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A Seasoned Facilitator and Dynamic Speaker

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If your event gathers seasoned leaders—from rising directors to battle-tested executives—who crave new insight and actionable growth, Marlene Chism bridges inspiration with implementation.

Her practical strategies cut through the noise, delivering the clarity leaders need to elevate results and empower their people.

Whether you choose a high-energy keynote, an immersive general session, a laser-focused breakout, or a customized half-day workshop, you’ll get practical frameworks, candid stories, and the strategic push that turns insight into immediate action.

As a seasoned facilitator and dynamic speaker, she brings executives and managers together to uncover blind spots, address the elephant in the room, and strengthen alignment.

  • Keynote 45 - 75 minutes
  • General Session 90 -120 minute
  • Breakout 60 minutes

From Conflict to Courage

In today’s fast paced high-pressure world, conflict is inevitable. But here’s the truth most leaders miss: Conflict itself isn’t the problem—mismanagement is.

When leaders avoid, conflict they create bigger problems: eroded trust, disengagement, and costly turnover. Every big conflict in an organization can be traced back to a conversation that should have happened but didn’t.

In this engaging keynote, Marlene Chism reveals how to turn conflict into a strategic advantage for building confident leaders, collaborative relationships and accountable cultures.

If you’re looking for academic theory, a lecture, or another motivational talk about leadership—this isn’t it.

If you want practical tools, real-world stories, and straight talk about what it means to build courageous leadership, this keynote is for you.

You Will Learn

  • Why and how leaders mismanage conflict.
  • Common leadership behaviors that quietly erode trust.
  • How inner conflict and identity affect decision making.
  • Three components necessary for building conflict capacity.
  • Practical tools based on Marlene’s book, From Conflict to Courage to use immediately.
"The session exceeded every expectation. The material shared was easy to understand and practical. Your presentation style was relatable, engaging and created a common ground by demonstrating we all face similar challenges. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, insights, and life experiences. We appreciated your vulnerability, candor, and humor."
Nancy Batista Rodriguez
Nancy Batista-Rodriguez
Chief Executive Officer- Baptist Outpatient Services, Baptist Health South Florida

Release Resistance
Working with High Conflict People

Guess what every difficult conversation has in common? Resistance. Resistance shows up in a variety of ways, some easy to recognize, such as negativity, complaining or incivility. Some more subtle signs of resistance include resentment, disrespect, or game-playing.

Resistance is a sign that the conversation is not advancing or not going in the right direction. Because it’s so difficult to deal with resistance, many leaders avoid conversations, and as a result get trapped in the third layer of resistance.

This content-rich program offers practical strategies to identify and test for
resistance, as well as proven techniques to overcome resistance and move the
conversation forward.

You Will Learn

  • Identify three layers and four types of resistance.
  • Use a magic phrase to test for resistance.
  • Apply two distinct methods to coach employees out of resistance.
  • Redirect non-productive conversations and regain control.
"Marlene wowed our global marketing team with a leadership workshop that was not only insightful, but highly actionable. I personally came away with a deeper understanding of why conflict happens, how it presents in the workplace, and what my team and I personally can do to navigate toward more successful outcomes. She used stories and examples that made the framework relatable, intuitive, and easy to apply in the everyday. I highly recommend Marlene for any team seeking to level-up their communication and leadership skills!"
Donna Stokes
SVP & CMO, Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions

The Fulcrum Point
The Place Where Change Happens

Change doesn’t happen when you push harder, think longer, or wait for others to change. Real change happens at a precise moment—the Fulcrum Point of Change.

When you’re stuck, it’s not because the problem is unsolvable. It’s because you’re
in a state of resistance. Unfortunately, we often think the resistance is about the other person, or the situation. Here’s the twist: resistance isn’t about them or the situation. It’s totally in your power to create change. Access the Fulcrum Point and go from stuck to unstoppable.

Recognize the hidden patterns that keep you stuck or distracted and access the Fulcrum Point—where transformation begins. A bonus: When you learn how to shift out of your own resistance, you’re able to coach others. Unlock the secret to go from stuck to unstoppable.

You Will Learn

  • Use the SAND method to uncover your state of resistance.
  • Discover the Fulcrum Point—the exact moment where change happens.
  • Understand how energy affects change.
  • Apply a matrix to quickly access the power to move forward.
  • Recognize the hidden patterns that keep you stuck or distracted, and access the Fulcrum Point—where transformation begins.
"I've been so inspired by you recently; I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you. I have read and watched as much of your material as I could get my hands on. As a leader, your perspectives and guidance have really changed my thinking when tackling crunchier conversations with my team. I’m taking that much-needed pause before responding. How I show up professionally (and personally) - whether that be in conversations, emails or anything else has changed significantly because of you. Thank you so very much for your excellence in what you do."
John Rushforth
Senior Workplace Operations Manager, Asana Headquarters, San Francisco