US Reporter

Dr. John Gaines to be Keynote Speaker at UW Tacoma’s Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast

Chris Watson Chris Watson on January 9, 2023

The University of Washington Tacoma (UW Tacoma) recently announced the return of the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual event, which brings together students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the larger community, is being organized and hosted by the university’s Black Student Union (BSU). This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. John Gaines, who will speak on the theme of “Your Voice is Heard: activism, even in small ways, makes a difference.”

Dr. Gaines, who grew up in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood, knows firsthand the power of activism and overcoming adversity. At the age of seven, his mother passed away from a stroke due to her struggles with drug addiction. Dr. Gaines also dealt with depression and learning disabilities as a child. Despite these challenges, he persevered and went on to earn a Doctor of Business Administration degree from California Intercontinental University. In 2012, he founded Push for Dreams, a nonprofit organization that supports, trains, and equips educators and professionals with service-leadership skills and culturally responsive teaching.

In addition to the keynote address, the Unity Breakfast will also feature the presentation of Dream Awards, which recognize individuals and organizations for their work promoting equity, justice, and civil rights. The BSU has received support from various campus units, including the Center for Equity & Inclusion, the Center for Student Involvement, the Office of Community Partnerships, and the Division of Student Affairs.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast will take place on Monday, January 16, 2023, from 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM at the University YMCA Student Center. The event is open to the public, with advance tickets priced at $15 per person ($20 at the door). Following the Unity Breakfast, attendees are encouraged to participate in the City of Tacoma’s 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration, which will be held at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center at 11 AM and will be broadcast live on TV Tacoma and Facebook. Overall, the event is an opportunity to come together and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while also learning from the inspiring story of Dr. John Gaines.

From Homeless to an Inspiration: How Ryan Stream Defied Odds

Lynda Gomez Lynda Gomez on May 19, 2022

Ryan Stream has traveled across the world, entertaining and inspiring audiences from all walks of life. He is best known for his profound messages and innovative how-to steps to “conquer your colosseum” and create a winning personal and professional life. As a powerhouse speaker, he empowers his audiences using powerful messages based on his personal life experiences. Furthermore, he also sparks inspiration through his original music, delivering powerful narratives on hope and confidence through his songs, along with playing the piano lying down, blindfolded, and even backward.

Ryan Stream is versatile in terms of his music style. His music ranges from country to rap and everything in between. With his unique performances, the artist has been featured across major platforms, including MTV, Entrepreneur.com, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, Inc.com, and Influencive Magazine. He is also the recipient of the Verizon Wireless Service Award and two Music Awards for his awe-inspiring songs and equally-captivating music videos. The artist has made his music available across music streaming sites across the globe, available to his ever-growing fanbase. 

Contrary to his current life in the spotlight, Ryan Stream lived a humble life growing up. He slept in homeless shelters and jumped from one foster family to another. It was definitely a challenging time in his life as he was separated from his brothers in the foster care system. Eventually, they were miraculously reunited by the Stream family, which changed the course of their life forever.

Furthermore, Ryan Stream still struggled through phases of alcohol abuse, drug addiction, and the consequences of his poor decision-making. Going through grief after the death of his biological mother, who lost her life to suicide when he was in the ninth grade, Ryan struggled to find his direction. On a mission to take control over his life again, Ryan Stream enlisted and joined the military, which was the best decision of his life, the turning point that changed his path. Joining the military taught him perseverance, grit, and determination and shaped him to be the inspiration he is today.

Using his many experiences in life, he uses his talent in leadership, public speaking, and music to amplify stories of leadership, discipline, accountability, resilience, mental and physical strength, teamwork, pride, communication, and service.

Asked what motivated him to become a motivational speaker, Ryan Stream shared that he knows how impactful their words can be after attending an inspiring talk himself when he was younger. “After I got adopted in elementary school, I saw a motivational speaker and realized how this works helped me. I decided right then that I wanted to be just like him. I am now traveling the world sharing my brand and story,” the visionary said. 

“One of the hardest life lessons you’ll ever learn is to let go. To let go of that relationship, those who have hurt you in the past, let it go. Letting go of that guilt and anger that you may feel. Forgiving yourself for anything you may have done in the past. You have to let it go,” Ryan Stream said. “The real power comes when you feel peace.”

Whether through motivational speaking or his music, Ryan Stream is committed to changing lives and helping people get through the darkest phases in their lives. He has uplifted countless individuals through his travels across the globe and aims to stop at nothing to ensure that everyone knows they are not alone in their journey to finding healing, peace, and overcoming their limitations. Make sure to check him out along with his music videos on YouTube! His gear can be found at conqueringyourcolosseum.com.

