Willie Jolley

Dr. Willie Jolley is a man on a mission! He is a Hall of Fame speaker, singer, bestselling author, and popular media personality.

In January 2023, he received the Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. Later the same year, he was the recipient of The National Speakers Association’s highest and most cherished award, The Cavett, named after the association’s founder, Cavett Robert.

Dr. Jolley has achieved remarkable heights in life, after coming from humble beginnings. His father died when he was a teenager and he put himself through college by singing in nightclubs and recording jingles for radio and television commercials. He went on to become a multi WAMMIE (Washington Area Music Association) award-winning nightclub performer. Yet at the top of his nightclub career, he was fired and replaced by a karaoke machine, during the karaoke craze that swept America. Dr. Jolley decided that he was not going to give up, so he took that setback and turned it into an amazing “Comeback!”

Dr. Jolley started his speaking career as a drug prevention coordinator for the DC Public School System and went on to speak to millions of young people around the world. He produced and starred in the first PBS Special for teens, “Dare To Dream, Dare To Win,” which has become the #1 selling youth video in America. He was named “One of America’s Top Youth Speakers” by Future Business Leaders of America.

He has gone on to be named “One of the Outstanding Five Speakers in the World” and “Motivational & Inspirational Speaker of The Year” by the 175,000 members of Toastmasters International. In 2005, he was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame and received the Council of Peers Award of Excellence.

Dr. Jolley soon started receiving speaking requests from other industry sectors and went on to great success speaking to colleges, associations, and corporations. He was the expert Ford Motors called on in 2006 when they were on the brink of bankruptcy. He worked with Ford from 2006 to 2009, and they were able to reject a government bailout and go on to billion-dollar profits.

He has achieved the distinction of Certified Speaker Professional by the National Speakers Association. He is a recipient of the Ron Brown Distinguished Leadership Award and was named “One of the Top 5 Leadership Speakers” by Speaking.com and “Legend of The Speaking Industry” by the Veterans Speakers Association.

Dr. Jolley became the featured speaker for The Moneywise National Tour in 2012 and in 2014 he was chosen to replace the legendary Zig Ziglar on the National Get Motivated Tour. On that tour, he joined a who’s who of world-renowned speakers such as Les Brown, "Shark Tank" star Daymond John and sales guru, Tom Hopkins. Dr. Jolley was recently invited to be an “Personal Development Expert Artist in Residence” at High Point University, where Dr. Nido Qubein is president. He joins a list of high-profile individuals including Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc., and best-selling author and leadership guru, Dr. John Maxwell.

Dr. Jolley was the first African American President of the Washington, DC Chapter of The National Speakers Association (NSA) and was able to double membership and revenues in one year. As a result, he went on to become the first African American elected to the National Board of NSA. He is a former Chairman of The Speaker Hall of Fame Leadership Committee and is the first African American to hold that position.

Dr. Jolley uses his public platform to pursue his mission of empowering and encouraging people to rise above their circumstances and maximize their God-given potential! No matter the venue, from his exciting global television appearances to his Sirius XM radio show to corporate audiences like Walmart, General Motors, Comcast, Verizon, Marriott, Johnson, and Johnson Dubai, Coca-Cola US, Coca-Cola South Africa, Prudential Australia, and Prudential Malaysia or The Million Dollar Round Table. Dr. Jolley keeps it moving with high energy and enthusiasm. He delivers powerful nuggets on how every person can live a better life and win more, every day!

Dr. Jolley is the author of several international best-selling books including, "It Only Takes A Minute To Change Your Life", "A Setback Is A Setup For A Comeback", "Turn Setbacks Into Greenbacks" and "An Attitude of Excellence" (which was endorsed by former Ford Motors CEO, Alan Mulally and Dr. Stephen Covey, author of the landmark book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"). And contributing author of "Chicken Soup for The Christian Soul", where he is featured on the front cover with Joyce Meyer, Dr. Tony Campolo and Naomi Rhode.

Dr. Jolley is co-author, with his wife of 37 years, Dee Taylor-Jolley, of "Make Love, Make Money, Make It Last! 10 Secrets To Shape A Great Marriage." Their TED Talk from the book entitled, "How To Never Argue Again in Marriage" is a big hit for relationships globally.

Dr. Jolley is a popular media personality and can be heard and weekly on his #1-rated The Willie Jolley Wealthy Ways Show on Sirius XM Channel 141 and daily on the syndicated Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell show on the Radio One Network. His popular podcast, The Willie Jolley Wealthy Ways Podcast, can be heard on iHeart Radio, C-Suite Radio, Spotify, TuneIn, and Apple Podcasts.

Additionally, his “Dr. Willie Jolley Motivational Minute” daily TV program was a popular staple on many television stations across America and is available globally on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, where Walmart has been a sponsoring partner. He and his wife host a weekly marriage advice show called “The Jolley Marriage Show,” which airs on Facebook Live.

Dr. Jolley’s philanthropic interests are expressed through his non-profit organization, Jolley Good News, which focuses on helping reduce prison recidivism and encourages youth, particularly urban youth, to pursue leadership and academic excellence.

He holds an earned Doctorate (D. Min) Degree in Faith-Driven Achievement from the California Graduate School of Theology, a master’s degree in theology from Wesley Theological Seminary, and a BA in psychology and sociology from American University.

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