Sarah Aviram
Title: Change Resilience and Employee Engagement Speaker
Talent Development
Education: BA, University of Michigan - MBA, New York University Stern School of Business
New York, NY, USA
Biography
Sarah Aviram is an international keynote speaker, best-selling author, and former Fortune 500 Human Resources leader from companies like PepsiCo and Avon. She’s created and delivered leadership development programs, keynote talks, and workshops to over 50,000 people at companies like Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, American Express, and Google. After working remotely from 12 countries in 12 months in 2019, researching the future of work, she published the best-selling book, Remotivation: The Remote Worker’s Ultimate Guide to Life-Changing Fulfillment. Her thought leadership on motivation in the new era of work has been featured in esteemed publications such as Forbes and the BBC. Sarah’s TEDx talk, “Does more freedom at work mean more fulfillment?” was featured on TED’s homepage and has almost one million views. She has an MBA in Leadership and Change Management from New York University Stern School of Business, where she’s also a guest lecturer on the topic of managing change and uncertainty.
Origin Story
In 2018, I was researching the future of work as the Director of Talent Development for a New York-based tech company.
All signs pointed toward a remote and hybrid work world (Covid-19 accelerated that trend by at least a decade).
I wanted to better understand the opportunities and challenges remote workers faced and convinced my former CEO to let me work remotely for 1 year – from around the world.
Two months later, I was one a one-way flight to Lima, Peru. Over the next year, I lived and worked remotely from 12 countries in 12 months. From co-working spaces in Mexico City and Medellin, to cafes in Kuala Lumpur and Kyoto.
I, along with dozens of people I met, thought having the freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere would make us feel happier and more motivated at work but we often still felt stuck and unfulfilled.
We were looking for something external to solve our internal dissatisfaction.
Through interviews, focus groups, and surveys I conducted, as well as my HR and Change Management expertise, I identified the key motivators that drive our motivation, fulfilment, and performance – and how to activate each one.
This research became the basis of my best-selling book, Remotivation: The Remote Worker’s Ultimate Guide to Life-Changing Fulfillment.
I look forward to sharing my experience and research with your audience and the world, because it’s only once individuals take ownership over their own growth and fulfillment, that they can truly thrive during times of change and uncertainty.
Example talks
Change Resilience: The Missing Link in Leading Through Uncertainty
In a world of constant transformation, leaders are often tasked with navigating change they didn’t choose—yet are expected to lead others through it with clarity and confidence. Traditional change management strategies focus on enhancing external structures and processes. But sustainable resilience starts from the inside.
In this keynote, Sarah Aviram reveals the overlooked connection between change leadership and personal motivation: how clarity about what drives us —at a core human level—can be the most powerful tool in navigating ambiguity, influencing others, and creating momentum.
Through compelling stories from living and working in 12 countries in 12 months, and grounded in organizational psychology, Sarah shares six core motivators that shape how we respond to change, make decisions, and lead during uncertainty. This talk goes beyond standard models to help leaders not just manage change, but inspire through it—with deeper self-awareness, alignment, and influence.
Audience Take-Aways:
A new lens on change: how internal motivation affects our ability to lead and adapt during organizational shifts
A practical framework for identifying and activating the six core motivators that drive decision-making, engagement, and clarity
Insight into how to reduce resistance (in yourself and your teams) by aligning actions with what truly matters
Lead Yourself First: The New Path to Performance and Fulfillment
How can we expect organizations to engage and motivate employees—when most employees don’t even understand what motivates them in the first place? We ask people to align, collaborate, and perform, but rarely give them the space or tools to get clear on what truly drives them.
Most companies try to fix disengagement from the outside in—with new tools, goals, or perks. But you can’t spark real engagement with surface solutions when people have lost touch with what matters to them at their core.
In this powerful and practical keynote, Sarah Aviram shares the missing link in employee engagement: helping people reconnect with their internal drivers—so they can lead themselves, contribute more meaningfully, and perform at their best.
