Liz Benditt | Speaker
Founder & CEO, The Balm Box | Marketing Lecturer, University of Kansas School of Business
Practical, story-driven talks on reinventing your career, building a business without outside funding, and leading others through change.
About Liz
Liz Benditt spent more than 20 years in corporate marketing before founding The Balm Box at 46. A six-time cancer survivor, she started the company because she knew firsthand what patients need and what well-meaning gifts often miss. Today she leads a growing gifting company, teaches marketing to 200+ University of Kansas students every semester, and speaks to audiences of entrepreneurs, investors, HR leaders, and small business owners.
In 2026 she won first place nationally at the Verizon Small Business Super Pitch. Her message to leaders is that becoming who you’re meant to be is a choice you can make at any stage, and that the best leaders help the people around them do the same.
Recent Highlights
- First place, Verizon Small Business Super Pitch National Finals (Aug 2026): $20,000
- Second place, Start.Pivot.Grow. Pitch Competition Finals (Nov 2025): $10,000
Speaking Topics
- Reinvention at Any Stage: Becoming the Leader (and Founder) You Weren’t Yet. How to turn 20+ years of experience into a new direction, and how leaders can support their teams through their own reinventions.
- Bootstrapped, Not Broke: Funding Growth Through Reinvestment. A practical look at growing a business from its own revenue.
Speaking Engagements
| Date | Event | Topic | Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 (upcoming) | Global Entrepreneurship Week KC | Bootstrapped, Not Broke: Funding Growth Through Reinvestment (60-minute session) | Entrepreneurs, investors |
| Oct 26, 2026 | ATD Kansas City Fall Conference, Career & Community track | Reinventing a career and supporting others through reinvention | HR and training professionals |
| Oct 2026 | Iowa Startup Week Pitch Competition | The Buyer’s Club Showcase | VC firms, investors |
| Aug 2026 | Verizon Small Business Super Pitch, National Finals | 1st place | Small business owners, regional leaders, Verizon corporate PR |
| Jul 2026 | Verizon Small Business Super Pitch, Midwest Regional | Regional champion | Small business owners, regional leaders, Verizon corporate PR |
| Nov 2025 | Start.Pivot.Grow. Pitch Competition, Finals | 2nd place | Finance professionals, investors |
| Fall 2020 to present | University of Kansas School of Business | Marketing lecturer (fall, spring, summer) | 200+ students per semester |
Podcasts & Interviews
- Her Story Unscripted (Sep 2, 2026)
- The Unforget Yourself Show (May 21, 2026)
- Never Too Late (May 1, 2026)
- Social 333 (Mar 24, 2026)
- PharmaShots CXO Talks (Feb 20, 2026)
- Growth Mavericks (Nov 12, 2025)
- A Further Inquiry: Sustainable, Patient-Safe Holiday Gifting (Sep 18, 2025)
- Rotary Club Speaker Series (May 1, 2025)
- Rule 42, Ep. 38 (Dec 1, 2024)
- JHT Compass Women Owned Businesses (Apr 1, 2024)
- The Feminine Millionaire Show: Reinventing Life (Jan 1, 2024)
- Vroom Vroom Veer (Oct 23, 2023)
- Teeny-Tiny, S2 Ep. 3: Marketing and Resilience (Oct 1, 2023)
To book Liz, please email admin@thebalmbox.com.
