Talks With Melissa

"My engaging presentations will supercharge your in-person or online event. I combine TED-Talk style engagement with evidence-based strategies to give attendees actionable tips they can use right away."

Most Popular Sessions

The 7 Simple Habits of Inclusive Leaders

Savvy leaders enjoy superior team performance and drive much higher profitability by incorporating inclusive practices. These behaviors fall into seven categories:

  1. Perspectives

  2. Hiring Decisions

  3. Empathy

  4. Collaboration

  5. Mindset

  6. Values and Strategy Design

  7. Leading People and Self

Melissa delivers clarity on how our brains are to blame for why leaders unintentionally exclude others. Through storytelling, research, and personal experiences, she offers a common-sense yet compelling and actionable approach to inclusion.

unsplash-image-IjkIOe-2fF4.jpg

Help Her Thrive:
Leadership Strategies for Women’s Success

Ethical leaders share power and put the needs of others first. They are committed to helping all people develop and perform as highly as possible.

Women commonly experience unique workplace challenges due to covert competition, microaggressions, lack of sponsors and mentors, balancing authenticity and assimilation, gaining and retaining power, being heard, increased scrutiny, etc.

This engaging session examines research, scenarios, and best practices for leveraging ethical leadership to mitigate barriers to women’s success.

unsplash-image-kpfz_nFZ1gQ.jpg

Busy Bosses:
Leadership Lessons for Leaders Who Don’t Have Time for Leadership Lessons

Want to be an even better leader? Of course! But really, who has time to invest in leadership training? Not the leaders who need it; they’re too busy leading! Yet, our organization’s health and success heavily rely on leaders who evolve their skills and become the best leaders possible. See the quandary?

Busy Bosses is a fun, efficient, and, most importantly, an actionable course on the leadership trends needed to excel as a leader in today’s environment.

During this talk, Melissa synthesizes best practices for evolved leadership into a comprehensive course that you actually have time to take!

unsplash-image-BUK-z0LrGBo.jpg

Mesmerize:
How To Design and Deliver Brain-Friendly Presentations

Discover how to deliver presentations that work with the brain and not against it! This highly engaging and fun session explores the neuroscience behind designing and delivering mesmerizing presentations.

unsplash-image-bzdhc5b3Bxs.jpg

Inclusion In Practice

How do we intervene when we see non-inclusive behavior? How do we ensure all voices are heard and considered? How can we better understand the adverse impacts of our unintentional exclusive behavior and take action to improve? What is the best approach to providing feedback on non-inclusive actions?

Continue evolving your team's capabilities and inclusive maturity through learning and practice.

Keynote Speaking Preview Reel