What I Bring to the Stage

I’ve spent 30+ years facilitating high-stakes conversations in boardrooms and delivering keynotes on stages around the world. I’ve presented to over half a million people and worked with more than 400 executive teams.

That experience shapes everything I do on stage. I don’t just talk about leadership — I show teams how to lead better, together.

As a former U.S. Coast Guard officer, award-winning speaker, and Certified Professional Facilitator | Master, I bring something most speakers can’t: the rare ability to inspire from the stage and guide real strategic conversations behind closed doors.

I’m what you’d call a mainstage conversationalist™ — I engage and involve the audience in shaping the content, not just receiving it. My clients include CEOs, fast-growth companies, and global associations who want more than motivation. They want action and momentum.Whether I’m headlining a leadership summit, moderating a powerhouse panel, or emceeing a multi-day conference, I’m the connective tissue that brings clarity, energy, and alignment to every event.

In a world where AI can generate answers instantly, the real advantage belongs to leaders who can align people, make smart decisions, and execute together.

Clear takeaways. Better conversations. Real alignment.

What You Can Expect

I don’t deliver a one-size-fits-all speech or talk about overused frameworks.

Every keynote is built around the real-world leadership challenges faced by the people in that room. How do I know their challenges? I never assume — I ask them ahead of time and build the keynote around their specific situation and the meeting sponsor’s goals.

[RESTORED / SHARPENED] I completely customize every presentation around your organization’s key priorities. That means your audience isn’t sitting through something that could have been delivered anywhere — they’re part of a conversation designed specifically for them.

After 30+ years of working with real leaders navigating real market pressures, I share actionable models and tools that help people engage more effectively, make better decisions, and align around what matters most.

Whether I’m opening your event, anchoring an executive retreat, or facilitating a high-stakes strategy session, I bring the same presence, clarity, and energy to the stage that I bring to the boardroom:

  • Energy without ego
  • Clarity without cliché
  • Interaction without fluff
  • Practical tools with staying power

Ready to Talk About Your Event?

If you’re looking for a speaker who delivers clarity, energy, and real-world tools — let’s talk.

Popular Speaking Topics

With AI accelerating insights and options, the real competitive advantage isn’t better data.  They need faster alignment and execution.

They need to actually agree on what matters, commit to it fully, and execute together.

In this bold, practical keynote, I reveal what separates high-growth companies from those that stall out: a leadership team that’s aligned not just in theory, but in action.

Drawing on three decades of strategic facilitation at the highest levels, I share how to spot the early warning signs of misalignment, navigate competing priorities, and build the clarity, focus, and commitment your team needs to move faster and with less friction.

Takeaways:

  • Spot six silent alignment killers and how to fix them
  • Get clear on what your strategy really is (and isn’t)
  • Navigate hard choices and strong opinions collaboratively
  • Discover practical habits that bake alignment into decisions, meetings, and execution.
  • Create the commitment needed to accelerate execution

Ideal For:

  • Leadership teams driving growth or transformation
  • Organizations with smart people moving in different directions
  • Conferences focused on strategy, execution, or scaling

Clarity • Commitment • Real Results

How High-Performing Teams Make Smart, Fast, Shared Decisions

A brilliant strategy is worthless if your team can’t make decisions—and stick to them.

In this fast-paced, thought-provoking keynote, Kristin shows leaders how to overcome the real barriers to group decision-making: too many voices, political undercurrents, analysis paralysis, and unclear authority.
You’ll learn how to make decisions faster, with more confidence—and build the commitment needed to follow through.

Takeaways:

  • Identify 5 common decision-making traps
  • Apply a practical 4-step group decision model
  • Surface competing views and reach alignment
  • Create true commitment—not just consensus

Ideal For:

  • Executive teams navigating complex trade-offs
  • Cross-functional leadership groups
  • Organizations struggling to prioritize and execute

Smarter Decisions • Greater Confidence • Real Commitment

How Leadership Teams Shape a Culture That Actually Supports Strategy

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”—but only if your culture and strategy aren’t aligned.

In this candid, practical keynote, Kristin helps leadership teams assess their existing culture, identify where it supports or blocks execution, and make intentional decisions to close the gap.
She shares seven powerful levers leaders can use to reinforce the values, behaviors, and systems that make strategy stick.

Takeaways:

  • Define what “culture” really means in your context
  • Diagnose where culture supports or sabotages strategy
  • Apply seven culture levers to drive alignment
  • Shift behaviors, systems, and norms intentionally

Ideal For:

  • Leaders driving transformation or strategic change
  • Organizations with silos, misalignment, or disengagement
  • Teams seeking to operationalize values and behaviors

Constructive Culture • Team Trust • Executable Strategy

How to Guide Powerful Conversations Without Taking Over

Great leaders don’t just give direction—they guide conversations that lead to insight, ownership, and aligned action.

