Inspire a Culture That Learns Faster, Fails Smarter, and Performs Better
Bring in a speaker who delivers engaging, research-backed content on psychological safety, failure, and what it takes to build teams that take smart risks and innovate without fear.
Your organization doesn’t need another motivational speech that sounds great on Wednesday and is forgotten by Friday.
Every Fail Smarter engagement is grounded in data and real-world business experience — including five years of designing and implementing this work inside a Fortune 500 company.
We’ve delivered to audiences from early-career employees to senior leadership. The content scales because the message is universal: Fear of failure kills innovation and performance, and there's a better way.
You need content that shifts how your leaders and staff think about failure, risk, and psychological safety and the tools and language they need to take action when they return to their desks.
That's what Fail Smarter delivers.
Two Ways to Bring Fail Smarter to Your Organization
1. Custom Keynote Speeches
Looking for a keynote speaker who brings substance over flash? Our keynotes are custom-designed around the themes of learning from failure, psychological safety, and smart risk-taking.
We tailor each keynote to your organization's specific challenges and goals. We'll work with you to develop content that resonates with your audience and aligns with your broader culture-building efforts.
Format: 45-60-minute presentations available in-person (US only) or virtual. Ideal for leadership offsites, all-hands meetings, internal company conferences, or culture initiatives where you need a credible, research-backed voice who can inspire action.
2. Corporate Culture-Building Sessions
Our interactive culture-building sessions combine strategic content with hands-on activities that help leaders, teams, and individual contributors practice new behaviors and new ways of thinking in real time.
Format: 1-hour interactive sessions available in-person (US only) or virtually. Perfect for Lunch-and-Learns, employee resource group workshops, leadership development, and team retreats.
Here are some of our most-requested session topics:
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How to Talk About Failure <br> with Ease vs. Angst: <br> A Leadership Workshop
Most leaders know they should normalize failure. Far fewer know how to have those conversations. This session offers leaders practical techniques for discussing setbacks in ways that build trust rather than erode it.
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Cultivating <br> Psychological Safety
Google's Project Aristotle found psychological safety was the #1 ingredient in high-performing teams. But psychological safety isn't a poster on the wall. We break down what it really looks like, why it matters, and how leaders can start building it today.
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Learning How to <br> Learn from Failure
Failure happens. But most organizations let those lessons slip through the cracks. In this session, we unpack what failure really is, explore why it’s so hard to learn from, and practice simple techniques to start embracing it as a catalyst for better decisions and better outcomes.
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Building <br> Resilience
Resilience isn't about being tough, It’s about knowing how to bounce back smarter. We share research-backed strategies that help teams recover faster and keep moving forward.
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Developing a <br> Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is the foundation for teams who experiment, iterate, and improve. We show leaders and non-leaders alike how to foster this mindset across their teams and organizations.
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Custom Topics <br> Welcome
Looking for something more tailored to your organization's challenges? We love developing customized content! Let’s talk.
★★★★★
“Thank you for delivering such an impactful "Learning from Failure" session at IGNITION. Your presentation was engaging, lively, and incredibly applicable to the early-career employees. Your ability to make the topic of failure relatable and insightful was truly commendable. The collaborative activities and small group discussions were particularly appreciated, allowing everyone to offer advice and support in a comfortable setting.
The "Oops Wall of Fame" and the concept of reframing failures as growth opportunities resonated deeply with everyone. Your kindness, insight, and personable approach made the session an amazing experience for all. I'm grateful for your contribution to making IGNITION a success. Thank you!”
– K.E., Senior Director, People Development, UnitedHealth Group
★★★★★
“This was one of the most insightful seminars I have ever attended. I genuinely learned so much about failure and how to approach it.”
— Session Participant,
How to Talk about Failure w/ Ease vs Angst
★★★★★
“I wanted to take a moment to commend you for your outstanding presentation on building resilience to overcome failure. The session was filled with great content and the activity was incredibly engaging. It was evident that many people were eager to share their thoughts and ideas during the breakout sessions. Your dedication to helping the team learn and become more successful is truly appreciated. Thank you for continuing to support and inspire us.”
– C.V., Director, Provider Data Operations, UnitedHealthcare
★★★★★
“I love [Rachel’s] vibe, her good-natured aura, and the breakout session to talk and get involved. Great discussions about becoming better as a team because of failures.”
— Session Participant,
Building Resilience Workshop
FAQs
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Every session is designed to leave your leaders and staff with practical tools and shared language, not just inspiration. Our content is rooted in the research of Harvard scholar Dr. Amy Edmondson and others, and is built on five years of field-tested experience inside a Fortune 500 company.
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We’ve delivered to audiences from early-career employees to senior leadership, to everyone in between. The content scales because the message is universal: fear kills innovation and performance, and there's a better way. We ground everything in data and business outcomes.
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Keynotes are typically 45-60-minute presentations designed to inspire and inform larger audiences at events like all-hands meetings or conferences. Culture-building sessions are interactive 60-minute workshops with hands-on activities and small group discussions—perfect for business units or teams who want to walk away with practical tools they can apply immediately.
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Every custom keynote includes a discovery call to understand your organization's specific challenges and goals, tailored content that addresses your needs, and relevant case studies or examples. We also talk along the way and leading up to the event to align on logistics and messaging. Our goal is to make sure the content lands with your specific audience.