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Inspirational Speakers

Motivate audiences with inspirational speakers whose insights and passions drive your organization to change itself and the world

Inspirational Speakers was last modified: September 16th, 2022 by Stern Strategy Group

Inspirational Speakers

Sheena Iyengar Headshot

Global Authority on Choice and Decision-Making Who Leverages Neurological and Cognitive Science to Generate Innovation; S. T. Lee Professor of Business, Columbia Business School; 2019 & 2021 Thinkers50 Top Business Thinker; Author, “The Art of Choosing” (2010), “Think Bigger” (2023)

Customer Experience & Consumer Behavior / Persuasion & Negotiation / Trust & Empathy / Inspirational Speakers / Company Culture / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Leadership / Marketing, Branding & Sales / Must-Read Books / TED Speakers / Women Speakers & Advisors / New To Stern
Tova Friedman headshot

Captivating, Powerful Storyteller and One of the Youngest Living Survivors of the Holocaust Sharing Her Vivid Memories to Speak Out Against Extremism and Violence; New York Times Bestselling Author, “The Daughter of Auschwitz” (September 2022)

Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Women Speakers & Advisors / New To Stern
Elissa Epel Profile Headshot 1000x1000

Expert on Stress, Well-Being, and Optimal Aging Who Teaches Leaders to Apply Basic Science to Scalable Interventions that Combat the Health Effects of Stress; Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vice-Chair for Adult Psychology, University of California, San Francisco; Director, Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center; Associate Director, Center for Health and Community; Co-Chair, Mind and Life Institute Steering Council; Author, NY Times Bestseller “The Telomere Effect,” Amazon #1 Stress Management Book “The Stress Prescription”

Company Culture / Health Care & Medicine / Inspirational Speakers / Longevity & Aging / Moderators / Psychological Safety / Wellness & Well-Being / New To Stern / Must-Read Books / Women Speakers & Advisors

Foremost Expert on the Psychology of Harnessing Fear and Cultivating Courage; Award-Winning Neuroscientist Uncovering Mechanisms for Increasing Empathy and Altruism; Director, Georgetown University’s Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience; Award-Winning Author, “The Fear Factor” (2017)

Company Culture / Wellness & Well-Being / Trust & Empathy / Psychological Safety / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Health Care & Medicine / Inspirational Speakers / Women Speakers & Advisors / New To Stern / TED Speakers / Must-Read Books
Christian Stadler Headshot

Internationally Renowned Strategy and Leadership Expert Whose Practical Frameworks Help Organizations Leverage Input From All Levels of Their Business To Create Successful Long-Term Strategies; Skilled Facilitator of Interactive Scenario Planning Workshops; Strategic Management Professor, Warwick Business School; Forbes Contributor; Bestselling Co-Author, “Open Strategy” (2021)

Company Culture / Entrepreneurial Thinking & Investment Strategies / Leadership / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / International Speakers & Advisors / Inspirational Speakers / Strategy / Must-Read Books / New To Stern
Dolly Chugh headshot

Award-Winning Educator and Renowned Expert on Leadership, Inclusivity and the Psychology of Good People; Researcher of Unconscious Bias and Unethical Behavior; A Top-Rated Professor, New York University Stern School of Business; Bestselling Author, “The Person You Mean to Be” (2018) and “A More Just Future” (October 2022)

New To Stern / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Psychological Safety / Trust & Empathy / Leadership / Women Speakers & Advisors / TED Speakers / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books
Kai Wright headshot

Leading Expert on Building Culturally Fluent, Change-Resilient Organizations; Global Advisor on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practices; Global Media Executive and Creator, Blacklist100; Host, Ad Age’s System Overload Show; Lecturer, Columbia University; Author, “Follow the Feeling” (2019); Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2020

Marketing, Branding & Sales / Company Culture / Customer Experience & Consumer Behavior / Strategy / Emerging Technology / Business Model Innovation / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Social Media Marketing & Business Analytics / Trust & Empathy
Katharine Wilkinson Headshot

