901-754-9404
My List0

We've now made it easier for you to research and save your favorite keynotes speakers. Click on the + sign to add a speaker to your Speaker List and email your favorites to colleagues and friends.

using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
Charlene Wheeless keynote speaker

Charlene Wheeless

    • Powerhouse communications leader who provides a keen understanding of the challenges faced by businesses and corporate leadership
    • Former Principal Vice President of Corporate Affairs for a $40B global infrastructure company, bringing a wealth of experience in communications, management, and sustainability
    • Offers wisdom and experience by emphasizing the importance of choosing choice over chance to build an intentional culture
    • Author of the bestseller "You Are Enough! Reclaiming Your Career and Your Life with Purpose, Passion, and Unapologetic Authenticity," which serves as a blueprint for a healthier approach to reaching goals
Full Bio
In Person-Fee 🛈

$15,000 - $20,000

Virtual Fee:

Please Inquire

Travels From

District of Columbia

Charlene Wheeless Reel

Charlene Wheeless Reel

Charlene Wheeless -General Speaking Message

Charlene Wheeless -General Speaking Message

7 Seconds of Courage—Choice, not Chance | Charlene Wheeless | TEDxBoston

7 Seconds of Courage—Choice, not Chance | Charlene Wheeless | TEDxBoston

Charlene Wheeless Speaker Biography


Charlene Wheeless is a distinguished communications leader and keynote speaker, renowned for her insightful perspectives on navigating the evolving landscape of businesses and corporate leadership. With a career marked by empowerment and growth mindset, Charlene brings a depth of experience that resonates with audiences worldwide.

In her roles, including as Principal Vice President of Corporate Affairs for a $40B global infrastructure company, Charlene has spearheaded internal and external communications, reputation risk management, issues management, and sustainability efforts. Her expertise extends beyond traditional corporate realms, encompassing a profound understanding of leadership dynamics and personal growth.

On stage, Charlene captivates audiences with her authentic and empowering storytelling, drawing from her experiences as a black female executive and cancer survivor. She emphasizes the power of choice in shaping one's outlook and achieving transformative outcomes. Charlene's profound message of choosing "CHOICE not CHANCE" resonates deeply, inspiring individuals and organizations to embrace intentional culture-building and leadership development.

Charlene is also a respected author, with her book "You Are Enough! Reclaiming Your Career and Your Life with Purpose, Passion, and Unapologetic Authenticity" serving as a guiding light for those seeking a more purposeful approach to personal and professional growth. Her work underscores the importance of reclaiming one's life with purpose and passion, offering a blueprint for success grounded in authenticity and empowerment.

Create a Culture of Choice not Chance
As leaders grapple with the dynamics of an ever-shifting corporate culture, Charlene Wheeless shows them how a focus on Choice Not Chance is a powerful framework for creating vibrant and sustainable workplace cultures of breakthrough performance and fulfillment.

With more than three decades of experience in leadership, corporate affairs, communications, and operations, including her role as Principal Vice President of Corporate Affairs for a $40B global company, Charlene proves to be a revolutionary guide for leaders and teams who want to transform.

This keynote provides a pivotal and future-forward look at what companies can do to strengthen their capabilities in many areas while at the same time taking a giant step ahead of their competitors when they address all that she shares.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Six essentials of intentional leadership, compassion, and the powerful results that occur when you have an open mind when solving your challenges.
- The importance of understanding humanity and how there is courage and bravery in showing weakness both personally and professionally.
- Choosing choice over chance matters and how quiet quitting needs to be viewed differently.
- Your superpower can be seeing people for their value in a sometimes challenging and unforgiving world, rather than believing in the misleading perceptions that are sometimes automatically thrust onto them.

Unleashing the Power of Self-Agency to Perform Your Best

Embracing the concept of self-agency has never been more crucial in the corporate world than it is today. As leadership speaker Charlene Wheeless shares, "We are not born winners and losers; we are born choosers." This powerful mantra sets the tone for an exploration into the essence of self-agency. As we navigate a workplace where 2024 will see more Gen Z individuals than Baby Boomers, it is more evident that traditional leadership models are becoming obsolete. If leaders expect to lead the way they were led, it will not bode well for their organizations. The answer lies in helping every individual embrace opportunities and be seen.

Personal agency stems from the choices we make and the profound realization that we indeed have choices. In a world filled with options, the ability to make informed decisions is a skill that sets high-performing individuals apart. The dichotomy of choosing to lead life or letting life lead you is at the heart of this transformative journey.

