Keynotes and speaking
High-impact presentations for conferences, leadership summits and corporate events. 45 to 90 minutes.
- The Leadership Upgrade
- The Five AI Leadership Shifts
- The neuroscience of leading through disruption
- CLEAR PACE communication
For organizations: speaking and training
Keynotes, workshops and training that change how leaders think, decide and lead
Research-backed keynotes, hands-on workshops and modular training programs from a Master Certified Coach who works with senior leaders every week. In person across Southern Oregon, nationwide for conferences and offsites, and virtually for distributed teams. Audiences leave with a framework they can use the next morning, not only a good feeling.
- ICF Master Certified Coach, Top 1% Globally
- Professional Fellow, IOC, McLean/Harvard Medical School
- Writes for Forbes
- MIT Professional Education
- Author of Leaderwired
Leaders from
GooglePayPalTeslaAmgeneBayMorgan StanleyServiceNowGenentechAmentumUberCignaVerizonFederal Reserve
Three ways in
One idea in front of everyone, or a capability the room can use on Monday
Anna Barnhill brings sixteen years of senior-leader work to stages, boardrooms and training rooms across the country. Keynotes put one idea in front of everyone. Workshops build one capability by doing. Training programs develop a bench over time. All three run on the same methodology, so a keynote can become a workshop, and a workshop a program.
Interactive workshops
Hands-on sessions that build specific capabilities through experiential learning. Half-day to multi-day formats.
- From Conflict to Confluence
- The Emotionally Effective Leader
- Strategic Leadership
- House of Empathy
Leadership training programs
Comprehensive development curricula for leadership teams and high-potential talent. Modular or integrated delivery.
- Executive Leadership Excellence
- Emerging Leader Development
- Eight modular topics
Signature topics
Keynotes that change how leaders think
Each keynote is research-backed, customized to the audience, and designed for immediate application.
45 to 90 minute keynote
The Leadership Upgrade: rewiring how you think, decide and lead
Your leadership operating system was built for a world that no longer exists. This keynote introduces the 7-5-3 Human Upgrade Code, the complete architecture for transforming how leaders process information, make decisions and drive results in the age of AI. Audiences leave with a personal diagnostic of which operating system components need upgrading first.
Best for: C-suite, VP and above, leadership summits
The 7-5-3 Human Upgrade Code45 to 90 minute keynote or half-day workshop
The Five AI Leadership Shifts every executive must make
AI does not replace leaders. It reveals who was actually leading. This keynote presents five mental model shifts that determine whether AI amplifies your leadership or exposes its gaps. From treating AI as a collaborator instead of a tool, to pursuing capability instead of efficiency, audiences gain a practical framework for leading the AI transformation.
Best for: technology leaders, innovation teams, board retreats
The Five AI Leadership Shifts45 to 60 minute keynote
The neuroscience of leading through disruption
Under pressure, every leader reverts to defaults. This neuroscience-grounded keynote reveals why, and provides the cognitive tools to override those defaults in real time. Drawing on research from IOC, McLean/Harvard Medical School, where Anna is a Professional Fellow, audiences discover how their brain processes uncertainty, and how to rewire their response patterns for better decisions under stress.
Best for: healthcare, financial services, high-pressure industries
The Leadership Operating SystemHalf-day or full-day workshop
Closing the intent-impact gap: the CLEAR PACE communication framework
Every leader has said something with one intention that landed with a completely different impact. CLEAR PACE is the nine-element executive communication framework that closes this gap, structuring both the message (CLEAR) and the messenger’s internal state (PACE). This workshop transforms how teams communicate in high-stakes conversations, feedback sessions and crisis moments.
Best for: executive teams, management development, L&D programs
CLEAR PACEAll topics are customized to your event theme, industry and audience. Anna also develops bespoke presentations for specific organizational challenges.
See her work
Anna on stage
A 2026 keynote and two full sessions, so you can hear the arguments before you book the room. Podcasts and the long-form conversations are on the Media page.
Why most leaders are not ready for AI, and what to do about it
A 2026 keynote, recorded in the room: the argument a leadership audience hears first, and what it can do on Monday.
Keynote, 2026
Upgrade your leadership operating system in the AI era
The keynote argument in full: why the gap that limits a senior leader is architectural, not informational.
43 minutes
The $366 Billion Leadership Gap
Why AI transformations fail before they start, and what a leadership audience can do about it on Monday.
