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Meet

Mariana Atencio

Peabody Award-Winning Journalist & Host/Moderator
  • Entrepreneur & Bestselling Author of Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real
  • Inspiring Storyteller with one of the top 10 most viewed TEDx talks of all time on authenticity
Speaker Fee:
$20,000 - $30,000
Virtual Fee:
$15,000 - $20,000
Travels From:
Florida
5.0 | 1 Review
Mariana Atencio
Book Mariana Atencio
Speaker Fee: $20,000 - $30,000
Virtual Fee: $15,000 - $20,000

Mariana Atencio Speaker Biography

Mariana Atencio is on a mission to help people supercharge their careers, their workplace cultures, and their happiness by embracing the power of authenticity. Coming to America from Venezuela as a young girl, Mariana learned first-hand how feeling self-conscious about being different kept her from engaging.

After graduating Columbia University, Mariana wanted to take that experience into her journalism career and tell stories that build bridges and foster understanding. She became a national news anchor and correspondent, earning a Peabody Award for reporting which took her from Haiti to Hong Kong to the Syrian border.

The success of her TEDx talk, “What Makes YOU Special?”, viewed over 23 million times, catapulted Mariana into a new storytelling outlet: speaking. Her first book, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real, is a bestselling call to action to unleash the magic of personal and professional authenticity to find purpose and break barriers.

Currently head of her own media production company, Mariana pursues stories that capture her curiosity. She also continues to deliver inspiring keynotes and moderate/host at major events.

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Featured Videos

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MARIANA ATENCIO Hosting Reel
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MARIANA ATENCIO Speaking Demo
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MARIANA ATENCIO: Be Authentic – Stop Covering
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Speech Topics

THE POWER OF AUTHENTICITY: SUPERCHARGE YOUR CAREER, YOUR WORKPLACE CULTURE & YOUR HAPPINESS
It takes seven seconds for people to form an opinion about you. That’s why most of us are taught to fit in a box instead of embracing those parts of ourselves that stand out. As a budding national TV journalist, Mariana was often encouraged to leave parts of herself at the door. But ‘covering’ did not lead to real belonging, especially in the workplace. Embracing her uniqueness did – and Mariana’s passion is empowering others to discover how to do the same. When people feel safe to be themselves, that authenticity builds trust, fulfillment, and credibility at work and in life. They’re able to embrace a mindset of transformation to meet change more resiliently. And leaders find fostering authenticity on their team spurs engagement, collaboration, innovation, and community.
This presentation can be tailored to each specific audience.

Sample takeaways:
Why most of us find it so hard to be authentic, especially at work
Discover the traits that make you “Perfectly You” and harness them
One way to increase your personal fulfillment and a sense of purpose
How being vulnerable inspires others, builds trust, and creates meaningful relationships
Mariana’s 3-UP METHOD to inspire a workplace culture of innovation and openness
Easy steps to cultivate transformation, impact outcomes, and enhance resilience in the face of change.

COMMUNICATING CONFIDENTLY – CUT THROUGH THE NOISE AND GET HEARD (POST-KEYNOTE BREAKOUT OR SEPARATE KEYNOTE – (45-90 MINUTES))
For everyone in business, delivering a message efficiently – internally and in different media – has gotten infinitely more complex in the age of AI. This interactive presentation will help attendees sharpen their communication skills. Mariana equips leaders – from entry level to the C-Suite – with practical tools and tested principles to speak confidently, authentically, and effectively, whether it’s for client meetings, internal communications, Zoom, an important presentation, a traditional media interview, a digital clip and/or a conference stage. Mariana will share tips that took her more than a decade of television and social media experience to learn, working at two of the world’s biggest news networks, in Spanish and English.

Sample takeaways:
Learn to distill your main message so it resonates across all platforms.
Practical tips and pro tricks for in-person and virtual presentations.
Master the power of persuasion in an era of fleeting attention spans.
Better storytelling to create connection and leave a lasting impact.
Establish credibility and build trust in an era of misinformation.
How to navigate real-time interview scenarios with confidence.

