Saul Flores

From Within

In this program, storyteller and changemaker Saul Flores addresses how grit, belonging, and equity foster revolutionary innovation and build enduring businesses.

Saul first learned grit as a survival mechanism from his migrant parents. Having escaped their war-torn countries, consistency was key to realizing their goals. As Saul will teach your people, too much organizational resistance derails innovation, leading to untapped potential.

How do companies cultivate true belonging? And how do you create equitable cultures that equip all your employees to excel? By illuminating stories that challenge the status quo, Saul demonstrates the why and how of revolutionary innovation. Attendees will leave with tools and frameworks leading to more empowered thinking. Together, participants will break down systemic barriers to ensure that diverse voices can become successful innovators.

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT:

• The value of creating a culture around belonging, equity, and grit.
• How diverse voices can fuel innovation within a company
• The power of establishing gritty team habits

Ideal Audience:

This Program is Perfect For 

• Organizations hoping to inspire innovation
• Companies wanting to create more equitable cultures
• Leaders aiming to create more inclusive environments

Sugarland

Saul shares his journey around social entrepreneurship through his for-good venture MAMA Sugar. As a third-generation descendant of sugar cane workers, Saul launched a single-origin, ethically sourced sugar company. Saul shares that he learned grit in unconventional ways, he learned it from studying the women figures in his life and the farmers in his mother’s hometown. Now, he helps businesses understand the value of staying true to their origins.

In talks to companies, educators, charities, and NGO’s, Saul spreads his message that social entrepreneurship is fueled through equity, belonging, and grit. Companies can create equitable cultures, develop gritty habits, and foster a sense of belonging to drive innovation by amplifying diverse voices.

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT:

• How a sense of belonging can foster innovation
• That social innovation is driven by equity, belonging, and grit
• The value of staying true to your origins

Ideal Audience:

This Program is Perfect For 

• Mission-driven advocacy or service organizations
• Leadership summits and Institutes

Think Big

While visiting Mexico in 2010, Saul met the sons and daughters of cane workers living in a small and unassuming town. He found the students studying in a run-down elementary school and spent several years advocating for their education and access. Without electricity, limited resources, and understaffed teachers, the students persevered. Meanwhile, he witnessed their pathway to education slowly fall out of reach.

This experience sparked a desire to make education more equitable and accessible for all students attending the elementary school. His solution was locally respected and globally applauded, he would use activism and change-making to create a pathway towards education for all students in Atencingo, Mexico.

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT:

• How equity can change a community
• That one person can change a culture
• How education, access, and equity are needed for innovation

Ideal Audience:

This Program is Perfect For 

• Higher education employees focused on equity and access
• Organizations focused on change-making
• Tech-education companies are committed to creating an impact

The Walk

A journey around belonging. Saul spent three months walking, hitchhiking, and sleeping on the ground and in hiding places. His trek began in Quito, Ecuador and ended in Charlotte, North Carolina. In three months, he walked 5,328 miles through ten countries and nine border crossings to document how grueling and dangerous the journey of immigrants to the United States can be and to raise money for an elementary school in Atencingo, Mexico.

In this keynote, Saul speaks about how as a first-generation American, he took the “Walk” in the summer of 2010. Audiences will get the opportunity to relive The Walk along with Saul and create a deeper understanding of the struggles, hardships, joy, and hope that immigrants experience on their journey.

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT:

• The power of social innovation in today’s political environment
• The value of learning about different cultures and communities
• How immigrant communities try to overcome adversity and find belonging in the United States

Ideal Audience:

This Program is Perfect For 

• Organizations wanting to advocate for Latinx issues
• Hispanic Heritage Month celebration
• Advocacy Groups and Community Organizations