Why do I do this work?
People often ask why I am a motivational speaker. First and foremost, I’m passionate about making a positive difference in the world. Second, I’m an advocate for positive change – in our workplaces, our communities, and our world at large. In everything I do, my goal is to inspire others through intentional leadership that drives real business results like increased employee engagement, loyalty and productivity.
Through my qualitative research combing through thousands of employee engagement survey comments and my time spent facilitating employee focus groups, I earned my reputation as the Employee Whisperer™. I take my role as advocate to heart and it shows in my speaking, writing, training and coaching.
Why Should You Hire Me as Your Motivational Speaker?
I’m experienced.
I’ve delivered hundreds of keynotes, workshops, and training sessions to businesses, organizations, and conference attendees.
I’m engaging.
My high-energy presentations keep audiences engaged and entertained.
I’m a storyteller.
I bring fascinating stories, both personal and professional, that bring the subject matter to life.
I’m motivating.
For every presentation, my goal is to inspire every attendee to make positive changes in their workplaces, their communities and in their own lives.
I connect.
I connect with audiences and get them to think about and learn from what I am conveying. The experience is useful and actionable for them at that moment.
Key Audiences:
Leaders/Managers, HR Professionals, Teams, Association Groups, and Employee Diversity Groups
Key Audiences:
Leaders/Managers, HR Professionals, Teams, Association Groups,
Diversity (Employee Diversity Groups, HR Professionals)
But don’t take my word for it.
Here are a few words from some of my past clients:
"Working with Heather was an outstanding experience."
She gave the audience a very clear, concise, and easy to understand lecture about employee´s loyalty. She has a dynamic approach that easily engages the audience. Her energy and great ideas are inspirational!
"I recommend her for any event. We will have her back at a future conference!"
Heather was referred to me from an industry contact who I trust. The Colorado Bankers Association was looking for a keynote speaker at our Annual Women’s Leadership conference. She did not disappoint. Heather energized and inspired our attendees to think differently about their roles as leaders inside and outside of their organizations. Heather really connected with the audience. I recommend her for any event. We will have her back at a future conference!
Watch my TedX Colorado Springs video and be inspired!
Who Hires Me
Change Management
Seize the Opportunity: Reimagining a Better Workplace in the Post-COVID-19 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 what the “new normal” will look like in your organization and for employees?
In this talk, Heather will inspire attendees to reimagine the workplace and will provide a high-level roadmap for how to “put it back together again.” She will challenge the audience to think differently about this transformative experience and how it can positively impact their organizations.
In this interactive talk, attendees will have the opportunity to discuss and explore the possibilities for positive change now and in the post-pandemic workplace. As a result, they will leave the presentation feeling hopeful, more in control, empowered, and ready to help create an better workplace for all.
Attendees will learn:
- • How to reframe the experience of COVID-19 and see it as an opportunity despite the significant impacts
• The main areas to focus on to ensure that the “new normal” meets the needs of the organization, customers and employees
• How to re-imagine what a better workplace looks like and how to make it happen.
Motivational Speaking Topics:
Building Resilience: How to unleash your mindset and overcome any challenge
Most successful people in history had to overcome many barriers to climb the ladder of success -- from Abraham Lincoln to Walt Disney to Oprah Winfrey.
What is the secret ingredient to these leaders’ success? Resilience. Whether they received a ‘No’ 500 times, they experienced extreme levels of abuse, or grew up poor, they made a conscious choice to move forward and become their best selves.
In this talk, Heather will share her personal story of adversity and lay out the five steps she takes every day to overcome her past and unleash her greatness. You will learn how to do the same in your life and in your workplace.
Inspirational Speaking Topics:
Ditch Perfect: Use your best self to achieve the life you always wanted
Winston Churchill once said that “Perfection is the enemy of progress”, and this statement still holds true in many of our lives. Heather expands this further by saying, “Perfection is the enemy of innovation, creativity, and success.”
Are you the person who puts off a goal, a challenge, or a conversation because you don’t feel that it is just right? Do you delay presenting an idea to your manager or team, because it just not perfect enough to do so? STOP! When we look at Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Oprah Winfrey, we find individuals who aren’t afraid to stop at “I did my best” for the sake of perfection.
In this talk, Heather will share her heart-wrenching story of trying to be perfect and realizing that her very best was good enough. You will realize the same too!
This talk will challenge your mindset and transform your thinking. Attendees will walk away knowing that their very best is good enough.
Diversity Speaking Topics:
Hear Me Roar! Empowering women to lead through adversity & change
While companies say they are committed to gender diversity, women remain underrepresented at every level of most corporations. According to McKinsey & Company’s Women in the Workplace 2018 study,
“Women are dramatically outnumbered in senior leadership. Only about 1 in 5 C-suite leaders is a woman, and only 1 in 25 is a woman of color.”As a woman of color and seasoned executive, Heather Younger increases your audience’s understanding of their increasingly diverse workforces with humor and enthusiasm. She has earned a reputation as “The Employee Whisperer” for her ability to connect and motivate.
Attendees will walk away energized and inspired to:
- • Understand the very important role women play in creating more profitable and engaged organizations
• Leap over the very real adversity and obstacles in their path
• Increase and harness their emotional and social intelligence to make more objective decisions
• Walk with greater confidence in knowing the innate power they hold
• Be greater catalysts for positive change in their workplaces
Change Management
Resilience: The Key for Managing Change
Organizational leaders are confronted with many kinds of changes and risks that threaten growth and sustainability and make it hard to become more agile. If organizations don’t change at all or quickly enough, it can slow their growth or make them obsolete.
Wondering what is the best way to build a resilient company? The key is to build resilience in your technology and your people. In fact, it’s been proven that employee resistance is the #1 reason that 70% of organizational change initiatives fail. Change can be hard. Whether your strategy is to grow through alliances, M&A’s, or growing organically, Resilience is the critical competitive advantage.
In this talk, attendees will learn:
- • How to help employees manage the mental and emotional challenges surrounding change
• How to uncover the underlying beliefs that make employees resistant to doing new things
• How to build capabilities in employees to help them become more adaptable and less fearful
• How to become a more resilient leader
Employee Loyalty
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?
In this entertaining and enlightening keynote, Heather reveals the underlying actions organizations can take to create a more engaged and loyal workforce. And it can be done even with budget restraints. That alone is worth the price of admission!
Attendees will leave more motivated and energized to get to work in doing what they can do to create more positive experiences for everyone in the workplace. Attendees will learn:
- • The role they individually play in employee turnover and loyalty
• The main driver for employee loyalty (And it’s not money!)
• The distinct ways that they can lead themselves more effectively
• What employees need from them to want to stay engaged in the organization every day
• And other strategies we just can’t fit in a 150-word description
Building Thriving Teams
Team Building: How to leverage communication to create thriving teams
Ever wondered why communication always seems to be the problem in the workplace?
In this funny, interactive and motivational talk, Heather will reveal the key reasons why organizations often run into communication fumbles and why no one seems to be on the same page.
Heather will engage her audience to participate in this session. She will demonstrate how different communication styles, when paired together, deliver different results and conclusions. Heather will have the audience interacting and will create tons of “aha!” moments to reveal the power each of us has to curate meaningful communications in our workplaces.