34 minutes
In sixty seconds
Six ideas, one minute each
The short clips that travel: what a keynote audience takes home, in the length of a coffee break.
Engagement formats
Choose the right format for your event
Keynote
Inspire and ignite. High-impact presentations that shift how leaders think about AI, leadership and organizational change.
- 45 to 90 minute presentations
- Conferences, summits, annual meetings
- Audiences of 50 to 5,000 and more
- Pre-event strategy call included
- Customized to your industry and theme
- Q&A and audience interaction
Workshop
Develop and transform. Interactive sessions that build measurable leadership capability, not only inspiration. The most requested format.
- Half-day and full-day programs
- Interactive exercises and breakout sessions
- Skill-building with behavior change metrics
- Emerging leader cohorts and management teams
- Audiences of 15 to 100 and more
- Post-session resources and frameworks
Offsite
Immerse and accelerate. Deep-dive facilitation that aligns executive teams around strategy, culture and AI readiness.
- Half-day to multi-day facilitation
- Strategic planning and team alignment
- Post-merger integration sessions
- Groups of 8 to 50 senior leaders
- Integrates coaching methodology
- Custom curriculum design
Each engagement is custom-scoped. Request a proposal for detailed investment information.
Next public workshop
The AI-Empowered Leader
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 · BBSI, Medford, Oregon
Building the mindset and the toolkit to make AI work for you
Three hours, in person and hands-on, with Anna Barnhill, MCC on the mindset and Justin Barnhill, LSSMBB on the toolkit. For business owners, executives and managers who want their organizations ahead of the AI curve. No technical background required.
Workshops
Four workshops, built for practice
Each workshop applies the Leaderwired methodology through experiential learning: capability built through practice, not just presentation. Current content, hands-on exercises, and skills participants can apply immediately.
Half-day, full-day or two-day intensive
From Conflict to Confluence
Convert team tension into collaborative advantage. Organizations waste tremendous energy when teams engage in unproductive conflict. This workshop helps leaders transform disagreement into creative problem-solving, establish psychological safety that encourages constructive challenge, develop protocols for making decisions despite differing perspectives, and build stronger relationships through productive tension. Leaders leave with a shared protocol for the next hard conversation.
Ideal for leadership teams, project teams and cross-functional groups
Also run as a two-day team intensiveHalf-day or full-day
The Emotionally Effective Leader
Develop the emotional intelligence to lead through complexity. This workshop helps leaders make better decisions under pressure by managing their emotional responses, build stronger connections with team members during challenging times, recognize and address the emotional dynamics that block performance, and use empathy as a strategic tool for driving engagement and innovation. Pairs well with an EQ-i 2.0 baseline for each participant.
Ideal for managers, emerging leaders and high-potential talent
Emotional intelligence coachingFull-day or two-day
Strategic Leadership: cultivating innovation and adaptability
Build adaptive organizations that thrive on change. This workshop equips leaders to create environments where innovation flourishes under pressure. Participants learn to foster psychological safety and intellectual honesty within their teams, balance emotional intelligence with assertive communication, turn constructive conflict into a catalyst for creativity and productivity, and lead with confidence during uncertainty and disruption.
Ideal for senior leadership teams, change leaders and innovation teams
Culture transformationFull-day or two-day
House of Empathy: high performance through empathetic leadership
Create sustainable performance through human-centered leadership. This workshop changes how leaders balance high performance expectations with human-centered approaches. Participants learn to build workplace environments founded on trust, appreciation and shared purpose, develop empathetic leadership practices that enhance team engagement, and connect organizational excellence with individual fulfillment and growth.
Ideal for organizations focused on culture change and engagement
The House of Empathy frameworkIn the room
What participants say
Her ability to create a supportive environment fostered active participation and encouraged meaningful discussions during office hours.
Mohana G.Participant to MIT Leadership and Innovation Program
She is not only an outstanding teacher but also a genuinely kind and caring person.
J.P. PeraltaMIT Leadership and Innovation program participant
She confirmed that everyone had an opportunity to provide input and engage.
Anju KakkarMIT Leadership and Innovation Program Participant
Training programs
Sustained development, modular or integrated
For organizations seeking sustained leadership development, training programs can be delivered as a comprehensive curriculum or as standalone sessions, based on your needs.
Executive Leadership Excellence
A comprehensive program for senior leaders.
- Strategic thinking and execution
- Leading organizational transformation
- Building high-performance leadership teams
- Developing enterprise-wide influence
Emerging Leader Development
Accelerates the growth of high-potential leaders.
