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Shasta Nelson

Whether at Work or in Life, Relationships are the Chemistry of Thriving

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Fee Range: Contact Speaker Exchange Agency

  • Accelerating the time it takes to build high-trust, resilient, and rewarding relationships
  • Keynote Speaker
  • Expert on the Science of Bonding and Healthy Relationships
  • Popular media resource for outlets such as Time magazine, the New York Times, and Harvard Business Review
  • 3x author, including the book “The Business of Friendship: Making the Best of the Relationships Where You Spend Most of Your Time”
  • 2x TEDx Featured Speaker

*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.

A leading expert on relationships, Shasta Nelson is an in-demand keynote speaker, trusted media resource, and author of three books, including The Business of Friendship: Making the Most of the Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time. For over 15 years, Shasta has translated the science of human connection into actionable strategies that help individuals and organizations build high-trust, resilient, and rewarding relationships. Her work has empowered companies like Google and LinkedIn to improve employee retention, engagement, and collaboration by fostering healthier workplace dynamics.

Shasta is a contributor to Harvard Business Review, has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and TIME magazine, and has appeared as a guest on The Today Show, The Steve Harvey Show, and the Harvard Business Review podcast. A two-time TEDx speaker—her first TEDx talk has garnered almost 1 million views—Shasta has delivered more than 500 keynotes across 20+ industries, including tech, healthcare, education, and non-profits.

Relational Intelligence: Accelerating High-Trust, Resilient, and Rewarding Relationships

Did you know that employees who have meaningful relationships at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their jobs, take fewer sick days, collaborate more effectively, provide better customer service, and have higher loyalty to their companies? Belongingness is the #1 factor for employee satisfaction, and creating a culture of belonging is an effective solution for decreasing turnover and increasing employee fulfillment.

In this dynamic and interactive program, belongingness expert and author of The Business of Friendship: Making the Most of Our Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time, Shasta Nelson provides a framework to evaluate belongingness within your teams and delivers practical tools to create and accelerate the high-trust and resilient relationships that boost employee productivity, retention, and profitability.

Perfect for:

  • Leaders and organizations who want to…
    • Increase employee retention, engagement, and collaboration
    • Inspire and gift their employees with skills to improve their wellbeing and fulfillment at work and in their personal lives
    • Create a culture of belonging at work

Audiences will leave with:

  • The latest research on how meaningful relationships at work impact employee engagement and retention
  • The 3 requirements of all healthy relationships and how they establish a culture of belonging
  • A framework to evaluate belongingness within your teams and identify areas of improvement to focus on for maximum impact
  • Strategies to implement the 3 requirements in your company culture and accelerate high-trust and resilient relationships at work
The Connected Leader: Driving Performance and Growth through Human Connection

We frequently talk about how lonely it is “at the top,” and yet we’ve almost resigned ourselves to believing that’s the way it has to be. Just as our team members need to have meaningful relationships at work to be more engaged and productive, our leaders need to feel connected and supported. The stats speak for themselves: 60 percent of CEOs say they’re lonely, and three-fourths of them say that it’s hurting their performance.

But it doesn’t have to be this way—leaders who have supportive relationships at work are more resilient through crisis, communicate more effectively, and enjoy increased longevity and health.

In this fun and interactive program, belongingness expert and author of The Business of Friendship: Making the Most of Our Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time, Shasta Nelson delivers strategies to create and maintain the supportive relationships that your leaders need and addresses the biggest fears around boss-employee friendships such as favoritism, confidentiality breaches, and more.

Perfect for:

  • Leaders and organizations who want to…
    • Boost leadership performance, resilience, and job satisfaction
    • Improve communication and trust between leaders and team members
    • Ensure their leaders’ health and wellbeing by building better relationships at work and at home
    • Combat potential favoritism, power imbalances, and confidentiality breaches arising out of boss-employee friendships

Audiences will leave with:

  • The latest research on how meaningful relationships at work impact leadership performance, resilience, and communication
  • The 3 requirements of all healthy relationships and how they establish a culture of support and belonging
  • Strategies to strengthen the 3 requirements and create the supportive relationships that will boost your leaders’ performance and job satisfaction
  • Insight into addressing the biggest fears around boss-employee friendships, such as favoritism, power imbalances, confidentiality breaches, firing and/or reprimanding a friend, and more
Relationally Fit: The Social Secret to a Longer, Happier Life

How many of us struggle to muster the energy to socialize with strangers or even with our closest friends? Making new friends or deepening our existing relationships is uncomfortable, awkward, and—at times—painful. But choosing to avoid social discomfort often leaves us feeling lonely, with over 61% of the United States and 73% of Gen Z-ers feeling lonely on a regular basis.

The damage to our health, happiness, and longevity is devastating. Feeling disconnected is as harmful to our wellbeing as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, twice as harmful as being obese, and is the equivalent of being a lifelong alcoholic. So what’s the solution?

In this energizing program packed with real-world research and inspiring stories, belongingness expert Shasta Nelson explores the #1 health factor more important than kale and treadmills and teaches us how we can enjoy long, connected lives.

