Henna Pryor

The old tools of success got us here. They won’t take us where we need to go next. Today’s top performers are grappling with a hidden paradox: the very excellence that built their reputation is quietly holding them back. In a world flooded with change - new rules, new tech, new expectations - clinging to what we’ve always done well is the fastest way to fall behind.

In this provocative and energizing keynote, Henna Pryor, Workplace Performance Expert and 2x TEDx speaker, flips the script on what modern excellence really looks like. Through a mix of powerful storytelling, behavioral science, and mindset-shifting tools, she shows audiences how to train the mental and social muscles that fuel success in today’s disruptive world. We explore factors like mindset monkey wrenches, strategic discomfort, and the #1 tool everyone needs in a turbulent world: neutral thinking. 

With strategies that stick and stories you’ll still be thinking about weeks later, this keynote will help your team build the habits that matter most when everything’s in flux.

After this session, you’ll know how to:

• Recognize why excellence has become a hidden trap - and how to break free
• Train your brain to stay clear-headed in chaos using tools like Neutral Thinking
• Tap into small, repeatable “micro-risks” that grow innovation and courage
• Build a mindset of resilience, creativity, and personal agency - on demand

In times of disruption, the winners aren’t the ones who hold on tighter. They’re the ones who learn to let go faster, and leap forward with a new kind of excellence.

Advances in technology have made it easy to avoid real – and sometimes difficult – human interaction. While texting, online ordering, and “swiping right” is convenient, we’re losing the skills of relating to others, building trust and connection, and enduring the critical friction and messiness we get from being in proximity to each other. This new reality is weakening our social muscles and slowly destroying our ability to have the conversations needed to connect at the highest level, take smart risks, and navigate today’s increasingly complicated world of work.

Navigating uncertain times sounds obvious enough, but most of us have a hard time moving from wishful thinking to execution. Why? Because when we stumble through those moments, we feel awkward – and that awkwardness bumps up against our deep desire for others to approve of us and what we do. As it turns out, it’s what we improve in the face of these moments – often despite others’ judgment – that leads to the greatest growth.

Join world-renowned keynote speaker, Inc. Magazine columnist, and Workplace Performance Expert, Henna Pryor, to learn how embracing the Good Awkward is your secret weapon for skyrocketing teamwork, speaking up boldly and effectively, and strengthening your adversity muscle.

Good Awkward helps you unlock your highest level of power and influence to navigate the world around you. Audiences will leave feeling more confident, equipped to build stronger teams, and ready to lead to their highest potential, all wrapped in the laughter and relatability her audiences can’t get enough of.

After this keynote, you’ll be able to:

• Pinpoint the exact reason it’s been difficult to take risks and embrace change – and how to move past it
• Use deliberate discomfort and strategic microstressors to rebuild our social and risk-taking muscles
• Create a custom plan for collaborating, speaking up, sharing ideas, and being brave and change-ready whenever the chance arises

In today’s environment, we’re navigating two powerful realities:

• A Modern Believability Crisis, where skepticism is the default
• The Information Access Era, where the majority believe themselves to be a Google Expert

In the modern workplace, the psychology for creating new actions, influence, inspiration, and navigating through uncertainty has changed. We need to take a new approach to create new actions in our teammates and in ourselves, to persuade prospects, to have difficult conversations, and to maximize opportunities for partnership.

If you’ve ever found yourself facing resistance to your ideas – you’re not alone. Even when we have a great idea that will affect enormous change, we don’t always get the reaction – or action – we’re hoping for. That’s because we spend the majority of our energy making our ideas and changes more compelling, more interesting, more attractive – pouring on the fuel – that we rarely discover the frictions that are working against us, and we all have them.

In this interactive session, join world-renowned speaker, author, Inc. Columnist, and Workplace Performance Expert, Henna Pryor, to uncover and explore the THREE specific reasons why people resist change, and more importantly, concrete strategies to overcome them so we can move our ideas, initiatives, team members, prospects, and mission forward.

After this keynote, you’ll be able to:

• Shift away from problem-solving to a more valuable strategy
• Understand how being the “expert” is hurting your influence instead of helping
• Position your idea from several new angles that increase trust and get the green light you need for people to say yes

AI isn’t replacing your soft skills – it’s revealing how badly we need them.

In today’s efficiency-obsessed workplace, automation is accelerating, but something else is quietly eroding: our social muscles.  We’ve never been connected — or more disconnected. Technology has made it effortless to reach anyone, anywhere, anytime… yet, 44% of workers describe their workplace relationships as “superficial,” and 1 in 3 employees would rather scrub a toilet than ask a colleague for help.

As instant pings replace real conversations, trust, connection, and collaboration are breaking down. The result is teams that are hyper-productive… and mentally and emotionally malnourished. But what if AI wasn’t the enemy of human connection - but the catalyst for deeper, more deliberate relationships?

In this high-energy, insightful, and first-of-its-kind keynote based on her pioneering national research study, Workplace Performance Expert Henna Pryor, CSP reveals how to flip the script on AI’s role at work - transforming it from a disconnector into a social muscle superbooster. Through relatable stories, surprising research (yes, including toilet scrubbing!), and smart, tactical prompts, Henna shows how leaders and teams can use AI to:

• Rehearse high-stakes conversations and build confidence
• Spot tone misfires before they derail trust
• Personalize outreach without losing authenticity
• Replace artificial intimacy with meaningful connection to stand out in an AI-driven workplace

In the age of Artificial Intelligence, the real edge belongs to those who lead with both hands - one on the keyboard, one on someone’s shoulder.

If you’re ready to future-proof your team’s ability to perform at the highest level — this is the keynote that will change the way you think about team success forever.