Texas Keynote & Motivational Speaker for Leadership & Resilience
Everything’s bigger in Texas, except the high point. Guadalupe Peak is 8,751 feet. David has stood at 29,032.
He’s stood on top of all Seven Summits, including Everest. In 60 minutes, One Step Beyond gives your Houston, Dallas, San Antonio or Austin team a practical framework for leading through hard climbs. David is a Utah-based leadership keynote speaker who has already worked with Texas leaders.
Check David's availability for your Texas eventGet the One Step Beyond speaker kit and fee rangeUtah-based, travels to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso and every Texas market. Roughly 2½ to 3 hours in the air from Salt Lake City.
Texas planners want a big story with no fluff. Here it is.
Texas meetings run big and run on time. Your attendees have heard the pep talk before, and they can smell a canned speech from the back row. They want a speaker who has actually been somewhere hard and can say plainly what it taught him.
David Snow brings that. He has led teams on all Seven Summits, including two Everest expeditions, then built businesses through setbacks. The keynote is honest about failure, funny about the fallout, and practical about what a leader does on Monday.
It fits Texas sales kickoffs, energy and healthcare leadership summits, association conferences, school-district events, military-adjacent gatherings and company celebrations.
Watch the 6-minute speaker reel. Click to load YouTube.
Guadalupe Peak is 8,751 feet. Everest has 20,000 more.
Texas does everything big, but its highest point, Guadalupe Peak in the far west of the state, tops out at 8,751 feet. It is a rugged day hike in a national park, and the view over the Chihuahuan Desert is worth it.
Everest sits at about 29,032 feet, roughly 20,000 feet higher. David has stood on top, and in 2017 he turned around about 300 feet short. His keynote is about what you do with both outcomes. Bring it to your Texas team and nobody needs hiking boots.
Keynote speaker for Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and every Texas market
Texas’s six largest cities, ranked by the Census Bureau’s latest estimates, run on different industries. Here is how David fits each room.
Keynote Speaker for Houston Conferences and Leadership Summits
Houston: about 2,397,315 residents (Census 2025 estimate)
Energy, healthcare, aerospace and the Port of Houston keep the city’s calendar full. Houston audiences are practical and relationship-driven, which suits David’s rope-team message about choosing the people you trust. He has already presented to a Houston-region team (see proof below).
Where planners book: George R. Brown Convention Center, NRG Center, Marriott Marquis Houston, Hilton Americas-Houston, Texas Medical Center.
Motivational Speaker for San Antonio Conferences and Retreats
San Antonio: about 1,548,422 residents (Census 2025 estimate)
San Antonio blends tourism, healthcare, bioscience and a large military community. Conferences here mix business with the River Walk, and teams often want a keynote that is inspiring without being preachy. David’s service-under-pressure stories land with military families and healthcare staff.
Where planners book: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Grand Hyatt San Antonio, Hilton Palacio del Rio, JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort.
Dallas Keynote Speaker for Sales Kickoffs and Corporate Meetings
Dallas: about 1,329,491 residents (Census 2025 estimate)
Dallas runs on corporate headquarters, finance, real estate and logistics. Sales kickoffs and leadership offsites are the sweet spot for a keynote that turns accountability into a team habit. David’s Blame Thrower story is a favorite with revenue teams.
Where planners book: Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Hilton Anatole, Omni Dallas Hotel, Fairmont Dallas, Gaylord Texan in nearby Grapevine.
Keynote Speaker for Fort Worth Corporate and Association Events
Fort Worth: about 1,028,117 residents (Census 2025 estimate)
Fort Worth is home to aviation, defense, rail and energy employers, and a downtown built for conferences. Teams in safety-critical industries respond to David’s plain talk about preparation, checklists and clipping into the rope even when you are tired.
Where planners book: Fort Worth Convention Center, Omni Fort Worth Hotel, Will Rogers Memorial Center, Stockyards venues.
Austin Keynote Speaker for Tech Teams and State Government
Austin: about 1,002,632 residents (Census 2025 estimate)
Austin mixes fast-growing tech companies, state government and a major university. Tech leaders want a human story about change and resilience, and public-sector teams want a message that respects the mission. One keynote can speak to both.
Where planners book: Austin Convention Center, JW Marriott Austin, Fairmont Austin, Hyatt Regency Austin, Hilton Austin.
Motivational Speaker for El Paso Events
El Paso: about 683,012 residents (Census 2025 estimate)
El Paso sits on the Mountain time zone, next to the Franklin Mountains and across from Ciudad Juárez. Fort Bliss, cross-border trade, healthcare and education drive its meetings. A mountaineering story feels at home in a city with its own mountain range inside the city limits.
Where planners book: El Paso Convention Center area hotels, Hotel Paso del Norte, Fort Bliss-adjacent venues, UTEP campus spaces.
Also serving Plano, Frisco, Irving, Arlington, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Round Rock, Corpus Christi, Lubbock and the rest of Texas. Ask about your date.
