Want an Event that Lights Up?
Get energy, clarity, and transformation—
something that shakes up your audience and
sends them away ready to level up.
Magnetic.
Trailblazing.
Savvy.
Authentic.
Empowering.
If you’re looking for a dynamic speaker to shake things up, you’ve come to the right place.
Most Requested Topics
Whether you’re an event planner, conference organizer, professional org leader, hiring manager, or college professor … if your people need real talk, real strategy, and real inspiration, I’m your gal.
Bring me in to speak on the topics I’m most fired up about:
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Solorpreneurship (or Freelancing) 101
If you’re looking to make the jump to the wonderful world of self-employment, are just starting out, or needing a kickstart, this is for you. Julie will enlighten and empower you with the tools you need to rock the solo life. Learn business basics such as how to:
★ Get paid what you’re worth
★ Brand + promote yourself
★ Obtain a growth mindset
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How to Find the Right Mindset for Success
We all have one thing in common: we want to be successful, happy and appreciated. In life and in business, success doesn’t always come easy. Though, there are ways to increase your chances of finding it. In this empowering presentation, you’ll discover how to:
★ be more confident and believe in yourself
★ establish (and maintain!) boundaries
★ and command the respect you deserve
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Amp Up Your Branding & Self-Promotions
All creative freelancers and solopreneurs need an identity and marketing strategy. How else will prospective clients find you? A great way to do that is by creating (and maintaining!) a solid brand and promotional strategy. In this inspirational session, Julie shares ideas (and examples!) to help you with your:
★ Branding
★ Social Media
★ Advertising + Marketing
★ Networking
★ PR
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Utilizing the Gig Economy: Success Strategies for Hiring Freelance Talent
Whether you’re new to hiring freelancers or solopreneurs or have been at it for a while, equip yourself with the proper confidence and know-how to best succeed in your next project engagement. Discover:
★ What to look for when selecting the right candidate
★ What to expect when engaging with a freelance professional
★ Best practices for a successful vendor relationship
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Let’s chat. Customize, theme, or combine … every talk is tailored to your audience.
Check Out my Speaker Reel:
Make it More than a Talk …
Make it a movement. I don’t just speak. I shake things up. I shift mindsets, challenge the norm, and deliver bold, actionable strategies that help creative folks level the hell up. Whether it’s for freelancers, biz groups, students, creative pros, or solopreneurs, my talks bring the fire … complete with high-impact content, entertaining stories,
and audience interaction that keeps ‘em on their toes (and coming back for more).
Virtual or in-person, every presentation is part pep talk, part strategy session, and 100% badass.
Ideal for:
Conferences
Classrooms
Organizations
Associations
Staff Meetings
Seminars / Webinars
Summits
What I Offer:
Keynotes
Breakout Sessions
Workshops
Trainings
Fireside Chats
Round Tables
Group Coaching
Also Available for:
Panel Appearances
Expert Commentary
Podcast Guest
Media Interviews
Emcee / Event Host
Pecha Kucha Talks
Leadership Training
Past Speaking Highlights
A more comprehensive list of past engagements is available upon request.
See Me in Action
Every presentation is full of high energy, practical tips, and real-world experience. Click below to view a sample talk.
Presenting 'How to Rock your Business' for Platinum Realty
Virtual Presentation on 'How to Find the Right Mindset for Success' for Evergy
Presenting 'Solopreneurship 101' at Global Entrepreneurship Week—KC
Why Book Me:
⭐ 25+ Years’ Experience
⭐ Founder: The Freelance Exchange, Committed Since 2003
⭐ 15K+ Social Media Followers
⭐ Course Developer—Freelancing 101 + Former Adjunct Professor: KC Art Institute
⭐ Named Top 15 Coaches in KC: Influence Digest, 2024
⭐ Podcast Guest, Keynote Speaker, & Dynamic Workshop Leader
Proven Impact
Media Credibility
A few highlights:
Thinking Bigger
From podcast spots to feature interviews and guest blog posts, the opportunities are endless.
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![Speaking Review for Julie Cortes]()
“Julie truly is a Freelance Rockstar! Her presentation spoke to me, a solopreneur working from home. She definitely understands the ups & downs of self-employment. She is a powerhouse for the freelance community.”
—Mary Overbey, SCORE Mentors
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![Speaker Review for Julie Cortes]()
“Julie’s an outstanding & entertaining speaker who keeps her audiences engaged. I highly recommend her to any group or organization needing a speaker. You won’t be disappointed!”
—Paul Tosh, Associate Professor, University of Missouri—Kansas City
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![Workshop Review for Julie Cortes]()
“I loved Julie’s presentation at our state conference! She energized us with her passion and helped people improve their communications businesses with some great tips. I highly recommend this BADASS!”
—Angie Prather, VP Marketing & Communications, Wichita Regional Chamber
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![Keynote Speaker Review for Julie Cortes]()
“After hearing Julie at The Freelance Conference, I immediately implemented the golden nuggets she shared. Her knowledge & experience are evident in her solid methods & real-world advice. I highly recommend her for your event!”
