Lauren Sisler

• Discover purpose beyond the paycheck (helloooo employee retention)
• Cultivate joy amongst individuals, groups, and entire organizations
• Find courage and confidence in moments of uncertainty

Life rarely goes according to script.

As an 18-year-old at Rutgers University, Lauren Sisler’s reality was shattered when – within hours of each other – she lost both parents to their concealed battle with prescription drug addiction.

In the weeks and months to follow, Lauren was catapulted into a new, painful reality, one in which the picture-perfect life as she knew it was overshadowed by grief and shame.

Despite unfathomable adversity, she pursued her passions and rose in the ranks in the uber competitive field of sports broadcasting. Lauren is now a two-time national and regional Emmy award-winning sports broadcaster with ESPN and SEC Network.

Among the myriad of truths she gained at a young age, Lauren learned that success is often defined by defeat, and our approach to life must include viewing circumstances through a lens of purpose and gratitude.

“Sports is my passion, but my purpose is to share what I learned from my parents’ story – and how I learned to fall in love with my own.”

She shares invaluable insight into the secrets of successfully overcoming adversity and the fundamentals of resilience that are now written into the chapters of her story.

Audiences will learn how to:

• rebound from tragedy with courage and mental toughness

• unlock doors of opportunity by embracing your story and overcoming shame

• take chances to increase resilience during times of change Key attendee takeaways:

• embrace every part of your story

• see the greater purpose behind every circumstance • maintain a sense of humor, especially in life’s more embarrassing moments

As a freshman at Rutgers University, Lauren Sisler unexpectedly lost both of her parents within hours of each other to their concealed battle with prescription drug addiction. She had a choice to make: hide the story and suffer alone, or use her struggles to help someone walk out of the shadows.

It was only when Lauren started working as a reporter for ESPN more than a decade after the death of both her parents that she started to truly undo the shackles of shame.

“My job is to find the truth in athletes’ stories and report on how their personal lives shaped who they are on the field. And yet, I couldn’t tell the truth about my own story because of the shame I inherited.”

“Once I started the painful process of opening up, I discovered that there are silver linings in the trauma I experienced from my parents’ addiction. It has shaped me into who I am; it has given me a different lens.”

Through her addiction advocacy work, Lauren seeks to help break the stigma and eliminate the shame associated with substance abuse and mental health disorders.

In her keynote, Lauren will take you behind the scenes of her extraordinary journey and how tragedy ignited purpose and gratitude in her life. The audience will be:

• Empowered to shatter the stigma they might feel surrounding the obstacles they are confronted with
• Inspired to embrace their own story with great courage and fortitude
• Led to discover the powerful and often life-changing impact their story can have on the lives of others
• Encouraged to be resilient and build confidence during times of uncertainty
• Motivated to view life through a lens of purpose and gratitude and live like champions