Desi Payne
Energizing excellence in leaders and their teams to create a positive workplace culture.
Topic Categories:
Fee Range: Contact Speaker Exchange Agency
- Workplace Culture Expert
- Motivational Humorist
- Leadership Trainer
*Fee ranges are presented as a guideline only. Speaker fees are subject to change without notice. For an exact quote, please contact your Speaker Exchange Agency representative.
Energized, Enthusiastic, and Funny – That’s Desi Payne! In today’s high-stakes, fast-paced world, success demands excellence. Desi Payne is an internationally sought-after motivational speaker who energizes excellence in leaders and their employees to create inspiring and sensational workplace cultures. With nearly 29 years of experience as a hospital patient advocate, entrepreneur, business owner, author, and leadership trainer, Desi has inspired thousands of leaders and partnered with hundreds of organizations. She also serves as an Executive Program Director with the John C. Maxwell Leadership Team. As an award-winning speaker and entertainer, Desi engages audiences with humor, heart, and powerful stories that leave a lasting impact.
As an award-winning entertainer, she uses humor and storytelling to keep the audience engaged (and awake). As a breast cancer survivor, she knows firsthand the power of resilience—and brings that same unstoppable energy to every stage.
Desi is a regular guest on the lifestyle show Hello Iowa! As a TV personality, she’s built a loyal following by sharing practical strategies to manage stress and boost energy—both at work and in life.
She is the author of Do You Work with the Living Dead?, Give Me Some Chocolate…I’m Stressed! and Manage Stress Without Losing Your Mind.
Fun Facts: In 2022, she was a contestant on America’s Funniest Home Videos and won 3rd place! She resides in Iowa with her philosopher husband, Craig, and has two grown amazing children.
In this high-energy keynote, Desi Payne helps audiences reboot their mindset, boost morale, and reignite engagement in the workplace. Through humor, relatable stories, and practical tools, participants learn how to control reactions, alter perspectives, and delete negativity to show up as their best selves. Get ready for an energizing, interactive experience that transforms burnout into brilliance and recharges your team’s drive to perform.
Imagine this: You walk into your workplace and instantly feel the positive energy. People collaborate with ease, support one another, and genuinely enjoy coming to work. Wow—what an incredible environment that would be! But let’s face it—the reality is that many employees today are disengaged, burned out, and overwhelmed. If that sounds familiar, it might be time for a REBOOT!
This high-energy keynote will help your team recharge their mindset, boost morale, increase engagement, and reignite the drive to perform at their best.
Just like a computer runs better after a reboot, you’ll discover how to refresh your mindset and reignite your energy at work in this powerful and entertaining keynote, Desi Payne shows you how to:
CONTROL your actions and reactions,
ALTER your perspective and mindset, and
DELETE negativity
—so you can show up as your best self every day.
With experience training thousands of leaders and employees across hundreds of organizations, Desi delivers practical tools with humor and heart. Get ready for a keynote that’s not just motivating—it’s energizing, interactive, and downright fun!
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and stretched too thin. In this fun, high-energy session, motivational speaker Desi Payne shares her powerful “3-L Framework” to help you recognize, reduce, and respond to stress in healthier, more productive ways. You’ll gain practical tools to boost energy, improve resilience, and create a more positive, engaged workplace culture. Get ready to laugh, learn, and leave re-energized—equipped to manage stress without losing your mind!
In today’s fast-paced, high-pressure world, it’s easy to feel drained, overwhelmed, and stretched too thin. How do you energize excellence when everything around you seems to zap your energy? How do you accomplish more with less—without burning out?
In this high-energy session, motivational speaker Desi Payne will share her powerful
“3-L Framework” to help you recognize, reduce, and respond to stress in healthier, more productive ways. You’ll discover practical strategies to either eliminate or effectively manage the stressors that weigh you down at work and in life.
Walk away with tools that will help you:
- Boost your energy and enthusiasm
- Show up fully engaged and focused
- Improve your mental health and resilience
- Create a more positive, productive workplace culture
Get ready to laugh, learn, and leave equipped to manage stress—without losing your mind! You will learn to be intentional about taking care of the stress that is robbing you of your happiness and joy. This is a fun, high-energy, and impactful session!
Great leaders don’t just communicate—they connect. In this engaging, high-energy session, Desi Payne reveals the “magic” behind building meaningful connections that inspire trust, collaboration, and performance. You’ll learn proven principles to strengthen relationships, boost engagement, and create a culture where people feel valued and motivated to excel. Walk away energized and equipped to lead with greater influence and impact!
Do you know the secret to becoming a great leader?
Would you like to learn the magic of connecting?
If yes, then Desi wants to energize you to become EXCELLENT at connecting with your team and co-workers. Why?
Research shows that when employees feel connected, they feel valued, energized, and inspired—and as a result, performance soars.
Connections also increase retention and collaboration and decrease isolation, conflict, and misunderstandings. In this keynote or breakout session, participants will learn the principles of connecting as well as the impact and influence connecting creates.
Looking for the perfect keynote to energize your banquet? This laughter-filled experience is both entertaining and enlightening! Desi Payne—an award-winning humor expert—shares the fascinating science behind laughter and its incredible benefits for morale, stress relief, and connection. With stories, humor, and high energy, Desi will have your audience laughing, learning, and leaving inspired to use laughter as a powerful tool for creating healthier, happier, and more productive teams.
Are you having a fun annual celebration and need the perfect banquet speaker? Maybe you need a dynamic session to re-energize everyone after lunch. This keynote delivers just that!
More than just entertaining and engaging, this laughter-filled experience will have your audience laughing and learning about the amazing science behind laughter. Did you know that laughter relaxes your muscles, releases feel-good hormones, boosts your mood, energizes your body and mind, and—believe it or not—even gives your internal organs a gentle massage?
Laughter will boost morale, strengthen connections, and help employees manage stress in the workplace. This high-energy keynote reveals how humor and laughter are more than just fun—they’re powerful tools for creating healthier, happier, and more productive teams.
Here’s proof of Desi’s humor:
- Award-winning professional clown, in 2016 winning the prestigious “All-Around Clown” and 1st Place in Skit Competition at the World Clown Convention
- Guest performer with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus as well as the Carden International Circus
- Directed Humor Therapy Department at local hospital for 29 years as a professional clown
- Attended clown college and training throughout the country and Canada on the art of clowning with patients.
- Worked on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as a family entertainer.
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