Kristen Knowles

Kristen Knowles is a highly sought after speaker and thought leader in leadership & culture. She is a 13x award-winning leadership expert with over a decade of experience working with global companies building leadership programs & transforming culture. She is the CEO of Brave Leaders Group, a leadership firm that specializes in creating brave cultures and transformational leadership solutions. She facilitates conversations and experiences that break apart our previous ideas of leadership to create brave leaders that will mark history and change the narrative for leadership going forward. Her storytelling walks you through relatable experiences with practical application that you can immediately start implementing. She brings with her,vast experience in the corporate & business world, including VP and Chairman of the board of directors, Head of Leadership Development & Chief HR for global & nationwide companies.

Restoring Humanity in the Workplace 

An unprecedanted 50 million people quit their job in 2022. The great resignation has hit every industry and the workplace will never be the same again.

But everyone is ignoring the underlying drive and reason for it. I’ll tell you a secret: People are not leaving for more money, a promotion, or any other excuse they’re giving you. But we’ll talk about what it really is, and do a raw excavation in to what has to change going forward.

• The cause of the great resignation and how to shift so you can retain and engage your people
• Remote? Hybrid? In-person? Where your people work isn’t the problem (unless it is, and other misconceptions)
• Doing business differently and with dignity
• Leading in the new era of work

The Culture Lie: The lies we believe about company culture and other misconceptions hurting your organization

We place so much emphasis on company culture; we create culture teams, hire consultants, pour tons of money into office design, branding, and cool perks and call it culture.

It’s all a lie.

Your brand is not your culture. Your slogans and mission statements do nothing to keep or draw people in.

We have to better understand culture: what creates it and what erodes it.

Culture is nuanced, deeply engrained, and permeates everything. We have to stop believing the culture lies and focus on what truly makes up our culture, so we can build the foundation and framework that creates a space where people want to stay and thrive.

• Understand the true measurement of your culture
• Learn the proven drivers that actually retain and engage employees
• The framework for building Brave Cultures

Purpose in the Hurdle

The most important leadership skill that you won’t find in any management training, the best advice I got from a Vietnam Prisoner of War, and other things I learned from failing in life and work.

• Why your agile and “failing forward” training doesn’t work
• Creating a culture that embraces risk
• Building leaders and teams that can overcome anything

The Team that Leaves a Mark: Building strong executive teams that reach new heights and achieve results

Executives today are driven and top leaders in their company, however they are pulled and distracted by unrelenting demands, competing priorities, and pressures that often leave them unable to reach their highest potential. What hinders high-performing leaders from being high-performing teams? This talk overviews the principles of high-functioning teams and taps into the keys that make or break a team’s ability to succeed at the highest level. For companies that depend on their team’s ability to achieve results- this is for you.

• Building a highly functioning leadership team
• Uncovering what holds the team back
• Changing the narrative for leadership going forward

You can keep the purpose talk that is currently on the website, but remove the others and replace with these please.

Prevailing in the End

What if your greatest crisis and loss brought you to greater joy? Stoics and scholars for years have understood that our obstacles produce the path we needed all along. But how do we confront our current circumstances and challenges without getting stuck? How do we find the path to our greatest opportunities and reward? Resilience is key. In this talk, your mindset will shift to gain new perspective and courage. You’ll learn practical tools on how to grow in resilience and overcome failure, pain, and disappointment

• The secret to resilience
• How to shift your mindset in the middle of challenge
• Discovering the joy in failure

Living & Leading from Purpose

What if you knew your purpose?

What if I told you:

Your success and fulfillment are found in your purpose?

The secret to leadership is found in your purpose?

You can start working & living from your purpose today?

Lack of purpose is the leading cause of burnout. It is vital for us to reconnect, live, and lead from our purpose.

Purpose is not this elusive thing. It is deeply connected to every area of your life and your disconnection from it is what is causing your exhaustion, unhappiness, and hindering you from where we want to go and who we want to be. This talk will transform your personal & professional life and will build momentum for the rest of your life and success.

The cause of burnout and how to identify it

Learn the 6 pillars of purpose

How to overcome burnout & start living your purpose today

Brave cultures & courageous leaders

We are embarking on the greatest exodus from corporate America. According to a recent surveys, 2021 has been labeled the year of the employee/company break-up. People are desperate for change and looking for it. How will you respond?

Let’s talk about culture, not just corporate lingo of high-performance culture and so on. But what we’re missing and what it’s costing every company.

I want to talk with you about creating brave cultures. Cultures that are built on the foundation of courageous leadership. Cultures that cultivate authenticity and transparency. Cultures that are resilient, take risks, and create innovation. Cultures that produce growth in every area. Cultures that are led and driven from purpose. This is the type of culture that you don’t have to strive for engagement, it’s the natural outcome. It’s time to do the real work and build transformational, brave cultures & courageous leaders.

Why we’re not solving the right issues

Diversity & inclusion and the shift we must take to build a sustaining culture

Addressing the innovation buzz and building a foundation & catalyst for innovation & bold action

The leadership gap and how to address it

Owner, Social Media Marketing and Influencer

“I just want to soak up every ounce of what she brings. She has so much leadership insight that has personally impacted me and my work.”

VP Operations Support, Asurion

“The best leadership content we’ve ever had.”

Consultant, Coaching

“Kristen is engaging and fun! I left more connected to my team, and can’t wait to start implementing the tools I received.”

It’s time to start living full of purpose right now. You were meant to live from purpose in every area of your life!

Check the availability of this speaker