Kim Strobel

In this thought-provoking and compelling keynote, Kim shares how we can reprogram our brains to become more positive and step into our power.  When our happiness and well-being are at the forefront, employees are ten times more engaged, 31% more productive, and three times more creative. Emotions are at the heart of what many employees do and why they do it. Educators come to teaching with dreams of changing the odds for disadvantaged children and inspiring a love for learning. Nurses come to work with aspirations of caring for and healing others. Lawyers find themselves in the courtroom because of their passion for justice and advocating for others. Unfortunately, research shows that about 52% of employees are unhappy at work. Disengagement and dissatisfaction among workers have reached unprecedented levels.

There are many professions that involve an emotional practice, and employees need support in strengthening their social and emotional skills to manage the stress that comes with their careers so they stay in the profession for the long term. “Well-being” takes the stage front and center, and how we can create fulfilling lives while also working to improve performance in life and workplace success. 

Kim unpacks the positive psychology science and research that pivots the crowd towards optimism. She asks, “Would you press a button to increase your happiness levels by 40% and your productivity levels by 31% while also having 300% more creativity on a Monday morning? When people respond, “Yes!” she explains how to achieve this. Her inspiring stories and practical tips for well-being leave the audience feeling inspired and full of hope for creating their own happiness within their profession and their personal lives. When you reset your brain toward positive, you become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive in life—including your work life.

What You'll Learn:

• Understand the happiness research and where our power lies.
• Unlock the happiness formula that improves performance in work life and home life.
• Create work ~ life flow.
• Take control of your actions, thoughts, and behaviors to increase happiness levels by 40%!
• Discover the happiness habits that create positive shifts.
• Learn the simple tools to retrain your brain towards positive.

As someone who has experienced moments of powerlessness in my personal life, as well as in my career as an educator, I’m all too familiar with how easy it is to feel helpless. Educators, healthcare workers, office workers, and many others, are struggling right now. Many employees feel they are working in a time of chaos; they are overworked, overwhelmed, and over-stressed. Some have lost a lot of their joy. What concerns me most is the toll these feelings are taking on them and how it’s affecting their personal lives, their professional work, and their customers, students, patients, or clients. But I believe that sometimes it’s out of chaos that solutions cry out. All employees regardless of their field of work need to be reminded of their “why” to experience professional growth — and they need tools to help them navigate the ever-changing landscape of this profession.

During this keynote, I share the story of a very special student who had a profound impact on my life. Participants are moved to tears when they hear about this student who faced challenges not just in the classroom, but also at home. This student taught me a lot about my own reasons for teaching and I share this story to help others remember and embrace their “why” in the profession they chose to pursue whether it’s teaching, coaching, health care, civic duty, non-profit, etc.

I’m determined to help team members rediscover their passion for their field of work, but more than anything, I want them to reclaim their lives and stand proud on the path they have chosen. I want to empower them, because they are the ones who show up every day, making meaningful contributions to organizations and society, and impacting the lives of those around them.  What they do matters greatly, and the fact that they feel called to their profession … well, this is truly a service of the heart.

What You'll Learn:

• The organization’s WHY is what drives us towards our purpose.
• Discover your WHY and how to align it with your purpose.
• Use your WHY to point you to your North Star on a daily basis, especially when times are tough.
• Rediscover your passion for your work and reclaim your life in and out of your profession.
• Align purpose, love, and integrity to reach your mission.
• Understand the power of your profession and your ability to influence and impacts lives.

Self-care is an overused phrase that doesn’t get to the heart of what employees are facing each day. They are told to practice “self-care” when they are already drowning in a sea of mental and physical fatigue and exhaustion. It’s time to replace the phrase “self-care” with Radical Wellness. It’s radical because it’s uncomfortable and messy, and it requires us to examine our lives from the inside out, including taking a step back and making some much-needed moves in our lives. It is not a random, long-overdue pampering with a facial or a walk in the park.

