Maria Ross

Maria Ross Speaking Topics

• The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance People, Performance, and Personal Boundaries

  60 minute keynote or 2 hour interactive workshop

  All across the globe, organizations are becoming more human-centric. They’ve jettisoned old paradigms of success that center on endless overtime and constant employee sacrifice. They’ve tied success to purpose and workforce morale and helped people balance personal and professional needs as their priorities change. They’ve made shifts that are both necessary and positive.

  But now, those striving to be empathetic leaders and colleagues are experiencing the dark side: Taking on extra work, avoiding conflict, spending too much time on personal issues, or simply burning out from trying to balance concern for colleagues with the needs of the business.

  How can we remain human-focused and still maintain high performance, set personal boundaries, and avoid burning out, without being treated like villains?

  In this timely talk by empathy advocate, TEDx speaker, podcaster, and strategist, Maria Ross, author of "The Empathy Dilemma" and "The Empathy Edge," you’ll discover how empathy benefits your organization’s performance and why your perception of empathy might be false and leading you astray. You’ll also learn a powerful framework to balance empathy and accountability to drive growth while protecting your mental health so you can thrive in the new world of work.

  Perfect for:

  • C-suite, operational leaders, HR leaders, and conscious professionals looking for motivation in the new world of work.
  • Leadership and association summits and conferences
  • User or customer conferences
  • Corporate professional development programs
  • Strategic team off-sites and meetings

• The Human Advantage: Leading with Heart in the Age of AI

  60 minute keynote or 2 hour interactive workshop

  We’ve entered a new era of work—one shaped not only by the aftermath of a global pandemic, but now, by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. In this transformative age, empathy and people skills are no longer “soft skills”—they’re essential leadership differentiators. As AI streamlines tasks and accelerates decision-making, the human side of leadership becomes even more critical, not less. Because no matter how advanced the technology, trust, connection, and collaboration remain uniquely human strengths.

  And those who lack emotional intelligence skills will no longer be able to hide behind all the “doing” that AI can handle.

  Empathy is not a luxury—it’s a strategic advantage. But many well-intentioned leaders today face the empathy dilemma: How do you show compassion for your people without sacrificing performance? How do you protect your own mental health while leading through change? And now, how do you lead a team that includes both humans and machines?

  Join TEDx speaker, brand strategist, podcaster, and empathy advocate Maria Ross—author of "The Empathy Edge" and "The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries"—for a compelling and timely keynote. Maria will share real-world examples and data that prove empathy is not the enemy of performance—it’s the engine of it. Drawing on her decades of experience and hundreds of interviews, she goes back to the basics of what empathy truly is, how it shows up at work, and why it’s the most future-ready skill a leader can have.

  TAKEAWAYS:

  • What empathy is and what it is NOT, so you can avoid the myths holding back your leadership potential and team’s performance
  • Why empathy and emotional intelligence will be the most sought-after leadership skills in an AI-driven future
  • The Five Pillars of Effective and Empathetic Leadership and how to apply them in hybrid, high-pressure, and fast-changing environments
  • How to avoid the empathy burnout trap—and set boundaries while still leading with heart
  • How to create a culture where empathy is a reciprocal value, not a one-way burden

  Perfect for:

  • C-suite, operational leaders, HR leaders, conscious professionals looking for motivation in the new world of work.
  • Leadership and association summits and conferences
  • User or customer conferences
  • Corporate professional development programs
  • Strategic team off-sites and meetings

• The Empathy Edge: How Leaders + Brands Can Harness The Power of Compassion as an Engine For Success

  60-90 minute keynote or webinar

  Every problem that exists in the business world can be traced back to a single, common origin: LACK OF EMPATHY.

  Sexism. Ageism. Deep-seated, mind-clouding prejudices. Furious customers and failed business launches. Partnerships abandoned out of fear, projects destroyed by misunderstanding. Every problem that exists in the business world can be traced back to a single, common origin: Lack of empathy. When we are unwilling to place ourselves in someone else's shoes-unwilling to talk, listen, or understand another point of view-we remain paralyzed. Instead of finding solutions, we repeat the same mistakes. This impacts our professional reputation, team's productivity, customer's experience and organization's performance.

