The Advocacy Advantage
How stakeholder-centered leadership strengthens trust, credibility, and outcomes.
Booking keynotes for 2027
Turn values into momentum.
Shane Lukas is a TEDx speaker, lifelong activist, and award-winning brand strategist who helps leaders close the gap between what they believe and how they behave.
What Shane makes possible
Values that actually show up on Monday morning.
Most leaders already believe the right things. Shane gives a room the shared language to say those things out loud — and a way to act on them once the applause stops.
“The most courageous thing a speaker can do is name the thing the room is avoiding — and then stay in the conversation.”
2TEDx stages
20+years in advocacy
7signature talks
- Listen firstMeet people where they are, not where the deck says they should be.
- Name the values and the gapSay out loud what the organization believes — and where behavior diverges.
- Tell the story togetherCollaborative storytelling that builds trust instead of announcing it.
- Turn belief into momentumFrom spark to strategy — a plan people can act on Monday.
Meet Shane
He doesn’t speak at people. He helps them rethink how they show up.
Two decades of advocacy and creative leadership — Planned Parenthood during the reproductive-rights battles of the eighties, AmeriCorps with high-risk youth, then ten years building A Great Idea into an award-winning, empathy-led agency. The activism came first; the strategy came from doing the work.
Signature keynotes
Seven signature talks. — Four that open most rooms.
Shared Stories, Shared Power
How collaborative storytelling builds trust, connection, and action inside organizations and communities.
Leading With Humanity in Complex Systems
How equity and harm reduction help leaders navigate complexity without losing their people.
Getting Comfortable With the Uncomfortable
Why meaningful change requires courage, honesty, and a willingness to sit through the hard stuff.
Ways to work together
Keynote, workshop, panel — or all three.
Keynote
A main-stage talk built as a working session — audiences leave with shared language, not just a good feeling.
Workshop
Teams work directly with the values hierarchy: naming their defining values, stress-testing them against real scenarios, and leaving with a clarity tool they can return to.
Panel & fireside
Moderated or in conversation. Useful when the room needs more than one voice on the same hard question.
Consulting
Deeper work through A Great Idea — brand strategy, campaigns and advocacy communications for mission-driven organizations.
Values lead to impact
Lived values aren’t a soft skill. They’re the strategy.
Stronger businesses
Trust compounds. Advocacy costs less than acquisition and lasts longer.
More effective teams
Shared language means fewer stalled decisions and less quiet burnout.
Better brands
A brand people defend, not just recognize — because behavior matches the promise.
Engaged communities
People who see their role in the work — and act on it after the event.
Compassion is strengthFrom spark to strategyTurn values into action
Shane as a guest
On other people’s stages and feeds.
Podcasts, panels and shows that have had him on. New appearances drop straight in — paste the link, the thumbnail and title come from the host’s feed.
On "FINE is a 4-Letter Word" — Radical Transparency, Tested Values, and the Hierarchy That Makes Decisions Easier
Watch Video →
Living OUT Loud — When the Strength You Chose Isn't the Strength You Were Forced Into
Watch Video →
If Your Values Don't Decide, Are They Yours?
Watch Video →
Find Your Cause: The Cowboy Myth Every Activist Believes
Watch Video →
Change the Reel: Why Advocacy-Centered Brands Actually Build Trust
Watch Video →
Creating Cultures of Trust: Inside the Advocacy Advantage
Watch Video →
The book · October 2026
The Advocacy Advantage
Build brand power through authentic relationships. Six frameworks, twelve weeks, and a method for advocacy that doesn’t rely on a bigger budget.
“This insight goes beyond what I expected. I feel like I learn from him through each solution.”
Podcast · out now
Power Beyond Pride
Shane co-hosts Power Beyond Pride — activism, identity, equity and harm reduction, with the voices most often overlooked.
Purpose and Power, the second show, launches in October with new episodes twice a month. Get episode updates →
Booking questions
Frequently asked
Answers organizers ask for before they inquire.
Is Shane Lukas available to speak at conferences and universities?
Yes. Shane Lukas is a bookable keynote speaker available for conferences, university events, corporate programming, and organizational workshops. He speaks on sex work advocacy, social justice, values-driven leadership, and LGBTQ+ issues, among other topics. Use the contact form on this site to inquire about availability, fees, and fit for your event.
What kinds of organizations typically book Shane Lukas?
Shane is booked by organizations working in social impact, advocacy, harm reduction, nonprofit, healthcare, and education — as well as conferences and university programs focused on DEI, human rights, gender studies, social work, and LGBTQ+ issues. Corporate events and leadership programs seeking speakers willing to engage substantively with difficult topics are also a strong fit.
Is Shane Lukas available for workshops as well as keynotes?
Yes. In addition to keynote speaking, Shane offers workshop experiences that give teams time to work directly with the values hierarchy framework — identifying their defining values, stress-testing them against real scenarios, and leaving with a practical clarity tool they can return to. If you're interested in a workshop format, mention it in your inquiry.
What makes Shane Lukas different from other social justice speakers?
Shane combines more than a decade of firsthand community organizing experience with a professional background in brand strategy, mission clarity, and organizational culture. He does not lecture from a distance. His TEDx talk on sex work advocacy is one example of his willingness to engage clearly and without apology on topics that other speakers sidestep. He also brings practical frameworks — not just inspiration — to every talk.
What is Shane Lukas' TEDx talk about from Normal?
Shane Lukas's talk at TEDxNormal, "What Values Conflict Costs You," is about the real cost — physical, emotional, and organizational — of living or leading out of alignment with your core values. The talk introduces a three-level values hierarchy (Defining, Guiding, and Informing values) and draws on a personal story of arrest and a jail cell golf pencil to make the case that values clarity isn't a self-help concept. It's a strategic tool.
How do I start a conversation with Shane about speaking or working together?
Reach out through the contact page on this site. Whether you're exploring a speaking engagement, a creative partnership, or just want to understand what Shane and A Great Idea do — Shane responds personally to all genuine inquiries. No pitch required. Tell him a bit about your organization, what you're working on, and what you're looking for. He'll take it from there.
Let’s get your audience moving.
Tell Shane the date, the room, and what you need it to change. He replies personally, usually within two business days.