Professional keynote speaker Joi Donaldson is a Black woman with natural silk-pressed hair, gold glasses and ruby lipstick, looking to the left in a professional headshot. She's wearing a white blouse, pearls and a black sweater.

Professional keynote speaker Joi Donaldson, founder of The Joi Element and voice sovereignty advocate

Keynote Speaker. Voice Sovereignty Advocate. AI Ethics Supporter. The Head.

Joi Donaldson is a professional keynote speaker, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of The Joi Element, and a leading voice on protecting authentic identity in the age of AI voice replication and algorithmic censorship. Book Joi for conferences, corporate events and leadership summits.

Storyteller. Creative. Author. Filmmaker. Griot.

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Who I Am

With 15 years of experience building brands and narratives for Black women leaders, she teaches people to document, protect and own their authentic voices.

She creates worlds outside of her through writing, filmmaking, digital media, creative projects. As an entrepreneur and mom, Joi is a multi-hyphenate to her core. She is a survivor who dares to keep thriving. A Black woman warrior who used her pens as machetes. More than anything, she is someone grateful for a new day to learn more about the world and herself. This makes the work she’s called to do and the effort put in worth it.

This is what happens when you refuse to be unspeakable.

Adult Joi Donaldson with curly hair and glasses sitting in front of a microphone recording vocals for her film "Hallowed".
Toddler Joi Donaldson sits at a glass table with toys and a sippy cups with someone making bunny ears behind her head, holding a camera to her face as her picture is taken.

What I Speak About

I bring 15 years of lived experience and strategic expertise to stages, helping audiences understand why their authentic voice is under threat—and what to do about it.

1. Speak Before You're Spoken For: Reclaiming Voice in the Age of AI

45-60 minutes | Keynote

Platforms silence us. Algorithms suppress us. AI mimics us. Your authentic voice is the last thing that's truly yours—and it's under threat. This talk challenges audiences to stop performing authenticity and start archiving it, before someone (or something) does it for them.

Best For: Tech conferences, creator economy summits, digital marketing events, women's leadership conferences, diversity and inclusion events, corporate training, university speaking engagements

2. Curated Transparency: The Performance Economy & The Cost of Being "Real" Online

30-45 minutes | Keynote or Breakout

We've confused authenticity with oversharing. We perform vulnerability so convincingly that audiences think they know us—while we hide who we really are behind big personalities and polished edits. This isn't a call to stop performing—it's permission to remember what's underneath.

Best For: Leadership summits, personal branding conferences, mental health/wellness events, creative industry gatherings

3. Voice Sovereignty: Why Your Authentic Voice is Your Last Line of Defense

45-60 minutes | Keynote

Your voice is an asset. An archive. And increasingly, a target. Through stories from my 15-year journey building brands for Black women leaders, I reveal what happens when we don't own our voices, why "going viral" is a trap, and how to build a legacy that outlasts algorithms.

Best For: Diversity & inclusion events, Black women's leadership conferences, tech ethics panels, entrepreneurship summits

4. The Algorithm Doesn't Love You Back: Building Brand on Your Terms

30-45 minutes | Breakout or Workshop

We've built entire businesses on rented land—platforms that can shadowban us, change the rules overnight, or disappear entirely. It's time to stop chasing the algorithm and start building something you actually own.

Best For: Small business conferences, social media marketing events, entrepreneurship workshops

5. 3 Entities in a Trench Coat: Why Your Brand Should Be Complex

20-30 minutes | TEDx-style or Short Keynote

I show up in the world as three distinct entities: Joi Donaldson (the leader), The Joi Element (the company), and @youvereachedjoi (the human). All me. All authentic. All necessary. This is a framework for integrated identity in a world that demands we be one-dimensional.

Best For: Innovation conferences, personal branding events, cultural gatherings, academic settings

6. Custom Workshops Available:

  • The Voice Documentation Workshop (90 minutes - 2 hours)

  • The Toggle Practice: Reconnecting With Your Unedited Self (half-day intensive)

[Download Full Speaking Topics PDF] [Request Custom Topic]

I Am Three Entities in a Trench Coat

Joi Donaldson is the head—the speaker, the authority, the professional who shows up on stages and leads with vision.

The Joi Element is the body—the company that houses my programs and builds infrastructure for transformation.

@youvereachedjoi is the voice—the unfiltered human who connects on social platforms and keeps everything grounded in truth.

All three are me. All three are necessary.

Book Joi Donaldson

Speaking Fee Range: $2,000 - $10,000 (depending on event size, location, and format)

Available For:

  • Keynotes

  • Breakout sessions

  • Half-day or full-day workshops

  • Panel discussions

  • Fireside chats

  • Virtual or in-person events

What I Bring:

  • 15 years of brand-building expertise

  • Unique perspective on voice, AI ethics and platform politics

  • Storytelling

  • A message that challenges and transforms

Technical Requirements: Standard AV setup, handheld microphone preferred, screen for presentation (if applicable)

Based in: Richmond, VA | Available for national and international travel

Contact:

Email: booking@joiunspeakable.com
Response Time: 48-72 hours

[Request Speaker Kit] [Check Availability]

Joi Donaldson with glasses, earrings, and layered necklaces smiling outdoors with blurred buildings in the background.