Blue Ocean Global Technology Interviews Christina Alessi | Founder of Sfera Agency

With her background in luxury hotels, Christina realized her passion lies in the people, not the place. And that’s exactly what 5-star luxury service is all about. It’s about the level of personalized, anticipatory service while building long-lasting relationships with those you serve.

This passion for people eventually led her to follow her WHY. She founded Sfera Agency to bring together world-class speakers, coaches and trainers who share in the deep desire to bring their passion to the world.

Blue Ocean: Tell us about your professional journey. What inspired you to pursue this career, and what continues to fuel your passion for the profession today?

Christina: I started my journey a long time ago in luxury hospitality. I actually worked for luxury hotels first and that’s where I really fell in love with this idea of five-star service. You know how hotels get rated in five-star, four-star, three-star? What fascinated me was that Forbes rated those hotels not based on whether they had marble floors or a brand-new pool or multi-million-dollar renovations. It was all about the level of service that they provided to anyone who walked through the doors. I was super fascinated by that.

I worked in sales for luxury hotels for quite some time, and I loved the idea that anyone could walk through our doors and we’d treat them like they were staying in the penthouse suite. They didn’t even have to be guests. I remember thinking, “That would be so nice if we could do that in other aspects of our life.” And I started wondering how we could bring that level of care and experience into the corporate world.

Eventually, I crossed paths with Simon Sinek, world-class speaker, author of Start With Why, and I ended up joining his team. What was supposed to be a 15-minute meet-and-greet turned into an hour and fifteen-minute conversation. By the end of my first conversation with the team, I said, “I don’t care what the job is, what the title is, or what it pays. I want in.” I was drawn to their WHY: a world where people wake up inspired, feel safe, and return home at the end of the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

I joined Simon’s team in sales and eventually became Head of Sales. I booked him and his team of speakers for events around the world. It was an incredible experience.

In 2021, I decided to branch out and start something of my own. I launched my own speakers agency, focused on more people I knew and believed in, people whose messages I was passionate about. Live events were coming back, and I missed that in-person energy. Probably goes back to my hotel roots, I just love creating experiences for people.

I started collecting a small but mighty team of world-class speakers and facilitators who share the deep desire to bring their expertise to the world. Now I run a boutique agency, and I want to keep it small because I know my speakers deeply, I know their content, and I know them as people. You just can’t do that at a big bureau with hundreds of names. I want to be the concierge of the leadership training and development industry. When a company has a challenge, I want them to say, “I’m going to call Christina. She’ll know the right person to bring in.”
I focus primarily on leadership training and development. Even when we bring in different topics, like AI, we approach it through the lens of leadership. And the people I represent are not just speakers, they’re people I trust with my clients, my name, my reputation. They’re my inner circle.

Blue Ocean: What does a typical day look like for you?

Christina: Honestly, a typical day never really looks the same. I think that’s part of why I love what I do so much. One day I might be flying to Italy, Switzerland, or Germany for an event. Another day, I’m sitting in an all-day workshop or conference, supporting one of our facilitators and working closely with the groups.

Some days, I’m home in Miami, sipping my coffee and hopping on sales calls with potential clients. Other days, I’m at my office, also in Miami, meeting with clients who happen to be in town. I’ll bring them in, spend time getting to know them, maybe take them out to lunch.

But no matter where I am or what the day looks like, the most consistent part of my work is relationship building. That always comes first. We really value relationships and not transactions.. I’m not the kind of person you just call to fill a slot. I want to know you. I’ll ask about your family, your kids, I want the whole picture, because the better I know you, the better I know what you’re looking for and help you to find that.

And it’s not just with clients. When I travel, I’m chatting with my Uber driver or the person sitting next to me on the plane. It’s always about connecting, meeting new people, and, as I call it, loving them extravagantly. That’s actually my “why” statement, something I developed while working with Simon: In everything I do, I love extravagantly so everyone feels valued and valuable.

Blue Ocean: Which emerging trends in your profession most excite you?

Christina: The thing that truly excites me goes back to relationships. I’ve been seeing lately that more organizations are starting to invest in individual coaching for their leaders. And that’s a big shift. Traditionally, what I’ve been selling were keynotes to large groups, or maybe leadership team workshops. But now, more and more companies are coming to me specifically asking for one-on-one coaching for their people in leadership roles.

This really lights me up because it shows that organizations are beginning to realize something important: we need to invest in people as human beings first. All the leadership tools and training in the world won’t work if someone isn’t grounded and secure in themselves first. And if that foundation isn’t there, new leadership behaviors just won’t stick.

I never got any formal leadership training when I was in school. I don’t think most of us did. No class taught you how to lead people or manage a team. When we get into the workforce, we start to get really good at whatever job we have and, because we’re a top performer in our role, we get promoted to lead people. But the skills that make you a top individual performer aren’t the same skills that make you a great leader. So, how do we fill that gap?

That’s where leadership development comes in. And that is a very exciting trend to me because I think once we start really investing into people as human beings, we’re going to be better people all around. And then we’re going to learn how to love and lead our own people better, whether that’s on our team or even in our own house, with our families or our communities.

