Research-Backed Keynotes.
Story-teller Delivery.
Research-Backed Keynotes.
Story-teller Delivery.
Dr Yemi Penn delivers keynotes, executive roundtables, deep dives, and event facilitation for global conferences, leadership summits, residentials, and organisations navigating change, disruption, and cultural transformation.
Every presentation draws on her award-winning doctoral research and is structured so that every participant actively engages, including those who typically sit on the sidelines.
She often arrives early, remains present through key parts of the event, and incorporates the real-time pulse of the room into her delivery.
Dr Yemi Penn follows up with emails to the event organisers with insights and learnings from the room.
Signature Keynotes
1
Rebellious Curiosity™
The Leadership Imperative of Our Time
For Executive Teams, Senior Leaders & Conference Mainstages
We are born into an inherited narrative of what works and what does not, learning to navigate life without questioning established rules until something breaks. Drawing on award-winning doctoral research and lived experience, Yemi demonstrates that curiosity is not a passive trait; it is a radical and profitable leadership practice. This keynote shows leaders how to question norms, lean into productive discomfort, and convert organizational blind spots into avenues for innovation.
Audience Takeaways:
2
Cultural Alchemy™
Transforming Cultures of Survival into Cultures That Thrive
For People & Culture Leaders, HR Summits and Enterprise Executives
Many workplace cultures become trapped in static or frantic survival, holding tightly to outdated ways of working or reacting adversely to change. Drawing on her PhD research and real-world facilitation experience, Yemi Penn explores how leaders can hold complexity, navigate cultural friction and create the conditions for smarter ways of working to emerge. This keynote offers a practical roadmap for moving beyond surface-level initiatives towards cultures grounded in meaning, belonging and collective thriving.
Audience Takeaways:
3
Liminal Thinking
The Art of Bending Reality
For Innovation Leaders, Strategy Summits & Executives Navigating Change
"Liminal" means threshold. To solve complex, recurring problems, leaders must shift perspectives and deconstruct the mindsets in which those problems were originally created. Dr Penn shares her framework for bending reality, showing how the constraints and boundaries that usually restrict organizations can be repurposed as props to achieve superior strategic outcomes.
Audience Takeaways:
4
Shame & Trauma Resilience
Pain to Power Mapping
For Leadership Retreats, Wellness Conferences & High-Stress Sectors
Resilience blueprints are individual; specific distressing events shape how individuals respond to adversity. Left unexamined, shame and unaddressed stress restrict courage and decision-making capability. Introducing her proprietary Pain to Power Mapping tool, Dr Penn demonstrates how leaders and individuals can uncover their resilience blueprint, convert distressing experiences into personal authority, and lead courageously through times of uncertainty.