Speaking

Two sides of the hiring desk. One broken promise.

Seth Marlowe — author of Pathbreaker Parenting, 25-year corporate executive, and speaker on raising self-directed teenagers and hiring for skill over credentials.

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100+ presentationsBooking 2026–2027

Seth Marlowe speaking on stage in front of a red curtain

Straight talk

Not my first talk. Just my first invoice.

100+ presentations — 10+ years as an executive, Rotary president, board meetings, leadership training, corporate events, and many more.

I've been "on stage" more times than I can count as a business executive and leadership trainer. And I've given this talk many times and gone deep on these ideas for hours on podcasts. What's new isn't the material or the stage; it's that I've never been paid for it. Book me before that changes.

Don't take my word for it

Full candor: no highlight-reel smoke and mirrors here — just a few clips from the several hours of podcasts I recorded with Mitchell Earl, former CEO of Praxis. One of the smartest people I'm fortunate to call a friend.

From Career Bound by Praxis · with Mitchell Earl

Why listen

I heard the word ‘fear’ a thousand times

From Career Bound by Praxis · with Mitchell Earl

When it lands

‘But I guess it’s your life’

From Career Bound by Praxis · with Mitchell Earl

What you’ll use

Study an hour, get a B — use the rest on EQ

Full live-stage speaker reel coming soon.

What lands with people

"This is a super cool story and I think about your daughter's paths a lot. I've often wondered how my life would have been different if I'd been booted from the house at 18 and started my sales career five years earlier."

— Global CRO

"This is worth considering for every parent. College is not necessarily the right path for everyone or on a specific timeline."

— High School Swim Team Coach

"I couldn't help but think of ways to present this material to all sorts of audiences — parents, teenagers, young adults, business leaders, educators, and school administrators. I hope you have opportunities to share this work with such groups."

— Magon Bowling, reader & parent of two teens
Book Seth to Speak →

On stage with Seth

A family that actually lived this

This isn't a rehearsed package. Donna co-parented the whole experiment with Seth. And Brooke is living proof it worked — now early in her own speaking journey. You won't get a polished pitch. You'll get three people telling your audience the truth about what worked and what didn't.

Donna Marlowe

Donna

Seth's wife and co-parent in raising two self-directed daughters. While they weren't aligned in this game of Apples to Apples (Seth won), they were always aligned on parenting their daughters.

Brooke Marlowe

Brooke

Their daughter left college after one semester and built a financially independent, self-directed life. She joins Seth for the Seth + Brooke conversation.

The two talks

One for parents. One for leaders.

Each talk lands with the other room, too.

Talk 01 · Parents & Education

The Pathbreaker Parent

How to Raise Self-Directed Teenagers in a World That Still Defaults to College.

Working parents know credentials are losing relevance — yet most still default to the college-for-everyone script with their own kids. Funny, specific, and grounded in a real family story, this talk gives them a way out of the default.

Available as:
Seth solo Seth + Donna Seth + Brooke
What you'll leave with
  • A reframe of success that drops the college-or-failure binary
  • The one question that changes everything — from "What do you want to be?" to "What do you want to try first?"
  • Concrete practices for raising self-directed, growth-minded teens
  • Language for honest, pressure-free conversations you can use when you get home
  • The "happiness formula" — why expectations, not reality, drive your teen's wellbeing
  • Confidence that a different path isn't a parenting failure — proven by a real family story

Best for: Employee Wellness · Parent ERGs · Leadership Retreats · Lunch-and-Learns · Schools

Formats: 20-min breakout · 45-min keynote + Q&A · 60–90 min workshop

Talk 02 · Corporate & HR

The Credential Trap

The Filter You Set Is Telling Exceptional People Your Company Isn't Worth Their Time.

Your degree requirement auto-filters thousands of capable candidates and signals to the best talent that you're not worth their time. Seth makes the business case for hiring on knowledge, skill, and the determination to deliver value.

Solo only
What you'll leave with
  • Why your degree requirement really exists — convenience, not performance prediction
  • How to replace resume screens with portfolio reviews that show what candidates can actually do
  • Job postings rewritten to state what you truly hire for — attitude, drive, character, value creation
  • A referral pipeline that rewards your network for surfacing exceptional, not just credentialed, people
  • The 90-day-deliverable challenge — give every finalist the same real-world test
  • What it costs you when the best self-directed talent decides you're not worth their time

Best for: CHROs · VPs of HR · Talent Acquisition · Executive Offsites · HR Conferences

Formats: 30-min executive briefing · 45-min keynote · 60–90 min workshop

Choose your format

Seth solo — or joined on stage

For The Pathbreaker Parent, the keynote can be delivered solo or as a live conversation with the family who lived it.

Default

Seth — Solo

The keynote. The full framework and family story, delivered solo — funny, specific, and ready for any stage.

Best for: most events; simplest logistics.

Guest format

Seth + Donna

Both sides of the decision. Seth leads the keynote, then Donna joins for a candid conversation about aligning as co-parents — the doubt, the outside pressure, the calls most couples make privately.

Best for: parent nights and couples-heavy audiences.

Guest format

Seth + Brooke

Theory, then proof. Seth shares the framework, then sits down with Brooke for a live conversation — the path, in the words of someone who walked it.

Best for: flagship events and maximum impact.

Guest formats available for Talk 1 only. Talk 2 is solo.

Let's talk

Book Seth to speak

Tell Seth about your event and audience, and he'll come back with the right talk, the right format, and availability for 2026–2027.

Seth responds personally, usually within a couple of days.

Guest formats (Donna / Brooke) are available for Talk 1 only.

Or email seth@pathbreakerparenting.com