Tory Johnson

Tory Johnson is wild about small business success, which can be traced to having been unexpectedly fired from a job she loved. The permanent scar from that pink slip led Tory to shift from employee to entrepreneur. She's built two multi-million-dollar businesses -- Women For Hire and Spark & Hustle -- while serving as a weekly "Good Morning America" contributor, New York Times bestselling author, contributing editor to SUCCESS magazine and a popular speaker.

In 1999 -- after being fired from a job at NBC News that she thought she'd have forever -- Tory started Women For Hire in the corner of her bedroom with twin babies crawling at her feet. Armed only with an AOL email address and dial-up Internet service, she had one simple hope: make a decent living to support her family and help some women find jobs. Of course, in the last 14 years, she's done a whole lot more than that.

Tory had no trust fund, no college degree, no celebrity endorsements, and no impressive Rolodex. She started with just two things: a spark of an idea and some serious hustle to make it happen. While it may appear that she got lucky, the truth is that it's been a series of consistent actions that have enabled her to become the owner of two thriving businesses even as others have suffered greatly through the recession.

In 2010, a trend emerged -- more and more women wanted to start their own business and be their own boss. After what seemed like the millionth email requesting help in starting a business, Tory set out to provide hands-on programming to help current and aspiring women entrepreneurs turn their passion into a profit -- and Spark & Hustle was born. Today Spark & Hustle provides a variety of programs serving thousands of women.

Tory is also the author of "The Shift: How I Finally Lost Weight & Discovered a Happier Life," which debuted as a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. It recounts her year-long journey of her 62-pound weight loss.

She lives in New York with her husband and their teenage twins.

With more than 100,000 fans, friends and followers on social media platforms, has addressed 100,000 plus people as a keynote speaker at live events in the last year. Her unique career development, recruitment services and weight loss experiences make her an ideal messenger to motivate your audience to make their own powerful shifts in any area of their lives.