Renowned Climate Change Strategist, Author and Expert on How Organizations and Changemakers Can Lead on Climate; Trusted Advisor to Business and Government Leaders, Investors, Organizations and Communities; Senior Writer, New York Times Bestseller “Drawdown” (2017); Editor-in-Chief, “The Drawdown Review” (2020); Co-Editor, “All We Can Save” (2020); Co-Host, “A Matter of Degrees” Podcast; Co-Founder, The All We Can Save Project; One of 15 “Women Who Will Save the World,” Time Magazine

Sustainability, Purpose & Climate Strategies / Entrepreneurial Thinking & Investment Strategies / Leadership / Policy & Government / Strategy / Emerging Technology / TED Speakers / Women Speakers & Advisors / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Energy & Renewables / Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Issues / Founders & Practitioners

Applied Futurist and Social Systems Expert Who Teaches Leaders How to Understand, Create and Execute Strategies That Ensure Positive Long-Term Generational and Environmental Impacts; Founder and Executive Director, Longpath Labs; Founder and CEO, Synthesis Corp.; Former Adjunct Associate Professor, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs

Futurists / Sustainability, Purpose & Climate Strategies / TED Speakers / Inspirational Speakers / New To Stern

Globally Recognized Authority on Building Empathy and Improving Relationships Offscreen in an Era Dominated by Technology; Renowned Educator Who Teaches Business, School and Community Leaders How to Strengthen Collaboration and Communication Within Groups; Sociologist and Professor, MIT; New York Times Bestselling Author, “Reclaiming Conversation;” Acclaimed Author, “The Empathy Diaries” (March 2021)

Emerging Technology / Education & Lifelong Learning / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / AI, Robotics & Automation / TED Speakers / Women Speakers & Advisors / Future of Work / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Company Culture / Trust & Empathy
Zeynep Ton Headshot

Award-Winning Operations Strategist Whose Profit-Driving Frameworks Satisfy Investors, Customers and Employees; Professor of the Practice at the MIT Sloan School of Management; Founder, Good Jobs Institute (GJI); Author, “The Good Jobs Strategy”

Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Customer Experience & Consumer Behavior / Strategy / Business Model Innovation / TED Speakers / Women Speakers & Advisors / Future of Work / Financial Services / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Founders & Practitioners
Henry Timms Headshot

Leading Expert on Building Movements and Transforming Organizations; Co-Author of the International Bestseller, “New Power”; Co-Founder #GivingTuesday; Hauser Visiting Leader, Harvard Kennedy School; Visiting Fellow, Stanford University; President and CEO, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Leadership / Innovation & Design / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Marketing, Branding & Sales / Customer Experience & Consumer Behavior / Strategy / Business Model Innovation / Future of Work / Financial Services / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Company Culture / Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Issues / Social Media Marketing & Business Analytics / Founders & Practitioners
Debora Spar Headshot

New York Times Bestselling Author and Leading Expert on How Technology Shapes Business, Political and Social Structures, Gender Roles, and Society; Senior Associate Dean, Harvard Business School Online; Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Women Speakers & Advisors / Leadership / Strategy / Emerging Technology / TED Speakers / Future of Work / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Hybrid Work & Work From Home / Trust & Empathy
Anne-Marie Slaughter headshot

Renowned Foreign Policy Expert, Leadership Advisor, Gender Equality Advocate and Entrepreneur Who Is Pioneering New Methods of Domestic and Global Problem Solving; CEO, New America; Former Director of Policy Planning, U.S. Department of State; Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University; Author, “Renewal” (September 2021)

Leadership / Economics, Capitalism, Geopolitics & Globalization / Policy & Government / Cybersecurity, Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies / Trust & Empathy / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Future of Work / Women Speakers & Advisors / Founders & Practitioners / Inspirational Speakers / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Must-Read Books / Moderators / Navigating Uncertainty
Jason Pontin Headshot

Visionary Futurist and Venture Capitalist Funding Dynamic Breakthrough Technologies in Computing, Energy, Life Sciences and Health Care; Leading Expert on New Technology, Innovation and the Future of Work; Renowned Journalist, Speaker and Moderator; Partner, DCVC; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Strateos

