Linda Armstrong Kelly challenges parents and leaders, motivates teens and team members, and lights a fire under anyone who's ever dreamed of making a difference. Delivering dynamic messages about work-life balance and personal potential, this self-made Cinderella shares a captivating life story that sweeps audiences from the Dallas projects where she grew up, to the streets of Paris where she watched her son, Lance Armstrong, astonish the world with seven consecutive Tour de France victories.

With laughter, love, and a lot of class, Linda speaks about parenting, possibility, and life with Lance; sharing the guiding principles that enabled her to forge a corner office career from an entry level temp job and blaze the trail for a true champion.

Fee: $15,000.00 Travels from Texas

Topic:

• No Mountain High Enough: My Life Story

As a young, single mom, Linda vowed to raise Lance with all the advantages she did not have growing up in the Dallas projects. Her positive influence as a parent was the driving force in encouraging him to fulfill his destiny as one of the greatest athletes in history. She was with Lance from his first bike ride to his final Tour de France victory in 2005.

Her life experiences dealing with an alcoholic father, domestic abuse, teen pregnancy, single motherhood, and care giving for a cancer survivor demonstrate her strength, positive attitude, and survival skills.

In 1996, Lance was diagnosed with Stage 4 testicular cancer. The prognosis was grim, but Linda accepted the challenge and focused on helping her son make decisions that would affect his life forever. She helped research his treatment options and was by his side throughout his recovery. Today, Linda is a loyal supporter of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF). She has represented LAF at several events and frequently makes appearances at LAF fundraisers.

Linda's hard work and that "fire-in-the-belly" outlook paid off when she achieved her career goal as a global account manager with Ericsson Microelectronics™ .

After 15 years with Ericsson, Linda retired, and with encouragement from her husband Ed, she took on the overwhelming task of telling her life story. In April, 2005 her book, No Mountain High Enough: Raising Lance, Raising Me (Broadway/Double Day) was published. Publishers Weekly hailed the book as "a sincerely heartwarming tale, laced with true Texas grit."

In 2005 Linda was the subject of a one-hour television biography on TLC entitled Raising a Champion: The Linda Armstrong Kelly Story. Other recent television appearances include The Dr. Phil Show, CNN, NBC, CBS and ESPN. Linda was the recipient of Ericsson's "Mother of the Year" award in 1999 and has been recognized as one of "America's most fascinating women" by Ladies Home Journal magazine. She's been featured in national magazines such as People, The New Yorker, USA Today, Ladies Home Journal, Us and Texas Monthly, as well as countless newspaper, radio programs, and news shows. She is now dedicating her time to writing, public speaking, assisting nonprofit organizations, and fundraising. The unique energy that Linda brings to her audiences has earned her invitations to speak at such diverse venues as national cycling organizations, non-profit organizations as well as the private sector.

She is now dedicating her time to writing, public speaking, assisting nonprofit organizations, and fundraising.

The unique energy that Linda brings to her audiences has earned her invitations to speak at such diverse venues as national cycling organizations, non-profit organizations as well as the private sector.