Joe Roberts is a celebrated keynote speaker known as “The Skid Row CEO.” From living on the streets to building a multimillion-dollar company, his story of resilience, leadership and purpose inspires audiences to unlock their potential and embrace change with courage and determination.
Joe Roberts, widely known as The Skid Row CEO, is one of the most inspiring speakers on resilience, leadership and purpose. Once a homeless addict living on the streets of Vancouver, Joe turned his life around to become a successful entrepreneur and award-winning community leader. Today, he shares his extraordinary journey with audiences worldwide, showing that with belief and persistence, anything is possible.
In 1989, Joe Roberts was homeless, battling addiction and mental health challenges. Within a decade, he rebuilt his life, graduated with honours, and founded Mindware Design Communications, which he grew into one of Vancouver’s leading multimedia companies with an 800% increase in business. His story of personal transformation and business achievement earned him recognition on the cover of Canadian Business magazine as one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs.
In 2016, Joe launched The Push for Change, a 17-month national campaign during which he pushed a shopping cart 9,064km across Canada. The initiative raised awareness, funds and inspired federal policy improvements to help end youth homelessness. Alongside this, Joe has worked with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and community groups, helping leaders and teams embrace resilience, purpose and change.
Joe’s storytelling is raw, authentic and deeply impactful. With humour, energy and vulnerability, he connects with audiences on a human level, drawing lessons from both failure and success. His sessions go beyond inspiration, leaving participants with practical tools to build resilience, reframe limiting beliefs, and rediscover their purpose.
He is particularly valued by organisations navigating change, leaders working to build psychologically safe workplaces, and audiences seeking to reconnect with passion and performance. Whether addressing mental health, safety culture, or leadership, Joe equips people to see their unlimited potential.
Joe Roberts’ remarkable journey and advocacy work have…
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