Biography

Heather Younger is the Founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a leading employee engagement and consulting firm. She is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, bringing the best insights from over 25,000 employee stories to the stage, a diversity, equity and inclusion strategist, and the world’s leading expert on listening at work.

Drawing from her personal experiences as the only child of an interfaith and interracial marriage, Heather is committed to inspiring leaders everywhere to flex their empathy muscles and master the art of active listening to ensure every employee feels valued, heard, and supported. Her presentations are dedicated to helping leaders and organizations create supportive cultures of care by improving how they listen to and communicate with employees.

Heather is a two-time TEDx speaker, sharing universal insights with millions all over the world, and the host of Leadership With Heart, a podcast about how leaders can better engage and retain talent. A regular contributor to leading news outlets, she has been featured in Bloomberg Business, CNN Business, and FAST Company, to name just a few.

Heather is the author of two bestselling books: The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty, which was named one of Forbes’ “Must-Read” books for HR Professionals, and The Art of Caring Leadership, which teaches the radical power of caring support in leadership and the workplace.

Known as The Employee WhispererTM, Heather harnesses humor, warmth, and an instant relatability to engage and uplift audiences, and inspire them into action. Her presentations are dedicated to helping teams, leaders, and organizations shine by improving how they listen to, communicate with, and empower employees.

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CHANGING “I QUIT!” TO “I FIT!” - FIVE POWERFUL STRATEGIES TO INCREASE EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND CREATE AN AMAZING WORKPLACE CULTURE

Frustrated by the lack of engagement in your organization? Constantly battling high employee turnover? Is your employees’ favorite pastime updating their resumes? (Ouch!)

In this entertaining and enlightening keynote, leadership keynote speaker and adversity expert Heather R. Younger reveals the underlying actions organizations can take to create a more engaged and loyal workforce — even with budget restraints and a world that feels chaotic and challenging.

Attendees will leave more motivated, energized, and eager to collaborate as a team to create a positive, productive, and connected workplace.

Your leadership team will learn how to:

Successfully navigate their role in employee turnover and loyalty
Uncover the main catalyst for employee loyalty (it’s not money)
Develop solid capacities to help employees become more adaptable and less fearful
Manage change with agility and purpose and help lead others to do the same
Best Ensure employees feel safe, heard, seen, empowered, and valued
There has never been a more important time to lead with purpose, skill, adaptability, and resilience. Give your leadership team everything they need to stand out as an organization where employees can’t wait to help grow. Contact Heather today to learn more.

BUILDING RESILIENCE: HOW TO UNLEASH YOUR MINDSET AND OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGE

Most successful people in history had to overcome overwhelming obstacles to climb the ladder of success. From Abraham Lincoln to Walt Disney to Oprah Winfrey and leaders of significance all over the world – it’s inspired to see how they navigated rock paths that might have derailed others.

What is the secret ingredient to their success? Resilience. Whether they endured abuse, poverty, rejection, hurt, betrayal, trauma, or a combination of adversities, they leaned in, committed, and made conscious, difference-making choices, again and again, to keep moving forward and become their best selves.

In this life-changing message, keynote speaker and adversity expert Heather R. Younger taps into her own personal and professional experiences as well as stories of strength and perseverance to share empowering proven tools for resetting the resilience of every attendee.

Your audience will learn how to:

Leverage the three top daily steps for strengthening resilience
Uncover underlying beliefs that can fuel resistance to change
Reframe adversity into opportunities for leadership and growth
Develop the kind of core tenacity that can take them through any challenge
Unlock and unleash new mindsets that replace fear with a feeling of empowerment, strength, and positive self-worth
Ready to help your team develop the kind of resilience that will allow them to be happier, healthier, more balanced, and ready for anything in a world filled with challenges and distractions? Heather Younger has just the message for you.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION: HOW TO BUILD A CULTURE OF BELONGING

This keynote draws from Heather’s personal experiences as the only child of an interfaith and interracial marriage to inspire leaders to flex their empathy muscles and master the art of active listening to ensure every employee feels valued, respected and supported.
This program is perfect for people who are:
• Building cultures of belonging at work
• Seeking to honor their colleagues’ diverse experiences and perspectives
• Educating themselves about other peoples’ challenges

The audience will leave with:
• A practical method to elicit feedback and unlock change and growth
• A greater understanding of the role they have to play in creating cultures of belonging at work
• The inspiration to show up each workday as their most authentic selves

SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY: REIMAGINING A BETTER WORKPLACE IN A CHALLENGING WORLD

Do you feel like your entire workforce has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the havoc unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic? Is your head spinning trying to define paths forward for your organization and employees in a world where change is happening at a seemingly warp speed?

In this empowering, interactive, and hope-filled message, keynote speaker and adversity expert Heather R. Younger inspires attendees to reimagine the workplace, their roles, and offers a high-level roadmap for succeeding with more ease.

Your audience will learn how to …

Use proven psychology to reframe challenges and see opportunities more clearly
Feel more confident, empowered, and in control – even in a chaotic world
Lean into their inherent resilience and reduce their stress
Collaboratively reimagine workspaces and roles to develop win-win processes and an inclusive culture
Become better advocates for themselves and others
Lead in new, powerful, and sustainable ways
If you’re ready to ease the impact of chaos for your team and help them develop the skills and mindsets necessary to navigate change with agility, confidence, compassion, and character, invite Heather to bring this timely topic to your next event.

Booksby Heather Younger

The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty

The Art of Caring Leadership

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