Yvette is an energetic,
authentic, and empathetic
speaker and trainer.

An executive strategist, lawyer, MBA, DEI expert and commentator for ABC News and NPR, Yvette helps career-centered professionals live, lead and communicate with purpose, authenticity, and intention.

Book Yvette Simpson

Speaker / Trainer

Yvette is an energetic, authentic, and empathetic speaker and trainer. She connects with the audience by sharing her own personal journey to executive leadership, the wins and the losses, the advances and the setbacks that have navigated her through her own career. She then walks the audience through their own journeys, helping them to identify lessons and leave with a roadmap on how to thrive and excel against the toughest odds and most significant obstacles. As a trusted advisor to some of the top executive leaders in the country, Yvette has been able to illuminate a path for them to success.

In addition, for over two decades Yvette has advised and trained corporate leaders, startups, political and non-profit leaders, emerging leaders and professionals, and students. A lawyer, MBA, and executive strategist, Yvette knows how to help people and organizations work through difficult situations to WIN. As a trainer, she first helps participants identify the problem, then weaves together context and evidence with insight and inspiration then leaves them with an action plan, concrete steps they can take to change course and build a sustainable solution.

Yvette has trained and spoken at several events around the country, including: South by Southwest, TedxCincinnati, Urban League Urban Leaders Institute (ULI), Miami University, and the University of Cincinnati, just to name a few. Yvette continues to build trust with her audiences, helping them to make breakthroughs in the areas of leadership, diversity and inclusion, and human relations. She speaks and trains on topics such as:

  • Courage to Fail: The Challenge of Change
  • Finding Purpose in Your Work
  • From Making a Living to Making a Legacy
  • The Power of Reinvention
  • Navigating the Great Resignation
  • Bridging the Divide: It Starts with You
  • Building an Inclusive Future
It felt as if Yvette put her arms around the entire audience.
D.C., FOUNDERIDA'S LEGACY
The breakout session with the cohort was enjoyable. This added a creative twist and dynamic to our B.O.L.D session. I loved the interaction between the cohort and how Yvette Simpson was able to keep everyone engaged. The different breakout exercises, understanding each other’s differences, and most importantly the message on living your life on purpose were life changing for me. B.O.L.D is truly beautiful! Thank you, Yvette!
T.O., CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICERTRIHEALTH
Yvette is a powerful speaker. Her legacy speech at TedX Cincinnati Women was poignant, captivating and the perfect crescendo for the event. She took the audience on a journey and they rode the rollercoaster with her. The highs, lows, the laughter and tears. The crowd was right there with her until the end.
J.L., EXECUTIVE DIRECTORTEDX CINCINNATI
Yvette’s presentation was stellar. She and the content she shared were engaging and inspiring. I walked away with more than a handful of ideas about how to incorporate what she shared into my work and personal life. My expectations for how actionable our discussion would be were absolutely exceeded. It’s clear Yvette is the embodiment of the content she is sharing. I admire her ability to deliver her message with such clarity and sincerity. The time she spent understanding who we were beforehand and incorporating our values into the discussion made the content even more impactful.
S.T., CEOLPK
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COME ALIVE: THE POWER OF PURPOSE AND REINVENTION

Format: 45-minute keynote

This program is perfect for:

This session will help career-centered professionals achieve true fulfillment so they can live life fearlessly on purpose.

The audience will leave with:

1. Learn the three key steps to shift from making a living to making a legacy.

2. Discover the secret to dreaming beyond your current job, status, or situation.

3. Take away a concrete action plan to get you started on your legacy journey.

We have been told our entire lives that “You Only Live Once (YOLO).” The truth is you only die once. You live every day. So many professionals believe that their job, position, or title defines them, and that belief can place artificial limits on what they believe they can do, keeping them from pursuing their true reason for being, their North Star, their purpose.

Featured Speaking Clips

2022 IAEE WLF Conference

IAEE is the leading trade association for the global exhibitions and events industry.

Watch Video

(TEDx Talk) Pursuing Purpose: From Making a Living to Making a Legacy

Strategist and Commentator Yvette Simpson describes how a life-changing trip to Africa helped her realize the importance of pursuing purpose over ambition.

Watch Video

BOLD IS BEAUTIFUL: LEADING WITH PURPOSE, PROMISE & PRESENCE

Format: 4-hour workshop

This program is perfect for:

  • Middle managers or directors preparing to transition to the C-Suite.

The audience will leave with:

  • A deeper understanding of who they are as leaders, and how authenticity is a leadership strength, not a weakness.
  • Insight on how to maximize their impact as leaders in all areas of their lives: at work, at home, and in their communities. 
  • The “I”s and the “E”s that are the building blocks to executive leadership, with particular focus on the power of intention and reinvention. 

This half- to full-day workshop is engaging, insightful, interactive and informative, allowing each leader to first examine their individual strengths and learn how to breakthrough the internal and external obstacles that they need to take the next step toward executive leadership. 

Leaders will engage in practical and applicable individual, small group, and full group exercises that will allow them to walk away with a plan of action that they can share with their organization as they prepare for their next promotion.

DEFENDING YOUR POINT OF VIEW: THE NECESSITY OF PRESENCE, PERSUASION, PIVOT, AND PRACTICE

Format: 45 minute keynote (virtual or in-person) and/or breakout session.

This program is perfect for:

  • Leaders or employees who make client pitches or have to present or persuade internally or externally.
  • Anyone who struggles with clear and persuasive communication.
  • New or seasoned directors or managers who are transitioning to roles that are supervisory or front facing. 

The audience will leave with:

  • The four “Ps” of effective advocacy: presence, persuasion, pivoting, and practice. 
  • Navigating the “No”: The key skills necessary to form and present a persuasive and defensible argument.
  • Pivot Power: How to shift your argument when the conversation takes a left or down the rabbit hole.
  • Practice Makes Perfect: How (and how much) to prepare for a critical presentation or conversation.

This session is for anyone who needs help forming, presenting, and defending their point of view. We will walk through the steps required to present a persuasive argument, idea, or perspective. That includes 1) forming a defensible argument; 2) anticipating and responding to challenges and questions; 3) how to pivot from distracting or inessential counterarguments or red herrings; and 4) how to efficiently and effectively practice for your conversation or presentation. 

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