CASE STUDY CATEGORY
Case Study: Keynote to Recharge and Inspire a Community in Hard Times
THE CHALLENGE
In 2022, Richmond School District reached out ahead of their annual CUPE conference for support staff — educational assistants, bus drivers, custodial and clerical staff who keep schools running. Coming out of COVID, the past year has been challenging for this group.
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Staff had to pivot through constant change, while coping with loss and uncertainty, and supporting students and each other. Many were carrying grief and anxiety that were manifesting in workplace conflict, and behavioral and attitude challenges. The district wanted to start the new school year with something that recognized what people had been through, yet also uplifting.
WHAT I DELIVERED
I started with acknowledgement, compassion, understanding, and gratitude. It wasn’t hard- I am a mother to two school-aged children, and I feel gratitude and love for these folks who kept my kids safe and comfortable at school. I spoke to the support staff audience of around 1200 folks on burnout, conflict, and wellbeing. I named what they had been dealing with: low reserves of patience and optimism, friction with stressed colleagues, exhaustion. I shared stories of Resilience, what it's made of and how we all have it and can build it. I spoke to conflict and stress, and key ingredients for de-escalation. We laughed over stories of imperfections and mistakes, and connected over the themes of Compassion and kindness, and why they matter for our own mental health, not just others. We ended with sharing around Self-care — little things we can do daily to keep our batteries going.
The audience was responsive and engaged throughout- there was laughter, some tears, and lots of connection. Feedback was so positive that the district invited me back two years later.
ROUND TWO: GOING DEEPER
For the follow-up conference, themed Focusing on What We Do Best, I worked closely with the district's leadership team to understand what had shifted. They shared that staff were weighed down by interpersonal conflict. Educational assistants were burned out from workplace violence, staffing shortages, and the weight of supporting high-needs students. They felt people were too focused on the negatives, and had lost sight of the value and joy they bring to the community.
Building on the first keynote, I developed Empowering Resilience: Finding Joy, Building Community, and Recognizing Your Impact — a talk on turning stress into strength, reconnecting with the bigger picture of the work, and finding more daily joy. I pushed back on the natural instinct to focus on what's unfair, redirecting energy toward what we can change.
"Your passion for what you do and your care for others were felt through your ability to connect, engage, and inspire the audience. Everyone enjoyed such an uplifting presentation."
- Flora Lopez, District Pro-D Event Organizer, Richmond School District
WHAT MADE IT WORK
I built both keynotes specifically for this audience rather than adapting a template — spending time with the leadership team to understand what staff were facing, then shaping the content, stories, and activities around that.
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I focus on creating connections with my audience, and being relatable, lively, humorous and fun. I’m not afraid to be real, to name and lean in to challenges, to acknowledge that we live in a messy and imperfect world… Yet science shows us there’s lots we can do to move onwards and upwards, that I've tried and tested.
Looking for a keynote that speaks to what your team is going through? Get in touch to talk about your event, your audience, and what you want people to walk away feeling.
