CULTIVATING CONNECTION

Helping leaders become emotion-informed

Keynote Speaker • Consulting • Coaching

“Society is changing. And what society needs from its leaders is changing.”
— DeDe Halfhill - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Let’s get real about how we are showing up

Cultivating Connection.

“Vulnerability is the key ingredient to trust. When I can show you my own humanness, I give you permission to show me yours. It is a fast track to trust.

And isn’t trust what we are trying to build in our organizations?"

- DeDe Halfhill

 

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The keynote speaker Brené Brown calls “one of her leadership heroes and a total badass.”

DeDe’s mission is to teach the critical skills today’s leaders need to navigate difficult conversations on hard topics to create a more purposeful, inclusive culture.

 
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60 Minutes Interview - CBS News

Interviewed by Bill Whitaker of CBS News on March 29, 2020.

DeDe explains explains she first encountered Brené Brown's work when she was a squadron commander in Iraq. She then became trained and certified to teach Brown's techniques to other military officers.

DeDe is quoted, “Society is changing. And what society needs from its leaders is changing. It needs leaders who can have really hard conversations around things like race, sexual assault, suicide. So to say you get to be a leader who doesn't talk about feelings, that's not possible anymore.

Vulnerability is the birthplace of courage. And courage is not doing something because you're fearless. Courage is doing something because you may be afraid and you do it anyway.”

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Available for Virtual & In-Person Events

“We are human beings leading human beings.

We are not robots. To lead people effectively in today's age we have to understand this language of emotion and we have to be able to use a language of emotion. Because it's only through accurately describing what we may be experiencing that we will be able to connect."

- DeDe Halfhill

See DeDe in Action

“Renowned leadership expert and retired United States Air Force Colonel DeDe Halfhill delivers honest conversations on the need for vulnerable leadership in today’s organizations, as well as the challenges leaders face in attracting and retaining talent, and connecting with their employees.”

— LAI, Leading Authorities, Inc.

  • Pitney Bowes

    “She was a 'home run.' We usually have one speaker who really connects with her audience. She was the one. Throughout the rest of the event, people kept referring to what she said. I would recommend her to any of your clients, particularly leader meetings.”

  • The Marketing Academy

    “Inspirational, ruthlessly honest, transparent, engaging, charismatic, articulate are just some of the words I could use to describe her and her style as a speaker. But the most important thing is that she lives and breaths the values she teaches which enables her to land the messages in a truly powerful way.Dede will leave your audience ‘changed’ in the most positive way. She’s not your average speaker. She’s a badass warrior for deeply meaningful leadership, and we loved her.”

  • EdD

    “DeDe brings an incredible presence and a unique ability to speak with empathy and care while always focusing on the mission and the outcome ahead. I had the honor to invite and work with DeDe as one of our speakers for TEDxDAU at the Defense Acquisition University in the Department of Defense. Her TED talk inspired over 3,000 members of the defense workforce on the day of the event and continues to empower all those that watch the recorded TED talk.”

  • Insight Strategy Group

    “So inspiring - such an amazing woman and leader to hear from. Really appreciated hearing her perspective from a completely different realm outside our marketing bubble, and her willingness to share stories that demonstrated challenges and how she's failed en route as she's continued to grow and develop. Great speaker - loved her humor and empathy. Feel really lucky to have seen DeDe speak.”

  • The Marketing Academy

    “We invited DeDe Halfhill to speak to the 2020 cohort of The Marketing Academy US Scholarship Program. For context, our Scholars are in the top 1% of emerging leaders within marketing, advertising and media and can be a challenging group to impress and therefore we are EXTREMELY selective about the speakers we invite to teach them. DeDe did not disappoint and completely wowed our Scholars from the get go.”