Nancy Burger, Leadership Coach, Communications Strategist at The Fear Finding Project LLC

Nancy Burger

Leadership Coach, Communications Strategist at The Fear Finding Project LLC

Leadership

Education: University at Albany

Boston, MA, USA

Biography

Nancy R. Burger is a workplace communications strategist and coach who guides executives and teams to foster emotionally healthy cultures. A certified leadership coach, author, and seasoned researcher, Nancy brings her 10+ years in communications expertise and research in psychology to elevate workplace connections. She works with C-suite executives, heads of HR & training/recruiting, managers, business owners, and team leaders across many industries. Nancy also delivers workshops and talks to universities, leadership organizations, and networking groups, all with the aim of cultivating clear, effective, and productive communication dynamics.

Passion

Helping people feel better in their skin by teaching actionable, evidence-based strategies that empower them as communicators, coworkers and leaders.

I am willing to travel

More than 100 miles

When it comes to payments

I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions

Topics

workplace communication team leadership managing workplace communication building psychologically healthy cultures having difficult conversations leadership team effectiveness effective leadership executive and leadership skills leadership skills effective communication resolving limiting beliefs breaking through selflimiting beliefs understanding how trauma impacts the workplace

Best Story

After driving my car into a guard rail and failing a field sobriety test twenty years ago, the police officer said to me, "I don't think this is who you are." In that terrifying moment, I realized that I was rudderless, living like a chameleon, trying to fit into the perceptions and expectations of others. After starting my career on Wall Street in the 80's and moving on to various international banking jobs that I felt completely disconnected from, I became increasingly depressed and unfulfilled. My inner dialogue that was both judgmental and toxic, and I was unable to trust my own intuition. That experience was a wake up call that led me to unpack the insecurities and fears that fueled my negative self concept. The work changed my life.

Origin Story

In my 20 years of research, work, publishing, and writing, I have refined my understanding of the power of words and made a key discovery: The words we hear throughout our life form the stories we tell ourselves which, in turn, influence the words we say, with how we show up for ourselves and for other people. I came to this discovery after grappling for decades with my own negative inner dialogue and fear-based thinking. After developing strategies to shift these dynamics for myself, I became committed to helping others do the same.

Example talks

Who do you think you are?

In this 50-minute keynote speech, Nancy invites the audience to take a closer look at how they view their own performance and measure success. Using story and evidence-based concepts, she masterfully threads the needle on how we choose thoughts based on our own unique set of life experiences and how believing those thoughts can hold us back. The audience will learn that they have the power—right now—to change thoughts and limiting beliefs, to feel better in their skin.

The Art of the Difficult Conversation

In this workshop, I will outline the following five steps to help facilitate uncomfortable or contentious conversations:
• Unpack the fear—identifying the negative expectations or predictions using “what if” questioning.
• Fact versus Fiction—learning to differentiate between concrete facts and narratives we may be creating.
• Do Your Job—the importance of expressing yourself with compassion and honesty while resisting the urge to predicting/projecting how the other person will react.
• Don’t Be Sorry—how apologies should be reserved for situations that call for them rather than used as a crutch to assuage our own discomfort.
• Say It, Then Wait—the importance of holding and space and honoring silence to build trust.

I begin with a brief overview of the concepts, how the “art” of difficult conversation navigation is rooted in science, and the strategies taught in the workshop are all evidence-based and actionable.

The overview will begin with a user-friendly (and brief) explanation of the brain’s wiring (amygdala vs. cortex) and how dreading a tense exchange negatively impacts our ability to access the logical brain. Each step will be explained with examples of how they can be applied in real situations, and I will take time to engage with the audience and draw participation.