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.

Book Seth to Speak → Download the Speaker Kit (PDF)

100+ presentationsNow booking 2027

Seth Marlowe speaking on stage in front of a red curtain

Straight talk

Not my first talk. Just my first invoice.

100+ presentations — 25 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. About 25 of those have been this talk, since the book came out — plus hours going deep on these ideas 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

"Thank you for such a fascinating program. Having taught senior English for many years, I was intrigued by what you had to say. Years ago, I would have strongly disagreed; today you make a lot of sense. I would love for you to come back sometime."

— Myra Helms, Indian Trail Rotary Club · former senior English teacher

"Your parenting insights are remarkable. Thank you for sharing your timely message with us."

— Jack Shaw, Matthews Rotary Club

"This is a super cool story and I think about your daughters' 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."

— Aaron Fullen, Global CRO · father of 18-year-old twins

"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 All three
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

Download this talk (PDF) ↓

Talk 02 · Corporate & HR

The Credential Trap

Why Requiring College Degrees Is Costing You Your Best Talent.

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

Download this talk (PDF) ↓

Everything in one file

The complete speaker kit

Both talks and Seth's bio in a single, print-ready PDF — everything an organizer or committee needs to say yes.

Download the full speaker kit (PDF) →

Choose your format

Four ways to bring it on stage

For The Pathbreaker Parent, the keynote is proven — 25+ deliveries since 2024. The family formats are new for 2027: no one has booked them yet, because no other speaker can offer them. The keynote doesn't change — the family adds to it. If you want the event people still talk about next year, be the first.

Proven · 25+ talks

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.

New for 2027

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.

New for 2027

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.

Premiere

All Three

Seth, Donna, and Brooke together on stage — the full story from every side. Reserved for signature events.

Best for: the one event you want remembered.

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 2027.

Seth responds personally, usually within a couple of days.

Download the full speaker kit (PDF) ↓

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

Or email seth@pathbreakerparenting.com