Billy Mills

Billy Mills

Keynote Speaker: Second Native American to Win an Olympic Gold Medal & Co-Founder of Running Strong for American Indian Youth

Billy Mills Biography

Billy Mills (Born June 30, 1938) is a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribal Nation and is also known by his Lakota name is: Tamakoce Te’hila, translating to “Loves His Country” or more traditionally “Respects the Earth”.

He is an Olympic Gold Medalist in the 10,000 meter run a the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. His Olympic victory is considered on of the greatest sports moments of all time. He remains the only athlete from the western hemisphere to ever win the Olympic 10,000 meter race.

Mills was orphaned at an early age, his mother joining their ancestors when Mills was 8 years of age and his father when Mills was 12 years of age.

Before his father passed he told Mills, “ You have broken wings son and it takes a dream to heal. Find your dream and it will take you down a path introducing you to your passions in life. Find your passion, develop your skills to equal your passion and magic can happen! One or more of the magical things you do in life just may be looked upon as a miracle son.”

Due to his fathers teachings, Mills' life is based upon dreams and the resilience of his ancestors. His great grandmother, BB Mills, an Englishman, was requested by Chief Red Cloud to become the 1st Indian agent at the Red Cloud agency, which is today the Oglala Lakota Tribal Nations headquarters. The US Government refused this request, saying that BB Mills spoke fluent Lakota, is married to a Lakota woman and had 5 Lakota children, hence it would be hard to strip the children of everything Lakota to save the child. Shortly afterwards BB Mills died.

When Crazy Horse surrendered in 1875, riding into Fort Robinson with him were his warriors, the elderly men, women and children followed by their supply train. Walking with them was Sally Bush Mills, Mills’ great grand mother and her 5 children. One of those children was Ben Mills, Billy’s grand father.

Their resilience and their foot prints are present in Mills’ journey today as National Spokesperson for Running Strong for American Indian Youth, which Mills co-founded in 1986.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Billy Mills and other top speakers and celebrities.

Billy Mills Speaking Topics

Footprints

The Pursuit of Excellence

Sharing his personal schema for success, Billy Mills explains how he has been able to unleash the passion and energy within himself to achieve phenomenal success in sport and life. Recalling his legendary 10,000 meter run—the greatest upset in Olympic history—he outlines his value-based concept on how dreams come true, a system which continues to inspire thousands of individuals across America today.

Global Unity

Our world is changing: entire governments have been dismantled, new governments created, existing governments redesigned, universities re-engineered, and businesses reconstructed. Billy Mills shares what remains constant in our ever-changing world and explains how this consistency is our key to global unity.

He takes his audience on a compassionate and powerful journey through time, weaving stories of his young life as an orphaned Native American child living in poverty and coming face to face with racism, and explains that it was the daily choices he made in life, not just the talent he possessed, that led to his quest for Olympic glory.

In this powerful presentation, Mills explains that it is the journey, not the destination, that shapes us as individuals and unites us as a people.

Billy Mills Videos

Native American Olympic Stories: Billy Mills & Bob Wheeler
Billy Mills Virtual Address for Students
Footprints | Billy Mills | TEDxYale

How do I book Billy Mills to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Billy Mills for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Billy Mills, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Billy Mills or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Billy Mills for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Billy Mills, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Billy Mills are Below $10,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Billy Mills, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Billy Mills speak about?

Billy Mills is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Inspirational, Olympic Athlete, Authors, Native American Heritage, Sports Motivation, Faith & Religion, Diversity & Inclusion, College, Motivational, Athlete, Sports, Culture, Social Activism, Indigenous Heritage, Teamwork & Teambuilding and DEI.

Where does Billy Mills travel from?

Billy Mills generally travels from Sacramento, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Billy Mills?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Billy Mills for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Billy Mills for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Billy Mills or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Billy Mills is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Inspirational, Olympic Athlete and Authors. The estimated speaking fee range to book Billy Mills for live events is Below $10,000, and for virtual events Below $10,000. Billy Mills generally travels from Sacramento, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Gyasi Ross, Winona LaDuke and Tatanka Means. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Billy Mills for an upcoming event.

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 05/11/2024.

Billy Mills Speaking Topics

  • Footprints

  • The Pursuit of Excellence

    Sharing his personal schema for success, Billy Mills explains how he has been able to unleash the passion and energy within himself to achieve phenomenal success in sport and life. Recalling his legendary 10,000 meter run—the greatest upset in Olympic history—he outlines his value-based concept on how dreams come true, a system which continues to inspire thousands of individuals across America today.

  • Global Unity

    Our world is changing: entire governments have been dismantled, new governments created, existing governments redesigned, universities re-engineered, and businesses reconstructed. Billy Mills shares what remains constant in our ever-changing world and explains how this consistency is our key to global unity.

    He takes his audience on a compassionate and powerful journey through time, weaving stories of his young life as an orphaned Native American child living in poverty and coming face to face with racism, and explains that it was the daily choices he made in life, not just the talent he possessed, that led to his quest for Olympic glory.

    In this powerful presentation, Mills explains that it is the journey, not the destination, that shapes us as individuals and unites us as a people.

Billy Mills Videos

Native American Olympic Stories: Billy Mills & Bob Wheeler
Billy Mills Virtual Address for Students
Footprints | Billy Mills | TEDxYale
Billy Mills: ​The Wings of an Eagle
Billy Mills 10000 Meter Gold Medal

Billy Mills Reviews

  • CTGR Health & Wellness - Jul 16 2024

  • We had a great experience, thank you!
    National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) - May 29 2024

  • Billy Mills is one of America's Treasures. He was outstanding and a great addition to our Native American Heritage Night!
    I Rise Foundation - Nov 10 2022

  • Everything was great. From the beginning, representatives were always in touch. Even letting us know if they were waiting for information from the talent, they would always touch base letting us know they were working on.
    American Chemical Society - Dec 01 2020

  • We had a wonderful exchange of information via email, talked several times, and things went extremely smoothly! Great experience!!
    National Center for Families Learning - Oct 16 2017

  • How do I book Billy Mills to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Billy Mills for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Billy Mills, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Billy Mills or any other speaker of your choice.
  • How much does it cost to book Billy Mills for a speaking engagement?

    Speaking fees for Billy Mills, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Billy Mills are Below $10,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Billy Mills, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Billy Mills speak about?

  • Where does Billy Mills travel from?

    Billy Mills generally travels from Sacramento, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
  • Who is the agent for Billy Mills?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Billy Mills for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Billy Mills for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Billy Mills or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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BILLY MILLS

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