Believe in you/Believe in your VOICE

This is not a sit-back-and-listen talk. From the first minute, your audience is part of the show.

REAL STORIES, NO FLUFF
Marklyn opens with the truth: he was fired from five Fortune 500 companies over 14 years in Corporate America. That story, told with honesty and a comedian's timing, becomes the doorway into Change the Formula™. Audiences laugh, lean in, and recognize themselves in it, because everyone has been stuck, scared, or counted out at some point.

A FORMULA THEY CAN ACTUALLY USE
The heart of every session is W³ + P⁴ = 1%, a simple framework for facing fear, owning your story, and moving forward one percent at a time. Marklyn doesn't just explain it. He builds it live with the room, so people leave with a tool they can apply the next morning, not a quote they forget by lunch.

INTERACTIVE FROM START TO FINISH
Expect people out of their seats and speaking up. Sessions include scripted participation moments where the audience writes, shares, reacts, and challenges themselves. Every program is bookended by "The Fold," a signature activity that opens with a personal commitment and closes with a reveal that brings the whole message home. Quiet students talk. Skeptical staff get involved. Energy stays high the entire time.

HUMOR WITH A PURPOSE
Marklyn also performs stand-up as MisterDirect, so the room will laugh, a lot. But the humor always serves the message. It lowers walls, builds trust fast, and makes the hard conversations about fear, failure, and self-doubt feel safe to have.

TAILORED TO YOUR AUDIENCE
Before the event, Marklyn learns about your group and shapes the session around them. Slides can be branded with your school or organization's logo and colors, and the stories and examples are adjusted for the room. Programs are available for:
- College orientation, first-year, and Student Life events
- High school and middle school assemblies
- Leadership development (Leadership Edition built around the F.O.C.U.S. model: Face it, Own it, Clarity first, Use your voice, Start at one percent)
- Corporate teams and staff trainings
- Conferences and community organizations

WORKSHOP OPTIONS
Beyond the keynote, Marklyn offers "The Fear Session," a 60-minute real-talk workshop (not therapy, just honest conversation) on how fear quietly drives our decisions and how to take its power back.

FLEXIBLE LENGTH
Sessions run 60 to 85 minutes and can be adapted to fit your schedule, whether you need a tight keynote or an extended interactive workshop.

WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WALKS AWAY WITH
- A clear, memorable framework for handling fear and setbacks
- A personal commitment they made themselves, not one handed to them
- Real confidence to use their voice and take the next step
- A shared experience that connects the room long after the event ends

WHAT YOU CAN COUNT ON
A professional with 20+ years in production and 300+ stages behind him. Marklyn arrives prepared, works closely with your team on timing and tech, and delivers a session that feels personal to your audience.

As Marklyn says: "My story can be your story, if you stay persistent and consistent."

Marklyn T. Johnson: Inspiring Through Experience and Passion

Born and raised in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Marklyn T. Johnson is a keynote speaker, Six-time published author, award-winning screenwriter, comedian, and media professional with more than 20 years in the production industry. He is the Founder and CEO of MarklynSpeaks INC. and the creator of "Change the Formula™", an interactive keynote and workshop built around one simple equation: W³ + P⁴ = 1%. A graduate of Concordia University, St. Paul and the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, Marklyn has spoken on more than 300 stages, from college campuses and high schools to corporate rooms, churches, and community events.

Change the Formula™ wasn't born in a boardroom. It was born from being fired. Over 14 years in Corporate America, Marklyn was let go from five Fortune 500 companies. Instead of letting that define him, he studied it, and built a formula for facing fear, owning your story, and moving forward one percent at a time. Today his sessions are hands-on, not lectures: audiences stand up, speak up, write, and walk out with something they can use the next morning. Programs include the signature keynote, a leadership edition, and "The Fear Session," a real-talk workshop on how fear quietly runs our decisions.

Behind the mic, Marklyn has worked in production for Brad Paisley, Alicia Keys, In-Q, Public Enemy, No Limit, and Cash Money. His books include *Change the Formula*, *Pull Up a Chair*, and *I Like Black People, The Good Ones*. His screenplay *Dad for the First Time* won Best Screenplay at Adelphi University's Stage to Screen festival in 2026. He hosts the *Have You Met Me?* podcast, performs stand-up as **MisterDirect**, and has been featured on KTTC's *Midwest Access* (NBC), NJ12 with Della Crews, and KMOJ radio.

Marklyn draws inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Jackson, Eddie Murphy, Michael Jordan, and Tupac Shakur, legends who taught him to dream boldly and speak unapologetically from the heart. But his greatest role model has always been his father, Willie. A disciplined, resilient man shaped by life's challenges, Willie taught lessons Marklyn only fully understood later. His straightforward style and refusal to quit are his father's teachings, lived out loud.

Marklyn has seen students battling self-doubt, professionals stuck in jobs that drain them, and dreamers who don't know where to start. His mission is to help them push through fear, stay steadfast, and realize their potential. His story is one of transformation: a once-lost soul who got knocked down, found his purpose, and now spends his life lifting others.

Marklyn's Motto: My story can be your story — if you stay persistent and consistent.

Book Marklyn for: college orientations and Student Life events · high school assemblies · leadership and staff development · corporate trainings · conferences · comedy nights

Mic, Video (If needed) Presentation (Slide Show if needed)
A chair, Another mic for question and answers