In a world where so much of what we experience is not what it seems, we’re drawn to au-thentic people and organizations like a magnet. Their humanity and energy stand out and build trust, connection, and purpose – the foundation of great relationships and outstanding organizational cultures.
Mariana Atencio took the world by storm in 2017 with her viral TEDx talk on authenticity, “What Makes YOU Special?” – now with over 25 million views and translations in 13 lan-guages. Her message: What makes you different is what makes you powerful. She in-spires leaders and teams with the courage to embrace a blueprint to thrive through uncer-tainty, constant disruption, and their own self-doubt.
The authenticity lessons Mariana shares in her speeches are personal. She came to Amer-ica and tried to fit in as she pursued her career as a broadcast journalist. But it wasn’t until she put self-doubt aside and decided to lean into what made her unique that her career be-gan to take off. Her bestselling memoir, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Re-al, chronicles that journey and inspires readers to unlock the power of their personal stories.
Mariana built her journalism career first at Univision in Spanish, then crossed over to Eng-lish at NBC News, where her boots-on-the-ground reporting on immigration, natural disas-ters, women’s rights, and cartel violence earned her a Peabody Award, a Gracie Award, three Emmy nominations, and the NAHJ Presidential Award. During her career she report-ed from the front lines of global events in places like Haiti, China, and the Syrian border. Her in-depth interviews span the spectrum – from world and business leaders to cultural icons.
Today, Mariana brings those same skills to the biggest global stages at live and virtual events for the world’s most respected companies and organizations. In her capacity as event host and moderator, she has interviewed heads of state, Fortune 100 CEOs, and global changemakers. She is unflappable as she moves from discussing innovation, the promise of AI, global economic growth, and a myriad of other important topics.
Mariana is an entrepreneur with her own media company and created the hit podcast Startup Series: Latam to spotlight breakthrough entrepreneurs from the Global South.
Whether she’s delivering a keynote, moderating a CEO panel, or leading a purpose-driven conversation, Mariana Atencio is at ease with her role. Her blend of intelligence, prepara-tion, and signature warmth help to elevate events and make them memorable.
Born and raised in Venezuela, she left her home country amid political unrest and came to the U.S. on a scholarship to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and serves on the board of the future Smithson-ian National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, D.C., a testament to her life-long commitment to storytelling, representation, and community.