Emerging Technology / Entrepreneurial Thinking & Investment Strategies / Health Care & Medicine / Innovation & Design / Sustainability, Purpose & Climate Strategies / Futurists / AI, Robotics & Automation / Bioengineering, Genetics & Cellular Agriculture / Cybersecurity, Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies / TED Speakers / Future of Work / Inspirational Speakers / Longevity & Aging / Moderators / Digital Transformation, Information Technology & Data Analytics / Energy & Renewables / Founders & Practitioners
Neri Oxman Headshot

Award-winning Architect, Designer and Inventor; Pioneer of the Field of Material Ecology; Leading Authority on “Hacking” Nature for the Purposes of Speculative and Practical Design; Founder, Mediated Matter Research Group at the MIT Media Lab; Founder and CEO, OXMAN

Innovation & Design / Entrepreneurial Thinking & Investment Strategies / Sustainability, Purpose & Climate Strategies / Emerging Technology / Futurists / Bioengineering, Genetics & Cellular Agriculture / TED Speakers / Women Speakers & Advisors / Inspirational Speakers / Founders & Practitioners

Champion for Creating Economic Prosperity Through Innovation; Leading Authority on Market-Creating Innovations; Co-Author, “The Prosperity Paradox” (2019); Senior Research Fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation; Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2020; Co-Founder & President, Poverty Stops Here

Innovation & Design / Business Model Innovation / Economics, Capitalism, Geopolitics & Globalization / TED Speakers / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Transportation, Micromobility & Infrastructure / Strategy
Lisa Mosconi Headshot

Pioneering Authority on Brain Health, Women’s Brains, and Brain Nutrition; Director, Women’s Brain Initiative at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC); Associate Director, WCMC/New York-Presbyterian Hospital Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic; New York Times Bestselling Author of “The XX Brain” (2020)

Health Care & Medicine / Bioengineering, Genetics & Cellular Agriculture / TED Speakers / Women Speakers & Advisors / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Longevity & Aging / Wellness & Well-Being

New York Times Bestselling Author and Leading Expert on Human Performance; Foremost Authority on Harnessing Flow to Amplify Focus, Decision-Making and Productivity; Visionary Thinker on the Future of Technology; Award-Winning Journalist; Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Nominee; Author, “Gnar Country” (2023) and Bestseller “The Art of Impossible” (2021); Executive Director, Flow Research Collective

Must-Read Books / Entrepreneurial Thinking & Investment Strategies / Innovation & Design / Emerging Technology / TED Speakers / Inspirational Speakers / Company Culture / Wellness & Well-Being / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Founders & Practitioners / Sustainability, Purpose & Climate Strategies

Pioneering Neuroscientist, Technologist and Multidisciplinary Researcher Focused on Improving the Lives of People with Autism and Complex Neurodevelopmental Differences; Expert on How Genetics Shape Language; Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital

Emerging Technology / Health Care & Medicine / Innovation & Design / AI, Robotics & Automation / Bioengineering, Genetics & Cellular Agriculture / Women Speakers & Advisors / Inspirational Speakers / New To Stern / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Trust & Empathy

Acclaimed Futurist, Inventor, Entrepreneur & Technology Thought Leader; Pioneer in Medical Imaging and Telepathic Technology; Former Professor, MIT Media Lab; Founder, Openwater; Forbes 50 Over 50, 2022: Entrepreneurs

Emerging Technology / Founders & Practitioners / Futurists / Health Care & Medicine / Innovation & Design / TED Speakers / Inspirational Speakers / Women Speakers & Advisors

Leader of the Bionic Age; Champion for Creating Technology to Improve the Human Body and Redefine Human Potential; Professor & Leader, MIT Center for Extreme Bionics; Co-Director, K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics

Emerging Technology / Innovation & Design / Futurists / AI, Robotics & Automation / Bioengineering, Genetics & Cellular Agriculture / TED Speakers / Inspirational Speakers / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Longevity & Aging

