I'm Lisa
Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur, & Author
What you should know about me
I don’t wait for the world to shape me—I shape the world. I happen to my team, my culture, and my results, not the other way around.
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I believe leadership is more than hitting metrics or chasing numbers. True leadership is about creating environments where people choose to show up, engage, and make an impact. It’s about human connection, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness. Leaders with the courage to foster collaboration and bridge differences in values and communication styles create teams that thrive, innovate, and inspire.
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I’m here for the leaders and teams ready to challenge the status quo, navigate the relentless pace of change, and create workplaces where better culture, stronger collaboration, and exceptional outcomes aren’t the exception—they’re the standard.
I get it...
When I first stepped into a people leadership role, I dreamed of building a team that thrived on connection, collaboration, and top-notch results. What I didn’t anticipate was everything that comes with people leadership: inherited team dynamics, historical baggage, ongoing projects, and relentless deadlines—all while the train had already left the station.
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I started my career as a project manager, where every detail was planned, analyzed, and executed with precision. But people leadership? It doesn’t come with neat timelines or clear-cut answers. Plans shift, personalities collide, and history walks into the room with every meeting.
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Six months into my first leadership role, I learned my most important lesson: metrics and "good job" pats on the back weren’t enough. When our employee engagement results landed in the middle of the pack, I realized I had to meet my team where they were. That meant studying the culture—its attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs—taking the time to understand each individual’s actions (or inaction) and motivations, and creating an environment where everyone felt seen, heard, and valued.
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Since then, I’ve spent the past 15 years learning, refining, and sharing what I call the "ripple effect" of leadership: cultivating presence, listening more than I talk, meeting team members where they are, and building cultures where everyone contributes and cares. My goal is to bring relatability, celebration, comfort, knowledge, results, and humor to leadership.
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It’s my mission to help leaders happen to their teams—not the other way around.
Fun facts about me:
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Originally from small town Iowa and I have nearly 60 first cousins!
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My career started in high school at a tiny café where I washed dishes and served breakfast to farmers, truckers, and locals. I learned more at this job than I could ever have imagined!
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Eight years ago my husband and I were burnt out and over-scheduled. We realized that we were miserable and needed a change. We now have a monthly JOY calendar filled with activities and fun.
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We believe that if you wait around for JOY to come, it will never happen. That is why I we (my family and I) believe that JOY is our J-O-B.
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I do my best to live out my first leader’s advice, “Lisa, if they ask you to make a cup of coffee, make the best damn cup of coffee they’ve ever had."
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I believe that everything we say and do creates a ripple…happy or crappy our choice.
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I am on a mission to connect with 1 million people
