Psychologist, cancer survivor and elite trainer helping people build real resilience through mind and body.
5.00 of 5
Top rated!5 of 5
“Renee Exelbert is a dynamic speaker. She knows how to engage her audience to make sure her message is understood. I left feeling like Renee had spoken directly to me.”
Janet Levitt, President
Rockland Women’s Business Network
Dr. Renee Exelbert brings a rare and compelling perspective to the stage. As a licensed psychologist, elite personal trainer and cancer survivor, she connects science with lived experience in a way that resonates deeply. Her work centers on helping individuals and organizations strengthen resilience, navigate adversity and unlock performance through the mind-body connection. With clarity, energy and authenticity, Renee delivers insights that translate into real-world change—whether facing personal challenges or leading through uncertainty.
Dr. Renee Exelbert stands at the intersection of psychology and physical performance, offering a perspective shaped by both professional expertise and personal transformation. With a B.S. from Cornell University and both an M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University, her academic foundation is strong. Yet it is her life experience that gives her message its depth and credibility.
Her early career began as a Staff Psychologist at the Cancer Center for Kids at NYU Winthrop Hospital, where she supported children and adolescents facing cancer. This work required emotional strength, empathy and clinical precision. Then, life shifted dramatically—Renee became a cancer patient herself.
Facing cancer firsthand reshaped Renee’s understanding of resilience. What had once been clinical knowledge became deeply personal. She experienced the fears, the uncertainty and the physical toll that patients endure. At the same time, she discovered the powerful role the mind plays in physical recovery and performance.
This turning point led her to rethink how people approach adversity. It became clear that mental and physical strength are not separate—they are interconnected and essential to overcoming challenges.
Following her recovery, Renee founded the Metamorphosis Center for Psychological and Physical Change. Here, she integrates psychotherapy with physical training to help individuals create lasting transformation.
She also developed Visual Emotional Kinetics©, a method that combines:
This approach is designed to help individuals break through barriers, enhance performance and build resilience that lasts. It is practical, actionable and grounded in both science and lived experience.
Renee didn’t just teach this philosophy—she applied it herself. After cancer, she became a bodybuilding competitor, reclaiming strength, control and confidence in her own body. This journey adds a powerful dimension to her work, showing what is possible when mindset and action align.
As a speaker, Dr. Renee Exelbert delivers more than theory. She shares real strategies backed by real experience. Her key topics include mental strength, overcoming adversity and the mind-body connection, all presented with clarity and energy.
She works with leaders, teams and organizations that need to perform under pressure, adapt to change and stay resilient through challenges. Her talks resonate because they are relatable, actionable and grounded in authenticity.
Audiences leave with tools they can apply immediately—whether in leadership, teamwork or personal development.
Renee’s work has been widely recognized across major media platforms. She has been featured in Thrive Global, Good Housekeeping, The New York Post, Parade Magazine, CNBC, Today, Popsugar, Runner’s World and Shape Magazine. She has also appeared on television outlets including Fox5 News, Newsmax, NewsNation, News12 and Merit Street Media.
She is a TEDx speaker, known for her talk “The Gift of Cancer,” where she shares insights from her journey and the lessons it revealed about resilience and growth.
Renee is also the author of Chemo Muscles: Lessons Learned from Being a Psycho-Oncologist and Cancer Patient (Mascot Books, 2020), where she combines professional expertise with personal reflection to explore the realities of adversity and strength.
In addition to her speaking and organizational work, Renee maintains a private practice in Nyack, New York. She works with children, adolescents, adults and families, helping them navigate challenges and build resilience.
She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School, teaching master’s-level psychology courses in the Department of Applied Psychology. This role keeps her closely connected to the latest research while shaping the next generation of professionals.
Dr. Renee Exelbert offers a perspective that is both credible and deeply human. She understands adversity from every angle—as a psychologist, a patient and a performer. Her ability to translate that experience into practical tools makes her a strong choice for organizations seeking meaningful impact.
When you book Dr. Renee Exelbert, you bring in a speaker who delivers insight, energy and real-world strategies for resilience, performance and growth.
5 of 5
“Renee Exelbert is a dynamic speaker. She knows how to engage her audience to make sure her message is understood. I left feeling like Renee had spoken directly to me.”
Janet Levitt, President Rockland Women’s Business Network
5 of 5
“Renee is the kind of speaker who doesn’t just deliver a message - she creates a moment you remember. Powerful, genuine, and unforgettable.”
