HIGH POINT, N.C. - s4story -- Hall of Fame motivational speaker, comedian, and award-winning storyteller Kelly Swanson is making a run for the national Top Host title, hoping to bring her signature Southern humor and heartfelt storytelling to an iHeartRadio podcast.

HIGH POINT, N.C. — For more than 20 years, Kelly Swanson has traveled the country making audiences laugh until they cry, and sometimes cry until they laugh. Now she's setting her sights on a different kind of stage.

Swanson is competing in Colossal's 2026 Top Host competition, with a grand prize that includes a six-episode podcast produced by iHeartRadio, $25,000, and an appearance on On Air with Ryan Seacrest.

But Swanson isn't interested in creating just another podcast.

"Everybody has a microphone these days," Swanson says. "But having a microphone doesn't mean you have a SHOW. I'm not interested in asking people what they had for breakfast. I want the hilarious, heartbreaking, wonderfully messy stories that make us human. I want people laughing so hard they have to pull over, then five minutes later realizing they've heard something they desperately needed."

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Her proposed show, Bless This Mess. I'm Starting Over, would spotlight ordinary people navigating extraordinary circumstances, finding humor, humanity, and courage in life's unexpected plot twists.

A Certified Speaking Professional and inductee into the National Speakers Association's prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame, Swanson has entertained audiences nationwide through comedy, theatrical storytelling, and inspirational messages. Her career includes two original theater shows, hundreds of recorded stories, and her newly released book, Chub Rub Girl: Southern Stories of Standing Back Up.

"I've made a career out of finding the funny in the mess," Swanson explains. "Sometimes the story we're most embarrassed to tell is the very one someone else needs to hear."

The Top Host competition also supports the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, which creates broadcast studios inside children's hospitals, giving young patients opportunities to explore radio, television, and storytelling.

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"I've spent my life telling stories, and I've seen how a story can change someone's day, sometimes even their life. Now I want to bring that connection to people who may never get the chance to sit in one of my audiences. And if we can help children find their voices along the way, even better."

Swanson is currently advancing through the competition, with supporters able to vote through the official Top Host website.

Kelly Swanson, CSP, CPAE, is a Hall of Fame motivational speaker, comedian, author, and theatrical performer based in High Point, North Carolina. Learn more at www.KellySwanson.net.