Dr. Willie Jolley
Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award: Received the Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in January 2023, recognizing significant contributions to society. The Cavett Award: Honored with The National Speakers Association’s highest award, The Cavett, in July 2023, named after the association’s founder, Cavett Robert. Ford Motor Company Turnaround: Played a key role in Ford’s remarkable turnaround from 2006 to 2009, helping the company reject a government bailout and achieve billion-dollar profits.
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Dr. Willie Jolley's 2025 biography
Dr. Willie Jolley is a man on a mission! He is a Hall of Fame speaker, singer, best-selling author, and popular media personality.
In January 2023, he received the Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime
Achievement Award.
In July 2023, he was the recipient of The National Speakers Association’s highest and most cherished award, The Cavett, named after the association’s founder, Cavett Robert.
Dr. Willie Jolley has achieved remarkable heights in life, after coming from humble beginnings. His father died when he was a teenager and he put himself through college by singing in nightclubs and recording jingles for radio and television commercials. He went on to become a multi WAMMIE (Washington Area Music Association) award-winning nightclub performer. Yet, at the top of his nightclub career, he was fired and replaced by a karaoke machine, during the karaoke craze that swept America! Dr. Jolley decided that he was not going to give up, so he took that setback and turned it into an amazing “Comeback!”
Dr. Jolley started his speaking career as a drug prevention coordinator for the DC Public School System and went on to speak to millions of young people around the world. He produced and starred in the first PBS Special for teens, “Dare To Dream, Dare To Win,” which has become the #1 selling youth video in America. He was named “One of America’s Top Youth Speakers” by Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
He has gone on to be named “One of the Outstanding Five Speakers in the World” and “Motivational & Inspirational Speaker of The Year” by the 175,000 members of Toastmasters International. In 2005, he was inducted into the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame and received the CPAE Award (Council of Peers Award of Excellence).
Dr. Jolley soon started receiving speaking requests from other industry sectors and went on to great success speaking to colleges, associations, and corporations. He was the expert Ford Motors called on in 2006, when they were on the brink of bankruptcy. He worked with Ford from 2006 to 2009, and they were able to reject a government bailout and go on to billion-dollar profits.
He has achieved the distinction of Certified Speaker Professional (CSP) by the National Speakers Association. He is a recipient of the Ron Brown Distinguished Leadership Award and was named “One of the Top 5 Leadership Speakers” by Speaking.com and “Legend of The Speaking Industry” by the Veterans Speakers Association.
Dr. Willie Jolley became the featured speaker for The Moneywise National Tour in 2012 and in 2014 he was chosen to replace the legendary Zig Ziglar on the National Get Motivated Tour. On that tour he joined a who’s who of world-renowned speakers such as Les Brown, Shark Tank star Daymond John and sales guru, Tom Hopkins. Dr. Jolley was recently invited to be an “Personal Development Expert Artist in Residence” at High Point University, where Dr. Nido Qubein is president. He joins a list of high-profile individuals including Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc., and best-selling author and leadership guru, Dr. John Maxwell.
Dr. Jolley was the first African American President of the Washington, DC Chapter of The National Speakers Association (NSA) and was able to double membership and revenues in one year. As a result, he went on to become the first African American elected to the National Board of NSA. He is a former Chairman of The Speaker Hall of Fame Leadership Committee and is the first African American to hold that position.
Dr. Willie Jolley uses his public platform to pursue his mission of empowering and encouraging people to rise above their circumstances and maximize their Godgiven potential! No matter the venue, from his exciting global television appearances to his Sirius XM radio show to corporate audiences like Walmart, General Motors, Comcast, Verizon, Marriott, Johnson, and Johnson Dubai, CocaCola US, Coca-Cola South Africa, Prudential Australia, and Prudential Malaysia or The Million Dollar Round Table. Dr. Willie Jolley keeps it moving with high energy and enthusiasm. He delivers powerful nuggets on how every person can live a better life and win more, every day!
Dr. Willie Jolley is the author of several international best-selling books including, It Only Takes A Minute To Change Your Life, A Setback Is A Setup For A Comeback, Turn Setbacks Into Greenbacks and An Attitude of Excellence (which was endorsed by former Ford Motors CEO, Alan Mulally and Dr. Stephen Covey, author of the landmark book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). And contributing author of Chicken Soup for The Christian Soul, where he is featured on the front cover with Joyce Meyer, Dr. Tony Campolo and Naomi Rhode.
Dr. Jolley is co-author, with his wife of 37 years, Dee Taylor-Jolley, of the popular marriage book, Make Love, Make Money, Make It Last! – 10 Secrets To Shape A Great Marriage. Their TED Talk from the book entitled, “How To Never Argue Again in Marriage” is a big hit for relationships globally.
Dr. Jolley is a popular media personality and can be heard and weekly on his #1-rated The Willie Jolley Wealthy Ways Show on Sirius XM Channel 141 and heard daily on the syndicated “Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell” show on the Radio One Network. Plus, his popular podcast, The Willie Jolley Wealthy Ways Podcast, can be heard on iHeart Radio, C-Suite Radio, Spotify, TuneIn, and Apple Podcasts. All his radio and podcast programs are sponsored by Truist Financial.
