About Us
Meet Tara
I grew up on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. My father was a lobster fisherman, my mother ran a pulp contracting business with my grandfather, and at one point, my grandmother was a bootlegger.
So, I come from a long line of hard-working, entrepreneurial, resourceful people. People who figured things out and made things happen.
I started my career at the National Speakers Bureau in Toronto and fell in love with the speaking industry. Sure, it was exciting to have astronauts, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, and decorated military generals randomly show up at the office. But what fascinated me most was what happened behind the scenes: how the business worked, how speakers got booked, and why some careers took off while others stalled.
I’ve spent more than 20 years working inside the speaking industry at leading agencies in Toronto and New York. I’ve seen thousands of speakers and learned that being a great speaker is only part of the equation.
The industry can feel mysterious and exclusive. I created Sprout to pull back the curtain and help speakers understand how it really works - whether you’re trying to get a foothold or give an established career a sharper edge.
No gatekeeping. No smoke and mirrors. Just practical strategy, honest advice, and a deep understanding of the business of speaking.
The speaker who started it all
My first client was Sue Johanson. Yes, the sex lady.
I had booked her in my role with the Dalhousie University Student Union, and we went for a beer after her gig. She asked, “What do you plan to do when you graduate?” I told her, the student union job was a stalling mechanism. I had no idea. Then she said, “I think you should move to Toronto and be my agent.”
And so I did.
Sue was exactly who you hoped she would be off stage: kind, fun, hilarious, open, and authentic to the gills.
One year, it was suggested that we raise her fee for her annual, much-loved Canadian campus tour. She asked, “Will all of the campuses be able to afford me?”
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"I told her that not all of them would, but probably most."
And she said, “To hell with the fee raise, then. I want as many students to hear this as possible.”
That stayed with me.
Money matters. A speaking career should absolutely be a business. But I don't think money should be the reason you start speaking.
You should start speaking because you have something worth saying, and saying it can make someone else's life, work, or world a little better.
Sue was a meliorist - someone who believed the world could be made a better place through their actions.
Those are the kinds of speakers I want to work with.
How I Work
Results first.
Quick communication.
Reliable timelines.
No fluff.
When I say you'll have something, you'll have it. That's the standard, and it's non-negotiable.