Charlene Wheeless is unlocking the spirit to self-agency – where choices become opportunities, authenticity becomes strength, and courage becomes the driving force behind your success.

Lessons From Being Invisible/Making the Invisible, Visible

Charlene shares valuable insights into the experiences and challenges faced by people who feel invisible or marginalized in their workplaces and communities. Here are some of the key lessons from her speech:

Acknowledge the problem: The first step towards addressing the issue of invisibility is to recognize its existence. Many people who feel invisible may not even realize that they are being excluded or ignored. Therefore, it's crucial to acknowledge the problem and take steps to address it.

Speak up: When you feel invisible, it's easy to remain silent and to let others dominate the conversation. However, it's essential to speak up and share your ideas and opinions, even if they are different from others. By doing so, you can challenge the status quo and make a meaningful contribution.

Build relationships: Wheeless emphasizes the importance of building relationships with others, especially those who are different from us. When we connect with people who have different perspectives and backgrounds, we can learn from their experiences and gain new insights.

Seek out allies: Having allies who support us and advocate on our behalf can be a powerful tool for overcoming invisibility. Wheeless suggests seeking out mentors and sponsors who can offer guidance, advice, and opportunities.

Be resilient: Overcoming invisibility is not easy, and it may take time and effort to achieve. Therefore, it's essential to be resilient and to persevere, even in the face of setbacks and challenges.

Charlene's keynote on "Lessons from Being Invisible" highlights the importance of recognizing and addressing the problem of invisibility in our workplaces and communities. By speaking up, building relationships, seeking out allies, and being resilient, we can overcome this challenge and make a meaningful contribution to our organizations and society.

Related Speakers

Dan Cnossen keynote speaker

Dan Cnossen

Former U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Commander

Arlene Dickinson

Arlene Dickinson

Entrepreneur

Michelle Stacy Speaker

Michelle Stacy

Former President of Keurig Inc.

Sharon Wood, Creativity Speaker

Sharon Wood

First North American Woman to Climb Mt. Everest

Mark DeVolder,  Speaker

Mark DeVolder

The Change Specialist

Chris Laping Speaker

Chris Laping

Author/CEO/Founder of People Before Things

Lex Gillette keynote speaker

Lex Gillette

Five-time Paralympic Medalist

KJ McCorry

KJ McCorry

Productivity and Time Management Training

Stacie Berdan

Stacie Berdan

Consultant and Expert on Women and International Careers

Kojo Nnamdi, Diversity Speaker

Kojo Nnamdi

Host of The Kojo Nnamdi Show

Todd Waites, Cancer Speaker

Todd Waites

Cancer Survivor

Ron White, Presentation Skills Speaker

Ron White

Two Time USA Memory Champion

Reviews

Testimonials

We work with a lot of speaking organizations... Let me tell you - ESB is the best! Matt Meyer is by far the best agent to work with!

Warrior Rising

Everyone on the ESB team (Matt, Sheryl, etc.) has been great to work with for our events. Looking forward to keep working with ESB!

Plexus Worldwide

We had a positive experience with ESB. Matt Meyer is a great communicator and easy to get a hold of. He helped us through the process to make..

BNSF

ESB was patient, thorough, and responsive during the planning process. Thank you for making this such a great experience for us!

ConnectWise

ESB supported our needs and the needs of our speaker throughout the entire process. I highly recommend working with ESB to find your next spe..

DogWatch

"It's always a pleasure to work with ESB. Very professional and personable staff. Thanks!"

Testimonial | Texas Society of Architects

"Excellent! Thank you for being a true partner to our organization and its development."

HCA Healthcare

"They are the only speakers bureau I will even consider using!"

Testimonial | Youth Villages

A wonderful bureau to work with! Big ups to everyone who helped make our event a success. Fingers crossed we get the chance to collaborate fo..

MDRT | Testimonial

"As always, you are the best most responsive speaker bureau I've ever worked with!"

Image Media
Need Suggestions? Have Questions?

Need Suggestions? Have Questions?

Call to discuss how we can you help find the right speaker(s) for your organization.

© 2024 Executive Speakers Bureau. All Rights Reserved.

Design and Developed by eBiz Solutions

Get Ideas in 1 hour or less

Executive Speakers Bureau consistently receives praises about our speed and efficiency. From the beginning of your event planning, our extensive online speaker database and resourceful staff allow us to quickly equip you with the best speaker for your event.

Need a last minute speaker? No worries. Our speed and efficiency help us give you ideas for speakers in one hour or less.