Michelle Gielan

AI may be rewriting the rules of work—but resilient, optimistic leadership will decide who thrives in the next chapter.

AI is transforming the workplace at a pace few organizations have experienced before. Alongside unprecedented opportunity comes uncertainty, disruption, and anxiety about what the future holds.

The leaders who thrive in this environment won’t simply be the ones who adopt new technologies fastest. They’ll be the ones who can help their people stay engaged, adaptable, and confident through change.

Drawing on the research and insights from Resilient Optimism, researcher and bestselling author Michelle Gielan shows leaders how to create stability without certainty, communicate change in ways that build trust, and cultivate cultures where people remain motivated, adaptable, and able to perform at their best even when the path ahead is unclear.

Through practical tools, compelling stories, and interactive experiences, she demonstrates why resilient optimism has become one of the most important leadership advantages of our time.

Leaders learn how to:

• Communicate change in specific ways that increase clarity and commitment instead of fear and resistance.
• Create psychological safety without lowering standards, helping people stay engaged, adaptable, and innovative.
• Maintain momentum and morale during uncertainty by making progress visible and meaningful.
• Help teams move from anxiety about AI and disruption toward a greater sense of agency, growth, and contribution.

As AI accelerates the pace of change, psychological thriving is becoming a competitive advantage.

Information is abundant. Change is constant. Many people find themselves overwhelmed by distraction, uncertainty, and the pressure to keep up. The modern challenge is now how to develop mental habits that allow us to adapt, innovate, and perform at our best as the world changes around us.

Drawing on the science behind Resilient Optimism, researcher and bestselling author Michelle Gielan reveals why optimism is becoming one of the most valuable skills of the AI era. Far from wishful thinking, resilient optimism is the ability to see challenges clearly while maintaining the belief that our actions can influence what happens next.

Through compelling stories, surprising research, and interactive experiments, Michelle shows audiences practical strategies for protecting their focus, responding more effectively to change, and transforming uncertainty into opportunity.

Attendees leave able to:

• Understand why optimism is becoming a competitive advantage in an era of accelerating change.
• Protect their attention and mental energy in an environment of constant distraction and information overload.
• Strengthen the habits that increase resilience, adaptability, and sustained performance under pressure.
• Turn uncertainty into momentum by focusing on what they can influence, improve, and create.
• Develop the mindset and practices that help them thrive in a world shaped by AI, disruption, and continuous change.

In a world where negativity spreads fast, the most powerful leaders are the ones who know how to broadcast something better.

Every message we send—an email, a team update, a quick hallway exchange—broadcasts something. And that “broadcast” sets off a ripple effect that shapes how people think, feel, and perform. Today, in workplaces flooded with pressure and fast-moving change, communication isn’t just a soft skill. It’s one of the most scalable drivers of engagement, resilience, and success.

In this energizing and research-backed keynote, former CBS News anchor and positive psychology researcher Michelle Gielan reveals how positive communication rewires the brain for greater clarity, energy, and performance. Drawing on her groundbreaking studies with researchers at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as her work with leaders at global organizations, Michelle shows how small, intentional shifts in the way we communicate can dramatically improve culture, trust, and results.

Through stories, experiments, and immediately usable tools, Michelle teaches audiences how to disrupt negative spirals, deliver messages that motivate, and create the kind of communication patterns that fuel high performance. Participants leave with concrete strategies they can apply that same day to amplify resilience, productivity, and connection across their teams.

Learning Outcomes:

• Learn the neuroscience behind positive communication and why small language shifts have outsized effects on engagement, performance, and well-being.
• Practice evidence-based techniques to inoculate the brain against stress and negativity—reducing reactivity and increasing clarity under pressure.
• Use strengths-based and solution-focused framing (“non-sequitur praise,” verbal and non-verbal cues, and micro-messages) to motivate and energize others.
• Shift team communication patterns to break negative contagion loops and create a talent-enhancing environment where people feel supported, seen, and capable.