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Josh Levs      

Former CNN & NPR Journalist, Author, Expert on Modern Fatherhood

Josh Levs is an entrepreneur, former CNN and NPR journalist, and the leading global expert on modern fathers in the workplace. He is the author of the award-winning book "All In: How Our Work-First Culture Fails Dads, Families, and Businesses–And How We Can Fix It Together". The United Nations named him a Global Champion of Gender Equality. A New York Times front-page story declared him “a pioneer.” He has testified in Congress, won a debate on feminism at Oxford, and is a leading business consultant and keynote speaker.

Levs spent 20 years reporting for NPR and CNN, where he developed unique expertise on nonpartisan fact checking. On TV, he has been called “Truth Seeker in Chief,” “Mr. Reality,” and “Senior Everything Correspondent.” He also created a role covering modern families and developed unprecedented expertise in assessing the realities of today’s dads.

Levs then stepped into a global spotlight by taking legal action against Time Warner (then CNN’s parent company) for fair parental leave so he could care for his preemie daughter and sick wife. The company ultimately embraced his call, revolutionizing its policy to make it better for moms and dads.

With the publication of his book Levs became the leading voice for modern dads at work, shining a light on their unknown struggles.

Levs works with corporations, organizations, universities and more to build policies that support men as equal caregivers, a crucial step toward ensuring equal career opportunities to women. Levs is invited to summits and businesses across the globe. He also lectures at prestigious universities including Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, and more.

Levs has been covered and interviewed by numerous major news organizations in the United States and around the world, and appeared on the covers of Boss and Stand magazines. He is the most prolific writer and fact checker on modern fatherhood, published everywhere from The Atlantic to the Harvard Business Review, Time, Newsweek and many other outlets.

Levs also delivers motivational speeches on “achieving the impossible.” In his first popular TEDx Talk, he tells the story of creating his own career, overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and reaping the rewards.

As a journalist, he received many of the highest honors in his field, including six Peabody Awards, two Edward R. Murrow Awards, and awards from the AP, the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and more. A scholarship was awarded in his name at his alma mater, Yale University.

Speech Topics


For Keynote Addresses

The New Era of Journalism. Josh addresses the challenges of reporting in the multimedia journalism age, when news can be written, shared, and commented on by anyone on a blog or on social media websites. Levs is well known for his own savvy use of social media to collect and share news.

For Motivational Speaking

Achieving Dreams. Be the Cups & Ice: How to rediscover your instincts, fulfill your dreams, and succeed on your own terms.

Moderating

In addition to talks on numerous topics, Josh Levs is an exceptional moderator known for bringing out the best, most insightful remarks from panelists. Said one client: “Josh was an incredible moderator. He skillfully asked challenging questions to the presenters, forced the audience to consider different viewpoints and masterfully answered questions on difficult topics. His understanding of where to drive the conversation and ability to move the panelist remarks was, frankly, unprecedented.”

How My Faith Drives Me to Achieve the Impossible

In this talk suitable for all audiences—especially those of faith—Levs explains how his connection to Judaism and Jewish history lead him to live life to the fullest. He describes a responsibility and sense of excitement that anyone can feel who connects with the generations that paved the way for his or her arrival into the world.

Working the Medical System: The 10 Rules

Josh Levs is a medical survivor. He underwent four major life-saving operations—three of which, it turns out, he wouldn’t have needed if he had gotten the right medical care in the first place. “The flawed medical system nearly killed me,” Levs says. “But good doctors saved me. My experience led me to create my own Ten Rules of working the medical system. I applied them to help my wife through a sudden illness, with dramatic results.” Levs also speaks about his oldest son’s open-heart surgery at birth, and the crash course it gave him in critical lessons about life, love, and parenthood.

My Son’s Emergency Birth into My Arms

Josh Levs’ wife didn’t labor with their second child. Instead, the boy was born into Levs’ arms at home, not breathing at first, with the umbilical cord wrapped several times around his neck. His older son was in the room. Levs shares his gripping, life-changing story, including part of his 911 call. It’s a story he shared on-air at CNN and in an emotional column, “Breathe, Baby, Breathe,” that became a top story on CNN.com.

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Fatherhood, Parenting, Family Life

As CNN.com’s columnist on fatherhood and the resident dad on HLN’s Raising America, Levs is one of the nation’s leading voices on modern fatherhood. He speaks about how and why today’s dads are changing America, and why the stereotype of the bumbling, clueless father should be banished. This is a great talk for groups interested in the real modern family and issues of work-life balance.

Politics: How to Stop the Lying

Called CNN’s “truth seeker in chief” and “Mr. Reality,” with hundreds of on-air and online fact-checks under his belt, Levs is an expert in the all-too-small role of truth in politics—and he’s passionate about changing that. In this talk, Levs addresses why politicians keep lying and getting away with it, and how our nation can stop the cycle. Part of the answer, he explains, lies in a new way to use the technology you hold in your hand.

How to Get Your Story Told

Want to get your idea, story, brand, or organization mentioned by the major media? Throw out the old playbook. There’s a whole new set of rules. Josh Levs teaches you how to get the attention of the mainstream media and how to turn even just a little press into a big deal.

How the Latest News Stories Affect Us All

Pick any big story anywhere in the world. In six steps or less, Josh Levs will show you how it’s affecting your everyday life. In this increasingly interconnected world, we have more incentive than ever to pursue mutually beneficial solutions with people tens of thousands of miles away. In fact, we owe it to each other. You’ve heard of “six degrees of separation?” This is “six degrees of obligation.”

The Truth about the Modern Major Media

Newspapers, TV, and radio are giving way to a new era of journalism in which the end user—the consumer—is more powerful than ever. The change is inevitable. The key is for consumers and journalists to use the changes for good. Josh Levs presents five crucial steps we must take together to do so.

Technology: The Biggest Revolution on Earth

Revolutions aren’t happening only in the Middle East. There’s a global one happening around us: bringing “macro” changes to societies, and “micro” changes to our lives and relationships. It’s happening so fast, most of us don’t see what we’re losing or gaining. Josh Levs helps us step back and assess the technological revolution—an historic change to which we are all witness.

Achieving Dreams: Breaking the System to Achieve the Impossible

Josh Levs’ story is unlike any other. He created his own roles on-air at NPR and CNN, and his own marriage proposal planning agency—all feats that people told him were “impossible.” Through his journey of taking risks and reaping big rewards, he has learned key lessons. Through candid, humorous, heartfelt storytelling (with optional interactive imagery), he teaches crowds how to rediscover their instincts, unleash incredible potential, and live out their dreams.

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