Mohammed Alabdali, Organizer TEDX Texas Tech
5 of 5
“Dr. Exelbert has been such a joy to work with over the years, as both an expert on stories connecting mental health and exercise, as well as a collaborator on panel discussions. She brings a positive, uplifting spirit that shines brighter than other presenters, and clearly delivers her knowledge and expertise to an audience. I distinctly remember at a panel for half marathon runners, Dr. Exelbert not only gave engaging, insightful answers to my questions about the mental approach to training and racing, but she also led everyone through a mindfulness meditation. As I peeked around the room during that meditation, I could see everyone’s eyes closed and how much they were listening to her voice, and following her directions. And afterward, everyone raved about the event, especially those moments of mindfulness.”
Mallory Creveling, Deputy Editor, Health & Fitness Runner’s World
Keynote by Dr. Renee Exelbert:
Shifting your mindset is the pathway to building lasting resilience.
In challenging times, it’s not just what happens to us - but how we think about it and respond to it - that determines our strength. Through powerful stories, science-backed strategies and Visual Emotional Kinetics© - the integration of positive thoughts, visualizations and movement, this talk helps audiences to reframe adversity, embrace growth and cultivate a mindset that fosters perseverance, adaptability and meaning. Similar to when the kaleidoscope is shaken, we learn to see something new and beautiful after experiencing obstacles.
What you can expect:
When it comes to thriving through adversity, Renee not only shares science-backed strategies, but shows through her own personal story how she learned to leverage mental and physical resilience and how others can do the same.
Renee teaches how you can not only overcome adversity, but also learn to thrive. When we start looking at our challenges and struggles through a different lens, we can walk away with a new perspective and a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.
Who can benefit from this keynote:
What will the audience take away?
Keynote by Dr. Renee Exelbert:
We can all learn how to harness the powerful connection between our minds and bodies to overcome adversity and move toward goals with greater focus, resilience and purpose.
By tapping into tools like Visual Emotional Kinetics© — the integration of positive thoughts, visualizations and movement, we can see how the body can become a catalyst for change—not just reacting to life’s challenges, but actively shaping our response to them and creating the future we envision.
What you can expect:
Renee doesn’t just talk about overcoming adversity, she has lived it. Through her experience as a two-time breast cancer survivor and two-time skin cancer survivor, Renee explores how she found empowerment through bodybuilding, positive thoughts and visualization, eventually founding an integrative theory that helped her cope and thrive.
Renee shares personally gained insights about the ways that the mind and body impact one another. Through leveraging this mind-body connection, Renee shares how we can each reclaim control, while learning to build our resiliency muscle.
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Keynote by Dr. Renee Exelbert:
Navigating illness can deeply disrupt a person’s sense of identity, often leaving patients feeling powerless in their own healthcare journey. In this inspiring keynote, Renee, a two-time breast cancer survivor and two-time skin cancer survivor, draws from her personal experience to explore how chronic illness impacts more than just the body—it transforms the self.
Blending powerful storytelling with science-backed strategies, Renee shares ways to reclaim one’s sense of control, foster resilience, and promote healing from the inside out.
What you can expect:
When it comes to finding empowerment through illness, Renee shares her own poignant and inspirational story, demonstrating that we can always find ways to take back control when life throws us a curve ball.
Through science-backed strategies, as well as through Visual-Emotional Kinetics© - the integration of positive thoughts, visualizations and movement, Renee shares how we can optimize both our emotional and physical health outcomes, proving that we are more than just a patient.
Whether you are going through a health experience of your own or supporting someone on a health journey, Renee will provide tools to optimize adjustment.
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Keynote by Dr. Renee Exelbert:
Cultivating relationships with patients that leave them feeling empowered, not only impacts the patient’s overall health outcomes, but can also change the meaning and experience for the practitioner.
A practitioner’s behaviors, verbal interactions and non-verbal communications like body language, eye contact, hand shake, etc. can shape a patient’s experience both positively and negatively. By learning how interactions are experienced by patients, practitioners can shift their behaviors to create more meaningful and positive interactions.
What you can expect:
With the rare perspective of both clinician and patient, Renee—a seasoned psycho-oncologist and former pediatric cancer center practitioner—shares powerful insights from her journey after becoming a cancer patient herself. Drawing from this dual lens, she offers practical strategies for healthcare providers to treat patients with greater dignity, empathy, and respect.
Participants will explore simple, evidence-based behaviors that not only improve the patient experience but also lead to better clinical outcomes.
This keynote challenges and inspires practitioners to reflect on the human side of care—reminding us that small shifts in communication and presence can have a lasting impact on healing, trust, and overall health outcomes.
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