Biography

Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., is a bestselling author, Yale lecturer, and international keynote speaker. She teaches executives at the Yale School of Management and is faculty director of the Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program.  A psychologist and research scientist by training, she has expertise in the science of happiness, emotional intelligence, and social connection. Her bestselling book The Happiness Track (HarperOne, 2016) has been translated into dozens of languages. Her new book is Sovereign (Hay House, 2024). Seppälä is also the Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.

Seppälä’s research has been published in top academic journals and featured in major news outlets like The New York TimesThe Washington PostNPR, and CBSNews. She speaks and consults internationally for Fortune 500 companies like Google and Facebook and contributes to Harvard Business ReviewThe Washington PostPsychology Today, TIME, and others.

A repeat guest on Good Morning America, she also spoke at TedX Sacramento and TEDx Hayward. Her research on breathing for military veterans with trauma was highlighted in the documentary Free the Mind. She is also featured in documentaries like The Altruism Revolution, What You Do Mattersand Bullied.

Seppälä is the recipient of a number of research grants and service awards, including the James W. Lyons Award from Stanford University for founding Stanford’s first academic class on the psychology of happiness and initiating other well-being programs for Stanford students.

She graduated from Yale (BA), Columbia (MA), and Stanford (Ph.D.). Originally from Paris, France, she is a native speaker of French, English, and German and is conversant in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

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Videos

The Happiness Track | Emma Seppälä | Talks at Google

Happiness Job Hacks

The Power & Science of Social Connection: Emma Seppälä TEDx

How I Manage My Stress

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Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS

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BUILDING HIGH-QUALITY CONNECTIONS

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BUILDING HIGH-QUALITY CONNECTIONS

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Booksby Emma Seppälä

Sovereign: A science-backed path to reclaiming your SOVEREIGNTY

The Happiness track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success

The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science

Blog Posts

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with These Keynote Speaker Latino Voices

Hispanic Heritage Month keynote speakers who transform stages with authentic Latino voices, resilience stories, and leadership lessons that last.

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How Seth Godin Transforms Publishing for Books—and What Event Pros Can Learn From It

Marketing provocateur Seth Godin reveals his approach of chapters in his books and how event planners can revolutionize content creation using his riff format.

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The Mindset Shift That Transforms Adrenaline Into Leadership Fuel With Theresa Payton

Transform rejection into resilience with proven mindset strategies from the first female White House CIO Theresa Payton.

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Olympic Champion Apolo Ohno’s Blueprint for Success

This week, we had a top keynote speaker, Apolo Ohno, as a guest on The Keynote Curators podcast, where he shared the performance principles that carried him through eight Olympic medals and now guide his success in business and speaking.

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Crisis Management Lessons From 9/11: Why Top Event Leaders Prepare Before the Alarm Sounds

Crisis management begins before alarms sound. Learn how 9/11 lessons translate to event leadership and prevent disasters.

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Four Health Pillars That Transform Business Performance

Learn the four health pillars Olympic champion Apolo Ohno uses to maintain peak performance in business and life when perfection isn't possible.

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