Why Organizations Hire Speakers Who Help Audiences Both LAUGH and LEARN By Keynote Speaker and Human Behavior Expert Connie Podesta People often ask me how I came to incorporate so much humor into my keynotes and I tell them that I trace it back to the fact that I came into a new high school when I was 14. I would always see the "popular" kids eating in the cafeteria and longed to be a part of that group. One day, one of the head cheerleaders asked me to a party at her house out of the blue. I was so surprised--and SO happy. Later that day I was changing clothes in the girls' locker room Read More
Shift Your FOCUS…
Shift Your FOCUS…
From What You CAN’T Do to What You CAN By Motivational Speaker and Human Behavior Expert Connie Podesta The truth is, so many of us are our own worst critics. We spend countless hours and a great deal of our LIVES consumed with the things we can’t do. Or don’t have. Regrets. Missed opportunities. Not one solitary second of all that negative self-reflection will do us one positive thing. What it costs us though is a very high price. So QUIT IT! Right now and flip that equation over. What do you do WELL? What are your STRENGTHS? What are you PASSIONATE about? What is your CALLING? Lean Read More
7 Reasons Your Next Audience Might Need a Little Comedy and Therapy
7 Reasons Your Next Audience Might Need a Little Comedy and Therapy
If your team needs a "BREAK" from the negative and a BREAKTHROUGH in their productivity, mindset, and life... add some levity to your next event. Read More
Get Your Team Out of the Funk!
Get Your Team Out of the Funk!
Wondering how to infuse your team with a little humor and insights that can help break the tension and turn up morale and productivity? I've got you! Read More
Delivering the Content People Need Right Now
Delivering the Content People Need Right Now
By Hall of Fame Speaker Connie Podesta Change is tough. Change on a global scale that has literally hit home and business in every conceivable way? Can stop people – teams – and companies in their tracks. So, how do we get people to lean into their inherent resilience? To get out of fear that is playing in their heads and back to leading, servicing, connecting, selling, and communicating in new and adaptive ways? We add a little psychology into the mix. We teach them that change is what we do – and do well – as human beings. We gift them with tools and insights and strategies that Read More
Pandemic Fatigue and Your Team
Pandemic Fatigue and Your Team
By Hall of Fame Speaker Connie Podesta Johns Hopkins. UCLA Health. Psychology Today. World Health Organization. Just about every mental health professional in the world right now is helping people navigate Pandemic Fatigue. It’s real. It’s draining. And it is likely to be around for a while. As leaders, now is the time to be proactive about fueling your team’s mental well being with empowering tools, training, support systems – and a little levity. Gagandeep Singh, MD, a psychiatrist at Banner Behavioral Health Hospital in Scottsdale says, “A good laugh can help lighten the mood Read More
Finding Confidence Beyond the Fear
Finding Confidence Beyond the Fear
By Hall of Fame Speaker Connie Podesta Let’s talk about fear. As emotions go, it doesn’t have the best reputation. People don’t usually want to be seen as fearful or anxiety-ridden or…well, wimpy. But here are two things you should know. Everybody (and I mean everybody) experiences anxiety about something. Anxiety can be a catalyst for some pretty amazing things. As someone who’s been a speaker for more than 25 years, I know a thing or two about this topic. You’ve probably heard that people are statistically more afraid of public speaking than they are of death. I get Read More
Leading Through the Uncertainty: Breakthrough or Breakdown?
Leading Through the Uncertainty: Breakthrough or Breakdown?
By Hall of Fame Speaker, Leadership Guru, and Award-Winning Author Connie Podesta, MS, CSP, CPAE If you thought leaders were stressed to the breaking point before, throw in a pandemic and some economic turmoil. It’s hard enough to climb the steep hill of adapting to the wild challenges of our new normal but try making that climb while carrying an entire team on your back. That can feel exhausting and, many times, impossible. So, what’s the difference between leaders who can reach new heights during uncertainty with highly engaged, super productive teams versus those who leave workers Read More
Exposure vs Speaking Fees
Exposure vs Speaking Fees
The Flip Side of Asking People to Work for Free You get what you pay for. There. I said it. Too harsh? Some might think so. As for me, I not only know my worth, as a professional keynote speaker for more than 25 years – I teach others to know THEIR worth. That’s hard to do when you agree to work for free. Imagine asking any other professional to do their job for no pay. Your plumber, doctor, hairdresser, or car service department – think about asking them to do their job for free in the hopes that someone might witness them devaluing themselves and their work. Can you see how that Read More
Connie Podesta Headlines ATD International Conference & Exposition Alongside Obama and Marcus Buckingham
Connie Podesta Headlines ATD International Conference & Exposition Alongside Obama and Marcus Buckingham
San Diego, CA: May 10, 2018: The ATD International Conference & Exposition boasted record attendance as headliners Barack Obama, Marcus Buckingham, and Closing Keynoter Connie Podesta delivered timely topics and cutting-edge strategies from the start of the 4-day conference to the closing session. The conference hosted more than 10,000 registrants who attended 300+ sessions, for more over 14 hours of education. Connie Podesta, MS, CPAE, CSP shared one of her most requested topics, Life Would Be Easy if it Weren’t for Other People, pulled from her acclaimed book of the same title. It Read More