Perfect for:

  • Hospitals and other healthcare organizations who want to teach their communities and employees how to improve mental health through belongingness and human connection
  • Leaders and organizations who want to improve their employees’ health and wellbeing

Audiences will leave with:

  • The latest scientific discoveries on the devastating side effects of loneliness and the health benefits of belongingness
  • A framework to reflect on and assess your social health, and identify which takeaway will make the biggest difference in fostering meaningful connection in your own life
  • Healthy expectations of relationships and their discomforts, such as conflict, disappointment, and insecurities
Frientimacy: The 3 Requirements for All Healthy Relationships

Did you know that over 60% of us feel lonely on a regular basis? With the constant connectivity of today’s world, it’s never been easier to meet people—but it’s never been harder to form meaningful relationships. The truth is, most of us aren’t lonely for more interaction, but rather for more intimacy, more support, and more depth. But how do we create these relationships we all want?

In this energizing program packed with real-world research and inspiring stories, belongingness expert Shasta Nelson unlocks the secret to turning acquaintances and casual friendships into deep, supportive connections and reaching a level of trust that she calls “frientimacy.”

Perfect for:

  • Fundraising galas, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic foundations, client appreciation events, and community-focused events

Audiences will leave with:

  • The 3 requirements of all healthy relationships and how they work together to deepen our connections
  • The ability to identify which of the 3 requirements need to be developed in your own relationships
  • Tools to strengthen the 3 requirements and achieve the supportive relationships you’re craving
Conference Connector: Hire Shasta to Emcee Your Event

Let’s make belongingness a topic that not only inspires but is also the experience of all of your attendees, speakers, and team throughout your entire event!

It’s one thing to have an amazing line-up of speakers—imagine if you also had a compelling and fun presence on stage to cast the vision, respond to the energy in the room, weave together all the speakers while keeping your conference theme front and center, and most importantly, facilitate connections and networking throughout your entire event!

If you want your event team to feel supported, your attendees to feel energized and connected to one another, and your event to feel coherent and exciting—hire Shasta to set the stage as your opening speaker and stay as your Conference Connector, making belongingness a core experience of your next event!

Senior Director, Global Partner Marketing at Google
Shasta is a powerhouse speaker & educator! While we were still coming out of the pandemic and learning new ways to lean on each other, Shasta hosted an incredible virtual session on the Business of Belonging & Relationships for my marketing team at Google. She left the team with incredible insights & thinking tools for a mindset change that are just so valuable. Our event with Shasta felt like a warm but productive hug with a focus on being intentional about the experiences people are creating for each other.
President, Adventist Health + Rideout Hospital
Shasta was outstanding. Of all our Leadership and Development speakers, she was one of the best we’ve had. With the stress and risk of burnout many leaders face in today’s world, her presentation provided us with knowledge and tools in a way that was engaging, informative, transformational and unforgettable.
Sr. Customer Success Manager, LinkedIn
I had the amazing opportunity to ask Shasta to return for a second year in a row to host a session on Building Friendships for our employee culture day here at LinkedIn! I would highly recommend working with her at your organization to bring powerful, energizing, and impactful expertise around relationships!
Director of Marketing Operations, Gilead Sciences
Our half-day workshop with Shasta far surpassed my already-high expectations and my only possible area for improvement is just that I wish we could've spent even more time with her! The impact of Shasta’s work is immeasurable and in a whole other category of its own, one with a value arguably more foundational and important than so many other topics we consider to be “hard skills.” My team left the session with Shasta feeling inspired, connected and grateful for each other, and having learned about themselves as people. Shasta’s workshop was so powerfully effective and moving that it felt like it immediately established trust in my leadership and goodwill with my team, especially with my leadership team, in a way that I could tangibly feel after the session.
AVP of Meetings and Events, Kestra Holdings
I would recommend Shasta 100 out of 100 times! Beyond being a warm and inviting person, Shasta delivered two incredible presentations at our recent recognition events. She is thoughtful, well poised, energetic and approachable. Her topics cover current issues that should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Her information is digestible and actionable and will leave a lasting impression on your audience.
Conference Manager, Conference Managers
Shasta was a fantastic keynote speaker for our annual conference. She was engaging with the audience and connected to their experiences. She received glowing reviews from our attendees. One said "This was likely my favorite presentation this year. I made lots of notes to take home with me!" I would highly recommend her for your next conference.
Regional Executive Director of Mission, AdventHealth Kansas City
Shasta was the perfect speaker for our healthcare leadership conference. Five months after the event, our leaders are still talking about her helpful content on workplace friendships. It's rare to encounter an author who is a great writer and can also hold their own as a speaker. Shasta brings that rare combination. Her books are so well written and engaging, AND, she is a dynamic speaker who connects well with her audience. I highly recommend her for other healthcare organizations seeking to keep their teams resilient and whole.
Senior Vice President, Humantouch LLC
Shasta knows how to connect with any audience. She is polished and authentic at the same time, and I've had the pleasure of seeing the way she transforms and lifts up a room (physical and virtual) filled with people. I'm a huge fan!
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