LaDonna Gatlin

LaDonna Gatlin has been WOWING audiences since she was five years old. Born into "showbiz," Gatlin grew up on stage performing with her brothers, the legendary Gatlin Brothers, including her time as part of the group, The Gatlins. In the mid-1970s, this gutsy Texas native chose to follow her heart and “sing a different song” apart from her famous family. She made a transition to Christian music and became a featured vocalist with the Blackwood Singers. She has shared that "song" everywhere...from corporate powerhouses...to the prison cells of death row.

Her presentations resonate with audiences all over the country because, simply put, she makes people laugh, lightens their load, and leaves them with a song in their hearts. AND...they always learn something in the process. She combines motivational speaking with music, including country, gospel, patriotic, and popular genres.

Gatlin is one of only a handful of professional speakers who holds both the Certified Speaking Professional designation and the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame Award, two of the most prestigious honors bestowed by the National Speakers Association. In fact, she was inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame in 2005 and also received the Council of Peers Award for Excellence in recognition of her overall professionalism and excellence in speaking. In addition, she has an associate's degree in speech and communications from Odessa College.

She's written and recorded her own original songs and sung on both Grammy Award-winning and Dove Award-winning records. She was a founding member of the gospel-music group Praise and even rejoined her brothers for a Christmas tour in 1991.

She's the author of "The Song in You: Finding your Voice, Redefining Your Life," a you-can-do-it guide written in collaboration with Mike Marino that offers practical, emotional, and spiritual insights gleaned from her own life experiences. In addition, she's a contributing writer to the best-selling book series, "Chicken Soup for the Soul."