Biography
Book Maya Shankar through The Keynote Curators.
Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist and the creator, executive producer, and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, which Apple awarded as the Best Show of the Year 2021 and which received an Ambie award from the Podcast Academy in 2022. Maya was a Senior Advisor in the Obama White House, where she founded and served as Chair of the White House Behavioral Science Team. She also served as the first Behavioral Science Advisor to the United Nations under Ban Ki-moon, and as a core member of Pete Buttigieg’s debate preparation team during his 2020 presidential run.
Maya has a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience from Stanford, a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, and a B.A. from Yale. She’s been profiled by The New Yorker and been the featured guest on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” “Freakonomics,” and “Hidden Brain.” She’s a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music’s pre-college program, where she was a private violin student of Itzhak Perlman.
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Videos
Why Change Is So Scary — and How to Unlock Its Potential | Maya Shankar | TED
How to Shape Your Identity & Goals | Dr. Maya Shankar
Malala, On Losing Herself | A Slight Change of Plans podcast
What If Finding Community Wasn't So Hard? ft. Dr. Vivek Murthy | A Slight Change of Plans podcast
Blog Posts
Productivity Speakers Who Actually Help You Focus and Move Work That Matters [2026 Guide]
Productivity isn't about time management. It's about managing friction, building focus systems, and moving work that actually matters.
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How Boundaries Drive Creativity with Sheri Jacobs
Creativity thrives inside smart boundaries. Learn how constraints drive innovation, better decisions, and bolder ideas from keynote speaker Sheri Jacobs.
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These Keynote Speakers Prove Innovation is a Habit, Not a Big Idea [2026 Guide]
Our 2026 list of innovation keynote speakers that reveal why real innovation is a repeatable habit, not a big idea, and why marketing is the proof.
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Fear vs. Intuition: How Michelle Poler Can Help You Finally Tell Them Apart
Learn how to tell fear apart from intuition using a simple decision-making exercise from Hello Fears founder Michelle Poler.
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Happiness at Work Starts with Progress, Not Perks
Happiness at work goes beyond perks. Discover the research-backed factor that drives real engagement and fulfillment.
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Resilience Lessons to Rebuild Your Life, with Military Veteran Travis Mills
Resilience keynote speaker Travis Mills shares how he rebuilt his life after losing all four limbs, with lessons on mindset, purpose, and never quitting.
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