Several years ago, I attended a conference for high performers. What struck me most from interacting with other attendees was how uncomfortably stressed out they all were… just like I was. This is an observation I would come to make again and again throughout my career: So many of the world's high achievers are also the most unbalanced in how they manage their stress.

I love the excitement that comes with a high pressure role. I love the high stakes scenarios, the multiple priorities, the need to perform. I like to work hard and I love to do a good job.

What I don't love is the belief that performance and inner calm are mutually exclusive.
I don't like the attitude that having maxed out stress levels is a necessary part of being successful.
I certainly don't like the belief that a person can't be both a high achiever and someone who protects their inner calm.

In this deeply personal keynote, I share lessons from my journey from being perpetually stressed-out to finding inner calm and balance... without sacrificing performance. I talk about the key mindset shifts and practices that allowed me to come back to myself and how I integrated these with my passion for excellence and drive for success.

After attending this talk, participants will have more compassionate confidence in how they navigate their inner landscape no matter what is happening in their external or internal environments. They will be able to identify techniques for managing their thoughts, navigating their emotions, and elevating their mindsets… all while continuing to strive for excellence.

With growing access to information and automation, now more than ever, it is critical that bankers be able to think like their clients to be able to provide the best service and advice possible. However, as with all experiences in life, it's difficult to fully appreciate something you have not experienced directly. This is one of the reasons why it can be so challenging for business bankers to truly think like their clients.

So, in this engaging and insightful keynote, I bridge that gap by sharing the many things I've learned as an entrepreneur that I wish I'd known during my 17 years as a business banker.

From perspectives that would have made it even easier to think like and connect with my business banking clients to work habits that would have made me even more effective as a high performing banker, I reveal key insights I gained during my transition from financial services professional to full-time entrepreneur.

After attending this talk, business bankers will have more compassionate confidence in their interactions with clients.

This talk can be adapted for bankers who deal exclusively with small business clients, bankers who deal exclusively with larger business clients, bankers who are not client-facing but whose work impacts client-facing business bankers, or an audience that includes a combination of these groups.