Refreshing perspective and personality
that leaves audiences with INSIGHT, AHAs, and laughter

 

AI & Intuition Panel, Women In Design, Dutch Design Week

 

Michelle has spoken at events from New York City to Dubai since 2009 and facilitated workshops of all sizes for brands like Patagonia and Gatorade. Her goal as a speaker is to light up rooms.

She focuses on themes like the future of work, adventurous careers, and human creativity through the lens of emotional intelligence and creativity. She believes we must rethink how we view emotional intelligence and how to use it as a tool for creative breakthroughs and leadership.

Michelle’s signature style blends actionable insights and contagious energy and humor. She doesn’t think of speaking as a platform to share words. She approaches it from an experience design lens because people remember how you make them feel.

 

Favorite Topics & Talks

  • Emotions are Not Soft
    A case for emotions as a valuable data point for your creative career and company’s bottom line (tailored to audience)

  • Creative Leadership: Strategic Thinking + Gut Feeling

    What will be required of creative leaders in the age of AI

  • Adopting AI with EQ (Emotional Intelligence)
    An interactive talk to help teams build trust, adopt and learn with resilience, and workshop team rituals together

  • 3 Dream Jobs, A Move Abroad, & My Portfolio Career
    A story-driven talk on my adventurous path and portfolio career     (great for communities, universities, mentor programs)

Audiences & COLLABORATORS

  • Marketing & Design: AdNight, Dutch Design Week, Spotlight Conference

  • Brands: Patagonia, Gatorade, Danone

  • Creative, Tech, Entrepreneurs: Served Up Live, Step Conference, ‘TrepCamp

  • Students: Columbia University, University of Florida

Kind words

“You continue to inspire!”
— Meredith, Freelance Writer, Editor
“I found Michelle’s Emotions are Not Soft keynote inspiring, profound, and so necessary. I love the way she positioned emotions as valuable and tangible data. And her energy when talking about this - there’s genuine passion and excitement mixed with confidence and knowledge.”
— Raquel Castro, Account Director, Wieden+Kennedy
“I found it very refreshing to hear that there is room for emotions in business. The talk made me think about having the confidence to bring up whenever you feel the energy change in a meeting. This paves the way for real conversations.”
— PR Executive, ACE Media
“Her energy, dedication, and attentive listening helped us create an event that truly resonated with our audience.”
— Emma Baines, Head of Creative, Tony’s Chocolonely
“She’s an exceptional facilitator with an effortless ability to read the room, guide conversations and bring playful energy into the mix.”
— Jessica Stahl, Creative Director & Cartoonist
 

SpeakING CIRCA 2009

Featured Clips

Moderator clip, Served Up Live, NYC 2020

Panel clip, Step Conference, Dubai, 2022