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Rob Lawless      

Creator of Robs10kFriends

Rob Lawless is a 33-year-old originally from Norristown, PA, with a genuine passion for getting to know new people. Graduating with highest honors in May 2013 from Penn State University, he earned a Finance degree with minors in Accounting and Entrepreneurship. Lawless then joined Deloitte Consulting as a Business Analyst in Strategy & Operations, fulfilling his dream job. However, after a year and a half, he made a typical Millennial move, accepting a significant pay cut to join RJMetrics, a $24 million venture-funded startup.

At RJMetrics, Lawless worked as a sales representative, engaging in daily cold emailing and requesting 30-minute phone calls to discuss the company's product offerings. Yet in his post grad life, he missed the authentic connection he'd experienced in college. As a result, he set off on a journey in November 2015, aiming to meet 10,000 people for an hour each for no specific reason. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, and he began meeting people from incredibly diverse backgrounds.

Following RJMetrics' acquisition on June 20, 2016, Lawless, not having a position with the new company, committed full-time to his endeavor and has been making new friends ever since. To date, he's connected with over 6,000 individuals from more than 90 countries worldwide. His travels have taken him across the nation six times, and he has been featured in prominent media outlets, such as "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" and the "TODAY Show with Hoda and Jenna." He even appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show, alongside Jane Lynch and Jo Koy, in front of an entire audience of friends from the project!

Lawless remains deeply passionate about the value and adventure of connection, is excited to meet the next 4,000 of his friends and is eager to continue sharing what he's learned from his journey - that every human interaction holds the potential to change your life!

Speech Topics


Discover the Untapped Value of Human Connection

In 2015, keynote speaker Rob Lawless began a journey to make 10,000 new friends.

Today, Rob shares insights on the transformative impact of intentional connections in creating positive, inclusive, and empowering organizational cultures.

The power of meaningful and intentional connection.

As companies strive to stay competitive in a fast-paced and ever-changing market, there is an increased need to attract, engage and retain top talent.

According to BetterUp Labs, employees who feel excluded from the workplace experience a 25% reduction in productivity, as well as a 50% greater risk of employee turnover.

Through his keynote Rob empowers leaders to unlock the value of meaningful connections to foster belonging, innovation, and opportunities within their organization.

Rob's interactive and captivating keynote will take you through his incredible experience of connecting with thousands of people and how meaningful connections can drive growth and innovation.

Audiences will walk away from Rob’s keynote with the ability to:

  • Foster a sense of belonging & community: By leveraging the potential of deliberate and significant connections, companies can nurture a heightened sense of unity and belonging within their workforce.

  • Broaden their collective vision: By embracing diverse perspectives through intentional interactions, organizations can expand their shared outlook and drive innovation.

  • Unlock unprecedented opportunities: Meaningful connections pave the way for discovering untapped possibilities, enabling corporations to excel in their respective fields.

During his keynote, Rob also shares his interactive FRIEND framework which makes creating lasting and meaningful connections easy (even for introverts!) and intentional.

Rob has used this to create meaningful connections with over 5,600 people from 90+ countries.

With the FRIEND framework, audiences walk away with the tools they need to:

  • Facilitate conversations: By knowing what questions to ask, individuals will have the ability to dig deeper in their conversations to connect on a deeper level and create strong relationships.

  • Practice Active Listening: Active listening will ensure that conversations are meaningful and productive allowing for greater understanding and connection between people.

  • Set Intentions For Connection: Knowing what the desired outcomes are from a conversation will help to set the right tone and create lasting connections.

Through his experience in connecting with over 5,600 people from 90+ countries, Rob demonstrates how investing in human connection can lead not only to better business outcomes, but also create more inclusive environments where everyone feels welcomed and valued.

Ready to put the power of intentional connection to work for your organization? Your audience will leave inspired and ready to create meaningful connections with their teams and customers.

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