Impact Speaking
Impact Speaking that moves audiences from awareness to action.
Research-informed, trauma-aware keynotes and workshops that equip caregivers, professionals, and systems to create meaningful change for children in foster care.
Featured Talk
COLLABORATION OVER CONTROL
How trauma-informed collaboration transforms outcomes in homes, schools, and systems
Control-based approaches dominate our schools, agencies, and caregiving systems, yet they consistently fail under stress and trauma. This keynote reframes behavior, resistance, and disengagement through a trauma-aware lens and offers a clear, humane alternative rooted in collaboration.
Drawing on neuroscience, education, and child welfare research, this session shows why collaboration is not permissiveness. It is a disciplined, effective strategy that strengthens relationships, improves outcomes, and reduces burnout across roles.
Ideal for: Conferences, leadership summits, education and child welfare audiences, interdisciplinary teams
Audience leaves with:
A new framework for understanding behavior under stress
Practical strategies for replacing power struggles with problem-solving
Tools that work across classrooms, homes, and organizations
A shared language that strengthens collaboration across systems
Available as a keynote or extended workshop
Supporting Talks
Educational Stability Is a Public Issue
Why school disruption costs us all and what actually improves outcomes
Educational instability for children in foster care is not an individual problem. It is a public issue with long-term social and economic consequences. This talk connects policy, practice, and lived experience to show what improves outcomes and where systems fall short.
Ideal for: Policymakers, agency leaders, educators, funders, cross-sector audiences
Focus areas:
Long-term impacts of school instability
What ESSA intended to solve
Practical strategies that improve stability and achievement
Trauma, Learning, and the Myth of “Noncompliance”
What behavior is really communicating and how systems get it wrong
This talk challenges the widespread belief that behavior problems stem from defiance or lack of motivation. By unpacking how trauma impacts cognition, memory, and emotional regulation, audiences gain a clearer understanding of why traditional disciplinary approaches often escalate rather than resolve issues.
Ideal for: Educators, caregivers, clinicians, administrators, frontline professionals
Focus areas:
Brain-based explanations for challenging behavior
Why punishment fails under trauma
Trauma-aware responses that preserve dignity and accountability
From Foster Care to Flourishing Futures
Moving beyond survival-based systems toward long-term success
This visionary talk challenges audiences to rethink what success looks like for youth in foster care. It centers on the role of stable education, trained caregivers, and coordinated systems in creating pathways to long-term well-being.
Ideal for: Keynotes, closing sessions, funder gatherings, system-wide convenings
Focus areas:
Why survival metrics fall short
What flourishing actually requires
How systems can align around long-term outcomes
Advocacy That Changes Outcomes
How ordinary adults can navigate complex systems without burning out
Advocacy should not require legal expertise or endless emotional labor. This session equips caregivers and professionals with practical tools, language, and preparation strategies that make advocacy more effective and sustainable.
Ideal for: Parents, foster parents, CASAs, educators, nonprofit staff
Focus areas:
Strategic vs reactive advocacy
Language that influences systems
Collaboration as a leverage point for change
Selected Engagements
National Conferences
Education Law Association's Annual Conference
2020 - "ESSA and Students in Foster Care"
2023 - "ESSA and Students in Foster Care: 7 Years Later"
Attachment & Trauma Network, Inc. (ATN)'s Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference
2026 - "Invisible Baggage: Supporting Students in Foster Care Through Trauma-Informed and Attachment-Aware Practices"
Association for Training on Trauma
and Attachment in Children (ATTACh)'s Annual Conference
2026 - "Life Skills After Trauma: Teaching for Lasting Independence"
Thriving Family Summit
Spring 2025 - "Fostering Learning at Home
Fall 2025 - "Working with Bio-Families/Co-Parenting During the Holidays"
Spring 2026 - "Laugh, Play, Learn: Why Joy Is Your Best Teaching Tool"
Speaking Competitions
Voice of Purpose 2023
Top 10 Finalist
"Building Brighter Futures for Foster Children"
Unicorn Talks 2024
Fan Favorite
"Be That One Person TODAY"
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5-star reviewed podcast guest known for compelling stories, actionable insights, and ability to engage audiences across the foster care, education, and advocacy sectors
Why This Matters
Too often, foster care–related presentations raise awareness without offering solutions. My speaking engagements are designed to deliver clarity, practical tools, and a path forward. Audiences leave with language they can use, strategies they can apply immediately, and a deeper understanding of how systems either support or hinder children’s success.
Audiences gain:
Clear understanding of trauma’s impact on learning and behavior
Practical advocacy strategies grounded in real systems
Tools that strengthen collaboration across roles
Language that empowers rather than escalates
Insight that translates into action, not overwhelm
Each presentation is grounded in research, informed by practice, and designed to move audiences from insight to action. Topics can be tailored for keynotes, workshops, panels, or multi-session engagements.
Who I speak to:
National and regional conferences
State and county child welfare agencies
Foster care and licensing agencies
Nonprofits and foundations
CASA programs
Educators and school leaders
Universities and training institutes
Interdisciplinary panels and summits
Each presentation is tailored to the audience, goals, and context of the event.
Formats available:
Keynote presentations
Workshops and breakout sessions
Half-day or full-day trainings
Panels and moderated discussions
Virtual or in-person delivery
