The world needs more women sharing their voices and feeling empowered to create impact
Heather Whelpley is a keynote speaker, award-winning author, coach, and women’s leadership development consultant
Keynotes, coaching, and leadership development programs that equip women to
live, work, and lead with grounded confidence
My work goes beyond typical empowerment training for women
Instead of merely fixing surface issues, I guide people through a transformative process to address the underlying causes that hold women back — and how to break through them for greater impact, joy, and freedom.
RECOGNIZE
the rules that hold them back
RECONNECT
to their grounded confidence separate from those rules
REWIRE
old thought patterns and create a new set of rules
REIGNITE
to take bold steps and create impact
“Within three weeks after the event, two women in the group applied for senior roles and directly attributed the imposter syndrome session in their decision to apply.”
— Lisa Propati, Promach
Women:
What would your life and career look like if you walked through the world with grounded confidence?
Would you:
take bold steps in your career?
share new ideas?
advocate for yourself?
challenge the status quo?
do the thing you’ve always wanted to do?
create more impact?
have more joy and freedom?
Organizational Leaders:
I consistently hear three things from leaders like yourself: “We want more women in leadership roles, more women feeling confident, and more women speaking up.” The rules and expectations women have unknowingly acquired are limiting them from doing those things.
What might be possible if your organization was filled with women who broke free from those expectations?
Would:
revenue increase?
new products be developed?
new clients be acquired?
employees be more productive and engaged?
YES! A thousand times yes to all of these questions!
Contact Heather to discuss a speaking engagement, coaching, or leadership development programs for your organization
“Heather's virtual presentation was insightful, inspiring, and captivating! Attendance was fantastic and Heather's knowledge, energy, and interactive style kept the group so engaged that attendees commented they didn't realize how quickly time was passing. I would love to bring her back for another event!”
— Kristine Holtzer, Field Engineer, Mortenson
Hi! I’m Heather
For over ten years I worked at Cargill and Ameriprise in HR, leadership development, and change management roles at corporate headquarters, production facilities, and offices in the U.S. and Australia. I managed development programs specifically for high-achieving women. After I started my business, I coached and presented to women across a huge variety of roles and companies.
Everywhere I went, I saw the same story: Amazing women who questioned themselves. Who felt like they could never disappoint anyone. Who believed they had to make everything perfect and prove themselves again and again. Who worried about being too direct - while at the same time needing to be seen as confident. Who felt like they didn't know enough to share their great idea or go for the promotion, even though they were highly qualified.
It wasn't just them. I felt it myself too. And I wanted to do something about it.
I’m on a mission to have more women live, work, and lead with grounded confidence - feeling content with who they are and confident to do what they never thought possible.
My keynotes, coaching, and leadership development programs get right to the heart of this mission, while acknowledging the very real barriers that exist - and how to stop those barriers from getting in the way in the first place. Participants leave each engagement with tangible tools and feeling empowered, seen, and ready to take action.
“Heather helped to define perfectionism, identify how it can actually hold us back and pragmatic tools to squash it to more freely share ideas, move quickly on opportunities, and decrease stress. Heather exemplifies a great blend of expertise, enthusiasm and pragmatism in her facilitation!”
— Missy Chicre, CEO, Menttium
Latest Book!
Grounded Wildness: Break Free from Performing Your Life and Start Living It
As a child, Heather was confident, bold, and relaxed in who she was. She belted out Barbra Streisand tunes, dared to hold live snakes with no fear, and marched to the beat of a drummer all her own.
Until an all-too-common avalanche of rules told her to hold her breath and tuck herself in. Rules that said there's a “right” kind of body. That worth is tied to achievement. That we should prove, please, and perfect our way through life.
Then one day, deep realizations finally pushed her to break the rules she’d been handed and rediscover her beautiful and uniquely grounded wildness.
Equal parts self-help inspiration and feminist memoir, Grounded Wildness explores the freedom that comes from rediscovering your true self and living out loud.
It's time to stop quieting the boldness of your voice and dampening the fire in your belly. It's time to stop swimming upstream against your true nature and follow your own path. It's time to rewrite your story and start living your truth, free from “should” and “supposed to.”
You are enough, worthy, and whole. And you get to make up your own rules for life.
“[Grounded Wildness is] a must-read for every woman swimming perfectionism, pleasing, and performing, and who is looking for the permission to be her wildest, most beautiful self.”
— Sharon Podobnik, Founder of The Center for Conscious Leadership, and author of “It's Not (All) Your Fault”
Inspiration from the blog
Isn't it amazing when your dreams give you an exact message?
Last week mine gave me a reminder -- and it was one I knew I had to share with you.
So much so that I literally got out of bed and immediately wrote down almost all of this email!
In the dream, I was at a cabin in the summer and a big group of us was split into two teams to do a fun outdoor Olympics competition.