In an era where leadership is as much about influence as it is about execution, the ability to communicate clearly, confidently, and compellingly has become non-negotiable for today’s CEOs. At the intersection of performance and persuasion stands a rising name in executive coaching: Samantha Kris.
Recently recognized by Microsoft as a Top 10 Leading Speaker and by Real Leaders as a Top Executive Coach, Samantha is a trusted advisor to some of today’s most impact-driven business and thought leaders. Samantha is not just training executives how to speak, she’s teaching them how to own the room, shape narratives, and catalyze change through storytelling.
With a love for performing and a passion for human connection, Samantha’s interest in public speaking was sparked in grade school when she entered her first speaking competition at just ten years old. “I was always fascinated by the way words could move people into action,” she recalls. What began as a pursuit of the stage evolved into a deeper calling: to help leaders step into their full communicative power.
Her transition into executive coaching wasn’t overnight. It came after years of watching leaders struggle to articulate vision, inspire teams, and win investor confidence. Not because they lacked ideas, but because they lacked connection to their content and conviction in their ability to deliver it. With her diverse background in change management, motivational media, and communications, Samantha has proven to be uniquely positioned to help CEOs craft stories that have the power to transform their audiences.
Today’s CEO operates in a pressure cooker. Between economic shifts, cultural expectations, and stakeholder demands, the inability to connect and effectively communicate with an audience comes at a significant cost to both their brand and bottom line. Every word counts, whether it’s on stage, in board meetings, in investor calls, or every moment in between.
What many executives overlook is that their presence as a speaker becomes a proxy for their presence as a leader. Whether it’s winning the trust of a skeptical team, energizing a disengaged workforce, or sharing a bold new vision with stakeholders, CEOs need more than a speech… They need a story.
Samantha believes we’re at a turning point in executive communication. “The old model of command-and-control leadership is dead,” she notes. “Today’s leaders are expected to communicate with authenticity, empathy, and narrative intelligence.”
Artificial intelligence is also raising the stakes. “When AI can write your quarterly report, what becomes irreplaceable is the uniquely human ability to connect emotionally,” she explains. “That’s where storytelling becomes a strategic differentiator.”
With public speaking being among LinkedIn’s top ten skills on the rise for 2025, it’s clear that the most successful leaders are now investing in their voice. Not just metaphorically, but literally. They’re hiring coaches, rehearsing like performers, and preparing like athletes. “Speaking isn’t a soft skill,” Samantha insists. “It’s a necessity.”
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What further sets Samantha apart is her work as a Certified Reinvention Practitioner. Her coaching isn’t simply about polishing performance, it’s about reshaping identity. “I don’t give people a script,” she says. “I help them find their voice, rooted in their values and lived experiences, and teach them how to share their stories of transformation with precision and power.”
Among her most memorable moments as a coach was watching a once-nervous CEO deliver a company address that began with a never-before-told story and ended with a standing ovation. “This was a significant win, both for him and the team.” She reflected, “I will never forget the look in his eyes when he saw the entire company rise to their feet and applaud him for his ability to connect his voice to his vision, and ultimately to those who work day in and day out to bring that vision to life.”
Currently, Samantha serves as the Lead Communications Strategist at Stride, a boutique communications firm specializing in executive speaker coaching and communications strategy. Stride caters to impact-oriented CEOs who are using business as a force for good, and their voices as the vehicles that drive change. She helps them identify the stories they want to share, structure them in an impactful way, and build the systems that make speaking a meaningful pillar of their business.
In a world that listens before it follows, the most impactful leaders aren’t just strategic thinkers; they’re strategic communicators. As CEOs look ahead to a future shaped by complexity and constant change, Samantha offers a clear takeaway: “Your legacy lives in the lessons you’re bold enough to share.”
For CEOs ready to lead with greater influence, impact, and integrity, finding—and fearlessly using—your voice is the most powerful strategy you have.
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