Ambitious professionals and organizations that are hungry to meet their potential need to take risks at work. Risk-taking sounds good in theory, but most of us have a hard time moving from wishful thinking to execution. Why? Because when we have a chance to take a risk in the moment, we feel awkward—and that awkwardness bumps up against our deep desire for others to approve of us and what we do. As it turns out, it’s what we improve in the face of taking risks—often despite others’ judgment—that leads to the greatest growth. After all, the fastest path to major improvement comes from strengthening what’s weak, rather than what’s strong.

Join workplace performance expert, author, and two-time TEDx star, Henna Pryor, and learn why conditioning for awkward is your secret weapon for strengthening your risk-taking muscle—and how to do it right. Plus—10 lucky attendees will win signed copies of Pryor’s hot-off-the-press book, Good Awkward.

As a professional organizer, Jefferson has worked with hundreds of people, helping them declutter their stuff. But it’s never about the stuff. It’s about relationships, loss, grief, parenting, careers, body image, and so much more. Buried in their homes are piles of “shoulds”—noisy societal norms that have been ingrained in them and that have been dictating their decisions for way too long. She has seen, first-hand, what can happen when people quit the “shoulds” and start to hear their own inner voices.

In this talk, you will be challenged to consider the ways in which you might be listening to the “shoulds.” What is your inner voice trying to say to you? Maybe it’s telling you to speak up more at work. Or to leave work entirely to start your own business (like Jefferson did). Or to give up alcohol. Whatever it is, there is likely something inside of you, a deeper calling that is being ignored because it’s not what you “should” do.

After this session, participants will have the tools to:

• Laugh in the face of outdated rules and expectations
• Know the difference between should and want
• Say a big fat NO to what isn’t serving them
• Give themselves permission to take action now, not when they’re “ready”

Following up on her Changemaker Talk, Hughes leads an even more substantive THRIVE breakout session to provide a deeper dive into her successful coaching techniques. During this breakout session, she will use practical, neuroscience-based strategies to explore leadership concepts from the inside out. She will challenge you to change your minds, and keep them changed, about the connections between emotional health and success.

Participants in this breakout session will

• Gain brain-based understanding of leadership characteristics
• Identify and leverage your unique qualities to improve leadership success
• Learn brain-friendly solutions that prepare and empower you to lead in the most authentic and healthiest ways possible

Hughes provides the language, strategies, and practical steps to help you and your organizations end burnout culture, level up, and align with purpose.

We’re led to believe that there is a right path to follow. The right clothes to wear. The right job to have. The right partner to marry. Whatever you do, remember to stay on the path. What if there’s another way? What if we ditch the “shoulds” and follow our hearts? In this 20-minute talk, we’ll challenge those “shoulds” and start thinking about what life can be like when we start to listen our own inner voices. But that’s just the beginning. Join the subsequent breakout session led by this presenter to dig deeper!

Traits like intuition, empathy, and compassion are commonly and historically associated with femininity. In this 20-minute talk, we explore ways leaders can own those qualities and more to experience joy, success, and rich rewards with practical, neuroscience-based techniques. This talk is just a taste though! Join Keshawn’s breakout session to take a deeper dive.

Most of us believe, or have been coached to believe, that failure is a part of success. Best-selling author Jaclyn Gallo disagrees. Rather than viewing failure as only a part of success, she sees it as the key to success—the secret sauce that so many are searching for.

Gallo learned this lesson firsthand, when she spent $50,000 (money she won in pitch contests, raised on Kickstarter, and borrowed using credit cards) on business ideas that never made it off the ground. In this refreshing morning keynote, Gallo empowers you with tangible strategies to embrace failure and build resilience so you can overcome any challenge life throws at you—and most importantly, unlock the limitless potential that’s always been inside.

THRIVEx Presentations

The ASA Women in Leadership interest group launched a new opportunity for the THRIVE community in 2023 called THRIVEx. Women who aspire to become public speakers and share ideas, strategies, or perspectives with the THRIVE Live audience were invited to submit an application in June 2023. Of the more than 30 applications, three standouts were selected by the ASA Women in Leadership interest group council. Here are their inspiring presentations.

Ripples of Impact: Empowering Transformation and Positive Change

Amy Yackowski, founder and chief evolution officer, Painted Porch Strategies

“The only constant is change”…and yet many of us struggle to effectively, courageously, and confidently embrace and lead change. What can we do to flip the script on the common narrative that “change is hard” and inspire, influence, and make a lasting impact on the positive changes we wish to make as leaders in our lives and organizations?

In this thought-provoking and inspiring talk, we will delve into the art of being a change leader and explore how you can create profound and lasting change in both your personal and professional life. By focusing on the pillars of mindfulness, communication, and collaboration, we will unlock the potential within you to become a catalyst for positive transformation. Get ready to unleash your potential and make a difference that truly matters. 

Personal Reputation Matters: Building and Managing Your Online Image
Laura Fuller, chief game changer, Great Recruiters

In today’s digital age, reputation is everything. Whether you’re an individual or a business, your online image can significantly impact your success, credibility, and relationships with others. During this talk, we will delve into the importance of reputation and provide practical strategies to establish and maintain a positive online presence.

Join Laura Fuller, chief game changer with Great Recruiters and she will lead to you in

• Understanding the significance of reputation in the digital era.
• The role of reputation in personal and professional growth.
• Assessing your current online reputation: What does your digital footprint say about you?
• Building a positive online image: Tips and best practices.
• Online reputation management: Responding to criticism and addressing negativity.
• Leveraging social media and online platforms for reputation enhancement.

Personality Diversity—Thriving as an Introvert in the Staffing Industry
Victoria Hill, director of diversity and social impact, Advanced Group

Think about DE&I as Diversity, Extroverts, & Introverts. We often forget about the personalities of our employees being the driving force of performance. Everyone in the staffing industry falls into an extrovert or introvert personality type, which shows up in the workplace in how we interact with our talent and clients. The first step is understanding extraversion and introversion and how they exist at opposite end of the same continuum. In this talk, we will understand personality diversity and focus on the benefits of introverts in the staffing industry and how to recognize and appreciate all their contributions so they can thrive.

After several years of work experience, degrees, and accolades, Gopaul-Robinson still struggled to believe that she belonged. Viewing every opportunity she received as someone “taking a chance on me.” Every day was a challenge because she lacked the self-confidence to speak up when it mattered and to trust herself with big decisions. Her imposter syndrome impacted her overall effectiveness as a leader. Join Gopaul-Robinson as she shares her personal journey with imposter syndrome, the lessons she learned, the battles she is still fighting, and just a few of the many awkward moments in between. THRIVE Live attendees will gain a professional lifetime of insights in just 15 minutes.

According to this year’s THRIVE Live keynote speaker: Too many women are running themselves ragged. We invest so much time and energy in doing everything in our lives perfectly. All this perfectionism isn’t making us any happier, and it’s not helping us get ahead. We’re tired, we’re stuck, and we’re so afraid of failure that we don’t take any risks. It’s time to change that.

Join Reshma Saujani, a leading activist for women, founder of Girls Who Code, and founder and CEO of Moms First (formerly Marshall Plan for Moms), on her mission to inspire women to leave socially ingrained perfectionism behind and rewire themselves for braver, bolder lives. Her book, Brave, Not Perfect, is about understanding how we got here so we can navigate our way out—identifying our toxic thought processes and then using tactical strategies to rewire ourselves for braver, bolder, better lives.

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear from one of the most influential advocates for women making a difference today.