Sunday Keynote
Leslie Odom, Jr.
Tony & Grammy Award-Winning Artist
Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning
In this inspiring and intimate conversation, award-winning actor, singer, and author Leslie Odom, Jr. shares the hard-earned lessons behind his remarkable journey from aspiring performer to one of the most celebrated talents of his generation. With candor, warmth, and humor, Leslie explores what it really takes to pursue a dream when the path forward is uncertain—and how the moments that feel like failures can ultimately become the experiences that shape our greatest successes.
Drawing from his career and personal experiences, Leslie challenges audiences to rethink their relationship with risk, rejection, and setbacks. He shares powerful insights on following your passions, recognizing your own potential, staying curious, and continuing to grow when success doesn't happen on your expected timeline. Along the way, he reveals how persistence, preparation, self-belief, and a willingness to learn can transform obstacles into opportunities.
At the heart of Failing Up is a simple but powerful idea: failure doesn't have to be the end of the story—it can be the beginning of something bigger. Leslie encourages audiences to aim higher, take bold chances, embrace the lessons hidden in disappointment, and surround themselves with people who challenge and inspire them to become their best selves.
Bio
Leslie Odom, Jr. is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning, three-time Emmy and two-time Academy Award-nominated songwriter, actor, and New York Times bestselling author. Well known for his breakout role as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical Hamilton, Odom recently made a highly anticipated return to his award-winning role on September 9 through November 26.
Last season, he made his long-awaited return to Broadway as a producer, alongside his beloved Nicolette Robinson and the gracious Jeffrey Richards, with the classic American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, written by the legendary Ossie Davis. The revival opened to widespread critical acclaim. Odom was Tony-nominated for his performance, and the production received six nominations and one win. Purlie Victorious was recorded and aired as part of PBS’s Great Performances.
Odom has continued to captivate audiences across film and television, including his star turn as legendary soul singer Sam Cooke in the Amazon film adaptation of One Night in Miami, directed by Regina King. His lauded portrayal of the soul icon and musical performance of the original song “Speak Now” earned him multiple awards and nominations. Additional film and television credits include Rian Johnson’s record-breaking 2022 Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, for Netflix, The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to David Chase’s award-winning HBO series The Sopranos, Apple TV+’s Central Park (2020 Emmy nomination), Hamilton on Disney+ (2021 Emmy nomination), host of The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back! on CBS (2022 Emmy nomination), Abbott Elementary, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Harriet, and many more.
In March 2018, Odom added the title of author to his resume with the release of his book, Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher and Never Stop Learning, which was released in paperback in 2025. Co-written with Nicolette Robinson, Odom’s first children’s book, I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know, was published by Feiwel & Friends in 2023. The book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at #7 in its first week.
Odom has released six full-length albums. His sixth studio album and first-ever live album, An Offering: Live at Speakeasy Studios, was released in 2025