Blue Ocean: Can you walk us through a particularly challenging client you’ve handled and explain your strategy for resolving it?

Christina: There is one client in particular that really stands out. They’re a massive, global company. They had just gone through a major acquisition and were struggling with how to get everyone to speak the same language, believe the same thing, and have the same vision. That’s difficult. And I’m always honest with clients in situations like this. I’ll say, “Look, bringing in a keynote speaker for your annual conference isn’t going to fix this. Even a couple of workshops won’t do it. This kind of change takes time and consistency.”

What we found was that their people, especially those who came from the acquired companies, weren’t secure or settled. And when people feel uncertain about their future, like they might be let go or that their roles are suddenly redundant, they’re living in fear. That’s not a place where innovation or connection can thrive.

So our strategy was to work closely with the top leadership to help them create safer spaces, where people felt comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas, and voicing concerns without fear of being punished or fired. We focused on teaching leaders how to open up conversations and how to really listen.

The beautiful part was seeing those leaders take what they learned and carry it back to their own teams around the world. And we ended up seeing a massive change in the organization.
Turnover dropped dramatically, which is huge during a merger or acquisition, usually you see people self-selecting out. And by the way, we were okay with that, too. If someone realized they weren’t aligned with the new vision, that’s okay. In fact, we want organizations to be values-based. Yes, skills matter, but if someone doesn’t align with your values, it’s going to be a mismatch in the long run.

This was a particularly challenging client not just because of the scale, but because culture change at that level doesn’t happen fast. It’s a slow march. The way I like to explain it is, we’re like your personal trainer at the gym. We can show you how to use all the equipment, we can teach you the right form, but if you don’t show up every week and do the work consistently, nothing’s going to change.

And that’s why this example means a lot to me. It’s not like we came in and raised the revenue. Those aren’t the stories I’m looking for. I’m looking for those actual behavioral changes because this is what ends up affecting the bottom line in the long run.

Blue Ocean: You’ve earned a strong reputation. How do you and your team continue to stay ahead in the industry?

Christina: Honestly, we do it in a really unconventional way. Most of the advice I’ve gotten over the years has been around selling more products, creating one-to-one offerings, putting my face all over social media. But from the beginning, I felt really convicted to do things differently. I genuinely felt like God called me to start this company, and I made a promise: I’m going to do it the right way, even if that means doing it the long way. This means I’m going to plant seeds, and I might not see the harvest for a long time, but I decided to just build relationships.

This is what my team does: bring value first before we ask for anything. We trust first, we love first, we bring value first. And I know that may not sound like a great business strategy, but it hasn’t failed us yet.

I felt so convicted that I wasn’t going to cut corners when I started this business just to make quick cash. I really cared about people as a whole, and I want to see them transformed.
One of the phrases we use on our website is about cutting through the noise: “We exist because there’s too much noise and not enough wisdom.” We just wanted to be a voice of truth. Whether people were ready to hear it or not, our job was to offer honesty and authenticity. That’s part of what’s helped us stay ahead.

And honestly, part of our edge is that we are small. We’re this little mom-and-pop-style boutique agency operating in a world of massive speaker bureaus. So, why do we keep getting business? And it’s because of a couple of things. One, it’s the relationships that we’ve built. But it’s also because we know our speakers’ work intimately. Once you start getting so many speakers out there, you don’t know them that well.

We’re also really intentional about who we bring on. We look for people who share our values. That alignment matters deeply to us.

So, we stay ahead because we’re small, niche, and deeply personal. I use the word “concierge” a lot, and that’s really what it is. I know my speakers so well that I can tell a client, “I know you’re considering these three, but trust me, it’s this one. It’s this person or no one.” That’s what gives us our edge.

Blue Ocean: What core values or principles do you believe every great professional should uphold, regardless of their practice area?

Christina: The core values that keep coming up for me are honesty, integrity, and love.

We’re the first ones to own up if we mess something up. We just don’t tolerate anything less than full honesty, because the truth is, you can fix a problem really quickly if someone’s honest about it early on. If there were a ball that was dropped, we would be the first ones to tell you. The good thing is, because we’re so open and honest, balls don’t normally get dropped anymore. I think mistakes and cover-ups show up when there’s fear in a team.

Then there’s integrity, which is obviously tied closely to honesty, but to me it also means saying no when something doesn’t align with our values. I’ve said no to opportunities that didn’t feel right, and I’ll continue to do that. I like to believe that everyone I work with also holds that same standard. Sometimes it’s not the right fit, and that’s okay. I’d rather be upfront with someone and say, “This isn’t quite right for us, but let me introduce you to someone who might be.”

And the last one, and this one’s deeply personal for me, is love. I know that can be a tough word to apply in the workplace, and I get that. But for me, love is my gift from God. It’s something I try to bring into every part of my work. Because I think what we’re missing most in the world today is people who genuinely love others. If we lead with love, we’re quicker to forgive, quicker to empathize.

