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“Kyla is a wonderful, eloquent speaker who was able to engage an audience of all ages, and was able to blend serious topics with moments of levity.”

“Kyla brings her great intelligence, compassion and storytelling to girls’ and women’s chess and is an inspiring young star in the field of contemporary fiction. She is an important and timely voice in the world of chess and uses her personal experience as an inspiration for anyone who has ever felt performance anxiety or unwelcome at a chess tournament.”

"Kyla's book talk at Tencent was truly engaging and thought-provoking. Her insights and reflections were both inspiring and informative. Kyla's ability to connect with the audience and foster open communication made the event a truly enriching experience."

“Kyla was an amazing speaker during our recent Masterclass, which she led with utter professionalism, preparation and openness. By sharing her life journey and experience, Kyla profoundly inspired the participants with her enriching advice. What makes Kyla unique as a speaker, is her genuine passion for writing and her full time career, as well as honesty, resilience in spite of adversity and commitment to sharing important stories of women of colour and women in the workplace. I highly recommend collaborating with Kyla, as she for sure will deliver the best quality work, while remaining kind and supportive throughout."

“Kyla’s book talk was truly empowering. Her advocacy for challenging gender stereotypes and addressing imposter syndrome is inspiring and touches on core issues that resonate deeply with many women engineers, myself included. Kyla is fantastic to work with - she’s both communicative and transparent.”

“Kyla’s sharing of personal vignettes and her writing journey was deeply inspirational to attendees, many of whom are young people, come from similar backgrounds, and have shared the same challenges in the past few years. Many attendees had read Valley Verified and there was a vibrant discussion around the novel. The evening was seen by all as a delightful experience and a resounding success, setting a precedent for a high-quality gathering bridging culture and entertainment.”

“Kyla delivered an inspiring and insightful keynote and addressed the challenges faced by people who identify as AAPI, such as the bamboo ceiling. She also openly shared her profound insights relevant to writing and career transitions. In short, Kyla's speech is authentic, passionate, and uplifting. The talk provided valuable insights and ways to engage positively with one another and empower us.”

“Kyla recently spoke as the keynote speaker at our Girls Global Ready Annual Gala to over 100 young women. Her talk was not only inspirational but extremely practical, focused on real tangible experiences. Her personal stories perfectly supplemented greater lessons that she wanted to pass on to the audience. Without hesitation I would recommend Kyla for future speaking engagements!”

“Kyla’s passion for writing and perseverance in advocating for the Asian community through her stories capture the audience’s attention. Listening to Kyla speak reignited my belief in myself and encouraged me to pursue my dreams regardless of the statistics. She is authentically herself, and her presentation showed me that no matter what, we should not give up because we all have stories inside us that, if we dare, can change the communities we’re part of.”

“Kyla was an engaging speaker that inspired me as the moderator, our planning committee, and the audience. People continue to stop me to let me know how much they enjoyed her as a speaker. Beyond her speaking and writing skills, she also made the planning process extremely easy. She was responsive to questions, interested in what would be effective for our audience, and her materials included everything needed. I highly recommend Kyla if you’re looking for a vibrant and inspirational speaker for your organization, particularly on AAPI issues.”

"Kyla Zhao's presentation was incredibly inspiring and insightful! Her personal journey into writing was captivating. I loved her practical dual-career advice and her writing tips. The conversation about the publishing industry and her challenges as a person of color really opened my eyes. Truly a fantastic session!”

"It was wonderful to have Kyla visit our campus and share her experiences as a writer with our students. Her talks were inspirational and, what's more, interactive and fun for our Middle School learners who had a ball and followed up with endless questions. Kyla facilitated her sessions with ease and was a fascinating speaker who connected brilliantly with her audience."

“Kyla gave a fantastic presentation to our group, an organization dedicated to empowering girls and young women through chess, community and competition. The girls were fascinated by her stories and how kindly she answered all of their questions. Kyla is a wonderful storyteller and an engaging speaker who can appeal and relate to many different age groups. We are so grateful for the time that she spent with us.”

"Kyla Zhao is not only an exciting voice in modern fiction, but also an inspiration to those fortunate enough to hear her speak. A born storyteller who is as at home on a stage as well as on the page, Zhao made the hour she spent with our team fly by as she outlined her career as an author, her passion for inclusivity in literature, and how she draws from her community to craft novels that span genres and have resonated with readers of all ages. Neatly traversing the analytical and the artistic, Zhao presented her creative process to a more-technically-inclined audience with clean, beautiful logic, and instilled in them all a desire to make something new, and with any luck, something that would make the world just a little bit better for someone else who might see themselves in the story."

"Kyla's passion for writing and her dynamic, interactive style captivated our students from start to finish. Her approachable and friendly demeanor made her a wonderful role model, leaving a lasting impression on everyone. Her ability to tailor her presentations to each age group was remarkable. For younger students, she introduced complex topics like gender equality in an age-appropriate and engaging way, while her high school presentation delved deeper into these critical issues, sparking thoughtful discussions. She inspired budding writers by sharing her journey and providing practical insights into the writing process. We would highly recommend Kyla Zhao to any school looking to inspire their students to read, write, create and work towards their dream."

"Kyla is not only a gifted writer but a dynamic, generous, and compelling storyteller who commanded the room with her presence, power, and warmth. Behind the scenes, she was an absolute dream to coordinate with: organized, efficient, ultra-prepared, and willing to jump on prep calls to ensure everything went smoothly! I hope we get to work with Kyla again very soon." 

“Kyla has spoken twice at our bookstore to celebrate the release of her novels, The Fraud Squad and Valley Verified. She is an engaging, dynamic speaker and graciously answered questions from the audience both times. We received such positive feedback from our customers after Kyla’s first appearance, and we were thrilled to host her for the second time this year. Kyla is wonderful to work with, as she is always organized and comes prepared. We can’t wait to collaborate with Kyla again soon!”

"Kyla Zhao's visit was truly memorable. With an engaging and interactive delivery accompanied by a beautifully designed slideshow, she brought a special vibrancy to the event. The students were enthralled, eagerly lining up to have their copies of the book signed. Kyla answered questions with eloquence and insight, leaving a lasting impression on everyone. Her presence added a unique and inspiring element, and we couldn't have asked for a better guest!"

"From the beginning of the event planning process to the day of the event, Kyla was amazing to work with - she is a strong communicator who is engaging, focused, and inspiring. This resulted in an event that received rave reviews from our community. We look forward to collaborating with Kyla in the future!"

“Kyla's book event was fantastic. She not only talked about her novel, but also gave revealing insights about the writing process, from original idea to publication . It was entertaining and valuable for aspiring writers and readers alike. I would highly recommend Kyla for your next literary program”

“For our annual DEI summit, Kyla shared with our members a very thoughtful presentation about empowering underrepresented voices. We also had a fireside chat with Kyla about navigating creativity and entrepreneurship, Asian media representation, and the importance of diverse storytelling. I know our audience of diverse professionals got so much from her session and I'd highly suggest Kyla for future events.”

“I had the pleasure of attending the presentation of May the Best Player Win and it was truly inspiring and insightful. She brought her book to life with insights that resonated with me and I believe with many of the audience in attendance. There’re so many deep messages that this book has that many of us female chess players failed to be vocal about and so much that you can learn from.”