The technology industry is known for creating innovative products that shape how we live and work. Behind every one of those innovations are people — and Shantell Thomas has built her career championing their experience.
Shantell began her career marketing technology products but quickly realized her deeper calling was serving the people behind the work. Her professional journey spans globally recognized organizations including IBM, Avalara, Cisco, Lenovo, and Amazon. Within those halls, she discovered her purpose: helping organizations design workplaces where people can truly thrive.
That purpose was crystallized more than a decade ago when, during a performance review, a manager told her, “You need to be a speaker.” She accepted the challenge — and hasn’t left the stage since.
Today, Shantell has delivered keynotes and talks (both live and virtual) for major conferences and organizations including iBTechCon, Young Women in STEM, BITCON, the City of Fayetteville, M.M. LaFleur, the American Marketing Association–Triangle, and the Durham Chamber of Commerce. She has also motivated and engaged employees at companies such as Cisco, Deluxe, Avalara, Amazon, Legrand North America, Google, and Rent.
As the Managing Founder of Inside Out Strategies {iOS}, Shantell brings together every chapter of her journey to help organizations design intentional, inclusive workplaces. She believes the employee experience (EX) deserves the same rigor and care as the customer experience (CX) — because when people thrive, businesses do too.
She now lives in the “Silicon Valley of the South,” Durham, NC, but her unmistakable Southern drawl is a lasting souvenir from her Lowcountry, South Carolina roots. By day, she works to use “Tech for Good” — helping companies turn inclusion, culture, and human-centered design into measurable success. By night, like many mothers, she’s simply trying to figure out what’s for dinner!
I am passionate about people! So much that I pivoted from a career marketing products to one promoting the benefits of investing in your people. I want to shout it from the rooftop (or stage) so decisionmakers get it and act...so they treat their people with the same rigor and care they give to their customers.
My commitment to employee experience wasn’t born around a conference room—it was born during my fourth layoff. After spending years on the receiving end of less than positive workplace decisions, I realized I didn’t just want to survive the employee lifecycle—I wanted to influence it.
My next move was shaping the culture, so that as people move through the six stages of the employee lifecycle, they have more moments of dignity, growth, and care than disappointment to look back on. Even when the experience is hard—like a layoff—it can still be handled in a human-centered way. But that only happens when someone intentionally designs for it.
That’s why I do this work. I stand on stages today to inspire leaders and builders to construct the systems, and mindset that make better workplace experiences possible—because people remember how they felt in those workplaces, long after the job ends.
The technology industry is known for innovative products that touch our lives in different ways. Behind each of those innovations, are people. I am deeply interested in the workplace experience of the people behind those innovations. That deep interest turned into deep work. I pivoted from a career marketing those products, into one enhancing the experience for people in those workplaces.
Difference is the key to achieving healthy outcomes in more than just your diet. If there is difference, there is diversity and that creates healthier outcomes. “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg
As an organization and as an individual. It takes commitment and competency to know where you are to make a roadmap for where you're going. Embrace your space at every stage of the journey.
Some gender stereotypes erode your own confidence. How about those that we bestow on each other? "Oppression Olympics" confronts the idea that the most oppressed are centered and instead should be the genesis of allyship.
This session introduces an ERG Marketing Advisory model—developed and piloted at a Global Fortune 500 company—that formalizes Employee Resource Groups as a trusted source of customer insight. Rather than treating ERGs as engagement-only spaces, the model positions them as strategic partners who review and advise on marketing content before launch.
A framework for nurturing children’s potential by enabling a supportive village, staying open to the unexpected, and following children’s natural interests to lay a strong foundation for their success. By dreaming with children and surrounding them with engaged adults, the presentation emphasizes belief, collaboration, and intentional support as key ingredients for growth.
Achievement is defined as - a thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill. So often we evaluate our ambitions AGAINST the achievement. Based on the size of the ambition we opt-in or opt-out of the courage it takes to achieve. My message is that if you dream it, you can do it - you just have to be SMART about it!
Our roots are a bridge from the past to our present. Are you using your families' story to (1) Survive (2) Adapt (3) Recover or (4) Thrive? If you are here, your ancestors were resilient like mine.
Inclusion isn’t an add-on—it’s a mission-critical mindset. This workshop explores the foundational “why” behind inclusive cultures and how each person, regardless of role or background, contributes to a more equitable and impactful organization.
Clothing is more than just fabric - it’s a tool for empowerment. This talk explores the behavioral and professional impact of clothing, offering insights on how to harness fashion as a confidence booster in the workplace.
You are a part of something really big - a world. You are one of 7.5 Billion people in this world (at last count), but none quite like you or with the same talents and gifts.But what really determines how smart you are? The smartest person in the room is never as smart as all the people in the room -John C. Maxwell, American Author
In order for a product to move from the workforce to the workplace to the marketplace, it takes people. People are germane to the output. About 2% of the population are lucky enough to have a high IQ so, I share the basics needed for another Quotient – PQ, the People Quotient.
POP reframes partnership as a strategic growth lever, positioning it as the often-missing “fifth P” that expands market reach, increases mindshare, and accelerates business outcomes through intentional relationships. The presentation equips businesses with clear partnership models, decision frameworks, and real-world examples to identify, build, and activate partnerships that drive sustainable growth.
This session reframes burnout, disengagement, and turnover as signals of broken listening systems and introduces a practical, repeatable approach for capturing and acting on employee voice beyond traditional surveys. Participants learn a system-based listening framework that transforms feedback into trust-building action, equipping leaders to create cultures where people feel seen, supported, and connected to the mission.
Reverse Mentoring was first popularized by former GE Chairman Jack Welsh in the ‘90s to raise awareness among senior executives. Learn how you can do it for your organization.
