INSPIRATION for today’s hard working human!
2025 Keynotes!
You Got THIS, Your Next Chapter Could Be Your Best Chapter
You Get One Story, Success Is in the Edits, Rewrites, and Plot Twists.
Life is full of highs and lows, and never stops moving forward. Navigating your journey to success requires more than just perseverance. This inspiring keynote explores the true meaning of resilience and how it empowers us to take control of our futures no matter what challenges or changes we face.
Resilience isn’t just about bouncing back; it’s about how you get back up. Nina breaks down the tools, mindset, and strategies needed to not just survive but thrive in the face of adversity of all sizes. Drawing from her own journey through career pivots, personal triumphs, and failures, she brings resilience to life in a way that is both deeply relatable and profoundly motivating.
Audiences will gain insights into Nina’s concept of the “Reverse Resume”- a visual timeline of life’s ups and downs that emphasizes the growth and strength we gain from the struggles we overcome. Through powerful storytelling, actionable takeaways, and her unique framework, Nina equips attendees with practical tools to manage stress, maintain perspective, and foster collaboration in their professional and personal lives.
Audience Takeaways:
Understand the true meaning of resilience and why how you get back up matters.
Learn actionable strategies to adapt positively to challenges and changes.
Discover Nina’s “Reverse Resume” framework to reframe your life’s highs and lows as tools for growth and strength.
Develop practical skills to manage stress, stay motivated, and maintain perspective during uncertain times.
Gain insights to foster collaboration and thrive in both personal and professional settings.
Leave inspired to embrace your next chapter with confidence, knowing it could be your best yet.
Whether you’re at the beginning, middle, or starting a new chapter of your career or life’s journey, this keynote will empower you to embrace life’s plot twists. After all, your next chapter could be your best chapter!
Build to Last: Thrive Through Change and Design Your Next Success
Empowering Hardworking Audiences to Adapt, Rebuild, and Succeed in a World of Constant Change.
Change is inevitable—and often unpredictable. Life’s plans can feel like a carefully built masterpiece that suddenly collapses, leaving us to rebuild with whatever “blocks” we’re handed. In this engaging keynote, Nina empowers audiences to thrive through the unexpected shifts life throws their way.
Nina dives into why change feels so challenging and why we instinctively resist it. With relatable insights, science, and storytelling, she reframes change as a natural and necessary part of growth. Using the metaphor of ‘building’ a life, she shows audiences how to adapt quickly when the “blueprint” shifts unexpectedly.
Through interactive storytelling and Nina’s signature approach that blends humor and science, this session equips individuals and teams with practical strategies to see change not as a threat but as an opportunity to build something even stronger.
Audience takeaways include:
Turning apprehension into action with Nina’s framework for managing stress and maintaining perspective.
Tools for fostering collaboration and innovation, even in the face of uncertainty.
A fresh mindset to view change as just another set of “bricks” to build with, no matter how mismatched they might seem.
This keynote is a dynamic, “Aha!” experience, leaving your workforce inspired to take on challenges, adapt to new realities, and confidently design their success, brick by brick. Let Nina guide your team to create a resilient culture where every change becomes a new opportunity to build.
Play the Long Game: Resilience for a Successful Lifetime
Empowering Top Performers to Keep Winning in Life’s Ever-Changing Arena
In today’s fast-paced world, success isn’t about a single win, it’s about staying in the game and mastering how you play the game of life for the long haul. In this dynamic keynote, Nina equips high achievers with the tools to not only hit their current goals but also to level up and play the ultimate long game: a successful ‘lifetime’.
Nina challenges executives and ambitious professionals to shift their mindset from chasing isolated victories to embracing a lifetime of achievements. She introduces a game-changing framework to keep raising the bar without succumbing to “Excellence Exhaustion,” the burnout that stems from constant ambition and today’s relentless connectivity.
Using the metaphor of life as a game, Nina helps audiences reflect on their own successes and setbacks, providing strategies to keep “unlocking new levels” while maintaining their mental well-being and confidence. Whether you’re spinning on the merry-go-round of endless goals or on the playing field facing a new opponent, Nina shows you how to stay resilient, adapt, and be ready for the next challenge.
This is a master class in resilience for leadership teams, packed with actionable insights to:
Strengthen resilience and adaptability.
Boost productivity and team culture.
Empower individuals to confidently take on whatever’s next.
Join Nina and discover how to play the long game, win at life’s challenges, and build a legacy of success that lasts beyond the scoreboard.
Resilience 101: The College Keynote
You’re in the game, and there’s no pause button!
College life is full of challenges, achievements, and unexpected twists, and it’s all part of the continuous journey toward success. In this engaging and relatable keynote, Nina helps students navigate the pressures of today’s FOMO-fueled, always-connected world.
