Innovation Speakers - Comfort Kills
Innovation Starts Where Comfort Ends
Looking for an innovation keynote speaker? Then let’s not sugarcoat it - discomfort is the price of admission.
Innovation isn’t a buzzword. It’s a mindset. It’s what happens when disruption slams into culture - and instead of running, your people run towards the chaos.
I’m Chad E. Foster. I’ve lived outside my comfort zone even before going totally blind at 21. I didn’t just adapt - I went from blind and broke to building billion-dollar deals, writing software Silicon Valley said couldn’t be done, and started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and taking on black diamond slopes with nothing but a guide and grit - all with my eyes closed. And now, as an innovation speaker, I help companies kill comfort, embrace chaos, and drive real innovation.
AORN March 2024 Keynote Testimonial
I’ve flipped mindsets, shattered limits, and ignited results for giants like Google, Fidelity, and Blue Cross Blue Shield, and I’m here to empower your team to do the same. So, what does it look like?
WHY INNOVATION NEEDS DISCOMFORT
Let’s face it: disruption is your best friend. It forces growth. It ignites opportunity. And it separates the companies that survive from the ones that lead.
Comfort zones? Might as well call them complacent zones. That’s where innovation goes to die.
HERE’S HOW I HELP TEAMS WAKE UP, STEP UP, AND LEVEL UP:
1. GET COMFORTABLE WITH DISCOMFORT
My entire life has been an exercise in pushing past fear. From hospitals as a kid, to boardrooms as a blind exec - I’ve learned that every fear you face expands your world.
- Discomfort isn’t the enemy - it’s the edge of your next breakthrough.
- Every time I stepped into fear, I grew. So can your team.
2. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SMALL SUCCESS
Innovation isn’t about giant leaps. It’s about micro-wins stacked daily.
- Start small. Win small. Then win big.
- Success breeds confidence. Confidence creates action. Action drives outcomes.
Research backs it: Incremental innovation outpaces big-bang ideas 3-to-1 in sustainable growth.
👉 McKinsey
3. FEAR VERSUS COUNTER-FEAR
Afraid of failing? Good. Be more afraid of settling. I didn’t fear blindness - I feared regret. And that fear drove me.
- Ask yourself: What will future-you regret more - failing, or never trying?
4. FEAR DOMINATES DECISIONS
Let’s talk facts. Fear is a stronger motivator than reward. The loss aversion principle shows us that we’ll fight harder not to lose $10 than to gain $20.
- According to Harvard Business Review, fear-driven companies die fast. By 2016, half the Dow Jones from 1991 was gone. Extinct.
👉 Harvard Business Review
- Innovation demands risk. Fear of mistakes? That’s a recipe for irrelevance.
5. BUILD A CULTURE OF EXPERIMENTATION
Safe companies don’t innovate. Bold ones do. Your team needs permission to test, fail, learn, and grow.
- No risk it = no biscuit.
- If your culture kills ideas before they start, innovation never even has a chance to get into the building.
INNOVATION REQUIRES COURAGE
Here’s what I’ve learned: comfort and innovation can’t coexist.
You can’t create new things if you’re comfortably using the old. I help teams see that discomfort is where the magic happens. That experimentation is survival. And that growth - real, lasting growth - only comes when you stop playing it safe.
LET’S KILL COMFORT TOGETHER.
If you want an innovation keynote speaker who challenges your team, fires up your leaders, and pushes everyone to the edge of their potential - I’m your guy.
I’ll bring the stories, the strategy, and the fire your team needs to think bigger, move faster, and act bolder.
Looking for a business keynote speaker who transforms mindsets, actions, and outcomes? Let’s go!
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What is a Great Keynote Speaker?
Not just stories. Not just entertainment. It’s about connection, clarity, and calling people out - to step up, think bigger, and get uncomfortable enough to change.
How do I do it? Well, I went totally blind at 21, and I didn’t just adapt - I went from blind and broke to leading billion-dollar deals, building software Oracle said couldn’t be done, and started battletesting myself with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and taking on black diamond slopes with nothing but a guide and grit - all with my eyes closed. As a high-impact sales keynote speaker, leadership keynote speaker, and change keynote speaker, I deliver keynotes to titans like Google, Salesforce, and Fidelity that don’t just inspire - they transform.
1. IMPACTFUL STORYTELLING
I don’t just tell stories - I live them. I take your audience inside the moments that tested me, broke me, and built me.
- This isn’t just about what happened to me - it’s about what’s possible for them.
- They’ll see themselves in my story - and they’ll see a way forward they never saw before.
2. ENTERTAINING DELIVERY
Nobody remembers boring. I bring the laughs, the surprises, the raw emotion - and yeah, the edge.
- If they’re not engaged, they’re not learning.
- I make sure they feel it: the humor, the heart, and the hit-you-in-the-gut truths.
Research backs it up: Emotional engagement significantly boosts retention.
👉 Harvard Business Review
3. DIFFERENTIATED CONTENT
This isn’t recycled motivational junk. I give your people tools they can use - now. Simple, sharp, and straight-up actionable.
- Easy to grasp. Impossible to ignore.
- Designed to spark immediate shifts in mindset and culture.
4. ACCESSIBLE & SCIENCE-BACKED
Everything I teach is rooted in real-world experience and human behavior science. But don’t worry, no lab coats here.
- I speak human, not academic.
- Your audience won’t get a science lesson - they’ll get a masterclass in resilience, accountability, and ownership.
Research Insight: Applying behavioral science can accelerate change adoption.
👉 McKinsey
READY TO SHAKE THINGS UP?
If you want a ‘bless your heart’ speaker who leaves your people unchanged, don’t book me. But if you’re ready to break through barriers, eliminate the excuses, and get your audience fired up to own their outcomes, then let’s talk.
As a top-rated business keynote speaker, I’ve got the passion and the playbook to power your performance. Let’s get started.