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The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

MJ Hegar

If they’re telling you it can’t be done, prove them wrong.

Author of Shoot Like a Girl | Leadership Speaker | Foreign Policy 100 Leading Global Thinker

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Being Change to Make Change

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Follow Your Heart Because It Knows You Best

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Busting Stereotypes Through Teamwork

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Success is not Satisfaction

Lavin Exclusive Speaker

Major MJ HEGAR is a force to be reckoned with. While piloting her third tour of Afghanistan, she was shot down. Injured, and under heavy fire, Hegar and her crew still flew their hobbled aircraft to safety, conducting a near-impossible landing. She received a Purple Heart and a Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, an honor awarded to only a handful of women. When her injuries barred her from flying, she fought a policy that excluded women from serving in ground combat—a historic victory for female military members. An incredible story—set to be a major motion picture—Hegar’s bravery inspires audiences to persevere through change, hardship, and any obstacles in their way.

“She has outsize charm, crazy grit, a terrific story and a knack for telling it. Her memoir, Shoot Like a Girl, with a front-cover blurb by John McCain, is in Hollywood development.”— The New York Times

In 2018, Hegar ran for Congress in Texas, and struck a meaningful chord across the nation. Beautifully depicted in her moving and wildly-viral campaign video, “Doors”—which Lin-Manuel Miranda called “the best political ad anyone’s ever seen”—Hegar told her story “about opening, pushing, and sometimes kicking through every door in my way.” In electrifying keynotes, she discusses the importance of teamwork as well as individual advocacy, highlighting the doors that each of us have in our paths—and how to open, push, or kick your way through. Hegar’s bestselling memoir, Shoot Like A Girl, is currently being adapted to a major motion picture.

Hegar is currently a Defense consultant with experience in Communications, Public Affairs, Media Relations, Healthcare, and Tech. She is on the Board of Directors at the Texas Advocacy Project, an organization that provides legal representation and advocacy for survivors of domestic abuse. Hegar has taught Communications at the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, as well as at UT in the ROTC and Women’s Studies Departments. In 2015, she was inducted into the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame, and in 2013, was named a Leading Global Thinker by Foreign Policy. Newsweek magazine listed MJ as one of 2012’s 125 Women of Impact.

Testimonials

MJ was outstanding–her story was not only compelling but from the audience reaction, many found it inspiring and to take action to make a positive change to their lives. Very pleased we had the opportunity to have her as a speaker.

Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals

Testimonials

Your presentation was candid and inspiring. I appreciate all the hard work that went into planning your presentation and sharing your story. Our members really got a lot out of your message and were heard saying "this was the best keynote we have ever had." Thank you for making it memorable and impactful.

League of Oregon Cities

Testimonials

Major Hegar was everything we could have hoped for and more. Engaging, professional, knowledgeable ... [she] maintained the perfect balance between seriousness and humor throughout her address.

University of Maryland School of Law

Testimonials

You kept us all riveted with your story and storytelling skills, taking us from racing hearts to laughing and crying

Toastmasters Conference

Testimonials

Your confidence, competence, planning, preparation and professionalism were all on display as you engaged our audience with ‘edge-of-the-seat’ stories sprinkled with your own unique ‘MJ brand’ of humor.

Metropolitan Breakfast Club Meeting

Lavin Exclusive Speakers

Angela Duckworth

Author of Grit, the #1 New York Times Bestseller | Pioneering Researcher on Grit, Perseverance, and the Science of Success

Daron Acemoglu

2024 Nobel Prize Winner | 3rd Most Cited Economist in the World | MIT Institute Professor | Bestselling Co-Author of Why Nations Fail and Power and Progress

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Creator of The 1619 Project | Executive Producer of the Emmy Award-Winning 1619 Project Hulu Docuseries | MacArthur Genius

Greg Hoffman

Nike's Former Chief Marketing Officer | Author of Emotion by Design

Nicholas Thompson

CEO of The Atlantic | Former Editor-in-Chief of WIRED

Speech Topics

Social Justice

Be the Change

In this talk, Major MJ Hegar reveals how one person can be a catalyst for change on a large scale, be it in your career, at home, or on a national or global level. When someone tells you that something cannot be done, she says, the only way to prove them wrong is to do what they believe to be impossible. Her heroic actions in Afghanistan—when she was shot down on a Medevac mission and was pivotal in rescuing her crew and patients, and became one of only a handful of women in history to earn a Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device—changed the perception of women in the military. Her historic lawsuit against the Secretary of Defense and the legislative battle that followed opened the door for women to participate in ground combat, a significant step forward for equal rights for women in the military. How did she do it? And what can we learn from her experiences? A magnetic speaker, she combines harrowing war stories and powerful lessons on social change with practical advice on leadership, diversity, teamwork, and motivation.

Motivational

Performing Under Pressure

How will you react when you are tested? When Major MJ Hegar’s helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan, she discovered what it truly is to perform under pressure. Injured and surrounded by the enemy, she was pivotal in rescuing her crew and patients and became one of a handful of women in history to earn a Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device. She was also awarded a Purple Heart. In this talk—appropriate for a wide variety of audiences, from corporate to college to military—she delivers valuable lessons for not only keeping a cool head in a tense situation, but performing with distinction. The difference between those of us who react well under pressure and those who don’t, she says, comes down to a few important principles. Who do you hope to be when all eyes turn to you?

Leadership

Lead Your Team to Victory

Leadership is about more than just setting an example, taking care of people, and having integrity. In this talk, Major MJ Hegar draws on her more than two decades of multi-industry experience—from leading hundreds of troops in logistics and combat operations to leadership roles in the corporate sector—to identify the most impactful elements of leadership. Hegar can tailor this speech to your audience with her ability to focus on parenting, profitability, retention, mental health, and more. From team-building and problem-solving to risk-taking and understanding tactics and strategy, she offers a unique look at this timeless topic.