Discover practical ways your organization can implement inclusion intentionally. “If you do not intentionally include, you unintentionally exclude”- -Joe Gerstandt
Evidence on the impact of purpose on performance is growing. Companies with authentic purpose embedded in their core business activities have been shown to achieve more. Let’s begin with purpose as we explore how people, product and profit are all integrated.
Traces my nonlinear journey across multiple careers to show how passion, persistence, and calculated risk-taking can evolve into purpose-driven success. Through personal storytelling, entrepreneurship lessons, and creative exploration, the presentation encourages audiences to embrace networking, integrity, and continuous learning as they turn dreams into sustainable realities.
Show success is built at the intersection of story, serendipity, ideas, material, and readiness—showing that progress happens when preparation meets opportunity. Through real-world marketing examples and career lessons, this presentation illustrates how staying persistent, curious, and ready enables students to capitalize on moments that can change everything.
My commitment to employee experience wasn’t born around a conference room—it was born during my fourth layoff. After spending years on the receiving end of less than positive workplace decisions, I realized I didn’t just want to survive the employee lifecycle—I wanted to influence it.
My next move was shaping the culture, so that as people move through the six stages of the employee lifecycle, they have more moments of dignity, growth, and care than disappointment to look back on. Even when the experience is hard—like a layoff—it can still be handled in a human-centered way. But that only happens when someone intentionally designs for it.
That’s why I do this work. I stand on stages today to inspire leaders and builders to construct the systems, and mindset that make better workplace experiences possible—because people remember how they felt in those workplaces, long after the job ends.
The technology industry is known for innovative products that touch our lives in different ways. Behind each of those innovations, are people. I am deeply interested in the workplace experience of the people behind those innovations. That deep interest turned into deep work. I pivoted from a career marketing those products, into one enhancing the experience for people in those workplaces.
Difference is the key to achieving healthy outcomes in more than just your diet. If there is difference, there is diversity and that creates healthier outcomes. “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg
As an organization and as an individual. It takes commitment and competency to know where you are to make a roadmap for where you're going. Embrace your space at every stage of the journey.
Some gender stereotypes erode your own confidence. How about those that we bestow on each other? "Oppression Olympics" confronts the idea that the most oppressed are centered and instead should be the genesis of allyship.
This session introduces an ERG Marketing Advisory model—developed and piloted at a Global Fortune 500 company—that formalizes Employee Resource Groups as a trusted source of customer insight. Rather than treating ERGs as engagement-only spaces, the model positions them as strategic partners who review and advise on marketing content before launch.
A framework for nurturing children’s potential by enabling a supportive village, staying open to the unexpected, and following children’s natural interests to lay a strong foundation for their success. By dreaming with children and surrounding them with engaged adults, the presentation emphasizes belief, collaboration, and intentional support as key ingredients for growth.
Achievement is defined as - a thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill. So often we evaluate our ambitions AGAINST the achievement. Based on the size of the ambition we opt-in or opt-out of the courage it takes to achieve. My message is that if you dream it, you can do it - you just have to be SMART about it!
Our roots are a bridge from the past to our present. Are you using your families' story to (1) Survive (2) Adapt (3) Recover or (4) Thrive? If you are here, your ancestors were resilient like mine.
Inclusion isn’t an add-on—it’s a mission-critical mindset. This workshop explores the foundational “why” behind inclusive cultures and how each person, regardless of role or background, contributes to a more equitable and impactful organization.
Clothing is more than just fabric - it’s a tool for empowerment. This talk explores the behavioral and professional impact of clothing, offering insights on how to harness fashion as a confidence booster in the workplace.
You are a part of something really big - a world. You are one of 7.5 Billion people in this world (at last count), but none quite like you or with the same talents and gifts.But what really determines how smart you are? The smartest person in the room is never as smart as all the people in the room -John C. Maxwell, American Author
In order for a product to move from the workforce to the workplace to the marketplace, it takes people. People are germane to the output. About 2% of the population are lucky enough to have a high IQ so, I share the basics needed for another Quotient – PQ, the People Quotient.
POP reframes partnership as a strategic growth lever, positioning it as the often-missing “fifth P” that expands market reach, increases mindshare, and accelerates business outcomes through intentional relationships. The presentation equips businesses with clear partnership models, decision frameworks, and real-world examples to identify, build, and activate partnerships that drive sustainable growth.
This session reframes burnout, disengagement, and turnover as signals of broken listening systems and introduces a practical, repeatable approach for capturing and acting on employee voice beyond traditional surveys. Participants learn a system-based listening framework that transforms feedback into trust-building action, equipping leaders to create cultures where people feel seen, supported, and connected to the mission.
Reverse Mentoring was first popularized by former GE Chairman Jack Welsh in the ‘90s to raise awareness among senior executives. Learn how you can do it for your organization.
Discover practical ways your organization can implement inclusion intentionally. “If you do not intentionally include, you unintentionally exclude”- -Joe Gerstandt
Evidence on the impact of purpose on performance is growing. Companies with authentic purpose embedded in their core business activities have been shown to achieve more. Let’s begin with purpose as we explore how people, product and profit are all integrated.
Traces my nonlinear journey across multiple careers to show how passion, persistence, and calculated risk-taking can evolve into purpose-driven success. Through personal storytelling, entrepreneurship lessons, and creative exploration, the presentation encourages audiences to embrace networking, integrity, and continuous learning as they turn dreams into sustainable realities.
Show success is built at the intersection of story, serendipity, ideas, material, and readiness—showing that progress happens when preparation meets opportunity. Through real-world marketing examples and career lessons, this presentation illustrates how staying persistent, curious, and ready enables students to capitalize on moments that can change everything.