Through research-backed insights and captivating stories from living in 12 countries in 12 months, Sarah introduces the six core motivators that fuel fulfillment and effectiveness at work. Whether you’re leading others or leading yourself, this talk will give you the clarity and tools to turn motivation into momentum.
Audience Takeaways
A clear understanding of the six core motivators that drive performance, fulfillment, and engagement
Insight into why most engagement strategies fall short—and how to fix it from the inside out
Practical tools to create more meaningful, motivating work for yourself and your team
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions
Topics
Origin Story
In 2018, I was researching the future of work as the Director of Talent Development for a New York-based tech company.
All signs pointed toward a remote and hybrid work world (Covid-19 accelerated that trend by at least a decade).
I wanted to better understand the opportunities and challenges remote workers faced and convinced my former CEO to let me work remotely for 1 year – from around the world.
Two months later, I was one a one-way flight to Lima, Peru. Over the next year, I lived and worked remotely from 12 countries in 12 months. From co-working spaces in Mexico City and Medellin, to cafes in Kuala Lumpur and Kyoto.
I, along with dozens of people I met, thought having the freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere would make us feel happier and more motivated at work but we often still felt stuck and unfulfilled.
We were looking for something external to solve our internal dissatisfaction.
Through interviews, focus groups, and surveys I conducted, as well as my HR and Change Management expertise, I identified the key motivators that drive our motivation, fulfilment, and performance – and how to activate each one.
This research became the basis of my best-selling book, Remotivation: The Remote Worker’s Ultimate Guide to Life-Changing Fulfillment.
I look forward to sharing my experience and research with your audience and the world, because it’s only once individuals take ownership over their own growth and fulfillment, that they can truly thrive during times of change and uncertainty.
Example talks
Change Resilience: The Missing Link in Leading Through Uncertainty
In a world of constant transformation, leaders are often tasked with navigating change they didn’t choose—yet are expected to lead others through it with clarity and confidence. Traditional change management strategies focus on enhancing external structures and processes. But sustainable resilience starts from the inside.
In this keynote, Sarah Aviram reveals the overlooked connection between change leadership and personal motivation: how clarity about what drives us —at a core human level—can be the most powerful tool in navigating ambiguity, influencing others, and creating momentum.
Through compelling stories from living and working in 12 countries in 12 months, and grounded in organizational psychology, Sarah shares six core motivators that shape how we respond to change, make decisions, and lead during uncertainty. This talk goes beyond standard models to help leaders not just manage change, but inspire through it—with deeper self-awareness, alignment, and influence.
Audience Take-Aways:
A new lens on change: how internal motivation affects our ability to lead and adapt during organizational shifts
A practical framework for identifying and activating the six core motivators that drive decision-making, engagement, and clarity
Insight into how to reduce resistance (in yourself and your teams) by aligning actions with what truly matters
Lead Yourself First: The New Path to Performance and Fulfillment
How can we expect organizations to engage and motivate employees—when most employees don’t even understand what motivates them in the first place? We ask people to align, collaborate, and perform, but rarely give them the space or tools to get clear on what truly drives them.
Most companies try to fix disengagement from the outside in—with new tools, goals, or perks. But you can’t spark real engagement with surface solutions when people have lost touch with what matters to them at their core.
In this powerful and practical keynote, Sarah Aviram shares the missing link in employee engagement: helping people reconnect with their internal drivers—so they can lead themselves, contribute more meaningfully, and perform at their best.
Through research-backed insights and captivating stories from living in 12 countries in 12 months, Sarah introduces the six core motivators that fuel fulfillment and effectiveness at work. Whether you’re leading others or leading yourself, this talk will give you the clarity and tools to turn motivation into momentum.
Audience Takeaways
A clear understanding of the six core motivators that drive performance, fulfillment, and engagement
Insight into why most engagement strategies fall short—and how to fix it from the inside out
Practical tools to create more meaningful, motivating work for yourself and your team