It is restructuring our lives with the understanding that not only do we deserve to feel good physically and emotionally, but also that those around us – our co-workers, our families, our colleagues – need us to be the best versions of ourselves. When I talk about radical wellness, I’m talking about the thoughts and beliefs we act on daily – sometimes without even knowing they are operating in the background of our minds.

What You'll Learn:

• Understanding the difference between self-care and radical wellness.
• Prioritizing ourselves in a way that is a shift in thinking and beliefs.
• Creating boundaries that honor our wellbeing
• Learning to value ourselves in a way that aligns our actions and outcomes.
• Evaluating eight areas of fulfillment in our lives and identifying where our energy needs to go to reach our goals.
• Reframing our view of the world to see how we can better contribute by being our best selves.

"Everyone knows that not all change is good or even necessary. But in a world that is constantly changing, it is to our advantage to learn how to adapt and enjoy something better.” –Kenneth H. Blanchard”

Life is always going to be full of hardships, adversities, drama, and disruptions. Roadblocks and tough times are inevitable. How will you respond?  Your mindset has everything to do with this. When we can learn how to pivot, persist, and adapt rather than crack, crumble, and give up. We can learn to see stress as a challenge and create new opportunities within our schools, businesses, and organizations where our beliefs become the very center of what we know is possible. 

According to mindset psychology researcher Carol Dweck, “A growth mindset is the understanding that we can develop our abilities and intelligence.” Research has shown that our implicit beliefs about our abilities and intelligence can greatly impact our achievement in all areas of our lives. A person’s mindset (student, employee, etc.) and the mindset of those around you will have a significant impact on your life.

In this keynote, Kim discusses how a person’s intelligence has a significant impact on their motivation, effort, and approach to challenges. Those who believe their abilities are changeable are more likely to embrace challenges and persist despite failure. We all need to be reminded of the value of productive struggle and feeling safe taking risks to learn something new. We all want our employees, teams, clients, and students to have confidence and feel like they can positively impact their community. We want them to believe they have the power to make our world a better place.

What You'll Learn:

• Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
• Establishing growth mindset beliefs
• Strengthening the brain as a muscle
• The value of productive struggle
• Skills are BUILT not born—they have to be earned
• How our words influence the culture
• The connection between ability and accomplishment
• Negative labels and how they work
• The dangers of praise and positive labels
• Creating a growth mindset culture

Schools are struggling. Administrators are frustrated. Teachers are overworked. Students are paying the price. And everyone is looking for a way to reform—and transform—a troubled education system. But before any sort of reform can happen, I think everyone involved needs to ask themselves a very important question: Do we need to reimagine what education can be? As educators, we are preparing young people for the future. And that’s why our outdated educational system needs to change. The future belongs to artists, inventors, storytellers—creative thinkers!

We need to take advantage of the technological resources we have at our disposal. We need to understand the unique challenges of the 21st-century learner. We need to offer a personalized approach to educating young people. We have an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine education in a BIG way. One that supports our students’ abilities, yet pushes them to accept new challenges. One that recognizes the sacrifices teachers make yet encourages them to embrace new perspectives, professional development, and techniques. One that understands administrative limits, yet pushes for the reform and resources our schools need and deserve.

As an accomplished educational keynote speaker, I want to renew HOPE and let everyone who is involved in education know they DO have the power to change the system. And I’m heartened to know that so many teachers, administrators, and others are willing to join me on this mission to reimagine what our students are capable of doing. For so long, the system has placed an outsized value on IQ, on the ability of students to perform and learn in only a few outdated ways, on the almighty test score. These are outdated practices, and thankfully, schools are moving in the right direction.

But there’s still work to be done. That’s why I’m looking for recruits for my mission to reimagine education. This keynote will inspire teachers, parents, and policymakers to rethink the real nature and purpose of education—to get back to the business of learning.

What You'll Learn:

• The changing landscape of the 21st Century learner
• 6 elements needed in today’s world of learners
• Getting back to the heart of teaching
• Left Brain vs. Right Brain: Understanding how the brain works
• The powerful socioeconomic forces that shape the world—and education
• How to transform a troubled education system
• How to engage ALL students and develop their love of learning
• Enabling students to face the real challenges of the 21st Century