Curt Mercadante is a former PR/ad agency owner-turned-speaker, coach and social influencer who speaks on the topics of strengths-based development, productivity, entrepreneurial freedom, and marketing/storytelling. Recently named one of the 30 LinkedIn Influencers Who Built a Powerhouse Personal Brand, Curt is a powerful, dynamic public speaker whose motivational videos drea more than 2.5 million organic video views on LinkedIn in 2018 alone. Curt spent several decades of working in the public relations and advertising industry, during which he founded and scaled a successful seven-figure agency. In 2017, Curt shut down the agency at peak revenue to pursuit his love of coaching and speaking. He now coaches and speaks to audiences around the globe. He also hosts the Freedom Club Podcast (available on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube and Google Podcasts) and his forthcoming book, The Five Pillars of the Freedom Lifestyle, is due to be published in Spring 2019. Curt was raised in the Chicago area and is a graduate of the University of Iowa. He and his wife, Julie, reside in Charleston, South Carolina with their four children. And, very important, Curt is a die-hard fan of the first Chicago Major League Baseball team to win a World Series this century -- the Chicago White Sox.