Book Shabnam Mogharabi through The Keynote Curators

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.

Contact us for Shabnam Mogharabi fees and availability

Read More

Videos

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
Request Availability

Booksby Shabnam Mogharabi

SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions

SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions

For Meeting Planners

Get in TouchContact US

Fill out the form so we can best understand your needs.

A representative from The Keynote Curators will reach out to you.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Fill out the form so we can best understand your needs.
    A representative from The Keynote Curators will reach out to you.

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form

Related Women Leaders Speakers

Blog Posts

The Differences Between Inspiration and Creativity

The Differences Between Inspiration and Creativity

Explore Fredrik Haren's concept of creative respiration and learn why business leaders must shift their focus from constant inspiration to actionable creativity.

Read More
Leadership strategies for uncertain times with Meridith Elliott Powell

Leadership strategies for uncertain times with Meridith Elliott Powell

Meridith Elliott Powell shares practical leadership strategies for turning uncertainty into competitive advantage, engaging teams, and building succession plans. (

Read More
Why Customer Experience Is Your Real Brand Strategy

Why Customer Experience Is Your Real Brand Strategy

Customer experience isn't a department. It's your brand strategy in real time. Discover how the best organizations build loyalty one small moment at a time.

Read More
Productivity Habits That Make Staying Organized Feel Effortless

Productivity Habits That Make Staying Organized Feel Effortless

Porter Knight reveals how real productivity comes from systems, not willpower, and why structure is the foundation of lasting focus and freedom at work.

Read More
The Mindset Shift That Helps You Keep Going

The Mindset Shift That Helps You Keep Going

How a mindset shift around mistakes helps you keep going, improve faster, and lead better, with insights from Sheri Jacobs.

Read More
Business Distinction Principles from Scott McKain That Will Make Your Company Stand Out

Business Distinction Principles from Scott McKain That Will Make Your Company Stand Out

Learn how to truly distinctive business that stands for something meaningful with insights from Hall of Fame keynote speaker Scott McKain.

Read More
How AI Is Forcing Us to Redefine True Human Connections

How AI Is Forcing Us to Redefine True Human Connections

As AI becomes remarkably sophisticated, the real challenge for leaders is figuring out how to preserve and deepen genuine human connections.

Read More
Trust Is the Foundation Every Strong Workplace Culture Needs, with Minda Harts

Trust Is the Foundation Every Strong Workplace Culture Needs, with Minda Harts

Keynote speaker Minda Harts explains how trust shapes communication, leadership, and workplace culture, and what it really takes to rebuild it.

Read More