With humor and insight, Nina draws on her experience as a D1 student-athlete, TV personality, and tech executive to share her own wins and "game over" moments. She teaches students how to:
Build resilience to tackle challenges without fear of failure.
Develop a mindset that supports mental wellness and long-term success.
Bounce back with confidence when life doesn’t go as planned.
Unless students plan to sit on the sidelines and watch others succeed, they’re in the game. Nina reminds them that success isn’t about never failing, it’s about how you navigate the highs (now what?) and lows (now what?) of life’s unpredictable game.
This dynamic session is packed with real talk, relatable stories, and actionable strategies, making it a perfect power-up for high-achieving students feeling the pressure to succeed.
Students leave this keynote feeling less overwhelmed and more confident about taking control of their future and their mental health. It’s like having a cheat code for success.
Workshops - Deep Dives into key Resilience Topics
· Resilience/Burnout - Introducing the term “Excellence Exhaustion”. You are stronger than you think, and you are right where you are supposed to be. Use what you’ve accomplished and survived up till now, to be the hero in the next chapter of your story. As you write your own success story, your ‘Reverse Resume’ grows, but you must manage the stress of success.
· Resilience/Change – You are going through a change or challenging time, but tough chapters are not your whole story. Continually raising the bar and facing new challenges is the norm. This session is a master class in resilience and delivers a ‘pro-level’ framework that equips your team with the mental agility to embrace change with confidence and optimism.
· Resilience/Mental Health – You are a hard worker and the best and brightest can be the toughest on themselves. Through our self-talk, self-sabotage, and social media – we are often causing our own anxiety and depression. This session delves into how to navigate adversity and achieve personal growth. It includes science-based tools and practical guidance to make sure you are writing the story you want.
· Resilience/Teamwork – You aren’t in this alone, to thrive you must embrace the support and connections with others. This session looks at who’s in this with you, what you bring to the team, and who’s missing. While you are the main character in your story, who is the character you play in other people’s stories? A fun look at collaboration and success.
Nina can be your Emcee/Event Host (seen here at Deltek Projection 2022 hosting a fireside chat with President and CEO Mike Corkery)
Emcee/Host
Nina is an experienced event host/emcee. With a passion for preparation, she blends your corporate messaging, corporate culture and event themes into her delivery so your event is on message and your audience is engaged. She is a professional you can trust with your audience and she gracefully controls a room to ensure your event stays in track.
Moderator/’Fireside Chat’ Host
Nina is an expert interviewer or panel moderator who connects with your participants and makes everyone feel comfortable, confident and heard. Her award winning journalism skills, plus 12 years in corporate meetings, make Nina uniquely qualified for this role. You can trust her to diligently prepare and ensure your session delivers the message you need and ensure your session wraps up on time and on a strong note.
“Thank you for joining us in Chicago! We have received so much amazing positive feedback and comments on your session.”
Kristy Floyd, Director of Conference and Event Strategy
TOP 8 REASONS TO BOOK NINA
1. Nina has been in your shoes
She used to book speakers as a MKT VP. She knows you need her to be prepared, be flexible, and send her presentation early.
2. Nina delivers
She’s a proven presenter. She anchored three shows a day for 20 years and was repeatedly voted favorite news personality. Your audience will like her.
3. Nina is fun
She’s is a pro, but she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Even the prep calls and pre-event work will be enjoyable.
4. Nina is flexible
She knows things can change and she will adjust and deliver whatever you need… um… she is an expert in RESILIENCE so dealing with change is her jam!
5. Nina knows media
She loves using fun video clips and multi-media stories. She’s going to make sure your audience stays engaged.
6. Nina is new
This is the new keynote, presentation or host that your audience has not seen. Plus she uses current events and what is trending.
7. Nina checks the box
She checks a lot of boxes - Energetic, Female, Leader, Corporate Exec, Elite Athlete, TV Personality, Author, Podcast Host, Parent
8. Nina gets your audience
She’s worked eye to eye with Senior Executives, identifies as a Gen-Xer, has Managed Millennials and worked with College Students. She speaks your audience’s language.
A "Reverse Resume" is a visual and reflective concept developed by Nina Sossamon-Pogue that highlights the personal challenges and obstacles a person has overcome—those experiences that are not typically featured on traditional resumes or LinkedIn profiles.
Above the line, you’ll find your accomplishments—those moments of success we often celebrate. But below the line is where your true resilience is revealed—the challenges, setbacks, and obstacles you’ve overcome. These moments, often left off traditional resumes, are just as vital.
True success isn’t just about the wins; it’s shaped by the struggles that build strength and character. Embrace both sides, because together they tell the complete story of who you are