Xavier A. Baez: A Rising Speaker for Life-Changing Leadership Talks

David Peers David Peers on September 13, 2020

From being exposed to gangs early in life to spearheading leadership seminars at present, Xavier A. Baez has, indeed, gone through a significant life transformation throughout the years. The positive change started after visiting a small church and being mentored by a Miami police sergeant. Today, the leadership speaker seeks to give back to the community by holding leadership seminars, conferences, and meetings designed to renew minds and transform lives.

Xavier A. Baez originally hails from Managua, Nicaragua. In 1985, his parents sought refuge in the United States after war broke out in their country. They eventually established a new life in Miami, Florida. There, Xavier first became exposed to gang groups. With a lack of positive leadership and good role models, he was led to the wrong path. Fortunately, in 1998, his life turned around for the better after an impactful church visit and mentorship.

In 2009, Xavier A. Baez began his career as a public speaker while working as an IT technician. He quickly dominated the industry with his leadership talks, conferences, meetings, and other speaking events. Over the years, he has hosted many corporate leadership seminars where CEOs and business leaders sat as his audience. He has also led pastor conferences, open-air international crusades or meetings, and tent revivals. He hosts small-group conferences and large-scale ones with over 10,000 attendees. He is currently working with different organizations all over the United States and across Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean region.

In his leadership seminars and conferences, Xavier A. Baez focuses on teaching life principles. He couples it with humor to keep his listeners engaged. He also incorporates storytelling to give his audience concrete and genuine examples based on true to life stories that have shaped his life and influence. “I use storytelling to teach the language of leadership to leaders across cultures, tribes, and nations. My training is simple and applicable to the average or executive influencer,” explains the international speaker. He strengthens his audience’s relationship with and faith in God.

Indeed, Xavier A. Baez has helped countless leaders coming from different sectors and industries. He hopes to extend his reach and train more leaders coming from different parts of the world. In the future, he sees himself as an in-demand keynote speaker. Overall, he has left a significant impact on many churches, businesses, and organizations.

With the pandemic at hand, Xavier A. Baez seeks to encourage people to lead during these trying times and find their way back to their faith. He hopes to equip people with the right tools that will help them effectively lead their communities.

In the end, his ultimate mission is to renew the minds of his audience and help them transform their lives for the better through his speaking engagements. His passion, commitment, and dedication to accomplish his goals keep Xavier A. Baez moving forward. There is no backing down for this speaker as he continues to train people to become better leaders for tomorrow.

To know more about Xavier A. Baez, feel free to visit and check out his official website.

Anthony Hyland Harness the Power of Words to Highlight the Silver Lining of Life

Chris Watson Chris Watson on August 10, 2020

Robert Frost, an American Poet, once said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” This quote by Frost resonated with Anthony Hyland, a speaker, author, entrepreneur, and a poet who uses poetry as his outlet. 

In a world where people have been experiencing so much sadness and chaos, people tend to look for an outlet, a release for all the stress. Anthony found solace with poetry. He is no stranger to the hardships life gives. Anthony spent five years of his life in foster care without having a permanent place to call his home. In addition to being homeless, he also had been sexually harassed. However, this mishap may have caused him to bottle up anger, but it did not stop Anthony from achieving great things. 

In high school, Anthony was an exemplary student. He was the Freshman Class President, and in his sophomore year, he was the third Vice President of the local NAACP chapter. For his junior and senior years, he kept on harnessing his leadership skills and took the role of President of the Eta Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. Currently, Anthony is a Boatswain’s Mate 2nd class in the United States Navy. He is also stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, together with his wife, Natasha, sons, Caleb and Cairo, and his daughter, Kylie. 

It may sound as if Anthony’s life has finally become a smooth sailing experience after his trials and tribulations as a kid. However, he was fighting an invisible war in his mind, depression. In the year 2009, two days before Christmas, depression almost won as he attempted to commit suicide. But, God has other plans for him; it was not yet his time to go. The second chance for life made him realize that he was set for bigger things. Also, it was a wakeup call for him to appreciate all the right things happening in his life, even with the presence of bad experiences.

Anthony used all the ups and downs of his life and converted it to something inspirational with the use of the right words. He authored a book entitled The Purpose of Power. His book entails how he turned his experiences into learnings, and how his readers can do it with their own lives, how his readers can look past the unchangeable past, and use it to their advantage. The said book is also available on Amazon. 

Anthony’s love for poetry did not stop with just writing. He is also a spoken word poetry artist and has been performing for more than 15 years. In addition to this, he is a professional speaker for more than six years, giving words of encouragement and empowerment to various people. Anthony preaches a motto he firmly believes in, “Pacification is never an adequate substitute for honesty.”

Having Anthony on the stage is like hitting three birds with one stone as he can facilitate a workshop, give keynote speeches, and perform simultaneously. In hopes that his story would inspire people, Anthony continues to develop his skills for him to serve as a beacon of hope for those who need it most. 

Check out his official TikTok account, wherein he shares nuggets of wisdom, inspiration, and information.