Hi,
I'm Lisa Even
Keynote Speaker on Leadership and Team Culture | Former Fortune 500 Operations Leader | Bestselling Author
I know what it is like to be responsible for the strategy, the people, and the numbers.
Before becoming a keynote speaker, I spent more than a decade leading healthcare operations at a Fortune 500 company. I managed multimillion-dollar budgets, led large teams, and was accountable for engagement, productivity, quality, retention, financial performance, and execution through rapid growth and constant change.
That experience taught me that strategy rarely succeeds through planning alone. Results depend on how clearly priorities are communicated, how quickly decisions are made, whether people take ownership, and how consistently leaders maintain accountability.
Today, I help organizations close the gap between strategy and everyday performance. My work combines real-world operational experience with research-backed insights and practical strategies that strengthen leadership, improve execution, and help teams maintain momentum through change.
Execution is rarely linear or tidy. Priorities shift. Pressure builds. Personalities collide. The strategy may be clear at the top, but results depend on what happens across the organization.
The leaders who succeed are intentional about the moments in between: the everyday decisions, conversations, and behaviors that shape how work gets done.
One action may seem small. Repeated across leaders, teams, and locations, everyday actions create a compounding impact that strengthens culture, accelerates execution, and improves results.
Better leaders and teams. Stronger culture. Measurable results.
Leadership isn’t about the loudest voice in the room. It’s about the ripple effect you leave behind.
Six months into my first leadership role, I learned a lesson I’ve never forgotten:
Strong metrics and well-meaning “great job” feedback weren’t enough.
When our employee engagement scores landed squarely in the middle of the pack, I had a choice to make: keep doing what I was doing or learn what leadership really looks like when it’s experienced by others.
I chose to dig in.
And I started building a team where excellence was the expectation and every person felt seen, heard, and valued. I changed how I showed up, how I engaged, and how I adapted.
That shift changed everything.
Disengagement turned into performance.
A team became a force.
And my work as a leader took on a different level of responsibility.
That experience set me on a mission. For more than 10 years, I’ve coached leaders, delivered keynotes, and created ripple effects with teams across the country—helping them move from reactive to intentional, disconnected to collaborative, and stuck to sustainable success.
Because intentionality is fuel.
It’s a performance strategy.
My
Values
Connection
We need strong connections to get where we’re going in life—people who cheer us on, collaborate with us, share knowledge, and inspire us! I even have a mission to connect with 1 million people because I am so passionate about human connection!
Work Hard,
Play Hard
Pour energy into meaningful work and also make space for joy. It’s such a core part of my life that I wrote a book about it, Joy is My Job! In my family, we track joy like a bank account, and it’s been a game-changer.
Experiences
Memories are life’s greatest treasures. Each day brings opportunities for unique moments, laughter, and experiences that make life a colorful masterpiece (messy and beautiful).
Creativity
Creativity is where the magic happens. When cookie-cutter solutions just won't do, a little out-of-the-box thinking and innovation can lead to big things.
Experimentation and Growth
“Living in the lab” and trying new things is how we grow—personally and professionally.
1.
I’m originally from small-town Iowa, and I have nearly 60 first cousins!
2.
My career began in high school at a tiny café, where I washed dishes and served breakfast to farmers, truckers, and locals. That job taught me more about life and hard work than I ever could have imagined!
3.
My husband and I once found ourselves burnt out and over-scheduled. We realized joy wasn’t going to find us—we had to go after it. Now, we keep a monthly JOY calendar filled with activities and fun. (You can read more about this in my book Joy is My Job.)
4.
I live by 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.”
5.
I believe that everything we say and do creates a ripple—happy or crappy. The choice is ours.
6.
I’m on a mission to connect with
1 million people
and help create a ripple effect in the world. (That means I’d like to connect with you!)
Ready to Unlock the Ultimate Leadership