Speaking
Empowering the disABLED™ community through innovative consultingHelp Your Audience Transform
Their Perspective & Change Their World
It’s more than just a speech—it’s a call to action. Alicia is a TEDx-Proven Speaker, visionary CEO, and unstoppable champion for breaking barriers and redefining possibilities. The secret to changing your life is by changing your mindset. And Alicia can prove it!
Hi, I’m Alicia
Hi, I’m Alicia D. Polak—and if you’re looking for someone who’s real, relatable, and relentlessly optimistic on stage, I’m your person.
I’m a former Wall Street banker, TEDx speaker, and the founder of The Khayelitsha Cookie Company—South Africa’s longest-running social enterprise. My latest adventure, The disABLED Company, is all about turning obstacles into opportunities because when life handed me a diagnosis of Inclusion Body Myositis, I decided settling wasn’t an option.
I’ve built businesses, empowered communities, and advocated fiercely for real change—from Cape Town’s townships to Oakland’s neighborhoods. My talks are energetic, humorous, and deeply authentic. Whether I’m challenging inaccessible hotel rooms that are “accessible” in name only or pushing for healthcare systems to treat patients with dignity instead of indifference, my goal is simple: help your audience realize their own power to drive change.
Ready to inspire action and stop settling? Let’s talk.
Hi, I’m Alicia
