Deborah Greenhut
Deborah Greenhut speaking on stage

Speaking & Keynotes

Words That Move People to Act

Deborah Greenhut brings the rigor of a scholar, the warmth of a storyteller, and the authority of someone who has lived the work — to every stage she steps onto.

Built for Women's Leadership Events

Deborah's keynotes are designed for organizations that want more than inspiration. They want their audiences to leave with a new relationship to their own story — and the clarity to act on it. Her talks are research-grounded, emotionally honest, and immediately applicable.

200+

Events delivered

20+

Years on stage

5-star

Audience ratings

Keynote Topics

Three Talks. One Through-Line.

Keynote 01: Reinvention & Empowerment

Authoring Moments TM

"Why the women who thrive are the ones who dare to rewrite themselves."

45–60 min keynote · Workshop available
Annual conferences, leadership summits, women's initiative launches

In a world that changes faster than our identities can keep up, reinvention is no longer optional — it's a survival skill. Drawing on narrative theory and her own experience of profound personal change, Deborah shows audiences how to recognize the moment reinvention is calling, how to grieve the self you're leaving behind, and how to step into the next chapter with intention rather than fear.

Audience Takeaways

  • Recognize the internal signals that a reinvention is needed
  • Release the identity stories that are keeping you stuck
  • Build a practical framework for authoring your next chapter

Keynote 02: Women's Leadership

Reclaim the Pen

"Authoring Identity Through Change, Leadership, and Reinvention."

45–60 min keynote · Half-day workshop available
Healthcare organizations, HR leadership events, women in transition programs

Reinvention takes many forms — a new role, a relationship, a version of yourself you thought was permanent. This keynote meets women in the aftermath of change and offers them something more useful than comfort: a map. Deborah draws on grief research, narrative psychology, and lived experience to help audiences understand that identity is not destroyed by change — it is revealed by it.

Audience Takeaways

  • Understand how change reshapes identity at a neurological and narrative level
  • Distinguish between resistance and stagnation — and reauthor  the path between them
  • Discover the self that emerges when the old interpretation  finally ends

Keynote 03: Universities & Educators

Authoring Moments TM

"The narratives running your life — and how to change the ones that aren't working."

45–60 min keynote · Interactive workshop available
First-year experience groups, student affairs professionals, clubs, and collegiate professional societies

Who gets to write the story of who you are? Every decision you make is shaped by a story you're telling yourself. Many  of those stories were written by someone else, in a chapter of your life that no longer exists. This keynote helps students identify the inherited narratives driving their choices, examine which ones are serving them, and begin the deliberate work of authoring a story that actually fits who they are now.

Audience Takeaways

  • Identify the core narratives shaping your professional and personal decisions
  • Trace where those stories came from — and whether they still belong to you
  • Practice the narrative reframing techniques that create lasting behavioral change through authentic reinterpretation

Engagement Formats

How Deborah Works With You

Keynote

45–90 minute signature talk, fully customized to your theme and audience.

Workshop

Half-day or full-day deep-dive with exercises, reflection, and group dialogue.

Panel & Moderation

Deborah brings the same narrative lens to facilitated conversations and panel discussions.

Virtual

All keynotes and workshops are available in a fully adapted virtual format.

Past Engagements

Organizations Deborah Has Worked With

AARP

ADP

AGF Management, Ltd.

Ames, Iowa Chamber of Commerce

AT&T / WECo / Bell Labs

Atlas Door

Bank Leumi

Baxter

Behring Diagnostics

Bellcore

BOCES

Boise Cascade

British Petroleum

Bryant Stratton

CA Small Business & Minority Affairs

Celwave

Center for Professional Advancement

ChildCraft

Church & Dwight

Corning

Cypress Minerals

Danbury Hospital

Deloitte & Touche

EIRC

Emerson Quiet Kool

EPA

Ernst & Young

ETS

EXXON

FDIC

FedEx

Fiat-New Holland

First National Bank of MD

Fisher Scientific

Ford Motor

GATX

GE-Astro

Greystone Power

Happoalim Bank

HUD

IBM

Instructional Management Systems of PA

International Flavors & Fragrances

IRS

ITW Thielex

JCP&L

JOBS New Jersey / PIC

Journal of International Business Studies

Lucent

Macmillan

Margaretten

MA Water & Sewer Authority

MCI

MD State Department of Education

Mellon Bank

Merck

Mt. Sinai Hospital

NASA

National Cooperative Bank

National Financial Services

Naval Air Training Center

NJ Association of Library Assistants

NJ Committee for the Humanities

NJ Computer Center Managers Association

NJ LINX

NJ Society of Association Executives

NY State Soil Conservation Commission

Ocean Spray

Outback Trading

Panasonic Industrial Co.

Pfizer

Philadelphia Dept. of Health

Polychrome

Procter & Gamble

PSE&G

Puerto Rican Congress

RCA-Astro

Reuben H. Donnelly

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School-CDD

Roche

Rohm & Haas

Royal Caribbean

Sax, Macy Fromm

Sedgwick James

Selective Insurance

Sony

Sovereign Bank of PA

SUNY Research Foundation

Time Warner

Toyota

Traveler's Insurance

Trenton State College

TRW

TSA

UNICEF

UNISYS

United Jersey Bank

United Nations

United Way of Westchester Rockland

Upjohn Pharmaceuticals

U.S. Department of Defense

Visual Concepts

WETA-TV

Westland Insurance

WV RESA II

YKK Zipper

Deborah Greenhut at a speaking engagement
Speaker was excellent....

Chief People Officer

Fortune 500 Financial Services Firm

Download a Speaker One-Sheet

Full topic descriptions, bio, technical requirements, and past engagements — everything your events team needs. Download one or all three.

Reinvention & Empowerment

Authoring Moments™: Why the Women Who Thrive Are the Ones Who Dare to Rewrite Themselves

Download One-Sheet

Women's Leadership

Reclaim the Pen: Authoring Identity Through Change, Leadership, and Reinvention

Download One-Sheet

Universities & Educators

Authoring Moments™: The Narratives Running Your Life — and How to Change the Ones That Aren't Working

Download One-Sheet

Let's Talk About Your Event

Every engagement starts with a conversation. Tell Deborah about your audience and goals — she'll tell you which talk fits best.