Biography

From accepting the “Best Business Book of the Year” award to fearlessly helping organizations discover new ways to stretch boundaries, compete at higher levels, attract more customers, build long-lasting relationships and strike real work-life balance, you’ll find Connie Podesta to be the keynote speaker/author/executive coach/industry expert with more than just a “speech.” Connie delivers the right message, motivators and game changers for today’s professionals.

With her trademark mix of real-life content, fearless energy, tell-it-like-it-is delivery and laughout-loud humor, Connie uses her talents as an organizational therapist, comedienne and TV/radio personality to tackle some of the toughest hurdles facing business professionals today and inspire millions of people do more, achieve more and be more than they ever thought possible.

Dig deeper. Laugh harder. Gain more insight into yourself and others than ever before. Connie Podesta is a game-changing, revenue-building, idea-generating ball of fire whose rare blend of humor, substance, and style  have made her one of the most in-demand speakers in the world today:

  • 25 years.
  • Two million people.
  • 1000 organizations.
  • Hall of Fame speaker.
  • Award-winning author.
  • Seven books.
  • Former Radio/TV personality.
  • Therapist for 30 years.
  • Expert on the psychology of sales, leadership, change, life balance and getting your act together!
  • Plus (what we all probably could use in today’s crazy world )… a Comedienne.
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Videos

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Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

StandOut Change: Helping People Navigate Culture, Conflict, and “the Crisis of the Day”

If the last few years have taught us anything – it’s that ANYTHING can happen. To succeed in today’s world, you need the skills that allow you to expand, not decrease, your emotional and business bandwidth in times of stress. The truth is there will always be culture clash opportunities, conflict, and daily crisis. HOWEVER, they don’t have to define you, distract you, or distress you if you have the right tools, mindset, and strategies in your life to navigate uncertainty with confidence.


That’s what Human Behavior and Change Expert Connie Podesta brings to the stage. With a fascinating look at what makes each of us approach change different, Connie brings recipes for resilience, strength, and a solid centered sense of self. If your team is navigating the “deep end” of change – Connie’s got the lifeline and life tools for leveraging change for ALL IT’S WORTH!

StandOut Communication: Cultivating Connection, Collaboration, and Negotiation

Connectivity is vital to business (and life) success, especially in today’s world. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always come naturally, or authentically, or at all!


That’s where Human Behavior and Communication Expert Connie Podesta comes in. With a healthy dose of psychology, humor, and an empowering understanding of human nature, Connie helps audiences connect in proven and powerful ways, and most importantly, instantly recognize the communication styles of both themselves and others – making navigating conversations and negotiating needs a thousand times easier. Want to bring your people together and give them the communication skills they need build relationship bridges and succeed faster? Connie’s got it covered.

StandOut Success: Delivering Reality CHECKS and BALANCE

Success can look different for everyone. It’s personal, and it doesn’t always have to do with the bottom line in a bank account or the title printed on a business card.


In this refreshingly candid presentation, Human Behavior and Success Expert Connie Podesta leads audience members through a serious (but really fun) reality check to first understand why they do and think what they do – then discover where they may be living out of balance and out of alignment for the kind of success that resonates most with them.

StandOut Sales: Out-Think, Out-Negotiate, and OUTSELL the Competition

“Sales” looks very different today. Clients don’t want to be “closed”, “techniqued”, or caught in a canned script loop they can’t get out of.


And frankly, most sales professionals don’t want any part of any of that either. That’s where Human Behavior and Sales Expert Connie Podesta comes in. With proven sales tools and strategies based on the psychology of human behavior (why we do what we do and think what we think) and a healthy dose of humor, Connie has helped millions of people take sales to a whole new level…and have more fun while getting there

StandOut Leadership: Creating Teams Who are Ready, Able, and EXCITED to Get the Job Done

From hiring to firing to INSPIRING – LEADERSHIP today is about being both the calm in the storm and the step-up example your team needs to succeed. Connie can help you to super-charge your connectivity, collaboration, and team building in energized new ways.


With her signature blend of comedy and “tell-it-like-it-is” delivery, Connie takes you inside the minds of even your most difficult employees so you can turn negative attitudes into positive, entitlement into accountability, complacency into productivity, complaining into solutions and “that’s not my job” into ownership in ANY market condition or economy.

