Dr. Rebecca Heiss

Stress Physiologist, Evolutionary Biologist, CEO & Founder of Happy, The Leap and icueity, LLC, and Bestselling Author

Topics: Personal Development, Resilience, Attitude, Best Selling Author, Emotional Intelligence, Empowerment, Inspirational & Motivational, Leadership, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Productivity, Storytelling, TED Speakers, Thought Leadership, Health & Well-Being, Women Leaders, Future of Work, Employee Engagement, STEM

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Biography

Called “transformative” by the National Science Foundation, evolutionary biologist Dr. Rebecca Heiss’s breakthrough research examines the prehistoric fears and primitive instincts that our human brains have subconsciously carried forward into our complex, modern world. Sharing science-backed explanations and thought-provoking storytelling, she shows us how to overcome the reflexes that served us well 20,000 years ago but sabotage us today. Whether you are a corporate leader looking to build and lead stronger teams, an organization seeking to understand the ingrained instincts behind unconscious bias, or simply wishing to manage stress and anxiety and adopt a more successful, positive mindset, Dr. Heiss’s highly interactive talks will rock your perceptions about how people universally think, behave, and interact.

Dr. Heiss is the author of the highly anticipated new book, Instinct: Rewire Your Brain with Science-Backed Solutions to Increase Productivity and Achieve Success, which has been described as “a revolutionary approach to unlocking your innate ability to achieve success in business and in life.” She is also the founder and CEO of icueity, a continuous 360 review app that provides users with ongoing “fearless feedback” and challenges them to grow in self-awareness. She taught at the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics and later was recruited to be among the founding faculty members to develop a startup school to nurture entrepreneurial minds and approach learning through impact. Dr. Heiss holds a BS and MS in Biology from Binghamton University and a PhD in stress physiology from University of Memphis.

Her talks have inspired audiences around the world, including organizations such as Charles Schwab, ADP, SHRM, and Case Western Reserve University. Believing that “the scariest thing is living a life governed by fear,” Dr. Heiss challenges us to BECOME FEAR(LESS)™ while providing the tools to achieve it. Audiences leave with actionable takeaways on how to overcome their own biology, take control of stress and anxiety, be more effective and productive, break through the barriers to optimal performance—and live happier, fear(less) lives.

Rebecca’s lives in Greenville, SC with her two spoiled rotten dogs, Guinness & Murphy and the (non-dog) love of her life, Dermot. Every day she tries to live her life motto: Spread happy.

Videos

Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

FEAR(LESS) LEADERSHIP

As leaders it’s imperative that we are self-aware. And yet research finds that nearly 90% of us…aren’t. We have to find new ways of understanding our fears, our strengths, our shortcomings, and all of the ways that our brains keep sabotaging us from being the most effective leaders we can be. That’s where Rebecca comes in by providing immediately applicable strategies to intervene with our self-limiting instincts.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Break through barriers to optimal performance.
2. Build self-awareness and fear(less) culture.
3. Drive your company to be more profitable and productive.

FEAR(LESS) MINDSET

Our brains believe the stories we tell them. Without conscious effort, they are negativity seeking missiles, but we have the power to change that. Science demonstrates that more positive people enjoy better relationships, higher quality of life, improved health and longevity, and they far outperform less optimistic peers at work with increased sales, promotions, and engagement. Optimism is a lucrative investment for every organization. Rewire your brain to optimize the power of positivity!

KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Understand how negative thought patterns decrease productivity.
2. Adopt a common external enemy to decrease internal conflict and squash ANTs (automatic negative thoughts).
3. Increase and enable positive communication, ideation, and creative collaborations.

FEAR(LESS) DIVERSITY

No blame. No finger pointing. No guilt. Fear(less) diversity is all about understanding the instincts that drive us to carry bias. No matter our background, we all carry some shortcuts and biases about others (and ourselves!). It doesn’t make us bad people – it makes us human! But when we understand the instincts that drive these stories, we can be more effective in intervening before they negatively affect our relationships and performance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Learn how to neutralize fears that lead to ineffective decision making.
2. Understand the root of subconscious bias and stories that lead to unproductive behaviors.
3. Engage with comfort in the language to talk about what is often a highly difficult conversation.

Testimonials

Rebecca’s keynote was dynamic, thought provoking and action inspiring. It resonated with me and our team in such positive ways, causing us to really look at the blindspots and specific ways to create behavior change in both our lives and businesses. We received more positive feedback from her talk and requests for a copy of her talk than any of the other speakers.

– Amanda McAbee , Director of Business Affairs, Consolidated Assurance

Rebecca was simply amazing! I loved her passion for the topic and her presentation style. Very effective and memorable information.

– Justin Steele , Professional Development & Events Manager

The energy and humor you brought to the main stage captured the hearts and minds of our attendees. Not only was your presentation memorable, it was very actionable.

– Troy Stang, President/CEO Northwest Credit Union Association

By being “real” and entertaining at the same time, Dr. Heiss inspired us all to not “let fear hold us back”. Just remembering that one quote has given us all the confidence to keep pushing forward. The positive energy that Dr. Heiss created in the room was the perfect start for the SC Women’s Business Summit.

– SC Women’s Business Group

Rebecca was instrumental in guiding our team to the next level of growth during our last annual training event. She provided a great value to each individual, that they were able to take with them after the event

– Kim Caldwell , Consolidated Assurance