In this high-energy keynote, Kristin shares the core mindset and skills of facilitative leadership. You’ll learn how to ask better questions, include diverse perspectives, and move groups toward meaningful outcomes—without dominating or slowing things down.

Takeaways:

  • Show up as a facilitator, not a fixer
  • Ask questions that unlock clarity and alignment
  • Listen deeply while keeping things on track
  • Lead conversations that drive traction and results

Ideal For:

  • Directors, senior leaders, and cross-functional team leads
  • Leaders running meetings, offsites, or strategic conversations
  • Leadership development programs and team events

Empowered Teams • Increased Collaboration • More Traction

How to Empower Your Team Without Overmanaging

If you’re spending your day fixing problems and reviewing work that should already be done, you’re not leading—you’re managing.

In this fast-paced keynote, Kristin introduces the Dynamic Coaching Model™, a simple but powerful framework that helps leaders quickly assess team members’ ability and motivation—and adapt their style to coach accordingly.
Less micromanagement. More ownership. And a lot more strategic headspace for you.

Takeaways:

  • Diagnose readiness and motivation in real time
  • Shift your coaching style to match the moment
  • Empower others while holding high expectations
  • Build capability without creating dependency

Ideal For:

  • People managers, senior leaders, and directors
  • Teams growing fast or facing performance gaps
  • Organizations building a coaching culture

Increased Capability • Accountability • Strategic Focus

Inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame

2023 Recipient of Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE)® CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame®

What is the Speaker Hall of Fame

Formats & Delivery Options

I speak at:

  • Executive offsites & board retreats
  • Industry conferences & summits
  • Association events & internal leadership programs
  • In-person and virtual formats available

Each keynote includes:

  • A pre-event planning call to tailor the message
  • Customization to your audience, theme, or industry
  • Optional companion breakout session or workshop
  • Optional post-session engagement
Contact Us For More Information

Your presentation had great take-aways and I appreciate the insight you shared. I have started quoting some of your phrases…and my team completely understands the meaning. Thank you!

Jim McColigan, VP of Accounting, Dixon Valve

Kristin, your session got just super feedback and was second best session of the entire convention! One comment was “brilliant”!

Claudia Haider, Co-Owner, Experts4Events Speaker Bureau
Daniel Sullenbarger

Kristin, I think the use of the words ‘dynamic,’ ‘masterfully,’ and ‘extraordinary’ fit you perfectly.

Dan Sullenbarger, VP, Corporate Responsibility, Marathon Oil Company

We could not be more appreciative of the presentation you made to our 540 associates. “Building Extraordinary Teams” was exactly the presentation we needed to feed the minds of all our team members.

Thom Hillberry, HR Manager, Kroger Columbus Bakery

We asked Kristin to deliver a program regarding personnel trends geared to our organization and demographics. Kristin was able to quickly understand our organization and to provide concrete ideas and common sense solutions. She did a terrific job pulling it together and delivering it in a way that was fun and inspiring.

John Phelps, CEO, State Bar of Arizona

Thank you again so much for your fantastic program on Thursday. We are continuing to hear amazing feedback from the attendees, many of whom are really interested in getting more involved with our network and feel more empowered to manage their careers. That is such a wonderful result and exactly what we were hoping for. Thank you so, so much!

Teresa Viola, Replenishment Manager at General Mills

Thank you for the high energy start to the R3 Summit with your Critical Thinking Skills presentation.  We all appreciate your willingness to participate in the conference, contributing as a CWTE expert, and most of all, but contributing a huge amount of value through your keynote.

We had great feedback from your main session:

  • Very relevant and lots of practical ideas I can use for both work and chapter
  • Great takeaways, engaging
  • Kristin was dynamic, engaging and fun.”

Shari Bricks, Meeting Organizer, PMI R3 Summit

Need More Than a Keynote?

If you want someone who can speak and facilitate, moderate, or emcee your event, I’ve got you covered.

I regularly serve as:

  • Conference Emcee / Host – I guide the full conference experience with energy, clarity, and strategic flow. I reinforce the event theme, connect the dots between mainstage speakers and activities, and involve the audience without making them do silly ra-ra exercises. I’m known to be spontaneous and witty — and even get left-brained engineers to crack a smile.One honest caveat: while I bring energy and fun to any business meeting, I’m not a stand-up comedian or entertainer. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’ll happily refer you to a colleague.
  • Panel Moderator – I facilitate powerful panels that go beyond the surface — asking the questions the audience actually wants answered and making your panelists look like heroes.
  • Strategic Facilitator – I facilitate pre- and post-sessions with your leaders to surface what matters most, align the team, and build real commitment before or after your event.

Let’s design an experience that fits your audience and your goals.

Let’s Talk About Your Event

Ready to book a keynote — or want to brainstorm what would make your event extraordinary?