Biography

With a lot of help from the National Speakers Association, I learned about the business of speaking.  The sled dogs, the wilderness trips, and ALL the experiences and stories have done the rest.  My favorite description of what it feels like to get to speak to an audience or work with a team comes from the speaker/poet David Whyte: “Good speech is half what you plan to say, and half what is listened out of you.”

On to the more “traditional” bio…

Chris Heeter was selected was the highest rated speaker of Meeting Professional International’s recent World Education Congress and is a Top Ten Speaker by MeetingsNet.

She is out to create a Wild revolution in the workplace. A wilderness guide since 1984 and professional speaker since 2001, Chris has led and worked with a diverse array of teams, both canine and human!

Featured on The Discovery Channel’s “National Geographic Today,” she brings decades of leadership experience indoors, to conferences and offices, working with teams and leaders, helping us recognize that leadership and teamwork doesn’t have to be so complicated.

With remarkable parallels to the work world, Chris shares hilarious stories from her sled dog team with their quirky personalities and from guiding whitewater trips, where successfully navigating obstacles is part of the journey.

She sits on the board of the University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center, is a Wilderness First Responder and a graduate of NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School). She holds a bachelor’s degree in recreation and social work from George Williams College, where she recently received the Distinguished Alumnae Award.

She is a poet and shares her writing and Wild Dares through her newsletter, Wild Thoughts.

Chris challenges and inspires organizations and individuals toward Wild leadership, compassionate presence, and daring authenticity.