Global Authority on Leading Innovation and Navigating Transitions by Harnessing the Power of Inquiry to Creatively Solve Problems; Senior Lecturer in Leadership and Innovation, MIT Sloan School of Management; Co-Founder, The Innovator’s DNA; Innosight Fellow; Award-Winning Author, “Questions Are the Answer” (2018); Co-Author, “The Innovator’s DNA” (Updated 2019); Named Among the Top 50 Management Thinkers in the World in 2021, Thinkers50

Leadership / Entrepreneurial Thinking & Investment Strategies / Innovation & Design / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Strategy / Future of Work / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Moderators / Company Culture / Psychological Safety / Trust & Empathy
Stew Friedman Headshot

World’s Top Expert on Leadership and Performance in All Parts of Life; Influential Innovator in Leadership Education; Award-winning Wharton Professor; Host of Wharton’s “Work and Life” Podcast; Former Senior Executive, Ford Motor Company; Bestselling Author, “Total Leadership” and “Parents Who Lead” (March 2020)

Leadership / Innovation & Design / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Future of Work / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Company Culture / Trust & Empathy / Founders & Practitioners
Nicholas Christakis Headshot

New York Times Bestselling Author and Pioneering Social Scientist Who Helps Leaders Positively Influence and Leverage Group Behaviors in the Workplace and in the Market; Physician, Public Health Expert and Authority on the Future Effects of Pandemics; Professor and Director, The Human Nature Lab, Yale University; Author “Blueprint” (2019) and “Apollo’s Arrow” (2020)

Future of Work / Customer Experience & Consumer Behavior / Emerging Technology / Inspirational Speakers / TED Speakers / Must-Read Books / Wellness & Well-Being / Health Care & Medicine / Longevity & Aging / Trust & Empathy
Larry Brilliant

Pioneering Physician, Epidemiologist and Leading Public Health Expert; Highly Sought-After Strategy Consultant on Global Pandemics; Global Philanthropist and Senior Advisor, Skoll Foundation; Founder and CEO, Pandefense Advisory

Health Care & Medicine / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books
Raquel Bono

Changemaker and Trailblazer in Genuine Leadership, Medicine, and Public Health; Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; Chief Health Officer, Viking Cruises; Founder, Military Health Corps Female Physicians Leadership Course; Former CEO and Director, Defense Health Agency; Former Director, Washington State Covid-19 Health System Response Team; Retired Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy

Health Care & Medicine / Leadership / Inspirational Speakers / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / STEAM / Founders & Practitioners / Women Speakers & Advisors
David Blake

World’s Foremost Expert on Upskilling, the Future of Credentials and Equitable Workplace Learning Initiatives; Leading Authority on Future-Proofing Companies and Their Employees; Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Degreed; Co-Founder, Learn In; Co-Author, “The Expertise Economy” (2018)

Education & Lifelong Learning / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Strategy / Emerging Technology / Business Model Innovation / Future of Work / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Founders & Practitioners / Platform Revolution
Jeremy Bailenson Headshot

Virtual Reality Pioneer and Leading Authority on Immersive Technologies That Are Reshaping Business and Society; Expert on VR and AR Tools That Improve Workplace Training and Culture and Prepare Companies for the Future of Work; Cognitive Psychologist; Founding Director, Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Stanford University; Author, “Experience on Demand” (2018)

AI, Robotics & Automation / Human Resource Management & Talent Development / Customer Experience & Consumer Behavior / Emerging Technology / Future of Work / Inspirational Speakers / Must-Read Books / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Company Culture / Metaverse / Founders & Practitioners
TOMMY AMAKER Headshot

Transformative, Inspirational Leader and Educator Focused on Helping Organizations Build Collaborative, Inclusive and Purpose-Driven Teams That Consistently Achieve Goals; Multi-Award-Winning Harvard Men’s Basketball Head Coach; Co-Chair, The John McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative; NCAA Champion for Diversity and Inclusion Honoree; Executive Fellow, Harvard Business School; Hauser Leader, Harvard Kennedy School

Leadership / Inspirational Speakers / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Company Culture

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