- Essential leadership mindsets and behaviors
- Team leadership and collaboration skills
- Change leadership capability
- Strategic communication and influence
Modular training topics
Individual modules can be combined into a custom program or delivered as standalone sessions.
- Emotional intelligence mastery
- 7 Levels of Leadership (Energy Leadership Index)
- Leader as coach
- Effective communication for leaders
- High-performance team building
- Authentic leadership
- Values-based leadership
- Innovation and change management
The approach to group learning
Three capabilities, one foundation
Every keynote, workshop and training program is built on the Leaderwired methodology, the framework behind Anna’s book, Leaderwired: The AI-Era Leadership Playbook for Transforming How You Think, Decide and Lead. The approach develops three integrated capabilities: the mindsets to see clearly under pressure, the skillsets to act decisively with incomplete information, and the systems to scale what works across your organization.
The foundation: Strategic Discomfort
At the heart of every engagement is a principle most development programs avoid. Breakthrough leadership requires intentional tension: the willingness to confront difficult truths, make uncomfortable decisions, and have the conversations others avoid. Where others promise painless change, this work develops your leaders’ capacity to lead through discomfort, not around it.
The process
What to expect
Every engagement is tailored to your audience, objectives and desired outcomes.
Share your vision
Submit an inquiry with your event details: audience, objectives, format and timeline.
Discovery conversation
A conversation to align on your audience’s challenges and desired outcomes.
Customized proposal
A tailored engagement plan including content, logistics and investment.
Event day
A seamless, high-impact experience designed to create lasting change for your audience.
About your speaker and facilitator
Anna Barnhill, MCC
Anna Barnhill is a Master Certified Coach based in Medford, Oregon, with master’s degrees in industrial-organizational psychology and the neuroscience of learning, and a Professional Fellow, IOC, McLean/Harvard Medical School, where she bridges neuroscience research with real-world executive leadership. Her book, Leaderwired: The AI-Era Leadership Playbook for Transforming How You Think, Decide and Lead, introduces the 7-5-3 Human Upgrade Code, the complete architecture for leadership change in the age of AI.
With sixteen years coaching senior leaders at Fortune 500 companies across tech, healthcare, finance and government through mergers, AI transformations and cultural reinventions, Anna brings a depth of executive insight that pure academics and motivational speakers cannot match. Every keynote and workshop is grounded in both research and the lived experience of working with leaders at the highest levels.
Every keynote audience gets the framework. Anna’s presentations are built on the Leaderwired methodology, the same frameworks she uses with executives, so attendees do not just hear ideas: they receive a system they can implement immediately.
- ICF Master Certified Coach, Top 1% Globally
- Professional Fellow, IOC, McLean/Harvard Medical School
- Writes for Forbes
- MIT Professional Education
- Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach
- Master’s degrees in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and the Neuroscience of Learning
- Author of Leaderwired
What leaders say
100% of participating executives were rated more effective by their own stakeholders after eighteen months. Staff turnover fell from 13% to 1%.
A major U.S. financial institution, 2026
Her presence is immediate and magnetic; when she speaks, she commands the room with a blend of authority, clarity, and warmth that leaves participants energized and ready to act. She is able to transform skeptical teams into eager collaborators, merely by articulating complex leadership concepts in relatable, simple terms. Her speaking engagements balance storytelling, humor, and hard data in ways that resonate equally with junior staff and seasoned executives.
Holly HarrisonSr. Director, Space & Critical Infrastructure, Amentum
Anna successfully combines expertise and practical guidance, making her a valuable resource for any organization seeking to inspire leaders. She delivered insightful sessions focused on creating psychological safety and fostering intellectual honesty, both important aspects of cultivating an innovative culture within organizations.
NACUFSNational Association of College & University Food Services
Attending Anna’s program was a pivotal moment in our team’s development. Her insights and methodologies have been invaluable.
ParticipantMIT Leadership and Innovation Program
Who this is for
Organizations, and the people who plan their events
Organizations
- Companies investing in leadership development for high-potential talent
- Organizations navigating transformation, merger integration or culture change
- Teams working through conflict, alignment or collaboration
- Businesses building emotional intelligence and communication capability
Conference and event organizers
- Leadership conferences seeking keynotes that deliver actionable content
- Professional associations hosting executive development events
- Chamber of commerce business forums
- Industry summits focused on leadership, innovation or AI-era transformation
Leaderwired Institute, the AI-native engine
The training that works never scaled. The training that scaled never worked.
