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Susan David

Harvard Medical School Psychologist & WSJ Best-Selling Author

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Biography

Susan David, Ph.D. is the visionary who developed the concept of Emotional Agility. An award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist, Susan has been named one of the world’s most influential management thinkers. She offers unique expertise on cultivating more agile, healthy, resilient and authentically happy people, families, workplaces, and communities. Thinkers50 recognized her with the Breakthrough Idea Award for “insights that have the potential to forever change the way we do business,” and Harvard Business Review named Emotional Agility a Management Idea of the Year. Read More >

Her book, Emotional Agility was a #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller, translated into 26 languages, and profiled throughout national and international media including in the New York Times, TIME, and on the TODAY show.  With powerful and engaging stories, humor, and insight, Susan’s creates a deep and authentic connection, so each person in the audience feels understood, inspired, and able to drive real, pragmatic change.

Susan has been named an Inc.com top speaker and received a standing ovation at TED for a talk that went viral, with more than 60 million unique views on social media and 6 million at TED.com, making it one of the ten most popular TED talks of 2018. Read Less ^

Speaker Videos

TED: How to Be Your Best Self in Times of Crisis

TED: The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage

Speaking Reel

Emotional Agility

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Speech Topics

Emotional Agility

Because our thoughts, emotions and behavior drive everything; every aspect of how we love, live, parent and lead. Read More >

Susan’s talks are uniquely customized to the audience and to address these themes: Read Less ^

Agility
Change
Communication
Culture
Diversity and Inclusion Education
Engagement
Future of Work
Innovation
Inspiring Lives
Talent and Leadership
Teamwork
Performance
Personal Growth
Well-being and Resilience
Women in Leadership

Business

Outstanding organizations are built on a culture of flexibility, teaming, innovation, inclusion, and customer-centricity. Read More >

Yet, complexity conspires against culture, creating rigidity, stifling creativity, and weakening relationships. Read Less ^

Susan explores the critical, internal psychological habits of emotional agility that enable people to engage, drive culture, team, be resilient, and thrive.
Susan teaches attendees how being hooked by thoughts, emotions, and stories hinders thriving.
Susan explains why emotional agility is a key skill-set that enables people to remain curious, courageous and values-committed even in times of challenge, and to bring their best selves to work.
Susan shows a set of essential practical steps to cultivate emotional agility.
Susan inspires audiences to think, feel, and act differently with deeply impactful and positive outcomes for themselves, their colleagues, and their organizations.

Mainstream

While we strive to strengthen our personal relationships, conquer our bad habits, get ahead in our careers, and parent more effectively, we often get caught in negative emotional and behavioral patterns that prevent us from moving forward. Read More >

Here's what we can do to change our habits: Read Less ^

By building awareness of our own and others’ emotional nature and learning to face feelings and unhook from thoughts that hinder us, we are able to change our actions to match our values.
Susan explores critical emotional agility habits that enable people to be resilient, adaptive, and to thrive.
Susan teaches how being hooked by thoughts, emotions, and stories hinders our success.
Susan shows how emotional agility enables people to remain compassionate, curious and courageous in times of challenge, and bring their best selves to life and work.
Susan inspires audiences to think, feel, and act differently with deeply impactful and positive outcomes for themselves, their families, colleagues, and communities.

Testimonials

"‘An amazing event. In my opinion, one of the best investments that Ancestry has made in its staff.’ ‘It was absolutely brilliant, and I loved it all! A lot to absorb and learn. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Loved it!’ ‘Honestly, I have never seen anyone embrace our challenges and help to explain solutions in such a precise and beautiful way as you did today. You exceeded my expectations (and the expectations of our CEO and HREVP X 100.) They (and I) were absolutely riveted. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.’"

- SABIC Leadership Conference

"You were exceptional. Your ability to hold space for so many hundreds of people over a broadcast is beyond the typical reach of humans I’ve met. It was awe-inspiring to watch that and to feel throughout the experience."

- GITHUB Annual Leadership Conference

"I have never actually experienced a session like this with someone who is able to be so authentic and talk so beautifully about compassion, courage and connectedness during these complex times. Obviously, her intelligence is there for all to see, but her authenticity and emotions radiated from her! I wish I knew more people like her."

- Goldman Sachs

"The session with Dr. Susan David was remarkable. Thank you for bringing that to me. It was incredibly powerful and practical."

- Google

"An amazing event. In my opinion, one of the best investments that Ancestry has made in its staff."

- Ancestry

"This is exactly what I needed to hear right now. Amazing keynote!"

- Microsoft

"I don’t think it is an understatement to say that lives were changed!"

- GITHUB

"We had such an amazing experience! Thank you. I had a good feeling about her involvement from the beginning, and the outcome was better than I could have hoped for. She really reached our participants ‘in their hearts’."

- McKinsey & Company

"Susan was fantastic. She showed great empathy for the audience and guided our leaders on how to become more agile in face of our daily challenges. Her talk was the perfect blend of inspiring and practical, and the audience loved it!"

- CEO of HSM

"The wisdom of Susan David's innovative insights is only made more impressive by its practicality. Her deep understanding of psychology is matched with clear, real-world steps to more effective leadership."

- Helen Clark, 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand, UNDP Administrator (2009-2017)

"An outstanding success..!"

- CEO of SKY

"Susan reminded us of how critical it is to recognize our feelings and to be emotionally agile. Susan connected with the audience in a powerful way with her ideas and personal stories. It meaningful to us to know that so many others around the world will have an opportunity to be informed and to be inspired."

- Pat Mitchell, TEDWomen