Biography

Colette Carlson, founder of Speak Your Truth, Inc., is a human behavior expert, author and keynote speaker who delivers laugh-out-loud programs with solid takeaways and inspires leaders and teams worldwide to strengthen behaviors that impact their relationships, resilience, and results. How to create effective connections, and leverage them for greater success, is the thread that is woven into every one of her presentations.

With a master’s degree in human behavior and 20 years of experience in the personal development field, Colette understands the psychology, mindset, and skills required to thrive during times of uncertainty, ambiguity, and stress. She excels at developing leaders’ social-emotional intelligence, creating empathetic, inclusive environments where teams flourish.

She is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), and in 2017, Colette was inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall Fame®, a lifetime award that honors professional speakers who have reached the top echelon of platform excellence.

Her articles on mindful communication, stress management, leadership, and the power of connection have been featured in Success, Business Management Daily, and Working Mother magazines. Trusted clients include Microsoft, McKesson, Costco, Domino’s Pizza, Great Clips, Procter & Gamble, and Federal Express.

Read More

Videos

Request Availability

Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

The Connected Leader

Successful, effective leaders recognize the need to authentically connect on a human level, whether virtually or in-person, to create influence and impact. Connected leaders model courageous behaviors that create a culture of clarity,
transparency, inclusion, and accountability, even in the most challenging times. In this engaging, uplifting, and research-
based program, attendees will master their ability to communicate and connect on deeper levels, creating an
environment where people thrive.

In a digitally-distracted, constantly-changing world, become a Connected Leader to:
• Drive positive change through intentional and impactful communication, thoughtful questions, and empathetic
listening
• Earn trust, respect, and loyalty from your teams and colleagues
• Learn specific communication techniques that will inspire action and cooperation, address conflict, and extract
more value and productivity from your teams
• Seek and encourage healthy feedback
• Create a culture of open communication where people connect, grow, and flourish

Many Communicate, Few Connect

The common denominators of the most successful individuals are their ability to effectively communicate and connect,
regardless of situation, location, or audience. In a competitive world filled with a global workforce, numerous communication channels, and daily digital distractions, getting your message heard has never been more challenging.

Clear, concise communication is no longer enough to get results: connection must be part of the equation.

Amplify your impact and form crucial relationships that drive productivity, engagement, and collaboration by learning
how to:
• Up your emotional quotient to increase your credibility and gain support
• Foster healthy communication through focused, dedicated behaviors
• Align your thoughts, words, and actions to build trust and increase influence
• Communicate with candor and clarity while maintaining a respectful, human connection
• Be a human highlighter who champions the accomplishments and strengths of every individual on your team

You Management: Strategies to Avoid Burnout, Boost Resilience, and Accelerate Success

Regardless of your title and role, people experience everyday stressors while they are expected to stay agile through constant change. In today’s world, people are required to exceed expectations and produce more in less time with fewer resources, all while staying positive and engaged with colleagues and customers.

New challenges have collapsed the boundaries between work and home, leaving people juggling opposing demands for time, energy, and attention. It’s no surprise, even with the best of intentions, leaders and teams feel stressed out, disconnected, and emotionally exhausted.

Enough! It’s time for You Management!

Join Colette in this laugh-out-loud program as she shares practical, yet powerful, science-based strategies to remain
resilient and accelerate your success during the most challenging of circumstances by learning how to:
• Minimize worry, stress and angst by knowing when to let go or take control
• Manage devices, distractions, and demands to stay focused, present, and productive
• Lean in to change by mastering your mindset to increase mental toughness
• Build in daily self-care strategies to avoid burnout and create more joy
• Maximize health and wellness through the power of connection

Sincere Selling: Stop Transacting, Start Connecting

In order to make a sale and earn a customer, you must first make a connection. In today’s virtual selling environment with shorter meetings and distracted customers, the ability to quickly connect and captivate is paramount. In this engaging, research-based program, learn how to adopt a sincere selling mindset to cultivate authentic relationships that lead to increased sales, repeat customers, and powerful referrals.

As a former national sales trainer who cut her teeth in straight commission sales, Colette will show you how to up
your personal connection quotient to maximize relationships, revenue, and results by learning how to:
• Awaken your awareness to maximize your emotional connection
• Ask deeper, richer questions to identify customer pain points
• Listen empathetically to create a collaborative environment conducive to problem solving
• Align your thoughts, words, and actions to build trust
• Demonstrate value and gain emotional buy-in through effective storytelling

Women Leading with Impact: Accelerate Your Position with Confidence

When women show up, stand up, and speak out, positive change happens. In this engaging, uplifting, and research-based program, specific to women in leadership, participants gain the strategies and skills necessary to become authentic, credible, and confident leaders.

