We Luvv Literacy!
The Literacy Lab Welcomes Luvvie Ajayi Jones As National Brand Ambassador
Luvvie Ajayi Jones is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, speaker and entrepreneur who thrives at the intersection of culture, business, and leadership. Her critically acclaimed books Rising Troublemaker: A Fear-Fighter Manual for Teens (2022), Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual (2021) and I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual (2016) were instant New York Times bestsellers, establishing her as a literary force with a powerful pen. Her latest book (and first children’s book) Little Troublemaker Makes a Mess was released on May 2, 2023.
She is an internationally recognized speaker whose thought leadership on culture, authenticity, and disruption enables transformative action. Her renowned TED talk “Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable” has over 8 million views, has been transcribed into 23 languages, and has placed her in the Top 1% of TED Talks of all time.
"We could not be more thrilled to have Luvvie join The Literacy Lab as our first-ever National Brand Ambassador. Luvvie’s confidence, creative intellect, and passion for challenging the status quo truly embodies The Literacy Lab’s brand values. We are impressed by her candid conversations, achievements, and the impact she has made as a brand celebrity and look forward to collaborating with Luvvie to incorporate her vision into Literacy Lab storytelling."
Luvvie is an internationally recognized speaker whose thought leadership on culture, authenticity, and disruption enables transformative action. Her renowned TED talk "Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable" has over 8 million views, has been transcribed into 23 languages, and has placed her in the Top 1% of TED Talks of all time.
Known for her trademark wit, warmth, and powerful storytelling, Luvvie has captivated audiences around the world for over 10 years, and her talks have been consistently praised for their ability to spark conversations, provoke thought, and leave audiences feeling empowered. She has spoken at some of the most innovative brands, such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Spotify, Nike, Bank of America, Deloitte, and American Express. She’s been a featured speaker at noted conferences such as: TEDWomen, Cannes Lions, SXSW, Leadercast, 3% Conference, MAKERS Conference.
Her superpower: using humor as a tool to engage audiences and speak directly to the heart of others. When she walks away, people take action.
A 19-year blogging veteran, Luvvie writes on AwesomelyLuvvie.com, covering all things culture with a critical yet humorous lens.
A prolific writer, she has contributed to several anthologies (You Are Your Best Thing edited by Tarana Burke and Brene Brown, Hungry Hearts, Black Girls Rock) and has written for the New York Times, ELLE and Essence. Additionally, her work has been featured in outlets such as Variety, NPR, Forbes, Inc, Fortune, Fast Company, The Chicago Tribune and more.
Luvvie is the host of a podcast of the same name as her book, Professional Troublemaker, where she has candid conversations with trailblazers who have taken action, caused good trouble and led courageous lives driven by conviction, humor and honesty. Guests like Bozoma Saint John, Jenifer Lewis, Glennon Doyle, Sarah Jakes Roberts, Thasunda Brown Duckett, Tarana Burke, Elsa Majimbo, and more. Started in February 2018, the podcast has over 3 million downloads, was chosen as “New & Noteworthy” by Apple Podcasts and featured in their “BOLD WOMEN” collection. It was chosen as a “featured podcast” by Spotify, and NPR’s Michel Martin chose it as a “Must Listen. “Professional Troublemaker” was nominated for a 2022 NAACP Image Award in the category “Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast.”
With a passion and proven track record of creating and launching successful books, Luvvie founded The Book Academy (TBA), as a platform to help others do the same. TBA is a comprehensive course and coaching suite designed to guide students from the initial idea to the final reality of a published book. As a 4-time NYT bestselling author, Luvvie wants to see more marginalized voices and stories on bookshelves and in bookstores everywhere.
As a veteran marketer and digital strategist, Luvvie is adept at creating campaigns that make impact and rise above the noise. Most recently, Luvvie created the campaign Black Business Luvv (#BlackBizLuvv) to fund and amplify Black businesses. #BlackBizLuvv was a month-long campaign highlighting 31 companies, across multiple product categories (skincare, fashion, tech, jewelry, home décor, candles and more). In just 31 days, the #BlackBizLuvv campaign infused over $540,000 into small, Black-owned businesses. It continues to be a banner campaign that generates revenue into up and coming companies.
In 2020, Luvvie was co-creator of #SharetheMicNow, a campaign that magnified the voices of brilliant Black women through the telling of their stories from the Instagram accounts of prominent white women. The campaign got over 20 billion impressions worldwide, and its impact earned it an honorable mention by Fast Company for “World Changing Ideas.” It also won the Content Marketing Institute’s 2020 B2C Marketer of the Year award. The campaign’s reach has spanned the globe and industries, having been replicated through #SharetheMicUK, #SharetheMicNowHome, and #SharetheMedicalMic, to name a few.
In Spring 2022, Luvvie served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Her course, “The Power of Personal Branding and Storytelling in the Digital Age,” entailed lessons in strengthening your voice to build a personal brand and creating a visual identity to match your voice and work.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign graduate has received numerous awards, including her alma mater’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award. She was also named a 2021 Rising Star in Forbes Magazine’s Culture 50 Champions list, and Oprah Winfrey chose her as part of her inaugural SuperSoul100 list as someone who “elevates humanity.” Luvvie has received the Council of Urban Professionals Breakthrough Award, and has been named as a Black Enterprise Luminary Award honoree.
Born in Nigeria, bred in Chicago and comfortable everywhere, Luvvie enjoys laying around in her plush robe, and eating a warm bowl of jollof rice in her free time. Her love language is shoes.
"As a lifelong reader and now bestselling author, I know the impact that books have had on my life. The Literacy Lab's work is significant, enabling this type of life changing access. It is an honor to be the first National Brand Ambassador."
Since its inception in 2009, The Literacy Lab has served tens of thousands of students across the country to help accelerate equitable literacy gains. Partnering with Luvvie Ajayi Jones will help amplify The Literacy Lab story.