If you’ve got those, it’s pretty hard to get so far off track that you can’t find your way back.

Blue Ocean: What are some common misconceptions people have about your field of work?

Christina: One of the biggest misconceptions about the speaking industry is that everybody thinks they can be a speaker. And not only that, but people think they can make a ton of money doing it. And let me tell you, that’s just not how it works.

I’ve had so many conversations with people who want to break into the field. I even do coaching for aspiring speakers. But I’m very honest with them, and sometimes I have to tell people that I don’t think this is the right path for them.

This is a hard market. There are so many speakers now. I always joke that I could throw a rock off my balcony and hit a public speaker. And whenever I tell someone what I do, there’s always that one person who says, “Oh, you should represent me. I’m a great speaker.”

A lot of people are great at talking to others. That doesn’t necessarily mean they should make a career out of it. I’ve gotten really good at understanding the different types of speakers out there.

My agency only works with a very specific kind of speaker: corporate speakers. These are professionals who speak to corporate audiences at internal events, leadership conferences, and company off-sites. Not the kind of speaker who writes a self-help book and goes on Oprah or Good Morning America. That’s a totally different track. The speakers we work with have to be able to solve a corporate problem with their message. So it’s super specific, and it’s not for everyone.

The second misconception I hear a lot comes from the company side. Some companies think that bringing in a speaker or doing leadership training is a luxury. So when budgets get tight, the first thing they cut is the training and development budget. And I get it, but, honestly, that’s a huge mistake. The companies that were struggling but still chose to invest in their people are the companies that are still thriving today.

Blue Ocean: What advice would you offer to aspiring professionals entering the profession today?

Christina: If someone wants to get into this profession, my first piece of advice would be: go work for someone else in this space first. Find someone you admire, someone like Simon Sinek, Gary Vee, Adam Grant, and learn the business from the inside. It’s a tough business, and the more you learn upfront, the better prepared you’ll be.

And above all: build relationships. I think a lot of people go into work and they do their jobs, sometimes really well, but they forget how much of everything in life hinges on the relationships you build along the way. I’ve even seen speakers have successful careers, but because they didn’t maintain those relationships with their clients, once they pivoted their message or wrote a new book, they had no one to sell it to. Relationships are everything.
That might be a bit harder for some of the upcoming generation. And this is not because they don’t care, but because they’ve grown up with so much tech, they maybe haven’t had to flex that interpersonal muscle as much. When I started out, we had to talk to people, strike up real conversations, and get to know clients face-to-face. That kind of human curiosity really matters.

One tip I love sharing with young professionals: when you meet someone at a networking event and you really want to build a relationship, take a selfie with them. Seriously. Take a selfie, and then follow up the next day with a personal message. Something like, “It was so great meeting you last night. I loved your pink shirt! Look, I’m wearing pink today because you inspired me!” That personal touch, tied with a photo, makes you memorable. Because let’s be honest, after networking events, your phone is full of nameless numbers and you can’t remember who anyone is. But that photo? That message? It’ll stand out.

Something I also do is after every event, I go into my notes app and I write down the names of everyone I met and where they’re from. It’s such a simple habit, but it helps so much.
And don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I made plenty when I started out. The important thing is to be honest when they happen. People will usually forgive mistakes, but what frustrates them is when you lie, cover it up, or try to hide it.

Blue Ocean: What hobbies or interests do you enjoy outside of work?

Christina: I absolutely love Jesus Christ. I spend a lot of time at church and serving through my church community, and that’s a huge part of who I am. It’s actually the reason I care so deeply about loving others, because He showed us how to love first.

Aside from that, I absolutely love to travel. While I do a lot of traveling for work, I also try to travel just for fun. In fact, one of the best lessons I’ve learned over the years is to build in personal time whenever I’m on a work trip. Early on, I used to fly in, do the event, and fly right back out. It was exhausting and I was constantly burned out. Now, if I’m traveling for work, I try to stay a few extra days. I want to explore the city, meet people, try the food, and just soak it in.

Connection is what fulfills me. So, if I go to a place, I need to build in time for connection. If we’re working somewhere, I need to have dinner with the client or grab coffee with a friend who happens to live in that city. That’s how I got this balance.

I also love to golf. My parents put me in golf lessons when I was young, and it stuck. So any time I get a chance to go golfing, or head to the spa, I’m in.

Blue Ocean: Is there a guiding principle, philosophy, or quote that has significantly influenced your career and life?

Christina: There’s a quote by Maya Angelou that I hold very close: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” That quote perfectly sums up how I try to live my life.

For me, it’s not about whether people remember me, my name or the details of what I did. What truly matters is that they remember how they felt when they were around me. I want people to feel loved extravagantly.

Conclusion

Christina Alessi is known for delivering more than just great service. She creates meaningful, lasting connections. Whether she’s working with clients or speaking on stage, her focus is always on people first. She has built a reputation for five-star service by genuinely getting to know people and ensuring they feel seen, valued, and loved. This heart-led approach is what sets her apart, and keeps people coming back.