Be recognized, respected, and rewarded in your career by learning how to:
• Cultivate connections that count
• Identify, access, and develop strategic relationships
• Express your success to advocate for yourself and others
• Conquer self-imposed limits to take risks and accelerate growth
• Breakthrough barriers by mastering the power of the ASK
• Stay resilient through constant change and challenges

Testimonials

Colette’s infectious spirit, passion for her subject, and humorous delivery engaged the audience which is why we would highly recommend her as a speaker for your next event!
– Ginnie Roeglin, Senior Vice President, Costco Wholesale
Our local and international teams left with inspiration, excitement and new skills!
– Brenda Nakano, BSEC Chair, Microsoft
Colette is an amazing speaker! She did a keynote for 2300 franchise owners, general managers, and managers and a breakout session for 1500 general managers and managers. She did a great job researching our business and sharing stories and examples that the participants could relate to. The participants found her funny and insightful. The vast majority of the participants rated her as Excellent! She was also a delight to work with in planning the conference as well as on-site. I highly recommend Colette as a speaker!
– Lora Peterson, Director, Great Clips University
Colette was a huge hit at our Leadership Series, and people are still talking about it! We were all so impressed by the way she researched and got to know us. As a result, she nailed it, gained immediate credibility and connected with everyone! Colette was knowledgeable, relatable and down to earth… what more could you ask for.
– Donna Sanders, People Development Mgr, Texas Roadhouse
Your presentations were very well received and a perfect alignment with the objectives of the meetings. I was also impressed with how well you prepared for the two presentations!
– Jane Conti, Executive Vice President, New York Life
After two days of education focused on improving patient safety and health care quality, Colette’s closing keynote brought an element of positive inspiration and humor to a crowd of 500 health care executives! The post event evaluation identified her as the most highly rated speaker, and it was no surprise given her ability to tailor the content to meet the needs of our audience.
– S.B., Program Manager – Texas Hospital Association Foundation
You were a perfect fit for our global audience!
– Karen Bohanan, HR Manager, Cisco
Colette’s presentation was the perfect capstone to our annual customer event. Colette is brilliant, funny, warm and inspiring, and her insights were well-received by everyone there. At the end of a long day, there could not have been a better way to re-energize our audience.”
– Doug Deane, President & CEO, DSD Business Systems

Blog Posts

Embracing Challenges and Building Bridges

🎧 Tune in to our conversation with Mariana Atencio, available in both English and Spanish,...

Read More

From Podium to Podium: Feature Olympic Wisdom at Your Event

🥇 Seeking to inspire your audience with tales of triumph and resilience? Consider bringing a...

Read More

Nurturing Resilience and Overcoming Negative Thoughts

🎯Have you ever achieved a goal, only to quickly move on to the next thing?...

Read More

Charismatic Storytellers: The Social Wonderbringers of Happiness

✨ Striving for constant happiness is unrealistic and unsustainable, depriving us of the rich tapestry...

Read More

Striving for Financial Security or Seeking Life Well-Being?

💰 Money is a sensitive topic, often reflecting our sense of success. But today, we're...

Read More

Celebrating Reaching the Summit in Hawaii

Last week, I was privileged to support LPL Financial's top advisors affiliated with banks and...

Read More

Related Speakers

We’ll secure a speaker your audience raves about for years

Schedule a Call

Nothing short of impeccable! From start to finish The Keynote Curators provided exactly what we needed. Bravo!

– Diana B.
Insurance Association

We had a speaker cancel at the last-minute. Without missing a beat, The Keynote Curators offered several options to choose from. The replacement hit it out of the park. We avoided a potential disaster and looked good doing it. Thanks to The Keynote Curators.

– Yvette S.
Credit Union

Everything that was promised was delivered and more. The VIP Meet & Greet that was arranged was the difference make for our sponsor. It could not have gone any better. Thank you to The Keynote Curators for being a true partner.

– Grace H.
Financial Services

For the last ten years we have worked with Seth in booking our speakers. Each year he outdoes the previous year. Excited to see who we have next year.

– Cecily R.
Medical Devices

We have used several different agencies, but The Keynote Curators is the one that goes the furthest in understanding our meetings’ goals and messaging. This is the difference maker for us and is the reason why we continue to work with them.

– Nancy M.
Agriculture Association

Here's how toCue the post-event celebrations

1. Schedule a call

We’ll connect so we understand your needs to curate a selection of great speakers.

2. Book your speaker

We’ll manage all the details so you will be confident with your choice.

3. Wow your audience

Inform & educate your participants to ideas that transform their work & personal life.

Hit the mark with the perfect speaker!

Schedule a Call