isn't performing a story; he is telling his own, and challenging every person in the room to decide, right there, how badly they are willing to work for the life they say they want.

The receipts

Books & publications

  • You Owe You: Ignite Your Power, Your Purpose, and Your Why

    2022

    a New York Times bestseller and wake-up call to take ownership of your success, find your why, and stop waiting for inspiration; foreword by Chris Paul.

  • Greatness Is Upon You

    2013

    24 tried-and-tested principles for achieving and sustaining greatness, drawn from his own life.

  • The Secret to Success

    2011

    his debut autobiography, tracing the homeless-to-motivational-speaker journey and the philosophy behind "as bad as you want to breathe."

  • Average Skill, Phenomenal Will

    a collection of his lessons on outworking raw talent through sheer will.

Gravity

Career highlights & recognition

  • Recognition

    "ET, The Hip Hop Preacher"

    one of the world's most recognized and most-watched motivational speakers

  • Recognition2022

    New York Times bestselling author

    of You Owe You (2022) — foreword by NBA star Chris Paul

  • Credential2005

    Ph.D. in Education Administration, Michigan State University

    plus a Master's (2005) and a B.A. from Oakwood University

  • Credential

    From homeless high-school dropout to PhD

    the lived origin of "From Homeless to Ph.D."

  • Credential

    CEO of ETA (Eric Thomas & Associates)

    consulting for Fortune 500s incl. GE, AT&T, Nike, Under Armour & UPS, and pro-sports franchises across the NFL, NBA, MLB & MLS

  • Credential

    Director of Breathe University

    and senior pastor, A Place of Change Ministries (Lansing, MI)

  • Milestone

    The viral "How Bad Do You Want It" speech

    millions of YouTube views and the origin of the "want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe" standard

  • Milestone

    ~6M+ combined social following

    across Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook — speeches sampled by Disclosure and Meek Mill

Booking with confidence

What to expect when you book Eric

  • 01

    Compiled from public sources

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  • 02

    Availability and fees, confirmed

    Tell us your date and brief, and we confirm Eric's availability and current fee on request. We never publish a fabricated figure or imply an exclusivity we do not hold.

  • 03

    Managed end to end

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Answers

Booking questions, answered

What is Eric Thomas's speaking fee?

Eric's fee is provided on request. It varies by date, location, format, and whether the engagement is in person or virtual. Share your brief and we'll come back with current pricing and availability.

Is Eric Thomas available for my event date?

Availability changes with Eric's schedule and the season. Tell us your date and we'll confirm whether Eric is open, and hold the slot while you decide.

What formats does Eric offer?

Eric is available for Keynote, Fireside chat, Virtual and Workshop engagements. We'll match the format to your audience and run-of-show.

What does Eric speak about?

Eric's keynote themes include Motivation. Each talk is tailored to your audience and outcomes.

What languages does Eric present in?

Eric presents in English.

Where does Eric travel from?

Eric is based in Lansing, MI and travels internationally for engagements; virtual sessions are also available.

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How to book Eric — fees, availability & process

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