Heather Whelpley
- Former Fortune 500 leadership development leader turned trusted advisor to organizations like PepsiCo, Comcast, and The Toro Company
- Highly interactive keynotes packed with practical tools and thought-provoking insights audiences can apply immediately
Heather Whelpley’s Speaker Biography
Heather Whelpley is a dynamic keynote speaker, leadership development expert, and award-winning author who equips professionals with grounded confidence—the kind of confidence that stays steady even when expectations are high, change is constant, and the pressure never seems to stop.
Too often, confidence is treated like something we have to perform. A role to play. A version of ourselves we’re supposed to be.
But real confidence isn’t something you perform. It comes from being grounded.
Through her Grounded Confidence framework, Heather helps audiences reconnect to the values, strengths, and purpose that anchor how they lead, communicate, and show up at work. When people operate from this grounded place, they make clearer decisions, have braver conversations, and contribute their ideas with greater clarity and impact.
Instead of offering quick hacks or generic advice, Heather’s keynotes tackle the real barriers that quietly undermine confidence and performance—burnout, imposter syndrome, and the pressure to prove, please, and perfect. Known for her engaging and highly interactive style, she blends thought-provoking insights, relatable stories, and practical tools audiences can apply immediately.
Before stepping onto stages, Heather spent over a decade in leadership development, human resources, and change management roles at Cargill and Ameriprise. Her work took her everywhere from corporate offices to manufacturing plants across the U.S., Australia, and Latin America—and yes, she still has the steel-toed boots in her closet to prove it. Today she works with organizations and professional associations across the U.S. and around the world, including Deloitte, General Mills, and Medtronic.
Heather is the multi-award-winning author of An Overachiever’s Guide to Breaking the Rules and Grounded Wildness: Break Free from Performing Your Life and Start Living It. She holds a master’s degree in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota and now lives in Colorado, where she spends as much time hiking and exploring the outdoors as possible.
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Speech Topics
Leading with Grounded Confidence: Steady Leadership in an Unsteady World
Everything feels louder, faster, and more uncertain than it used to. As a leader, you’re expected to navigate uncertainty, have hard conversations, make bold decisions, and support your people without losing yourself in the process. That kind of leadership doesn’t come from surface-level confidence. It comes from grounded confidence – the ability to stay rooted in your values, strengths, purpose, and vision, even when things feel unsteady. When you lead from this place it fuels the behaviors leaders need most right now: courage and curiosity. You’ll leave this experiential keynote with a greater sense of calm, confidence, and practical ways to lead with intention and impact.
The Power of Grounded Confidence: Break Free from Perfect and Become Unshakable
What unspoken rules are you playing by? Do you feel like you have to say yes to everything? Aren’t allowed to fail – or even make a mistake? Need to be responsible for everything and keep everyone happy? These rules push you away from your confidence – and toward proving, pleasing, and perfecting. This is more than a typical presentation. It’s an experience of reclaiming yourself. You’ll leave this session knowing how to break free from the rules holding you back and with a greater sense of purpose, self-assurance, and the tools to step into your grounded confidence and truly become unshakable.
Make Your Voice Count: Grounded Confidence for Courageous Communication
In today’s workplace, using your voice takes more than communication skills. It takes grounded confidence – the ability to stay connected to who you are, why it matters, and what you stand for, even when the stakes are high. In this interactive keynote, you’ll learn how to use your voice with greater clarity and courage so you can influence at a higher level, navigate hard conversations, and create the impact you desire.
Imposter Syndrome: From Self-Doubt to Grounded Confidence
“I’m not ready. I just got lucky. Do I really know enough to be here?!?” These imposter thoughts influence how you show up in your career, from pursuing a new client or leadership role to speaking up in meetings and sharing new ideas. The good news is you can do something about it! You’ll walk away with practical tools to quiet the inner critic, reignite your confidence, and take bold steps knowing you deserve a seat at the table.
Beyond Burnout: A New Path to Clarity, Energy, and Grounded Confidence
You keep telling yourself the light at the end of the tunnel is just around the corner, but the exhaustion keeps dragging on. Everything feels urgent. What used to work no longer does. Something has to give, but you don’t know where to start. This session is the map you need. You’ll learn why burnout is at record highs – and why overcoming it requires more than hacks and self-care tips. This is about REAL solutions to recover from burnout, reclaim your energy, and increase resilience you can truly thrive in your work and life.
