Three-year-old Master of Reading becomes world’s youngest motivational speaker

While most children struggle to form full sentences until they’re three or four, three-year-old Master Caleb Stewart was delivering speeches with more spark than a TED Talk.

Now 11 years old, Caleb (Tallahassee, Florida, USA) became the youngest motivational speaker (male) at the age of 3 years 307 days, when he gave his first speech on the importance of self-belief.

It was at the ALARM International Church in Tallahassee, and the young Master of Reading remembers his first speech fondly: “Everyone stood up for me and I felt proud of myself. It felt really good to see how I made an impact and inspired everyone.”

Ever since that first experience, Caleb has continued to speak to schools, churches, and community leaders about topics ranging from dreaming big and believing in yourself to the importance of literacy and reading fluency. 

He made his second speech at Raa Middle School where, as a keynote speaker at a teacher training event, he stood on a table and spoke to the staff about the benefits of reading and having big dreams. A video of this speech went viral.

Ever since those first few speeches, his mission has remained the same: encouraging kids to read, have confidence in their abilities and work hard on their goals.

“Find something you are good at and work hard at it,” is his advice to fellow young people.

Caleb writes his own speeches by picking a topic, breaking his thoughts into segments, then putting them together to study. 

His key recommendations for a great speech are: “Be confident, be calm, and if you mess up, keep going. Speak loud and clear.” 

His name, Master Caleb, came from an elder at his church who called him the “Master of Reading”, after he mastered reading at age two. He explains: “Just like a Master Gardener or a Master Chef, I am a Master Reader!” 

He is an avid reader who, in his own words, “reads at every opportunity he gets”.

When he was seven years old, after reading an article highlighting the lack of reading proficiency among today’s children, he decided that he wanted to help them improve their skills. So, he set up the Master Caleb's Discovery Library – a pop-up non-profit library through which he donates books from his personal collection, along with other learning materials, to kids in his community. 

He said: “[I wanted them to know that] if I can do it, they can do it too!” 

For Caleb, it’s always been a family affair – his passion for motivational speaking is not only supported but also greatly inspired by those closest to him. His favourite speaker to listen to is his uncle, Bishop Alvin Stewart, while his grandmother, Valerie – or Mema, as he affectionately calls her – inspires him the most and assists with his motivational speaking and academic growth.

“I am home schooled,” Caleb explains, “so I have the opportunity to make learning as fun as I like!”

And when he grows up, he dreams of working in education, being a teacher as well as a motivational speaker and reading coach. His goal is to start his own school to help other kids. Someday, he hopes to speak at a big sports stadium during a halftime show! 

When he’s not reading or working on his speeches, Caleb enjoys the same things as many other kids his age, like playing baseball, video games with his sisters and cousin and spending quality time with his family.

His grandmother Valerie, and his parents, Kendra and Tavarous Stewart, describe him as someone who is “affectionate and really cares about others”.

Congratulations, Master Caleb, you are Officially Amazing!