Shabnam Mogharabi

CEO and Executive Producer of SoulPancake, Entrepreneur, Entertainment Executive, Author and Journalist

Topics: Women Leaders, Empowerment, Best Selling Author, Communication, Creativity, Entertainment, Entrepreneur, Inspirational & Motivational, Leadership, Mindfulness, Personal Development, Professional Development, Storytelling, Thought Leadership, Health & Well-Being, Media, Branding & Marketing

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Biography

Shabnam Mogharabi is an entertainment entrepreneur, author, and journalist with more than 15 years of leadership experience in media and storytelling. She is a lifelong student of positive psychology, a freelance documentary film producer, and an expert on how to create socially impactful and entertaining content.

With actor Rainn Wilson, Shabnam co-founded SoulPancake, the inspiring entertainment company behind beloved video series such as Kid President and My Last Days. Under her tenure, SoulPancake amassed 10M social media fans and nearly 1B video views on its daily positive videos about human connection. The company eventually had a successful exit to social impact film studio Participant.

It was in espousing the values of SoulPancake that she personally believes in – the importance of joy, hope, purpose, and gratitude – that Shabnam found a calling as a public speaker. Today, she shares her uplifting, vulnerable message on how to harness the power of joy at dozens of conferences and events a year.

Prior to SoulPancake, Shabnam was an award-winning journalist and editor and one of the youngest winners of the Jesse H. Neal Aard (the Pulitzer Prize of B2B journalism). She has worked as a contributing writer, editor, and stringer for a number of publications, including People, Pool & Spa News, Sunset, and HuffPost. She is a New York Times bestselling author with SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions.

Shabnam is a Henry Crown Fellow and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She is on the advisory board of Seed & Spark; an industry advisor for USC’s Digital Media program, and on the board of directors for of the national nonprofit Tahirih Justice Center.

Shabnam received her B.A. in journalism and business administration from the University of Southern California and her Master’s in media from Northwestern University. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and son.

Videos

Shabnam Mogharabi @ Google Zeitgeist

Shabnam Mogharabi on The Power of Joy (bureau friendly).mp4

Shabnam Mogharabi on Entrepreneurship & Perseverance (bureau friendly).mp4

Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

Storytelling that Sticks

In this keynote, Shabnam will offer insights into how and where to leverage storytelling as a marketing tool, what powerful moments lead to the strongest stories, and how to find opportunities for storytelling to impact your internal teams. Learning outcomes: ...

How to Harness the Power of Joy

We are more distracted, lonelier, and anxious than ever in history. And the past few years has only exacerbated this mental health crisis. In today’s world, embracing the power of joy is an act of rebellion. In this insightful, interactive session, entertainment entrepreneur and storyteller Shabnam Mogharabi will share practical tips and easy-to-implement learnings from her work creating uplifting and inspiring video content about what it takes to truly bring more joy into your life both personally and professionally. Shabnam believes that joy is more than an emotion; it’s a propelling and powerful force for good. And in this keynote, she will show attendees how to harness the power of positive psychology to shift their perspective away from toxic positivity to a meaningful mindset change.

Learning outcomes:

- Understand why joy is a state of mind, not an emotion
- Discover a matrix of tools to help you create a more psychologically positive response to events in your life
- Learn methods for practicing gratitude and vulnerability in your day-to-day interactions and relationships
- Gain specific insights and inspiration to overcome the hardwired “anxious” voice in our brains

Know Your Why, Know Yourself

Every day we are bombarded with messages that a life without purpose is a life without direction and meaning. Companies are being urged to stand for something in order to survive. The pressure is on – personally and professionally. It seems that knowing your purpose unlocks your superpower. But what if you don’t know what that purpose is… or how best to find it? In this personal development session, entrepreneur Shabnam Mogharabi pulls back the curtain on the purpose myth to reframe what it means to know yourself. By pulling lessons from her own experience and her time leading a purpose-driven entertainment studio, SoulPancake, Shabnam will help audience members figure out their personal “why” and develop a personal plan to fulfillment by investing in our basic human need to be of use.

Learning outcomes:

- Discover how the world’s best leaders think about their personal purpose
- Learn how to unlink your “why” from the “what” that you do every day
- Understand and engage in a helpful framework for defining your own personal purpose
- Engage in a strategy around being more “useful” as a path to fulfilling your purpose

Testimonials

Thank you for leaving us all at XYPNLive on a high that Purpose, Joy and Giving matters and that's brings true happiness. Your talk touched the heartstrings and our network of financial planners can't stop sharing pearls of wisdom that touched a nerve cord.

– upa Pereira, Director of Strategic Initiatives, XY Planning Network

Shabnam Mogharabi was an absolute pleasure to work with, and her commitment to creating a high- quality keynote made our first-ever virtual conference a true standout. She did her homework on ASQ’s membership to ensure her remark offered relevant, valuable food for thought. Shabnam’s personal, down-to-earth delivery immediately connected the audience to her message—they can’t stop raving about her! She has my highest endorsement for anyone seeking an unforgettable, engaging, impactful speaker.

– Wendy Dietzler, Senior Conference Producer, American Society for Quality

You were fantastic. Our attendees LOVED your session, and many of our executives were saying that you were one of the best keynotes we have ever had.

– Sara Gorlick, VP Events, Rakuten Americas & Rakuten Advertising

This morning’s meeting was GREAT! We’re getting THE BEST feedback! Honestly, everyone is stopping me in the halls to tell me how much they loved her presentation! I believe her ripple will last long after today.

– Nicole Turchin, Director of Inspiration, BNG

On behalf of the NRF, I would like to thank you for your time, effort, and expertise. Your presentation was such a 'joy' for our audience. And you made me cry.

– Eric Olson, VP of Education Strategies, National Retail Federation

Shabnam was wonderful! People are RAVING about her!

– Sara Gorlick, VP Events, Rakuten Americas & Rakuten Advertising

Booksby Shabnam Mogharabi

SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions

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Blog Posts

Best Leadership Speakers for Financial Services Conferences (2026 Guide)

Planning a bank, fintech, insurance, or wealth management event? This definitive guide to the Best Leadership Speakers for Financial Services Conferences shows you what works now: selection criteria, vetted speaker ideas, comparison snapshots, sample agendas, buying tips, FAQs, and direct links to relevant resources on The Keynote Curators (TKC).