Nina Sossamon-Pogue is a highly sought-after motivational speaker, renowned for her expertise in resilience, change management, and mental wellness. With a dynamic career spanning elite athletics, broadcast journalism, and executive leadership, Nina empowers audiences to navigate today’s unprecedented era of constant change, fueled by evolving technologies, vast data influxes, and machine learning.
As a USA Gymnast (1982–1984), Emmy-winning television news anchor (1992–2007), and hyper-growth tech executive (2007–2019, Benefitfocus), Nina has experienced success at the highest levels in sports, media, and corporate America. Nina Sossamon-Pogue is also no stranger to life’s most challenging moments, including an injury that ended her athletic career, a very public layoff, and a tragic car accident that thrust her into the headlines and tested her mental fortitude. Through these trials, she not only rebuilt but reached even greater heights, fueling her passion for helping others do the same.
Nina Sossamon-Pogue is the author of two best-selling books:
This Is Not the End: Strategies to Get You Through the Worst Chapters of Your Life (2019, Morgan James Publishing), which provides a proven approach to overcoming devastating life events and reclaiming control of your future.
But I Want Both: The Working Mom’s Guide to Creating a Life She Loves (revised and updated edition releasing Fall 2023), offering actionable strategies for high-achieving parents to thrive in both work and family life.
Nina Sossamon-Pogue also hosts the podcast This Seriously Sucks: The Right Podcast When Life Goes Seriously Wrong, where she shares actionable strategies and invites successful individuals to reflect on their journeys through trauma and growth.
Recognizing the need for a clear, science-based framework to navigate life’s toughest challenges, Nina Sossamon-Poguea left her corporate career to research and develop tools that strengthen resilience, foster productivity, and improve workplace culture. Her unique blend of storytelling, neuroscience, and stoicism ignites audiences, equipping them with the mindset and strategies to thrive in adversity and embrace change with confidence.
Beyond the stage, Nina Sossamon-Pogue serves as CEO of her communications company, contributes to several non-profit boards, and passionately advocates for the Alzheimer’s Association. She was honored as a ‘Woman of Distinction’ by the state of South Carolina. Nina Sossamon-Pogue and her husband are proud parents of three adult children. Based in Charleston, SC, she travels the globe, inspiring people to overcome challenges, take control of their narratives, and achieve their greatest potential.
You Get One Story, Success Is in the Edits, Rewrites, and Plot Twists.
Life is full of highs and lows, and never stops moving forward. Navigating your journey to success requires more than just perseverance. This inspiring keynote explores the true meaning of resilience and how it empowers us to take control of our futures no matter what challenges or changes we face.
Resilience isn’t just about bouncing back; it’s about how you get back up. Nina breaks down the tools, mindset, and strategies needed to not just survive but thrive in the face of adversity of all sizes. Drawing from her own journey through career pivots, personal triumphs, and failures, she brings resilience to life in a way that is both deeply relatable and profoundly motivating.
Audiences will gain insights into Nina’s concept of the “Reverse Resume”- a visual timeline of life’s ups and downs that emphasizes the growth and strength we gain from the struggles we overcome. Through powerful storytelling, actionable takeaways, and her unique framework, Nina equips attendees with practical tools to manage stress, maintain perspective, and foster collaboration in their professional and personal lives.
Audience Takeaways:
- Understand the true meaning of resilience and why how you get back up matters.
- Learn actionable strategies to adapt positively to challenges and changes.
- Discover Nina’s “Reverse Resume” framework to reframe your life’s highs and lows as tools for growth and strength.
- Develop practical skills to manage stress, stay motivated, and maintain perspective during uncertain times.
- Gain insights to foster collaboration and thrive in both personal and professional settings.
Leave inspired to embrace your next chapter with confidence, knowing it could be your best yet.
Whether you’re at the beginning, middle, or starting a new chapter of your career or life’s journey, this keynote will empower you to embrace life’s plot twists. After all, your next chapter could be your best chapter!
Build to Last: Thrive Through Change and Design Your Next Success
Empowering Hardworking Audiences to Adapt, Rebuild, and Succeed in a World of Constant Change.
Change is inevitable and often unpredictable. Life’s plans can feel like a carefully built masterpiece that suddenly collapses, leaving us to rebuild with whatever “blocks” we’re handed. In this engaging keynote, Nina empowers audiences to thrive through the unexpected shifts life throws their way.
Nina dives into why change feels so challenging and why we instinctively resist it. With relatable insights, science, and storytelling, she reframes change as a natural and necessary part of growth. Using the metaphor of ‘building’ a life, she shows audiences how to adapt quickly when the “blueprint” shifts unexpectedly.
Through interactive storytelling and Nina’s signature approach that blends humor and science, this session equips individuals and teams with practical strategies to see change not as a threat but as an opportunity to build something even stronger.
Audience takeaways include:
- Turning apprehension into action with Nina’s framework for managing stress and maintaining perspective.
- Tools for fostering collaboration and innovation, even in the face of uncertainty.
- A fresh mindset to view change as just another set of “bricks” to build with, no matter how mismatched they might seem.
This keynote is a dynamic, “Aha!” experience, leaving your workforce inspired to take on challenges, adapt to new realities, and confidently design their success, brick by brick. Let Nina guide your team to create a resilient culture where every change becomes a new opportunity to build.
Empowering Top Performers to Keep Winning in Life’s Ever-Changing Arena
In today’s fast-paced world, success isn’t about a single win, it’s about staying in the game and mastering how you play the game of life for the long haul. In this dynamic keynote, Nina equips high achievers with the tools to not only hit their current goals but also to level up and play the ultimate long game: a successful ‘lifetime’.
Nina challenges executives and ambitious professionals to shift their mindset from chasing isolated victories to embracing a lifetime of achievements. She introduces a game-changing framework to keep raising the bar without succumbing to “Excellence Exhaustion,” the burnout that stems from constant ambition and today’s relentless connectivity.
Using the metaphor of life as a game, Nina helps audiences reflect on their own successes and setbacks, providing strategies to keep “unlocking new levels” while maintaining their mental well-being and confidence. Whether you’re spinning on the merry-go-round of endless goals or on the playing field facing a new opponent, Nina shows you how to stay resilient, adapt, and be ready for the next challenge.
This is a master class in resilience for leadership teams, packed with actionable insights to:
Strengthen resilience and adaptability.
Boost productivity and team culture.
Empower individuals to confidently take on whatever’s next.
Join Nina and discover how to play the long game, win at life’s challenges, and build a legacy of success that lasts beyond the scoreboard.
You’re in the game, and there’s no pause button!
College life is full of challenges, achievements, and unexpected twists, and it’s all part of the continuous journey toward success. In this engaging and relatable keynote, Nina helps students navigate the pressures of today’s FOMO-fueled, always-connected world.
With humor and insight, Nina draws on her experience as a D1 student-athlete, TV personality, and tech executive to share her own wins and "game over" moments. She teaches students how to:
Build resilience to tackle challenges without fear of failure.
Develop a mindset that supports mental wellness and long-term success.
Bounce back with confidence when life doesn’t go as planned.
Unless students plan to sit on the sidelines and watch others succeed, they’re in the game. Nina reminds them that success isn’t about never failing, it’s about how you navigate the highs (now what?) and lows (now what?) of life’s unpredictable game.
This dynamic session is packed with real talk, relatable stories, and actionable strategies, making it a perfect power-up for high-achieving students feeling the pressure to succeed.
Students leave this keynote feeling less overwhelmed and more confident about taking control of their future and their mental health. It’s like having a cheat code for success.
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