/ UC Berkeley Faculty • Author • Keynote Speaker
Build a culture of changemakers.
Hey there! I’m Alex. Come as you are. Together, we’ll build your everyday courage to find possibility amid uncertainty and lead change from wherever you are.
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about alex
Alex Budak helps people develop the mindset, skills, and everyday courage to lead change and bring others with them.
He is a faculty member at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and created the core leadership course at Berkeley's School of Public Health. Poets&Quants named him one of its 50 Best Business School Professors. His teaching inspired the campus-wide Berkeley Changemaker program, now spanning 50 courses. It also inspired student tattoos.
His book, Becoming a Changemaker, is being translated into 27 languages. CNBC named it a top-five nonfiction book about work, and Thinkers50 included him in its 2026 Radar Class of management thinkers to watch.
He previously co-founded StartSomeGood, which has raised more than $12 million to launch and scale new initiatives from urban gardens to mental health startups in more than 50 countries.
Outside of the classroom, he delivers keynotes on leadership, change, and courage from Argentina to the Arctic Circle, speaking at organizations like Accenture, Salesforce, the World Bank, and UNHCR.
Formerly a travel writer, Alex now enjoys the adventures of life with his two young kids, his favorite changemakers. A lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, Alex brings that same stubborn optimism to everything he does, though he admits he learned one lesson the hard way: never go budget skydiving.
Let’s Create Change Together
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For Organizations
Move your people from uncertainty to action.
Interactive keynotes, workshops, and executive sessions on leading change with courage, humanity, and practical momentum.
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For Readers
Turn your aspiration for change into a plan.
Read Becoming a Changemaker, the practical guide now being translated into 27 languages.
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For Students & Executives
Learn to lead change from wherever you are.
Explore UC Berkeley courses and programs across business, public health, and executive education.
Signature Ideas
Research-backed. Story-driven. Built for this moment.
Every session is shaped around your audience, priorities, and goals, with useful tools people can put to work right away.
/1 Your Human Edge in an AI World
Courage, connection, and contribution as enduring leadership advantages.
/2 Everyday Courage
Six practical ways to make brave choices and lead through uncertainty.
/3 Becoming a Changemaker
A deeply inclusive approach to turning ideas into meaningful impact.
Trusted by leading organizations:
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“There’s no one better than Alex to teach people how to become a transformational leader.”
Aaron Levie / CEO, Box
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“Professor Budak’s course was life changing. It helped me find my voice and transformed who I am as a person and a leader."
Alicia Wilson / Olympic Athlete, Great Britain & UC Berkeley ‘23
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"Alex's talk garnered some of the brightest engagement and attendance we have ever seen!"
Sarika Saksena / Inclusion & Diversity, Accenture
Contact
For keynote speaking, workshops, executive education, podcast interviews, or other collaborations, please reach out. I’d love to hear from you.
