Courtney Smock

Change Management & Leadership Expert and Coach

Expert on

  • Change Management
  • The Change Experience
  • Navigating Loss in Change Management
  • Decision Alignment
  • Leadership
  • Fundamental Leadership Skills

Fee Range

$4,000–$10,000

Travels from

IA, US

Biography

Courtney Smock is a powerhouse speaker with 20 years of experience in change management and coaching, making her a sought-after presenter for leaders looking to solve big challenges. Known for her engaging and humorous “keep it real” style, Courtney captivates audiences by breaking down complex issues into actionable insights. As the creator of Slingshot25’s change model and Navigating Change Masterclass, she’s designed strategies that help leaders, change managers, and HR professionals influence effectively, care for people, and take decisive action during times of change.

Courtney’s speaking experience spans from Fortune 500 boardrooms to small business workshops, where she shares her expertise on navigating the complexities of transformation—whether it’s restructuring, mergers, acquisitions, or IT system changes. With an IPEC coaching certification and an MBA from the University of Iowa, Courtney brings both depth and authenticity to every presentation.

As a founding partner at Slingshot25, Courtney’s talks are not just theoretical; they’re built on real-world success. Audiences walk away with actionable takeaways, inspired by her unique blend of expertise, humor, and practical advice. For organizations ready to embrace change and thrive through transition, Courtney Smock delivers a speaking experience that makes a lasting impact.

Speaker Videos

The Change Experience (and what to do about it)

We are constantly faced with change and yet, we don’t seem to get much better at dealing with it. In this talk, we unpack the reasons that change is consistently and predictably challenging for people and organizations. We all have a huge opportunity to take care of each other and ourselves better through change. This talk gives insights into how to do that.

 

Key Objectives:

  • Understand the change experience and the effect that decisions and loss have on performance
  • Unpack the messy middle issues that come with every change
  • Introduce tactics required to help people climb out of the mess and back to high levels of performance

Get Decision Alignment or Get Derailed

Managing changes effectively starts with a business decision. And, if you’re not on the same page from the start, you’ll waste valuable time and money trying to get there. This session shares the common derailers and the steps to take to stay on course.  

Key Objectives:

  • Why it’s important to get uber-clear on change-related decisions in your organization
  • The most common sources of decision misalignment

Four fool-proof strategies for communicating business decisions

Navigating Loss: The Real Change Management Work

If people didn’t lose things, change management wouldn’t be needed. (Pause and let that sink in.) Subject matter expertise, identity, relationships and confidence are just a few examples of the kinds of things that people lose when things change. This talk is designed to help leaders and project teams take responsibility for creating an environment where people are cared for and valued while changes are happening.

Key Objectives:

  • Provide a framework to assess loss and think through how people will be impacted
  • Explanation of the psychology of loss
  • Provide instructions on how to conduct a meaningful impact assessment discussion

Coaching: The Secret Skill that Changes Everything

In this talk, we discuss the common misperceptions of coaching and explain what coaching is and what it isn’t. You’ll discover how learning to coach can feel like a new superpower, especially for leaders. Although this session cannot make you a certified coach, you will leave with three core coaching skills you can use right now for immediate impact.

Key Objectives:

  • Coaching: What it is and what it’s not
  • Three not-so-subtle lifelong benefits
  • Simple skills that you can begin using immediately