Kyrah Ayers

Audiences should expect to become part of the entertainment. I’m an engaging host that manages time and the energy of the room quite well.

As a speaker I tend to teach through parables. Life teaches us lessons through parallel experiences. Sometimes we just have to step back, view the whole picture and apply what we’ve already learned.

My name is Kyrah Ayers, and if life were a statistics class, I'd probably be an extra credit question. I'm an African American, left-handed, fraternal twin who somehow ended up attending private school and earning a full track and field scholarship as a triple jumper. Apparently, normal was never really my thing.

Today, I'm a husband, father, writer, speaker, and marathon runner who believes our greatest stories are often written during our hardest seasons. I founded Poetry By The Bay, which grew into Solano County's longest-running and largest spoken word event. After hosting it for a decade, I stepped aside and built a committee to continue the work—because creating something that lasts is even more rewarding than being the one on stage. I've also had the privilege of serving as a contract event host for the City of Oakland's Parks and Recreation Department, introducing everyone from incredible local artists to elected officials.

In 2023, life threw me a plot twist I never saw coming: a diagnosis of a rare form of cancer. Just months earlier, I had been training to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Instead, I found myself facing twelve rounds of chemotherapy.

Thankfully, I survived—not because I never felt afraid, but because I refused to let fear write the ending. Throughout treatment, I held onto optimism, kept pursuing my goals, and wrote my second published book, 12 Rounds. That experience reminded me of something I now share wherever I speak: adversity doesn't get the final word. We may not get to choose every chapter of our lives, but we do get to choose how we respond.

My story isn't really about cancer. It's about resilience. It's about choosing hope over fear, purpose over excuses, and progress over perfection. If my journey has taught me anything, it's that perseverance isn't reserved for extraordinary people—it's built one ordinary decision at a time.

I’m 6’2 and have a deep voice. SM58 is my favorite microphone if available. Adjustable vertical stands are preferred over boom mic stands but either work.
For motivational speeches, hands free wireless microphones are ideal.