Lisa Ann
Oliveira
TEDx Speaker & Radical Reinvention Expert
18-time Ironman finisher. Bestselling author. Former teacher turned global traveler. A life built on showing up, adapting, and choosing forward — no matter what.
“You never know when an ordinary encounter might become someone’s last chance to feel seen, valued, and loved.”— Lisa Ann Oliveira
A Cathedral in Zaragoza — and a Chain of “Had I Not…”
Lisa Ann Oliveira doesn’t quit — she adapts, moves forward, and keeps showing up. A former teacher turned global traveler, award-winning realtor, bestselling author, and 18-time Ironman finisher, Lisa Ann has built a life defined by radical reinvention and relentless forward motion.
Her TEDxForbesPark talk, “How to Build a Future That Looks Nothing Like Your Past,” draws from a life story that includes overcoming profound personal adversity, breaking cycles, and choosing healing over bitterness. She has spoken at the Ironman Kona Athlete Speakers Panel (October 2023), TEDxForbesPark (December 2025), and is a cast member of the docu-series Women in Power, currently airing on Inside Success TV and coming soon to Amazon Prime.
Her most powerful story unfolds in a cathedral in Zaragoza — a chance encounter with a stranger on crutches, a chain of “had I not…” moments, and a final goodbye 18 hours before his death. It is a masterclass in what AI cannot replicate: the embodied, unscripted, raw moment of human presence.
Lisa Ann Oliveira
TEDxForbesPark · December 2025
Adapt · Move Forward · Show Up
Three principles that define a life of radical reinvention — and a roadmap for building a future that looks nothing like your past.
Adapt
When the ground shifts beneath you — divorce, career collapse, physical limitation, loss — the people who thrive are those who adapt their identity and capabilities to the new reality. Lisa Ann has done this 18 times over on the Ironman course, and countless times in life.
Move Forward
Breaking cycles requires more than insight — it requires motion. Lisa Ann’s message is not about waiting for the perfect moment. It’s about choosing healing over bitterness, choosing action over paralysis, and choosing the next step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.
Show Up
The most meaningful moments of our lives still happen when we slow down, stay open, and choose simple human kindness. You never know when an ordinary encounter might become someone’s last chance to feel seen, valued, and loved. Show up — fully, presently, humanly.
Two Voices.
One Unforgettable Keynote.
Lisa Ann Oliveira and John Chmela deliver a tandem keynote that sits at the intersection of human connection and algorithmic proximity. Lisa Ann's signature story — a cathedral in Zaragoza, a chance encounter with a stranger on crutches, a chain of 'had I not…' moments that led to a final goodbye 18 hours before his death — is a masterclass in what AI cannot replicate: the embodied, unscripted, raw moment of human presence. John then maps that story to the AI moment: algorithms surface connections, but humans make them real. AI can analyze stories; humans live them. Together they give audiences both the emotional anchor of a real encounter with mortality and kindness, and a practical framework for staying human in an increasingly algorithmic world.
Lisa Ann Oliveira
The Human Presence
The cathedral in Zaragoza, the stranger on crutches, the final goodbye — what AI cannot replicate: the embodied, unscripted, raw moment of human presence.
John Chmela
The AI Roadmap
Algorithms surface connections, but humans make them real. A practical framework for staying human in an increasingly algorithmic world.
What Lisa Ann Delivers
What If I Hadn't? — The Invisible Thread Between Human Kindness and Algorithmic Proximity
How to Build a Future That Looks Nothing Like Your Past — Radical Reinvention in the Age of AI
AI Surfaces Connections — Humans Make Them Real
The Ironman Mindset: Endurance, Adaptation, and Showing Up When It's Hard
Breaking Cycles: From Survival to Purpose in a World Shaped by Algorithms
Story as Data vs. Story as Meaning — What AI Can Analyze and What Only You Can Live
Check Lisa Ann’s Calendar
Lisa Ann is available for keynotes, workshops, and tandem appearances with John Chmela. Typical booking lead time is 4–8 weeks for keynotes.
Keynote
4–8 wks lead
Workshop
2–4 wks lead
Tandem
6–10 wks lead
Virtual
1–2 wks lead
Ready to Move Your Audience Forward?
Book Lisa Ann Oliveira and John Chmela for a tandem keynote that gives your audience both the emotional anchor of a real human story and a practical framework for staying human in the age of AI.