One Step Beyond: a 60-minute keynote your Texas audience can use on Monday
This is the keynote behind David’s reputation as a leadership keynote speaker. It runs a full 60 minutes with slides and expedition video throughout, and it is customized for your Texas event theme.
Extinguishing Your Blame Thrower
Excuses are 100% true but also 100% irrelevant. David shows teams how to drop blame and take ownership, using the day his climbers blamed their gear, their fatigue and a 40-foot rock formation. Texas teams know that excuses are expensive. This one lands.
Selecting Your Rope Team
On the way up, the strongest climber leads with the weakest right behind. On the way down, the strongest takes the back. Your top five people shape your results. Great for leaders who are choosing who goes on the next project.
Lean In
High on Everest, a gust of roughly 60 mph would have knocked David off the mountain had he not been clipped in. Unexpected gusts will come. Lean in and keep climbing. Texas weather and Texas markets both throw gusts. Lean in.
Every keynote ends with a simple takeaway: all it takes is one step beyond. Your team leaves with a shared vocabulary for ownership, trust and persistence that managers can keep using long after the event.
Check David's availability for your Texas eventSee all keynote topicsTexas leaders have already said it.
Recent Texas events
These are Texas rooms David has already been in, with the words those teams actually wrote afterward.
- TexasComcast Xfinity brought David in for its Texas leaders.
- EdnaEdna Independent School District brought David to Edna.
- Texas school eventA guidance counselor at Jackson Co. School District heard David in Texas, ordered Peak Persistence right after the talk, finished it in under three days and thanked him for coming to Texas.
David has spoken to audiences in Texas, and he says yes to Texas dates gladly.
After Comcast Xfinity’s event for its Texas leaders
“We cannot thank you enough for your incredible presentation to our Texas leaders. I'm confident the team walked away with excellent takeaways for the year. I was personally also so moved by your talk and have a full page of notes. It was very impactful to have you there in person, and you made everything so easy. …”
Comcast Xfinity
From a Jackson Co. School District educator in Texas
“As a former Geography teacher of 8 years, guidance counselor of 25 years, and lover of nature, hiking and the like, I was “all in” from the first picture of Everest on his slides. I ordered PEAK PERSISTENCE immediately following your presentation! I finished it in less than 3 days! … I just wanted to send a quick note today to say thank you for sharing your experiences, failures and successes in your book (and for coming Texas). …”
Jackson Co. School District
Read the full wall of reviews on the motivational keynote speaker page.
Why Texas planners book David Snow
- He has climbed all Seven Summits, including two Everest expeditions, and reached the summit in May 2018, a year after turning back about 300 feet short.
- He is an operator, not just a storyteller: he built adventure travel companies that have guided thousands of climbers.
- He customizes the keynote with a short pre-event call, usually about a 20-minute Zoom, any time before your event.
- He is the author of Peak Persistence, the book behind the message.
- A short pre-event call lets David tailor the story for your Houston, Dallas or Austin team, whatever the industry.
Planning a Texas keynote: what to know
Travel. Texas is a big state. David flies in from Salt Lake City, roughly 2½ to 3 hours in the air to the major hubs, so most dates work with a same-day or one-night itinerary. Tell us your city and we will plan the route.
Time zones. Most of Texas runs on Central time, but El Paso is on Mountain time. Include the time zone in your agenda notes so the keynote start is never a surprise.
AV. David uses a wireless lav or handheld mic, a computer audio connection for video, a projector or LED wall with a slide advancer, and a presentation on USB in PC format. A raised stage helps in large Texas ballrooms.
Texas keynote speaker questions, answered
Who is a good keynote speaker for a Houston or Dallas conference?
David Snow is a Utah-based keynote and motivational speaker who has climbed all Seven Summits, including Everest. His 60-minute One Step Beyond keynote covers leadership, resilience and teamwork, and he has spoken to Texas audiences, including a Houston-region team.
Which Texas cities does David serve?
Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and El Paso, plus the rest of Texas including Plano, Frisco, Irving, The Woodlands and Corpus Christi.
How long is the keynote, and can it be customized for our Texas event?
The keynote is always 60 minutes. Before the event David holds a short pre-event call, usually about a 20-minute Zoom, to learn your goals and audience, then tailors the stories and takeaways.
What kinds of Texas events does David speak at?
Sales kickoffs, leadership summits, association conferences, school-district events, healthcare and energy meetings, and company celebrations.
What does a Texas keynote cost, and how do I check availability?
Fees depend on date, location and format. Use the book page to check availability and request the One Step Beyond speaker kit and fee range for your Texas event.
Find David near you
Planning in another market? David is a Utah-based leadership keynote speaker who travels nationwide. Explore his other location pages:
Bring a keynote as big as Texas to your Texas audience
Give your Texas team a story worth remembering and a plan to act on it. See the full keynote menu on David's leadership keynote speaker page, or start your inquiry below.
Check David's availability for your Texas eventGet the One Step Beyond speaker kit and fee range