StandOut Relationships: Life Would Be Easy, If It Weren’t for Other People

Imagine what you could accomplish if you could decode the mystery of human behavior and truly understand what makes people do what they do and say what they say (including yourself!). Research shows that the #1 key to SUCCESS is the ability to get along with other people, personally and professionally.


With laugh-out-loud humor, killer take-away strategies and her amazing insights into others (including a few who “drive you crazy”), Human Behavior Expert Connie Podesta will both challenge you and empower you with the knowledge you need to get along better with the people in your life. Connie will take you right inside the minds and personalities of the people you deal with every day — bosses, colleagues, partners, customers, friends, and family so YOU can ACT, rather than REACT to whatever life throws your way. Ready to help your team have less stress and more success

Testimonials

Connie Podesta was awesome and insightful – refreshing humor and so true.
– Microsoft
Some of the comments on the surveys were as follows: “Connie Podesta – Best speaker I’ve seen at a GTE conference’, ‘Connie Podesta was outstanding,’ ‘Connie was great,’ ‘Ms. Podesta was informative and entertaining.’ ‘Highly recommend her to senior management at
– GTE
Another round of kudos! Best speaker we’ve had so far! People are still talking about your message a month later, just as you predicted. You have opened some hearts and minds and changed some lives!
– Honeywell
It is rare for the Million Dollar Round Table to invite a speaker back and NEVER two years in a row, but in your case we are glad we made an exception. Great job!
– Million Dollar Round Table
Amazing job! I’ve NEVER heard such praises for any speaker we have ever used. Wow! You are a superstar!
– Arbonne
Amazing job. You blew our audience away! We have received only glowing reviews!
– Century 21

Booksby Connie Podesta

Leadership Like You've Never Heard It Before

The Best Sales Leadership Book Ever

Audiences Stand Up When You Stand Out

Happiness Is Serious

Blog Posts

How a Simple Apology Can Spark Healing and Mental Health Conversations

Learn how a heartfelt apology shared by Johnny Crowder can help you break stigma and ignite life-changing conversations about mental health and self-compassion.

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An Astronaut’s Guide on Leadership and Innovation Lessons on Earth

Explore how former NASA astronaut Dr. Leroy Chiao’s experiences in space unlock insights on leadership, innovation, and resilience for teams on Earth.

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The Future of Event Keynotes: Personalization, AI, and Interactive Storytelling

Find out how event personalization, AI-driven insights, and interactive storytelling are revolutionizing keynote speeches with business futurist Greg Verdino.

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The Power of Play: Why Entertainment Is Essential for Engagement

“Entertainment is the emotional glue that connects people to ideas.”—Robert McKee, storytelling expert There’s a shift that happens the moment someone laughs. Shoulders loosen. The room lightens. The noise of the outside world fades just...

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Designing Events That Spark Lasting Connections

Discover Wendy Porter’s proven WPE Planning Process for crafting live, virtual, and hybrid events that foster genuine connections, boost engagement, and drive ROI.

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The Best Diversity and Inclusion Speakers

Why are diversity and inclusion speakers some of the most transformative voices on stage? Because inclusion is no longer a box to check; it’s a culture to create. From boardrooms to classrooms, arenas to virtual...

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Blog Posts

 

How a Simple Apology Can Spark Healing and Mental Health Conversations

Imagine if a single, mental health–focused apology could dismantle stigma, validate someone’s pain, and launch...

Read More

An Astronaut’s Guide on Leadership and Innovation Lessons on Earth

In the boundless vacuum of space, leaders face challenges that dwarf anything encountered on Earth....

Read More

The Future of Event Keynotes: Personalization, AI, and Interactive Storytelling

Imagine a keynote at your next event that feels designed just for your audience—where every...

Read More

The Power of Play: Why Entertainment Is Essential for Engagement

“Entertainment is the emotional glue that connects people to ideas.”—Robert McKee, storytelling expert There’s a...

Read More

Designing Events That Spark Lasting Connections

Imagine stepping into an event where every detail is designed to foster genuine human connection—from...

Read More

The Best Diversity and Inclusion Speakers

Why are diversity and inclusion speakers some of the most transformative voices on stage? Because...

Read More