Mariana Atencio took the world by storm in 2017 when her TEDx talk “What makes YOU special?” went viral. It was one of the first major speeches to tackle the power of authenticity with a fresh perspective. To date, it has over 20 million views and has been translated into 13 languages.
As a former anchor at Univision and national correspondent at NBC News, she has traveled the world from Haiti to Hong Kong, the Syrian border and the U.S. southern border, to report from the front lines and give a voice to those who need it most.
She was described by The Huffington Post as one of the “Top Young Voices in American Newsrooms”; made their ’40 under 40’ list, as well as AdWeek’s ‘Young Influentials’.
Delving deeper into her own immigrant story, Mariana went on to write “Perfectly You” –her best-selling memoir– which was selected by Audible and AppleBooks as a must read.
Now, she’s quickly become one of the most sought-after journalists, motivational speakers and content creators, founding her own media company, “GoLike”, and teaming up with Microsoft, the World Health Organization and the United Nations, among others, to represent and empower our communities.
She recently released the true crime investigative podcast series “Lost In Panama”, about the disappearance of two women, retracing their steps in the jungle. The show made Apple Podcasts top #10 list.
Mariana is a 2021 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and spokesperson for the American Latino Museum in D.C. Her incredible journey is featured on the award-winning HBO special “Habla Now.”