Biography

Over the last 20 years, Kai has been the host and senior editor of Marketplace, the most popular program on business and the economy – radio or television, commercial or public broadcasting – in the country. He also co-hosts the podcast Make Me Smart.

Kai won an Emmy Award in 2012 for Outstanding Investigative Journalism on a PBS Frontline documentary about money in politics entitled Big SkyBig Money. His written work has been featured in The New York Times and The Atlantic. He is frequently called on as an event and panel moderator at such conferences as the Aspen Ideas Festival, Atlantic Ideas, Fortune Brainstorm, and Fast Company Innovation. Kai also speaks regularly with policymakers, including the Federal Reserve Chair, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of the White House National Economic Council. He interviewed President Obama twice in the Oval Office and once on a folding chair in the middle of the Nevada desert. 

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Videos

Kai Ryssdal explains the Bond Market

Stronger Together: Expanding Worker Voice to Expand Economic Opportunity

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Blog Posts

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Resilience keynote speaker Jon Dorenbos shares how to turn adversity into action through mindset, forgiveness, and authentic leadership strategies.

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Learn how champions think differently and build winning habits that transform teams from talented to unstoppable with peak performance speaker Ross Bernstein.

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7 Year-End Lessons From Keynote Speaker Every Event Planner Needs Before 2026

Learn 7 powerful year-end lessons from top keynote speakers to transform your event planning strategy and personal growth in 2026.

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