—Alicia White, International & Award-Winning Speaker, Alicia in the Wild
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![Speaking Review for Julie Cortes]()
“Talk about a gal in her element! Julie Cortés is a motivational, professional Rockstar who can elevate you as a person, your team, & your career. My organization could not have been happier with our results from Julie.”
—Jenny Rohr, Technical Trainer, Evergy
Resources for Event Planners
Speaker Sheet
Media Kit
Podcast Sheet
Headshots
Click to ENLARGE PHOTOS. To DOWNLOAD, drag and drop the enlarged image to your desktop to save.
If you need any of these for print, please let me know.
Logo & Hashtag Graphics
Bios
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Julie Cortés has been called a powerhouse, dynamo, and self-made solopreneur. She prefers rockstar.
She’s forged a dream career path and created opportunities once never thought possible. Over the last 25+ years, she’s gone from freelance copywriter to founder, course creator to adjunct professor, and business coach to international speaker.
Her accolades include being named Top 15 Coaches in Kansas City by Influencer Digest, Innovator of the Year by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, Top 100 Small Business Influencer Champion by Small Business Trends, Women’s Business Advocate of the Year by the Kansas Department of Commerce, Small Business Superstar by the KC Chamber of Commerce, and winning the very first national Community Freelancer Award by The Freelance Conference. She’s been interviewed and featured on / in a variety of media, most notably CNN, Freelancers Union, Clients from Hell, Nation 1099, KCTV5, KCUR, KKFI, KMBZ, KC Star, KC Business Journal, Thinking Bigger, and Startland KC.
For more than 25 years, Julie’s served as a copywriting and proofreading resource partner for ad agencies, design studios, large corporations, and small businesses. She’s worked with the likes of Payless ShoeSource, H&R Block, and Hallmark, and has written for most mediums in a variety of industries. She loves high-level concepts, creative solutions, and branding projects, and has been awarded with Ad Club ADDYs, BMA Fountains, DMA Ambits, AIGA A-Awards, and FX ICE Awards.
She is the founder of The Freelance Exchange (FX) of Kansas City—a not-for-profit professional trade organization that serves advertising / marketing freelancers. Since 2003, the organization has offered continuing education, social activities, networking, mentorship, and promotional opportunities. It’s also served the business community with a free and easy-to-use resource to find the talent they need. The club is now gearing up to open in other cities.
Julie developed a much-needed, college-level Freelancing 101 course for the world-renown Kansas City Art Institute, where she taught commercial and fine artists as an adjunct professor. The course curriculum was based on everything a beginning self-employed creative needs to know. A first of its kind, this class regularly ‘sold out’ and had a waitlist every semester.
Due to popular demand from her professional peers, Julie took those same lessons from the classroom to launch a coaching arm to her business. Today, she helps freelancers, solopreneurs and creatives with their self-employment journeys, whether they’re looking to make the jump to full-time freelance, just starting out, or wanting to level up. To date, she’s helped scores of individuals locally, nationally, and internationally.
What started as speaking to local colleges soon spring-boarded into a national and international speaking tour. Julie has spoken at the HOW Creative Freelance Summit, the Women | Future Conference, Global Entrepreneurship Week, The Freelance Conference, Freelance Business Week, Freelance Buffalo & Beyond, Isolated Talks, SCORE Mentors, AIGA, Ad Club, Social Media Club, KC Art Institute, the University of Kansas, and more. Her go-to topics include creative self-employment, branding and self-promotion, and mindset / badassery.
Julie is loving life, living out her passion for helping creative freelancers succeed. When she’s not working or volunteering for FX, you can find her Jazzercising, playing volleyball, listening to live music, or snuggling with her dog.
More info: http://www.juliecortes.com
More fun: @freelancerockstar
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Copywriter by day. Freelance Rockstar by night. Julie Cortés lives, breathes, teaches, speaks, and coaches on all things creative self-employment. She’s run her own business for more than 25 years, is the founder of The Freelance Exchange of KC—a professional trade organization for advertising / marketing freelancers, and created a much-needed college-level course, Freelancing 101, for the KC Art Institute, where she taught as an adjunct professor for several years. Awarded dozens of times over for her work, leadership, volunteerism and community involvement, she’s regularly sought out for media interviews, business coaching, and speaking engagements. Julie is loving life, living out her passion for helping creative freelancers and solopreneurs succeed.
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Use this to introduce Julie before she comes on stage.
Today’s speaker is a freelance rockstar and founder of The Freelance Exchange, whose work helps creatives and companies level up by embracing their badassery. She’s run her own copywriting business for more than 25 years and, today, lives, breathes, teaches, speaks, and coaches on all things self-employment. This freelance advocate is a community leader, course creator and adjunct professor at the world-renowned KC Art Institute, and business coach for freelancers. Awarded more than 50 times for her work, leadership, and volunteerism, she’s regularly sought out for interviews and speaking engagements. Based in Kansas City, she’s living out her passion for helping creative freelancers and solopreneurs succeed. Please welcome to the stage freelance rockstar, Julie Cortés.
Introduction
Need anything else?
Ready to Rock?
