A leading voice in positive psychology, Michelle Gielan teaches how small shifts in mindset and messaging can create massive impact across leadership, culture, and team morale.
5.00 of 5
Top rated!5 of 5
Michelle has a compelling story about how she found her compass and how she helps others find theirs. She was a poised speaker with a positive and resounding message that challenges you on the approaches you take with others.”
Texas Society of Assn Executives (TSAE)
Michelle Gielan is a renowned positive psychology researcher and bestselling author empowering organizations like Google, Microsoft, and Harvard to transform performance and resilience. Her science-backed keynotes reveal how happiness fuels success, equipping leaders with practical tools to boost engagement, productivity, and optimism, even in times of change. Widely featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and PBS, she delivers research-driven insights with dynamic, real-world impact.
Keynote Speaker Michelle Gielan is a leading expert in positive psychology, resilience, and the science of happiness in the workplace. As a former national CBS News anchor turned bestselling author and researcher, Michelle has spent over a decade studying how mindset and communication impact performance, engagement, and team dynamics.
Her groundbreaking work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, The New York Times, and Oprah’s Happiness course, and she holds a master’s degree in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Organizations around the world, including Google, Microsoft, Deloitte, and the U.S. Navy, trust Michelle to deliver high-impact keynotes that empower leaders and teams to thrive in times of change. Her presentations translate academic research into actionable strategies that inspire optimism, reduce burnout, and improve culture across all levels of business.
Whether your company is navigating transformation, seeking stronger leadership, or aiming to boost morale and productivity, Michelle delivers a tailored experience that motivates audiences and drives measurable results.
Book Michelle Gielan for your event to equip your organization with tools to foster resilient, high-performing teams and a thriving workplace culture. Her message resonates long after the applause, making her an essential voice for today’s business challenges.
5 of 5
Michelle has a compelling story about how she found her compass and how she helps others find theirs. She was a poised speaker with a positive and resounding message that challenges you on the approaches you take with others.”
Texas Society of Assn Executives (TSAE)
5 of 5
Michelle’s presentation was fun, thought-provoking, and provided our staff with the knowledge and resources to effectively “broadcast happiness” to better support the success of our students and educators.
Sunnyside School District
5 of 5
Michelle Gielan is one of the brightest stars in positive psychology and an eloquent champion for rethinking the way we communicate—at work, in our lives, and especially in the media. In Broadcasting Happiness, she draws on the latest science and her own experience in the news business to passionately argue that by telling more positive stories and giving the full picture of what’s actually happening in our world, we can create a ripple effect that can truly make a difference in people’s lives.
Arianna Huffington Eeditor-in-chief of the Huffington Post
5 of 5
Michelle exceeded expectations and really reinforced the message we wanted to deliver to our attendees. This aided greatly in achieving our goal of setting the tone for a positive convention where minds were open to learning new ideas and attendees left inspired to accomplish more with their businesses.
President, United Real Estate
5 of 5
Michelle Gielan had us at hello with her infectious smile and energetic personality. But it was the practical ways we can put the research and ideas she shared that had everyone buzzing. Some attendees said they were skeptical at first ‘here’s another think positive speaker,’ but left very impressed and motivated by Michelle’s message. One of our best speakers ever.
Gary Vann SVP, Sales & Marketing, Mighty Auto Parts
5 of 5
Michelle’s message is hugely applicable and incredibly timely for every organization right now, as we navigate unprecedented changes. Her message of Broadcasting Happiness will be carried like a banner throughout our global organization and give our leaders a framework for motivating our teams and leading with positivity.
Amanda Peters Director of Marketing, Duravant & nVenia
5 of 5
Michelle was a great addition to our program. She shared smart data in an accessible way and really engaged our leaders. She gave them things to consider and actions to take to adopt a positive mindset that will help with their businesses (and in their lives).
Brian Pilling Sales director, Stampin' Up!
Keynote by Michelle Gielan:
An engaged, optimistic mindset is a massive advantage in the modern economy and one of the single biggest drivers of success. New research in the fields of neuroscience and positive psychology is showing the incredible ripple effect rational optimism can have on performance, profitability and happiness at work.
Nationally recognized researcher and best-selling author Michelle Gielan will empower you with practical, research-based positive communication strategies to increase happiness and fuel success.
Learn the science behind how to train the brain for greater optimism to reap the benefits: 31% increase in productive energy, 37% higher sales, 40% higher likelihood of a promotion, and a 23% decrease in stress. Weaving together poignant stories, interactive experiments and her own novel research, Michelle presents a compelling, engaging science-based case showing that being positive and sharing that optimistic mindset with others is central to success.
During her session, you will learn how authentic, rational optimism significantly increases performance and business success, a proven tool to inoculate your brain against stress and negativity, practical, researched 2-minute habits proven to retrain your brain to be more resilient in minutes, and how interconnected teams can create cultures of high performance and sustainable resilience.
Keynote by Michelle Gielan:
Stress has become one of the biggest barriers to high performance on and off the field, yet new research shows 91% of us could improve our default response to stress using simple positive habits.
In one of the largest studies on stress of its kind, researcher and bestselling author Michelle Gielan has identified the three major dimensions of your stress response that predict your well-being and performance, and how to quickly shift from stuck to empowered. She shares the new research coming out of positive psychology and strategies for achieving 31% greater energy and 23% fewer stress-related symptoms.
Audience members will learn how to identify the three major responses to stress that waste energy and leave us stuck, inoculate their brains against common stresses and negative people, use unavoidable stress to their advantage to boost performance, develop three habits to retrain their brains to be more resilient and optimistic in minutes, and cultivate interconnected teams to create cultures of high performance, optimism and sustainable resilience
Keynote by Michelle Gielan:
Effective, positive communication is the single biggest driver of success at work. New research in the fields of neuroscience and positive psychology is showing the incredible ripple effect positive communication can have on employee engagement, productivity, and happiness.
After spending years as a national CBS News anchor broadcasting to millions and receiving an advanced degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Positive Psychology, Michelle developed simple, yet proven techniques for positive communication that drive individual and team success for quantifiable results. She trains professionals on ways to inoculate their brain against stress and negativity, praise effectively, get others to adopt a more resilient mindset and shift the culture at work to create a talent-enhancing environment.
Keynote by Michelle Gielan:
In our corporate culture, it can sometimes be difficult to be both female and positive without fear of being perceived as “pollyannish” or out of touch with reality. In this talk, Michelle shatters the misconceptions about positive leadership using science to show how to not only avoid prejudice, but to also change the mindsets of those around you to drive success.
Michelle describes funny and poignant stories she experienced while one of the top female media professionals, as well as from her work with influential female executives at companies including Google, Microsoft and Bank of America.
In this talk, Michelle reveals how to cultivate rational optimism, change the social script using verbal and nonverbal cues, guide the negative towards the positive, and be perceived as strong, deep and optimistic female leader.
Watch Michelle Gielan in action!