Benjamin Bloom proved it in 1984: a learner with a tutor outperforms 98 percent of a classroom. Forty years later, leadership development still runs on the same trade-off. The offsite and the course scale; the coach does not. Leaders attend, absorb, return to their desks, and revert.
Leaderwired Institute is the answer Anna and Justin built: an AI-native engine, trained on the method you meet in this practice, that evaluates every leader, develops them through unscripted practice against live scenarios, coaches them between conversations, and advances them only on demonstrated mastery. Every engagement with Anna can include it, so the work continues after the session ends and progress is measured, not assumed.
- Evaluate
- Develop
- Coach
- Reinforce
Questions
What event organizers and L&D leaders ask
What topics does Anna speak about?
Keynotes and workshops at the intersection of AI-era leadership, neuroscience-based decision-making and executive team performance. The most requested topics are leading through AI transformation, the neuroscience of executive decision-making under uncertainty, building AI-ready leadership teams, and rewiring organizational culture. Each presentation draws from her book, Leaderwired, and frameworks developed through years of coaching senior leaders.
What formats are available?
Several, to match your event: 45 to 90 minute keynotes for conferences and summits, half-day and full-day workshops with interactive exercises, multi-day executive team offsites for strategic alignment, fireside chats and panel moderation, and virtual keynotes and workshops for distributed teams.
What makes Anna different from other leadership keynote speakers?
A rare combination: ICF Master Certified Coach, Top 1% Globally; Professional Fellow, IOC, McLean/Harvard Medical School; Forbes; MIT; Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach. Unlike speakers who only present theory, Anna works directly with senior executives as a coach, which means every keynote is grounded in real leadership challenges, not just research.
How far in advance should we book?
For conference keynotes and major events, three to six months in advance is recommended, as prime dates fill quickly. For executive team offsites and workshops, six to eight weeks of lead time is typical, though shorter timelines can sometimes be accommodated. Use the inquiry form below to check availability for your preferred dates.
Can presentations be customized for our industry?
Yes. Every engagement is customized to your organization’s industry, strategic priorities and audience composition. The process begins with a discovery call about your event objectives, audience challenges and desired outcomes.
What results do organizations see?
Organizations report measurable shifts in how their leaders approach AI adoption, team decision-making and strategic thinking. After her workshops, executive teams report greater alignment on AI strategy, improved decision-making speed and quality, stronger cross-functional collaboration, and a shared framework for leading through uncertainty.
Can workshops be delivered virtually or outside Southern Oregon?
Yes. In-person delivery covers Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass and the Rogue Valley, with travel nationwide for conferences, corporate events and offsites. Interactive virtual workshops and webinars are available for distributed teams.
How is a workshop customized?
Every engagement begins with a discovery conversation about your objectives, your audience and the challenges in the room. Content, exercises and examples are then tailored to your industry and your leaders’ real situations. Where it helps, participants complete an assessment such as the EQ-i 2.0 or the Energy Leadership Index beforehand, so the session works from a baseline rather than from assumptions.
How do workshops connect to coaching?
Workshops build shared language and practice; coaching makes the change stick for individual leaders. Many organizations follow a workshop with individual or team coaching, and the same frameworks carry through. Between sessions, the Leaderwired Institute, AI Coach Anna and the Leaderwired EQ Gym can keep the practice going: see leaderwiredinstitute.ai.
Inquiry
Let’s discuss your event
Share your event details and we will respond within two business days with availability and a custom proposal.
Write to info@annabarnhill.com.
From the leaders who endorsed Leaderwired
A comprehensive, multi-layered system that moves from personal transformation to team culture to the unique challenge of leading through AI. This book is a companion to a complex and challenging leadership journey, and Anna is the sherpa you want by your side.
Ronan DunneFormer CEO, Verizon Wireless
Drawing on academic rigor, neuroscience-informed insight, and deep experience developing senior leaders, Anna Barnhill offers a clear framework for why so many transformation efforts fall short in the AI era. A timely and substantive contribution to how we prepare leaders for the future of work.
Jill BruningChief Technology Officer, Amentum
Transformation begins with the ‘me’ — and LeaderWired gives leaders the mirror and the map to see clearly and move forward with purpose.
Claus Torp JensenFormer Chief Innovation Officer and EVP of R&D and Technology, Teladoc Health
Prefer to talk it through first?
Thirty minutes, no pitch: your audience, your objectives, and whether this is the right fit.