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Lead at Any Level

  • Programs That Give Your Audience Tools They Can Use on Monday Morning.

    One core methodology. Three distinct experiences. 
    ​All customized for your specific audience.

    Check Amy's Availability ↗

Why Event Planners Hire Amy

Amy C. Waninger delivers keynotes, workshops, and training programs that give participants practical tools they can use before the week is out. She comes prepared, customizes to your context, and makes the planners and L&D leaders who hire her look good for doing it.

Polished & Engaging

Amy delivers every time — with the clarity, humor, and audience connection that turns a good session into a memorable one.

Built for Your Audience

Content is tailored through an intentional pre-work process — not a generic swap of your logo into the slides. Your context shapes everything.

Data-Driven

Every program is grounded in research, real organizational insight, and where relevant, assessment tools that deepen the learning.

Easy to Work With

Clear communication, on-time deliverables, and seamless collaboration from first contact to post-event follow-up. Clients consistently say Amy makes them look good.

“She was incredibly easy to work with, exceeded expectations at every turn, and had everything prepared well ahead of deadlines. Amy also delivered thoughtful value-adds we didn’t even ask for — clear evidence of her experience, generosity, and commitment to excellence.”

— Jodie R. Daugherty, CMP  |  Event & Sponsorship Manager  |  MPI Indiana Chapter

Programs

One core methodology. Six programs. Each one designed for your specific audience, format, and context.

Keynotes

High-impact presentations for conference and event audiences. Available as 40- to 90-minute standalone keynotes or paired with a breakout session for extended engagement.

kEYNOTE 1

Moving from Panic to Purpose — Keynote |  45-90 min

A practical framework for navigating change — and for helping your team do the same.

Change is constant. For most leaders, it’s also relentless. This keynote gives participants a clear, research-informed framework for moving from reactive panic to intentional, grounded leadership. Based on Amy’s book of the same name, it equips audiences with tools they can apply before the week is out — not just inspiration that fades by Monday.

PERFECT FOR:  Association annual events, conference keynotes, all-hands meetings, leadership retreats, corporate change initiatives. Resonates across industries and career stages.

Learn More →
kEYNOTE 2

Network Like a CHAMP — Keynote |  45-90 min

How to build a professional network that actually works — for you and the people around you.

Most professionals network by accident. This keynote gives participants the CHAMP framework — a practical, memorable model for building more intentional, diverse, and effective professional relationships. Based on Amy’s book Network Beyond Bias, it reshapes how people think about who they know, who they’re missing, and what that costs them.

PERFECT FOR:  Association events, conference keynotes, professional development programs, ERG programming, high-potential leader cohorts.

Breakouts & Workshops

​​Interactive sessions designed to extend a keynote or stand alone in a conference program. Suitable for breakout tracks, workshop blocks, and focused team sessions.

Breakout / workshop 1

Building Resilient Connections with Emotional Intelligence (EIQ) — Breakout / Workshop |  60-90 min  | Highly Interactive

The interpersonal skills that make leadership work in the real world.

Technical skills get people promoted. EIQ skills determine whether they succeed once they’re there. This session gives participants practical emotional intelligence tools for managing emotions under pressure, communicating more effectively across differences, and building the kind of resilience that holds up when things get hard.

PERFECT FOR:  Conference breakout tracks, leadership team workshops, high-stress workplaces, emerging leader cohorts, nonprofit staff development days.

NOT FOR:  Not designed as a standalone keynote for large general-session audiences. Best suited for smaller, focused groups of 15–150.

Breakout / workshop 2

Building Your CHAMP Network Online and In Real Life (IRL) — Breakout / Workshop |  60-90 min  |  Highly Interactive

Put the CHAMP framework into practice — live, in the room, with the people around you.

This hands-on breakout is the natural next step after the Network Like a CHAMP keynote. Participants apply the CHAMP framework in real time through structured networking activities, peer reflection, and immediate action planning. High energy, high engagement, and built to leave people walking away with actual new connections.

PERFECT FOR:  Conference breakout tracks following the Network Like a CHAMP keynote. Also effective as a standalone session for association events and professional development programs.

NOT FOR:  Small groups. This program requires a minimum of 20 participants to create the interactive dynamic the session is built around.

Training Programs

​​Multi-session and immersive programs for teams and organizations. Designed for corporate L&D and nonprofit staff development — where the goal is sustained behavior change, not a single great day.

Training program 1

Leading Others from Panic to Purpose — Half-Day or Full-Day Workshop

Help your managers lead their teams through change — not just survive it themselves.

While the keynote gives individuals a framework for navigating change, this workshop goes deeper: it’s built for people leaders who need to support their teams through disruption while managing their own reactions to it. Participants leave with specific tools for recognizing change responses in others, communicating with clarity under uncertainty, and creating the conditions for their teams to move forward together.

PERFECT FOR:  Corporate and nonprofit organizations investing in manager and people-leader development. Ideal for intact teams or cohorts of managers across a function or department.

NOT FOR:  Not a conference session. Requires a team or cohort that works together — the learning is relational and context-dependent.

Learn More →
Training program 2

Communication & Conflict — Multi-Session Training Series  |  2+ Sessions

Build the communication skills and conflict fluency that help teams innovate and thrive.

Most workplace conflict isn’t about personality — it’s about unspoken expectations, unexamined assumptions, and communication patterns that have never been named. This multi-session series gives teams a shared language and practical tools for navigating disagreement, delivering difficult feedback, and building the kind of trust that holds up under pressure. Assessment-integrated and fully customizable to your team’s specific dynamics.

PERFECT FOR:  Corporate L&D programs, nonprofit staff development, intact teams navigating tension or change, organizations investing in leadership pipeline development.

NOT FOR:  Not a conference session. Not suitable as a single stand-alone workshop — the series format is essential to the behavior change the program is designed to produce.

​Who Are You Planning For?

Planning a Conference or Event?

Keynotes and breakouts that give your attendees a shared experience and a framework they’ll remember — and make you look great for booking her. High satisfaction scores. Easy to work with from first contact to final follow-up.

⇓ Download Amy's Speaker One-Sheet

​​Building Capability for a Corporate Team?

Workshops and multi-session programs that help technical experts become effective people leaders — built around your team’s actual context, not a generic curriculum. Assessment integration available.

→ Check Amy's availability

Developing Staff at a Nonprofit Organization?

Grant-aligned staff development that strengthens your team without burning them out. Designed for funder accountability, real culture improvement, and the budget realities of mission-driven work.

→ Check Amy's availability

Formats & Delivery Options

Delivery Methods

In-person keynotes and workshops, virtual and hybrid delivery, panel moderation. All formats maintain the same structured, practical focus.

Session Formats

45–90 minute keynotes, keynote + breakout packages, half-day and full-day workshops, multi-session training series. Packaged engagements increase attendee value without increasing planner risk.

Audience Fit

Emerging leaders, people managers, senior leaders, technical professionals moving into management, cross-functional teams, and full conference audiences. Programs are designed to land across job levels and industries in the same room.

“Amy has this down to a science — her clarity, organization, and preparation set the tone for seamless collaboration. 100% of participants found the experience valuable. 100% said they want her back.”

— Paul Venderley  |  L&D Leader  |  ATD Orange County Chapter

Ready to Build Your Program?

A 20-minute planning conversation is enough to know if there’s a fit — and to start mapping out what an engagement could look like for your audience and timeline.

Check Amy's Availability →

Not ready to schedule? [⇓ Download Amy's speaker one-sheet ⇓] to share with your team.