Born a twin in low-income Liberty City in Miami, Florida, Les and his twin brother, Wes, were adopted when they were six weeks old by Mrs. Mamie Brown. Mrs. Brown was a single woman who had very little education or financial means, but a very big heart. As a child, Les' inattention to school work, his restless energy, and the failure of his teachers to recognize his true potential resulted in him being mislabeled as a slow learner. The label and the stigma stayed with him, damaging self-esteem to such an extent that it took several years to overcome.

Les has had no formal education beyond high school, but with persistence and determination he has initiated and continued with a process of unending self-education which has distinguished him as an authority on harnessing human potential. Les Brown's passion to learn and his hunger to realize greatness in himself and others helped him to achieve greatness. He rose from a hip-talkin' morning DJ to broadcast manager; from community activist to community leader; from political commentator to three-term legislator; and from a banquet and nightclub emcee to a premier keynote speaker.

In 1989, Les Brown was the recipient of the National Speakers Association's highest honor: the Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE). In addition, he was selected one of the World's Top Five Speakers for 1992 by Toastmasters International and recipient of the Golden Gavel Award.

In 1990, Les recorded his first in a series of speech presentations entitled You Deserve, which was awarded a Chicago-area Emmy, and became the leading fundraising program of its kind for pledges to PBS stations nationwide.

Les Brown is an internationlly recognized speaker and CEO of Les Brown Enterprises, Inc. He is also the author of the highly acclaimed and successful books, Live Your Dreams, It's Not Over Until You Win and his latest release, Up Thoughts for Down Times. Les is the former host of The Les Brown Show, a nationally syndicated daily television talk show which focused on solutions rather than problems.

Les Brown is one of the nation's leading authorities in understanding and stimulating human potential. Utilizing powerful delivery and newly emerging insights Les' customized presentation will teach, inspire and channel your audience to new levels of achievement.