Keynote Speaking
Bringing more than 36 years of corporate experience, including 16 years of experience as a SVP and CHRO for 2 publicly-traded companies to your stage, Susan Winchester is renowned for her innovative HR strategies that drive leadership excellence, inclusivity, engagement, and exceptional organization performance.
Key Topics
Susan’s signature keynotes will unlock greater resilience, performance, and creativity in your organization with insights that break barriers and build cohesion in your company's people and teams.
Susan shares tools to help break limiting beliefs and unlock potential. She guides leaders to foster a more empathetic, resilient workplace culture while addressing internal barriers.
Susan teaches leaders to shift from the Unconscious Wounded Career Path to the Conscious Healing Career Path, using more effective and fulfilling career strategies for lasting success.
Susan uses neuroplasticity and positive psychology to show how to rewire the brain for better performance, helping organizations foster continuous personal and professional growth.
Susan reframes conflict as an opportunity for emotional healing and growth. Her methods turn conflict into a constructive force, improving team dynamics and overall organizational health.
Key Benefits
Susan's keynotes are more than motivational talks. They address root issues inside of organizations.
Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of themselves and practical tools to enhance their personal and professional lives.
Susan’s insights help leaders develop higher emotional intelligence, improving their ability to manage teams effectively.
By addressing and focusing on healing past traumas, Susan helps create a more supportive and productive workplace culture and environment.
Susan’s presentations are filled with actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately to drive change and improve performance.
Signature Keynote
Millions of adults struggle to thrive after growing up in dysfunctional families, becoming what Susan Winchester calls Adult Survivors of Damaged Pasts (ASDPs). These individuals often show up at work as perfectionists, people pleasers, or, in some cases, corporate bullies. Others may avoid conflict, isolate themselves, or withhold their ideas—unconsciously battling the wounds of their past.
This internal struggle impacts their well-being and careers. Even if you’re not an ASDP, you likely work with or lead them. The modern workplace offers a unique opportunity to help these employees find emotional safety, build confidence, and collaborate effectively.
By fostering an environment where ASDPs can feel secure, businesses can help them look to the future with optimism. Retaining and cultivating this talent within a healthy corporate culture empowers all employees to contribute their best.
Susan tackles this pervasive issue by drawing on her personal experiences as an ASDP, the science of neuroplasticity, and positive psychology research, coupled with her 36-year career working with emotionally complex executives and leaders.
Signature Keynote
In recent decades, business leaders have invested millions in creating workplace cultures that are engaging, supportive, and psychologically safe. But in the months ahead—and well into the future—global social, economic, political, and environmental stresses could strain relationships, turning trusted colleagues into adversaries.
What were once occasional differences of opinion may now escalate into unpredictable conflicts. Susan Winchester, author of Healing at Work®: A Guide to Using Career Conflicts to Overcome Your Past and Build the Future You Deserve, calls these Bumper Car Moments—clashes that can disrupt workplaces, lead to emotionally charged interactions, and derail careers.
“A Bumper Car Moment is when your response can either maintain civility or trigger destructive interpersonal conflict,” says Susan. HR leaders, she adds, have a choice: to be overwhelmed by these moments or to leverage them as opportunities for growth, resilience, and trust.
“This is a pivotal time for HR leaders to shine and provide immense value to their organizations. How you handle these Bumper Car Moments could be your most lasting legacy—not just for your company, but for everyone in your workplace.”
In her powerful TEDx Talk, Susan shares how workplace collisions—like missing a promotion or unfair feedback—can trigger limiting beliefs and drain us emotionally. Learn how to transform these moments into growth opportunities, reclaim self-worth, and build lasting resilience.
Keynote Feedback
“Susan, you were the absolute best keynote. Your testimony, vulnerability, and lessons learned… whew! IMPACTFUL! It moved me so deeply. Thank you for using your platform to help us heal.”
”Over the breadth of a long corporate career, I have been privy to some powerful and moving keynote speeches from all around the globe. I was little prepared, however, to be as touched—as moved—as when I received Susan’s gift. It was the most powerful display of humanity I have ever witnessed in such a speech.”
”Having Susan speak at our event and participate in an interview was a fantastic experience. Her message resonated deeply with our audience, contributing significantly to the event's success. Susan is an extraordinary speaker—authentic and engaging. The feedback on LinkedIn after the event was overwhelmingly positive.”
"Susan was the perfect speaker for our event. The logistics and preparation were seamless, and she was so comfortable and engaging on stage. We'd work with her again in a heartbeat."
“I am a mom of 2 boys under 4 and your presentation was so moving and enlightening for me. So much to take in and think about but truly feel like so much value was added. You are so great with not only presenting but also relating to your audience with valuable examples that truly help to understand the information you are presenting. ”
“Susan's message really resonated with our audience. The feedback from our board members was fantastic - they found her story and insights to be incredibly impactful.”
“Thank you so much for your presentation on healing in the workplace. Thank you for being so open and sharing your personal struggles, feelings, situations, and strategies. For me, it was one of the best talks I have heard in my company.”
“‘Courageous, powerful, inspiring, phenomenal, engaging, healing.’ This is the feedback we received from the organization’s associates who attended Susan Schmitt Winchester’s ‘Healing at Work®’ presentation during our 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week.”
“Susan, you were the absolute best keynote. Your testimony, vulnerability, and lessons learned… whew! IMPACTFUL! It moved me so deeply. Thank you for using your platform to help us heal.”
”Over the breadth of a long corporate career, I have been privy to some powerful and moving keynote speeches from all around the globe. I was little prepared, however, to be as touched—as moved—as when I received Susan’s gift. It was the most powerful display of humanity I have ever witnessed in such a speech.”
”Having Susan speak at our event and participate in an interview was a fantastic experience. Her message resonated deeply with our audience, contributing significantly to the event's success. Susan is an extraordinary speaker—authentic and engaging. The feedback on LinkedIn after the event was overwhelmingly positive.”
"Susan was the perfect speaker for our event. The logistics and preparation were seamless, and she was so comfortable and engaging on stage. We'd work with her again in a heartbeat."
“I am a mom of 2 boys under 4 and your presentation was so moving and enlightening for me. So much to take in and think about but truly feel like so much value was added. You are so great with not only presenting but also relating to your audience with valuable examples that truly help to understand the information you are presenting. ”
“Susan's message really resonated with our audience. The feedback from our board members was fantastic - they found her story and insights to be incredibly impactful.”
“Thank you so much for your presentation on healing in the workplace. Thank you for being so open and sharing your personal struggles, feelings, situations, and strategies. For me, it was one of the best talks I have heard in my company.”
“‘Courageous, powerful, inspiring, phenomenal, engaging, healing.’ This is the feedback we received from the organization’s associates who attended Susan Schmitt Winchester’s ‘Healing at Work®’ presentation during our 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week.”
“Susan, you were the absolute best keynote. Your testimony, vulnerability, and lessons learned… whew! IMPACTFUL! It moved me so deeply. Thank you for using your platform to help us heal.”
Keynote
Interested in having Susan speak at your organization or event? Submit your details via the form below and a team member will respond to you shortly.
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