If there is one thing that Pulitzer Prize-winning Reporter Nicholas Kristof has learned over his decades of reporting for The New York Times, it’s this: Side by side with the worst of humanity, you always see the best. It’s a lesson he’s taken to heart. In this inspiring talk based on his upcoming memoir, Kristof shares some of these stories and his life as a journalist, from growing up on a farm in small-town Oregon to reporting from every corner of the world. He’ll talk about some of the greatest members of his profession and introduce you to extraordinary people he has met. These are the people, the heroes, who have allowed Kristof to remain optimistic and continue to dedicate his life to the pursuit of truth.

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and New York Times columnist Nick Kristof offers a timely and urgent keynote on how democracies can withstand the rise of authoritarianism—at home and abroad. Drawing on decades of reporting from conflict zones and fragile democracies, Kristof outlines the warning signs that are now unfolding in the United States and the moral clarity required to confront them. In particular, he challenges Democrats to move beyond complacency, embrace courage over caution, and connect with voters through empathy, storytelling, and tangible action. This is not just a political talk—it’s a call to preserve the soul of American democracy.

This generation of students is full of passion to change the world, but they need tools to do so more effectively. Nicholas Kristof offers specific advice, drawn on his years as a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and human rights advocate. His talk provides valuable guidance on whether to start a new organization or join an existing one, how to tell stories and build empathy, and whether to focus on needs at home or those abroad. He argues that although students sometimes perceive the problems of the world as too vast to affect, in fact, it's entirely possible for students to have an impact on the world. And as they help others, they'll also enrich themselves.

Based on their new, critically acclaimed book, Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope, Kristof and WuDunn share a harrowing account and detailed look into the epidemic of depression, unemployment, poverty and addiction that is plaguing the working class across America – and the government's failure to address it. Available to speak separately or together, Nick and Sheryl are passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless and telling the hard truths that need to be told. Known for their moving storytelling and incomparable insights into the events that shape our world, they leave audiences inspired to drive change, take on challenges and make a difference.

Nick Kristof and Sheryl Wu Dunn’s New York Times bestseller, Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope has been called an “absolute must-read for anyone working in the field of healthcare, public policy and public health.” Weaving sobering data about America’s explosion of addiction, chronic disease, and suicide with the moving personal stories of Kristof’s own hometown in rural Oregon and their knowledge of healthcare around the world, the Pulitzer Prize winners provide an unflinching look at the root causes of diseases of despair and America’s declining life expectancy. Their multifaceted solutions champion public health approaches that include greater access to healthcare, understanding the social determinants of health, childhood education, addiction treatment vs. incarceration and addressing the connection between adverse childhood episodes and chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Appearing individually or together, they place human faces on the impact of approaches and policies, providing a hopeful way forward from a crisis of the vulnerable to greater equity, access and health.

Nick Kristof has spent his career shining a light on the world’s darkest corners—reporting on sex trafficking, genocide, and the systemic injustices that too often go ignored. In this gripping and deeply human keynote, he shares the stories of those most vulnerable, reminding audiences that bearing witness is the first step toward meaningful change. With the clarity of a journalist and the compassion of a humanitarian, Kristof challenges listeners to not look away—and to use their own voices to drive justice forward. His message is both sobering and empowering: the truth can save lives, but only if we choose to act on it.

Drawing from his best-selling book, Half the Sky, which became an acclaimed PBS series filmed in 10 countries, Nicholas Kristof contends that the greatest moral challenge of the 21st century, akin to fighting slavery in the 19th century or totalitarianism in the 20th century, is gender inequity around the world.  He explores the kinds of repression women face, including sexual violence, early marriage, female genital mutilation, forced prostitution and maternal mortality, which claims one woman every 90 seconds. He also identifies solutions in health care, education and economic empowerment for women and girls. Above all, he notes that there is a huge gain to be had if a society educates girls and ushers those educated women into the labor force. Kristof also explores areas in which the West has more to do at home to create gender equity, including domestic violence and sex trafficking.