Speaking

Close-up of a microphone on a stand in front of an audience at a conference or event, with a blurred background of people and a large presentation screen.

I didn't set out to be a speaker. I set out to be an actor, then a director, then spent decades trying to turn myself into a cool girl and stop being a theater kid –then I finally figured out that my theater training, education, and passion, along with my agency experience, actually was the key to my success.

That's what I talk about on stage — the long way around, what it costs, and why it's usually the only way that ever could have worked.

I'm not a motivational speaker. I don't do transformation in 45 minutes. What I do is tell the truth about creative work, leadership, and what happens when you finally stop apologizing for how your brain works.

Contact Me

Current Talks

The Long Way Around

On curiosity, creativity, and the nonlinear career

I started in theater. I ended up in advertising. I won an Emmy. None of it was planned — and all of it makes sense in retrospect, which is the only way life does make sense.

This talk is for creatives, strategists, and anyone navigating a career that doesn't follow the prescribed path. It's about protecting your weirdness, rejecting snobbery, learning to fail usefully, and why curiosity is a more reliable compass than any five-year plan.

A good fit for: creative industry conferences, leadership summits, university and college audiences, career development programs.

Love As A Coping Mechanism

On depression, ECT, caregiving, and staying present when everything is terrifying

When my husband was hospitalized for severe depression and treated with electroconvulsive therapy, everyone praised me for my calm, my devotion, my ability to keep functioning. And I did keep functioning. The truth is, I was just the less depressed person in the marriage — and I'm very good at paperwork.

What nobody tells you about caregiving is that competence can be its own kind of hiding. My life didn't actually get better until I stopped being able to hold it together. This talk is about that. It's about what ECT actually is (not what the movies told you), what it costs to love someone through something unsurvivable, and what happens when the person holding everyone else up finally puts it down.

Honest. Occasionally funny.

A good fit for: mental health awareness events, healthcare conferences, caregiver support organizations, workplace mental health programming.

Contact me to speak at your next event.

The Fully Managed Podcast

I talked about my path from theater to creative leadership and what it actually takes to make great creative work.

Keynotes, Panels, and Select Podcast Appearances

A few places you can see me in action:

New York Festivals

My team at McKinney Health was given completely fake health terms courtesy of ChatGPT and asked to define them. Equal parts genius, nonsense, and way too relatable.

Contact me to discuss availability and fit.

  • "Stef is magnetic, a natural leader, a visionary creative, an enthralling storyteller, and the person you want in the room with you when the work feels impossible. With Stef by your side, you know you'll be able to crack the problem together."

    ~ Janeen Ritson

  • "Her wit, wisdom, acumen, and compassion make any creative endeavor better for her presence. She commands a room, weaves an amazing story, builds a strong relationship with her clients, and fearlessly champions truly good creative ideas."

    ~ Heather Linnell

  • “From her impeccable work ethic to her wicked sense of humor, Stefanie has a lot to offer. She is a decisive leader, a fair judge of work and character, and a skilled magician to the clients. Stefanie is also a lovely human being who understands, listens, and knows how to make everything better, smoother, and kinder for her team.”

    ~ Yana Hunt

  • "Stef doesn't need much to make something beautiful—she listens with a honed ear and picks up on the subtlest prompts to make work that's sharp and smart."

    ~ Sarah Dick

  • "It's rare to find someone as motivated, thoughtful, and kind."

    ~ Ben Waldman

  • “Stefanie is the kind of leader I aspire to be: collaborative, yet powerful. Loyal, yet flexible. Empathetic, yet direct. A keen love of craft, with incredible insight and intuition. She has the uncanny ability to find the most salient kernel of truth in an idea to make it great and also give her team the room to play. She creates a safe space for everyone who is lucky enough to work with her and can navigate the trickiest situations with grace and humor.”

    ~ Erica Boynton

Have questions? I might have the answers below.

  • I'm building my speaking portfolio selectively. In the meantime, you can hear me on the Fully Managed Podcast and see me in action at New York Festivals.

    Contact me directly to talk about your event and audience — I'm happy to jump on a call.

  • Yes, within reason. The core narrative of each talk is fixed because it's built from real experience. But the framing, examples, and emphasis can be shaped to fit your audience.

  • Limited and by inquiry. Reach out early.