SPEAKING WITH DR. JENN FELSTED-KNIGHT
Talks that help technical experts get their work recognized and grow their careers
Keynotes, workshops, and podcast conversations on leadership, career strategy, and wellbeing at work, from a former neuroscientist turned leadership coach. For conferences, women in STEM groups, ERGs, research institutes, leadership programs, and podcasts that want a conversation people are still thinking about the next week.Â
INVITE JENN TO SPEAKPARTNERED WITH
KEYÂ TOPICS
Your people do excellent work. Most of them can't describe it.
I spent 17 years as a neuroscientist, then led cross-functional data science teams. For most of that time, I could explain my experiments in detail and had almost nothing to say when someone asked about my impact. That gap is common in STEM, and it's expensive. It shows up as stalled promotions, quiet attrition, and talented people who decide leadership isn't for them.
My talks don't ask anyone to become louder or start self-promoting. They help people see their work accurately, talk about it in plain language, and protect the focus that made them good at it in the first place.
Science, without the lecture. The research comes up the way it would in a good conversation, to explain why something is hard and what helps.
Interactive by design. Every session includes reflection prompts and real examples, so people leave with their own language, not just notes.
SIGNATURE TALKS
Talks and workshops, tailored to your audience
Each one can run as a keynote or an interactive workshop with a companion workbook, and every engagement is adapted to your audience's field and career stage.
LEADERSHIP KEYNOTE
Elevate Your Technical Expertise to Showcase Leadership Impact
You've likely been leading for a while. On paper, it just looks like technical work. This talk helps technical experts turn their achievements into clear evidence of leadership, in language decision-makers recognize and that still sounds like them.
YOUR AUDIENCE LEAVES WITH
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How to reframe technical accomplishments as leadership stories
âś“A map from their experience to the leadership competencies decision-makers look for
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A concrete plan to position themselves as the leader they already are
GREAT FOR
Women in STEM groups, ERGs, technical leadership programs
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP
Networking That Feels Good: Craft an Introduction That Sounds Like You
Talking about your work in a networking conversation shouldn't feel like selling yourself. In this hands-on workshop, people build an introduction that reflects the impact they've actually had, without inflation or personal branding buzz, then practice it out loud in small groups and refine it with feedback from peers who get it.
YOUR AUDIENCE LEAVES WITH
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A clear “I am” and “I help” statement in their own words
âś“A short story about their work, built with a simple and-but-therefore structure
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An introduction they've already practiced out loud, plus a process to update it as their role changes
GREAT FOR
Professional networks, ERGs, career development events
CAREER WORKSHOP
Finding Alignment: Strategies for Career Resilience During Uncertain Times
When every opening draws hundreds of qualified candidates, strong technical skills alone don't get noticed. Sending a résumé into the void and hoping someone sees your value isn't a strategy. This workshop walks through a five-step framework for moving from reactive career moves to deliberate positioning, using the same methodical approach people bring to hard technical problems.
YOUR AUDIENCE LEAVES WITH
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A five-step framework for career decisions in an uncertain market
âś“Clarity on where their values, strengths, and next move line up
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Next steps they can start on the following week
GREAT FOR
Professional societies, career development events, postdoc and early-career programs
WORK-LIFE TALK
When the Stress Compounds: Managing Emotions and Building Resilience in Science
The experiment doesn’t work. The paper gets rejected. Your manager’s expectations drift further from reality, and the funding landscape keeps shifting underneath all of it. This talk looks at the science of what’s happening in your brain when stress compounds, and gives you practical ways to manage your reactions and build resilience. When you can’t control what’s happening around you, you can still choose how you respond.
YOUR AUDIENCE LEAVES WITH
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What’s happening in the brain under chronic stress, and why it makes everything feel harder
âś“Practical tools for managing emotional reactions in the moment
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A resilience plan that fits a demanding job and a full life
GREAT FOR
Professional societies, wellbeing weeks, research institutes, ERGs
OTHER TOPICS
- Activate Your Strengths and Inner Allies to Navigate Career Challenges
- Navigating Career Changes With a Scientific Mindset
- Cultivating Emotional Intelligence & Resilience in STEM
- Strategic Career Planning for Long-Term Impact in STEM
- Cultivating Innovation and Creativity in Technical Roles
- Boundaries for Burnout Recovery Â
Have a different theme in mind? Tell me about your event
PREVIOUS SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Where I've spoken recently
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Tell me a little about your event, audience, and goals. I’ll follow up with the best-fit talk options.
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PODCAST GUEST
A podcast guest who makes the science practical
I love a good conversation. If your show talks about careers in STEM, leadership, women in science, or burnout, I'd be glad to join you. I bring stories from 17 years in research, what I see coaching leaders across 13 countries, and the neuroscience behind why this stuff is hard.
CONVERSATIONS I'M GLAD TO HAVE
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Why excellent work doesn't speak for itself, and what to do instead
âś“Leaving the lab: changing careers with a scientific mindset
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Networking and self-advocacy without the ick
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What chronic stress does to focus, and boundaries that actually hold
âś“The expert-to-leader shift nobody trains you for
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Building a career in STEM while raising a family
MEET YOUR SPEAKER
Dr. Jenn Felsted-Knight
I'm a former neuroscientist and ICF Professional Certified Coach. After 17 years in scientific research, including leading cross-functional data science teams, I now coach STEM professionals across 13 countries through the move from technical expert to strategic leader. I've also facilitated mentoring circles for women in science, which is where I learned how many brilliant people quietly share the same questions.
On stage, I'm practical and no-nonsense, with more laughing than people expect from a talk about career strategy. I'm also a mom, so I build every session for people who have a full life outside of work.