Squirrel! And other shiny new things

People have been asking about the expanded work I’m doing in the realm of conference speaking. What’s new about what you are doing? How did you make this leap? What is your business going to look like moving forward? I thought those questions would be the perfect way to start my blog. Here’s my story.

My story

After doing independent training and consulting for 11 years, I knew I needed something new – Squirrel! – to keep me engaged and moving forward. I love training and working with teams, but at times I struggled, feeling I could do this job in my sleep (not a bad thing and I’m grateful for the skills to do so).

I knew I needed something new to engage the creative side of me. Keynotes and conference speaking seemed the next natural step, especially after I received an invitation to speak at the American Bankers Association National Agricultural Conference in October 2015. The 650 people in the audience required a new level of polish and engagement. It was amazing! And my journey began.

That conference brought about 10-12 new invitations to speak at other events across the country. Each one has been as exciting and fulfilling as the first. This past May, I spoke to the National WIC Association. The 1000 person audience was delightful. At the end, I asked to take a selfie with the group to show my family. It’s become one of my favorite professional photos.

Moving forward, I’m combining keynotes and training into my work. My team is taking on more of the training pieces, although I’m doing enough to remind myself of how much I love that work. It’s just the start of our journey, and you’ll hear more as we learn and move forward together.

Thanks to each of you for being part of this journey!

Keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams. To buy her book or inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com.