If you’ve ever booked a keynote speaker and walked away thinking “that was fine, but people will forget it by Thursday,” you know the gap. Information lands. Impact sticks. Finding someone who consistently delivers the latter is genuinely rare.
Justin Jones-Fosu is one of those speakers.
Justin is the CEO of Work. Meaningful., an international keynote speaker, and the author of four books. He delivers 50 to 60 keynotes a year to Fortune 500 companies, associations, HR conferences, and mission-driven organizations. He holds the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, earned by fewer than 15% of speakers worldwide. And he has a rare ability to do something most speakers only promise: change how people think about their work, not just how they feel walking out of a ballroom.
His newest book, Stop Chasing, Start Creating, publishes June 2. (Ordering copies for your event? You can place bulk orders at platinum.bulkbooks.com.)
The Problem He’s Solving
Justin has a name for what he sees in organizations across every industry right now: Information Fatigue.
Teams have more access to resources, frameworks, and content than ever before. More books, more podcasts, more courses, more tools. And yet the exhaustion is pervasive. People are overwhelmed, burned out, and struggling to find meaning in the middle of the noise.
The core insight behind Stop Chasing, Start Creating is that most of us are operating in chase mode without realizing it. Chasing metrics. Chasing external validation. Chasing a version of success that keeps moving. The shift Justin offers is from reactive performance to intentional creation. It sounds like a subtle distinction. On stage, it lands like a gut punch.
The book itself is a short business fable, tortoise-and-hare inspired, written for busy professionals who don’t need another 300-page information dump. It’s a story that creates space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what actually matters. Justin wrote it with Berrett-Koehler Publishers, the same publisher behind his six-time award-winning I Respectfully Disagree.
What Actually Happens in the Room
Justin describes his keynote as an experiential, multi-sensory journey, and the client reviews back that up completely.
From the moment participants walk in, they’re invited into something that feels different from a traditional keynote. There’s intentional storytelling, visual symbolism, reflection, and real interaction. The session is built around his Meaning Journey Model, guiding participants through three stages: Mindset, Momentum, and Mastery. People don’t just listen. They participate, pause, and reconnect with something personal.
The session ends with what Justin calls the #67 moment. Each participant crafts their own personal wise saying shaped through reflection during the experience. They leave with something concrete, something they created, not just something they heard.
This is the kind of keynote people are still referencing months later. I’ve seen it myself.
For organizations that want to go deeper, Justin also offers workshop versions that explore each stage of the Meaning Journey Model in detail. And for teams navigating tension or difficult conversations, his I Respectfully Disagree program pairs naturally alongside it.
What His Audiences Are Saying
“Justin Jones-Fosu kicked off our conference with an opening keynote that truly set the tone for the day. His approach encourages moving from anxiety-driven hustle to purposeful, steady action. His energy, expertise, and practical strategies made him an unforgettable part of our program.”
“Justin delivered one of the most energizing and impactful keynotes of our entire event. Participants left inspired, motivated, and ready to take meaningful action. Many called it their favorite session of the week. Justin is a powerful storyteller and a truly exceptional speaker whose impact lasts long after the event ends.” — Vice President of Marketing, SEFA
“The feedback from our attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Many expressed how much they valued your insights and how impactful your keynote was in setting the tone for the entire conference. Your message resonated deeply and was very well received.” — Director of Education, Ohio Assisted Living Association
“We’ve been hearing nonstop from employees about how much they enjoyed Justin’s workshop and the incredible energy he brought to the entire day. It was truly an amazing session that will leave a lasting impression on our teams.” — Senior Employee Development Specialist, Monterra Credit Union
The Audiences He’s Right For
Justin works across industries, but the events where he delivers the most impact share a few things: the audience is dealing with real performance pressure, the organization cares about culture and engagement for the long term, and the event organizer wants a session people will still be talking about weeks later.
He’s a strong fit for HR conferences and people-focused leadership summits, annual meetings where engagement or workplace culture is a theme, healthcare and financial services organizations navigating burnout, associations with mixed audiences who benefit from a shared experience, and opening keynotes that set the tone for the whole day.
If your audience is also dealing with communication breakdowns or team tension alongside engagement challenges, Sara Ross is another speaker worth knowing. She brings a science-backed performance and vitality angle that pairs well with Justin’s meaningful work message, and the two together cover a lot of ground for HR and healthcare audiences.
One detail worth knowing about Justin: 100% of his author royalties from Stop Chasing, Start Creating go directly to support schools, clean water systems, and technology labs in underserved communities in Ghana. Every booking and every book sold becomes part of something bigger.
Ready to Learn More?
Justin’s fall calendar is already filling. If your audience could use a shift from chasing to creating, I’d love to start the conversation. You can also explore our full speaker roster if you’re still figuring out the right fit for your event.