How I Made Six Figures in My First Year as a Speaker

Following her retirement from college coaching, Missy became a highly sought-after keynote & motivational speaker. Businesses, national organizations, high schools, colleges & leadership seminars around the country have benefited from Missy’s transformative message.

Her keynote Crushing the Inner Critic has resonated with professionals from the corporate and health care space all the way down to 5th grade students. From personal experience and working with thousands of students, coaches and professionals across the country, Missy recognizes we all have one common obstacle we all encounter, our own negative self-talk.

Missy works to bring awareness to those negative voices in our minds, shifting them into something positive while also finding ways we can lean into our fears so we can SHOW UP and become the best version of ourselves.

Prior to becoming a professional speaker Missy was inducted into 7 Athletic Hall of Fames including the National High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017, where she would give an eleven minute acceptance speech that would catapult her speaking career to what it is today. By leaning into her fears and doing what scared her half to death (public speaking), it would lead her down a career path where she is positively impacting the world in a greater way than she ever did as an athlete.

Missy, originally from Malone, NY, earned a full athletic scholarship to play basketball at Duke University winning two ACC conference championships, playing in the national championship in 1999, and earning the Heart and Hustle Award voted by her teammates, twice. She then played professional basketball in Germany winning a league championship and followed it up with a 12-year coaching career at the Division III and II levels breaking numerous school records and earning several coach of the year awards including one of eight nominees up for national coach of the year in 2013.

Missy and co-founder, Colleen Healy, a former UCONN Women’s Basketball player own their own speaking business called ORCA Leadership, LLC. Website: www.orcaleadership.com. Missy and Colleen have created unique opportunities for conferences & associations where they oftentimes collaborate together on and off the stage on Crushing the Inner Critic and Building Trust in Teams Through Belonging.

Missy’s personal speaking website is: www.themissywest.com.

Missy currently resides in Tampa, FL and is a two-time Ironman finisher.