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This keynote distills down 12 years of Heather R Younger experience reviewing 25,000 employee engagement survey comments into actionable insights that have been proven to lead to better engagement, better customer satisfaction, higher revenue, lower turnover, and brand loyalty.
This program is perfect for leaders:
Seeking to understand employees, prospects, or customers to better meet their needs
Working to improve the culture at work to ensure everyone feels heard, valued, and appreciated
Supporting others at work to become more engaged, motivated, and productive
The audience will leave with:
The four Caring Leadership principles delivered in Heather R Younger keynote serve as a powerful reminder of every leader’s responsibility to uplift their team and organization and drive real business results.
This program is perfect for leaders:
Supporting employees through organizational change
Prioritizing self-development as part of their leadership development
Working to improve their ability to inspire and engage those they lead and meet key organizational goals
The audience will leave with:
In this empowering, interactive, and hope-filled keynote, Heather provides a roadmap for navigating change with agility, confidence, resilience — and a positive outlook.
This program is perfect for leaders:
Powering through tough moments or times of crisis
Fortifying those they lead in preparation for future challenges
Equipping their organization to thrive long term
The audience will leave with:
This keynote draws from Heather R Younger personal experiences as the only child of an interfaith and interracial marriage to inspire leaders to flex their empathy muscles and master the art of active listening to ensure every employee feels valued, respected and supported.
This program is perfect for leaders:
Building cultures of belonging at work
Seeking to honor their colleagues’ diverse experiences and perspectives
Educating themselves about other peoples’ challenges
The audience will leave with:
Heather R. Younger, J.D., CSP, is the Founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix and a globally recognized authority in workplace culture and employee engagement. Named to the 2025 Thinkers50 Radar list, Heather brings over 25 years of leadership experience across sectors like tech, healthcare, finance, and public institutions.
A former practicing attorney, she blends storytelling, data, and her Caring Leadership Transformation Model™ to help leaders lead with both heart and impact. A best-selling author and two-time TEDx speaker, Heather is also a LinkedIn Learning instructor and host of the Leadership with Heart podcast.
Heather R Younger is the Founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a prominent figure in the realm of employee engagement and consulting. Renowned as a captivating keynote speaker, Heather brings forth invaluable insights garnered from over 25,000 employee experiences.
With a robust background spanning decades in human resources and organizational development, Heather R Younger has solidified her position as a thought leader in the field of employee engagement. Holding a keen understanding of the intricate interplay between organizational culture, leadership, and employee satisfaction, Heather employs a multifaceted approach to drive positive change within organizations. Her extensive experience encompasses working with a diverse array of industries, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to startups, allowing her to tailor her insights to suit the unique needs of each client.
Heather’s expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is unparalleled, as she assists organizations in fostering inclusive environments where every individual feels valued and heard. Through her consultancy work, Heather provides actionable strategies for dismantling systemic barriers and promoting diversity at all levels of the organization.
One of Heather’s most notable contributions to the field lies in her pioneering work on listening at work. Recognizing the pivotal role of effective communication in driving organizational success, she has spearheaded initiatives aimed at cultivating a culture of active listening within teams. Drawing from her research and real-world experiences, Heather equips leaders with the tools and techniques necessary to foster meaningful connections and enhance employee engagement.
Heather R Younger stands at the forefront of the employee engagement revolution, empowering organizations to cultivate thriving workplace cultures built on trust, inclusion, and effective communication. As a sought-after speaker, consultant, and podcast host, she continues to inspire leaders worldwide to lead with heart and embrace the power of listening in driving organizational excellence.
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A workplace culture expert explains why real listening, not just hearing drives employee engagement, belonging, and organizational success.
Drawing on insights from over 25,000 employee surveys and years of organizational work, the speaker highlights a powerful truth: when leaders really listen, employees will tell them exactly what they need to thrive and will give their best in return.
The presentation begins with a simple question: How do you feel when someone truly listens to you? The answer is validated, valued, and understood—illustrates why listening is the cornerstone of engagement.
The speaker shares a personal story from a corporate merger, where fear and mistrust spread due to poor communication. Despite five companies’ worth of employees ready to collaborate, leadership failed to listen. In response, she created an employee engagement council to surface insights that executives overlooked.
The lesson: organizations must learn to recognize what isn’t being said the blind spots caused by fear or lack of trust. Listening requires awareness, empathy, and the courage to remove one’s own lens to see through others’.
The talk emphasizes that diversity, inclusion, and belonging depend on leaders practicing compassionate listening. More than words, listening requires action, the follow-through that shows employees their voices matter.
Ultimately, when organizations invest in listening, employees invest back. This creates trust, fuels innovation, and ensures long-term success.
00:00 – Introduction: findings from 25,000+ surveys on engagement
00:30 – Why listening matters: being heard makes people feel valued
01:15 – Story: leading customer experience during a merger marked by mistrust
02:00 – Creating an employee engagement council to give workers a voice
02:45 – Leaders’ blind spot: failing to recognize what wasn’t being said
03:20 – Listening requires empathy, removing bias, and stepping into others’ shoes
04:15 – Diversity & inclusion: listening as compassion and courage
05:00 – The action behind listening: making voices matter
05:30 – Conclusion: invest in people through listening, and they will invest back
A sales leader shares how listening turned a $2M client at risk of leaving into double the revenue.
In this talk, the speaker recounts a powerful real-world example of listening as a sales superpower. While leading client development, she discovered that a $2 million client was unhappy with processes developed by leadership and was ready to leave.
Instead of defending the company, she thanked the client, promised action, and took the concerns directly to the team. Though initially dismissed, her persistence led to changes that included the client in process discussions. The outcome: not only did the client stay, they canceled with another vendor and doubled their spend with her company.
The key takeaway: listening differentiates you in sales. By tuning in to customers’ needs, hearing their concerns, and acting on feedback, businesses can prevent churn, close new deals, and grow existing accounts. The client even stated explicitly that the difference-maker was being listened to and having their needs respected.
00:00 – Story setup: leading client development with sales responsibility
00:20 – Discovery: $2M client unhappy, threatening to leave
00:45 – Immediate response: thanking the client, promising to act
01:00 – Taking concerns to leadership and production teams, pushing through resistance
01:30 – Process changes made with client involvement
02:00 – Result: client stayed, expanded business, doubled revenue
02:30 – Lesson: listening in sales saves and grows accounts
03:00 – Client feedback: “You differentiated yourself because you listened.”
Absolutely, each talk is tailored via discovery questions and incorporates audience culture and goals. CMI Speakers
Ranges†: Virtual events ~$17,000; Live U.S. full-day ~$25,000; ranges vary upwards with travel and customization.
Grounded in research and real-world application, Heather leads with vulnerability, presence, and follow-through. She embodies Caring Leadership®, not just teaches it.
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