Megan Thole

Leadership Keynote Speaker on Resilience, Change Management, Communication, Women in Business & Workplace Culture

Expert on

  • Leadership
  • Resilience
  • Communications
  • Change
  • Organizational Skills
  • Women in Business

Fee Range

$2,000–$5,000

Travels from

IA, US

Biography

Some leaders naturally see strategy. Others naturally see people. Megan Thole has built her career on seeing both and helping leaders do the same.

For more than 15 years, Megan has helped organizations develop leaders, navigate change, and move from good ideas to meaningful action. What drives her work isn’t just improving organizational results, it’s helping people discover they don’t have to sacrifice themselves to become exceptional leaders.

As a first-generation college graduate, entrepreneur, and mom of two, Megan knows leadership doesn’t happen in ideal circumstances. It happens in the middle of competing priorities, uncertainty, and everyday life. She’s navigated career growth while becoming a parent, building businesses, and living with chronic illness—experiences that have shaped her belief that sustainable leadership begins with leading yourself first. Known for blending research, practical tools, and honest storytelling, Megan helps audiences make sense of complexity without making leadership feel more complicated. Her talks leave people feeling seen, supported, and equipped with practical ideas they can immediately apply at work and at home. More importantly, they leave believing they are more capable than they realized.

A speaker, leadership coach, and strategic advisor, Megan holds a Master of Arts in Leadership and Management. She is a PROSCI® Certified Change Management Practitioner and a Certified Brain-Based Coach through the NeuroLeadership Institute. She is the founder of Hello Mindful You and Thole Advisory Co., where she partners with organizations to build resilient leaders and healthier workplace cultures.

Megan has been recognized as a 2025 Corridor Business Journal Forty Under 40 honoree and a 2026 Woman of Influence for her contributions to leadership development. She is also a contributing author to the international anthology She Heals, sharing her personal journey of resilience and self-trust.

Megan’s mission is simple: to offer a fresh perspective on leadership that helps people build self-trust and lead themselves with greater confidence and intention.

Speaker Videos

LEAD YOURSELF FIRST: LEAD EFFECTIVELY WITHOUT BURNING OUT

The demands of leadership have never been greater. Leaders are expected to navigate constant change, support others, solve complex problems, and deliver results, all while carrying the weight of their own responsibilities, challenges, and expectations.

Many leaders spend so much time investing in everyone and everything around them that they forget to invest in themselves. Over time, this can lead to exhaustion, disconnection, and the belief that burnout is simply the price of success.

In this keynote, Megan challenges that belief. Through relatable stories, practical insights, and a refreshing perspective on leadership, she invites audiences to rethink what it means to lead well. Attendees will discover why self-awareness, resilience, and intentional leadership are necessities for creating meaningful impact and sustainable success.

Audience Takeaways

  • A renewed perspective on leadership, success, and well-being
  • Greater awareness of the habits and beliefs that contribute to burnout
  • Inspiration to invest in themselves as intentionally as they invest in others

BEYOND THE PLAN: THE HUMAN SIDE OF STRATEGY EXECUTION

Organizations rarely fail because of poor strategy. More often, they struggle because the people responsible for bringing that strategy to life were overlooked along the way.

Through stories, insights, and lessons from organizational leadership and change initiatives, Megan explores why execution is ultimately a human endeavor. She challenges leaders to look beyond plans, processes, and priorities to examine the culture, communication, trust, and alignment that determine whether meaningful change takes hold.

Audience Takeaways

  • A new perspective on why even the best strategies often struggle to gain traction.
  • Greater awareness of the leadership behaviors that build trust, alignment, and commitment.
  • Inspiration to approach change, communication, and execution through a more human-centered lens.

PRESENCE, PERSPECTIVE & POWER

Communicating with Confidence and Intention

Strong communication starts with self-awareness. The way we think, show up, and engage with others influences how our message is received and the impact we create.

In this interactive workshop, participants explore the connection between mindset, presence, and communication while learning practical strategies to increase confidence, strengthen executive presence, and communicate with greater clarity and intention.

Participants will:

  • Increase confidence and executive presence
  • Strengthen communication skills in high-impact situations
  • Recognize mindset patterns that influence communication
  • Develop practical tools for communicating with greater intention and influence