  This presentation explores the value of compassion as an engine for success. Learn how you as individuals and leaders can amplify empathy through your work and bring your organizations along with you to create a better world.

  With fascinating stories from company founders, change-makers, and brands we know and love, Maria Ross reveals exactly how empathy makes organizations stronger and more sustainable.

  TAKEAWAYS:

  • How empathy helps you do good while doing well financially-
  • How to avoid the ""empathy veneer:""
  • How to flex and strengthen your empathy muscle
  • A renewed sense of passion and purpose to make their work align with their personal values.

  Perfect for:

  • Corporate leaders who want to infuse more compassion and ethics into their work but are not sure what practical actions to take, and who seek hard data that empathy can be a bottom-line business advantage
  • Women leaders and ambitious emerging leaders who want to break the rules and lead with purpose and profit -Entrepreneurs and emerging leaders looking to change the game and make a profit while still making an impact
  • Gen Z high-performers who demand more than a "job": They demand that their business or brand have a positive impact in the world and that their work aligns with their own human values.
  • Skeptical leaders who believe that cash flow and compassion are mutually exclusive - and want to see the data behind how empathy can be a strategic advantage that impacts the bottom line and market leadership.

• Rebooting My Brain: Seven Lessons a Freak Aneurysm Can Teach You About Bouncing Back from Crisis

  60 minute keynote

  Shortly after moving to a new city and starting her own business, Maria Ross was struck down with a brain aneurysm and hemorrhage at the age of 35. About 40% of people who have a ruptured aneurysm die as a result, and 4 out of 7 will suffer disabilities. But Maria bounced back better and braver than ever. Doctors dubbed her recovery ""miraculous"" and after several healing months, she rebooted her brain and business and reframed her life - in many ways for the better. Since her injury, she's written books, delighted on stages, and gotten back to a thriving business again, but not without some powerful lessons learned along the way. Lessons we all need to hear.

  Come hear Maria's inspirational- and humorous - journey back to strength and success, and get inspired by her hard-won insights into life balance, work stress, gratitude, time management, and focus. Her story will have you laughing and crying as she offers practical lessons you can apply to your own everyday adversities right now....rather than waiting for a life-threatening crisis to hit.

  Perfect for:

  • Women's business or entrepreneurial groups seeking valuable business advice while also being inspired and ignited
  • Lifestyle audiences seeking to understand how to manage overwhelm, stress or set boundaries in order to live happier and thrive
  • Corporate teams who need a dose of motivation, inspiration, or a fresh perspective on their work.
  • Healthcare or medical professionals looking for a patient's point of view and a peek inside a survivor's story

• Resilience: Three Keys to Reclaiming Your Identity After Crisis

  60 minute keynote

  We will all experience crises at some point in our lives. Death. Divorce. Medical diagnosis. Loss. Hardship. Such adversity can turn our worlds upside down and cause us to lose sight of who we are. But in that breakdown, there are opportunities to reclaim your identity and emerge even stronger on the other side as a result. Maria Ross shares her powerful recovery journey from a near-fatal aneurysm, where her skills and personality changed with a jolt. She was forced to ask what makes us who we truly are? And it’s not often what we think! In your search to redefine or adapt to a New You, enjoy Maria’s three valuable keys to bouncing back and reclaiming your identity.

  Perfect for:

  • Women's business or entrepreneurial groups seeking valuable business advice while also being inspired and ignited
  • Lifestyle audiences seeking to understand how to manage overwhelm, stress or set boundaries in order to live happier and thrive
  • Corporate teams who need a dose of motivation, inspiration, or a fresh perspective on their work.
  • Healthcare or medical professionals looking for a patient's point of view and a peek inside a survivor's story