Additionally, his “Dr. Willie Jolley Motivational Minute” daily TV program was a popular staple on many television stations across America and now is available globally on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, where Walmart has been a sponsoring partner. Dr. Jolley and his wife host a weekly marriage advice show called “The Jolley Marriage Show” airs Monday nights at 9 pm ET on Facebook Live,
Instagram Live, Twitter Live, and LinkedIn Live. All episodes can also be found on his YouTube channel at JolleyMarriageShow.com.
Dr. Jolley’s philanthropic interests are expressed through his non-profit organization, Jolley Good News, which focuses on helping reduce prison recidivism and encourages youth, particularly urban youth, to pursue leadership and academic excellence.
He holds an earned Doctorate (D. Min) Degree in Faith-Driven Achievement from the California Graduate School of Theology, a master’s degree in theology from Wesley Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from American University. Dr. Willie Jolley resides in Washington, DC and shares his life with his wife, Dee, his two adult children and two grandchildren.
Dr. Willie Jolley's 2025 talks & topics
Achieve More with an Attitude of Excellence
Average presentation length: 60-90 minutes
Program Description:
Dr. Willie Jolley answers the age-old question: What are the secrets that sustain successful organizations through difficult times?
His answers are born out of his work helping Ford Motor Company go from the brink of bankruptcy in 2006 to being positioned to reject the government bailout in 2009—and on to billion-dollar profits every quarter since 2009. Success Magazine called him “Ford’s Secret Weapon!”
In this program, Dr. Jolley shares strategies and ideas your attendees can employ to transform their businesses—as well as the five areas of development that can be used immediately to change their thinking and their business.
Upon completing this program, participants will:
- Pursue a workplace culture of excellence
- Understand the tenets of high achieving organizations:
- Leadership
- Change management
- Team building
- Customer service
- A winner’s attitude
- Embrace change as a positive factor
- Seek leadership development—no matter their position in the organization
- View teams as the lifeblood of the organization
- Serve the internal and external “customers”
Turn Your Setbacks into Comebacks…then Turn Your Comebacks Into Greenbacks!
Average presentation length: 60-90 minutes
Program Description:
Taken from his popular television special, “Turning Setbacks into Comebacks,” Dr. Willie Jolley explains how in turbulent, high anxiety and fear times, we can survive, and dare we think, even thrive!
Dr. Jolley is right on time with this message. He has interviewed people of all walks of life on how they came back from great adversity. He shares their successful techniques, ideas, principles, and strategies.
And furthermore, he explains how to apply those principles today to help you comeback, and then get more greenbacks.
While others may speak of turning setbacks into comebacks, Dr. Jolley wrote the international best-selling books, A Setback Is A Setup for a Comeback and Turn Your Setbacks Into Greenbacks.
Participants will learn how to:
- Develop the mindset that winners use to overcome tough times
- Implement step-by-step strategies to turn their setbacks into comebacks
- Prepare an action plan to bulletproof their future success!
Change Is Good…When Your Attitude is GREAT!
Average presentation length: 60-90 minutes
“The best way to build your future is to build yourself. And the best way to build your organization is to build your people.” -Dr. Willie Jolley
These last few years have proven that change happens, whether we like it or not. Some companies grow through change and others shrink!
Dr. Willie Jolley teaches people how to get a new attitude so they can have a “higher altitude” and productivity in the midst of change!
Program Description:
In this program, participants are sold on the positive perspective of change! Change is essential to any growth. Everybody wants progress, but nobody wants to change.
Dr. Jolley shares his patented “VDAD” (vision, decision, action, desire) formula for successfully embracing change.
You will leave this program viewing change as an ally – not an enemy. You will leave ready to implement the formula to drive change. You will leave believing that change “truly” is good when your attitude is great!
Participants will learn:
- The attitude necessary to positively adapt and embrace the inevitability of change
- The four-step process for “winning with change!”
- How a change in perspective can positively change results
- The success strategies outstanding leaders use to turn problems into possibilities, and setbacks into comebacks
- How working as a team can successfully help navigate the winds of change
- How to create an all-star team where everybody is an MVP!
How To Be Unstoppable: Leadership & Achievement
Average presentation length: 60-90 minutes
Program Description:
Dr. Willie Jolley believes leadership is an action not a position! He reminds us that great leaders always focus on the possibilities rather than the challenges! Great leaders are willing to do whatever is necessary rather than doing what is comfortable! And leaders look to develop more leaders rather than more followers!
Dr. Jolley takes you on a memorable roller coaster ride of why you must develop the leader within you and then gives you the steps for getting it done! It requires sweat equity, but so does anything that produces great achievement! Whether you are an association executive, sales professional, entrepreneur, business owner, or manager…you will experience growth and renewed enthusiasm for reaching and exceeding your goals!
*This program will develop more leaders and set them on a course for becoming unstoppable!
Participants will learn:
- The “Attitude Of Excellence” mindset for creating unstoppable leaders
- How ordinary people can become “extraordinary” leaders
- The critical “Vision-Decision-Action-Desire (VDAD Formula)” for excellence in leadership
- Strategies for implementing the V-D-A-D formula
- The power of “Better” for creating leaders at every level of the organization!