MODERATING/INTERVIEWING/HOSTING
With experience as a national network news anchor and reporter, Mariana brings warmth and intelligence to each hosting, moderating, and interviewing assignment. Mariana’s curiosity and poise help her get the most out of those on stage with her.
The breadth of Mariana’s experience speaks to her versatility. She’s moderated conversations on embracing a mindset for change at Microsoft, on the rights of women in Iran, on gender inequality at Foreign Policy magazine’s HERPower summit, on media representation at the Paley Center for Media, on financial literacy at Nasdaq, on building a personal and professional brand at Columbia University, a panel on geopolitics and economics at Citi Private Bank’s autumn dialogues with three heads of state from Latin America, a session at the United Nations General Assembly meeting on global healthcare inequity, plus the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, PepsiCo, JP Morgan, Accenture, Spotify, Google, YouTube, Clorox, AT&T, Spectrum, and more.

Reviews

5.0 | 1 Review
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Mariana was the perfect opener for our event. Her energy and insight was amazing, she’s truly an incredible person with a beautiful story to share.

Informa | May 27, 2025
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Mariana’s communication training was phenomenal! It was practical, interactive and relatable. Her tips on effective communication were insightful, easy and actionable, just what our Alcon team of consultants and leaders were looking for. We learned more in 40 minutes than we ever thought possible! Her advice left the team inspired and confident to communicate with media and peers.

Associate Director, Professional Development and Programs, Alcon

Absolutely blown away by Mariana’s captivating energy and unparalleled ability to engage the audience. Her
speech not only hit the mark but soared beyond expectations, leaving everyone inspired and eager for more! She is
a force to be reckoned with.

Manager, Ford Motor Company

I am thrilled to share my highest praise for Mariana, who hosted our company’s 2023 Convention. Mariana’s
performance as the event’s host exceeded all expectations, and her contributions were invaluable. Throughout the
event, Mariana showcased her exceptional talent for engaging and captivating our audience. Her energy and
enthusiasm were boundless, creating an electric atmosphere that resonated with everyone in attendance. Most
importantly, she was able to think on her feet, listen, and absorb the right takeaways to weave one keynote with the
next, creating the perfect throughline for our summit.

CEO, Outreach

Mariana’s words resonated deeply with everyone in attendance, and her wisdom will continue to inspire us on our
paths toward authenticity and self-discovery. We are immensely grateful for her time, expertise, and the positive
energy she brought to our event.

Logistics Excellence Lead, Clorox

Not many speakers can connect and engage with an audience like Mariana Atencio can. Her keynote, ‘The Power
of Authenticity’ impacted our members on a very personal level and left them feeling empowered! Ms. Atencio’s
message set the tone for the rest of the conference and left our attendees wanting more. For example, during our
closing celebration two of our volunteer leaders referenced their ‘What makes you perfectly you?’ cards during their
onstage remarks. Book Mariana – it will be the smartest decision you make for your conference or event.

Executive Vice President, Florida Apartment Association

Mariana Atencio brought such energy and honesty to our company-wide event. Mariana’s authenticity allows her to
connect with others almost immediately. Thank you for providing us with the tools to be resilient and proud of what
makes us Perfectly Unique!

Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Rapid7

For the last two years, Mariana has been the host of AT&T’s annual Hispanic Heritage Month events, celebrating
employees’ authenticity and contributions toward the customers and communities we proudly serve. Mariana brings
employees’ stories to life through her unique engagement and connection with our teams while creating a
welcoming, energetic, and memorable atmosphere. Her dynamic stage presence, storytelling, and facilitation skills
have positively impacted our events and attendees. We appreciate her commitment to amplifying our brand’s
values as well as her partnership and collaboration in delivering unique experiences that support our mission of
connecting people to greater possibilities!

Chief Strategy and Development Officer, AT&T Inc.

Mariana was powerful on stage, engaging, thought provoking and the perfect speaker for our flagship global
annual conference held in Miami. She was such a pleasure to work with that she ended up interviewing and
moderating two very critical panels for the agenda. Mariana’s experience and professionalism will make any
company that chooses to work with her look great

Director, Marketing & Communications Head, Citi Private Bank