Speaking (keynotes, seminars, workshops)

Hands down, one of the best leadership sessions I have been to for some time.” – Sr. Executive, Roche Biosciences

 
“We hired Denise Brosseau to come in and speak at a special event for our Denver-based Women Presidents Organization (WPO). Denise was a huge hit. The members of the WPO are in the top 1% of women business owners due to their revenues and they have pretty much ‘seen everything’ when it comes to speakers, presentations and quality content. Denise was able to bring them insights they had not considered and her preparation for this event was impressive to all. Hands-down, our best speaker yet.” 
– Brenda Abdilla/Denver WPO Chapter Chair
 
Denise helped crystallize many ideas our diverse team had about thought leadership and influence. We walked away from the valuable workshop knowing how each of us can be the ‘pebble in the pond‘.
– Christopher Jablonski, Director, CXO Revolutionaries & Community | Zscaler, Inc.

 

Denise was easy and fun to work with and she brought a wealth of knowledge, tools and materials that were action-oriented and well-received. We found her style very engaging and interactive and appreciated her ability to answer all of our audience’s questions.
– Crystal Cooper Senior Talent Management Partner, Earnest

“Denise has consistently been an outstanding choice for our Women in Leadership events. She is incredibly talented as both a speaker and a facilitator and was instrumental in kicking off both our Pleasanton and San Francisco groups. The executives and entrepreneurs attending our event gave glowing feedback – they felt that Denise’s presentation was engaging, inspiring, and relevant in providing thoughtful, actionable strategies on how to build influence and expand the impact of their ideas. Denise is truly an incredible resource, and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a brilliant, experienced, inspiring keynote speaker. 

– Alexandra K. Davis, CAP® Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley 

 

“We engaged Denise to speak to our members about how to advocate for themselves in the workplace. Her presentation was spot on as she took the time to understand our specific needs and the company culture. Denise has an engaging speaking style and managed to put a new and memorable twist on advice about effective communication. After the event, we received many emails from our members about how much they enjoyed Denise’s presentation and how valuable they found it.” 

– G. Chan Co-Chair of a woman-focused employee resource group at a global financial institution 

 

“We invited Denise to speak to a roomful of Palo Alto Lean In Circle members. Most of our members were getting their first lesson in Thought Leadership. Denise taught us about the impact that we could make, the importance of being first followers but, most importantly, CAREER INSURANCE! Denise can turn anyone into the person whom everyone wants to hire, who makes things happen, who has a great reputation [and] who makes others more effective…Her genius is the simplicity of her message, and she makes a tremendous impact, all while entertaining you! Denise’s visit with us was transformational, and I would highly recommend her. 

– Myra Nawabi Facilitator of Palo Alto Lean In Circle (The Largest Lean In Circle in Bay Area) 

 

“Denise is a knowledgeable and dynamic speaker! Her breakout session on Thought Leadership at our annual conference was informative and thought-provoking for our members. She attracted a standing-room-only crowd. We’ve invited her back to keynote at our next year’s conference! 

– Patricia McFarland, MS, RN, FAAN CEO, Association of California Nurse Leaders 

 

“We have invited Denise to lead two of our Women in Licensing WiLPower Workshops, one on the qualities of leadership, and the other on the value and practice of networking. Denise’s presentations are unique in two respects. First, she has a thorough substantive knowledge of the necessary elements of career development and success. Her presentations reflect a clear framework that she has obviously invested time researching and constructing as a tool for guiding professionals in their development. Even more so, Denise delivers a captivating presentation, using both practical pointers and real-life anecdotes in a way that makes her audience eager to begin practicing her recommendations. Denise is obviously passionate about career development strategies. She has an exceptional ability for engaging her audience and focusing them on immediate actions they can take to improve their networking and leadership skills. 

– Mona Sabet Corporate VP, Cadence Design Systems and Co-Founder, Women in Licensing, WiLPower program 

 

“Last night was my first time at the Women’s Startup Lab. I did not expect more than something fluffy about women being more assertive and taking more initiative. Instead, your talk was probably one of the most useful talks on women in leadership I’ve ever heard. I was impressed with how many useful, concrete pieces of advice you gave… Your talk made me realize that being the CEO of a technology company is completely different from being the team leader in a company. Following your advice, I will take steps towards presenting myself more effectively. Thanks again! 

– Nancy Hua CEO, Apptimize 

 

“Thank you very much for coming to speak at Abbott Vascular yesterday! It was so wonderful to have you. Having been involved with professional organizations for many years, I’ve been to countless career development and related lectures. After a while, they really do all start sounding the same, and I begin to feel like I didn’t learn much (though they can act as a wonderful validation that I already have the tools I need to succeed). Your lecture was different—I learned so much that I did not know before, thought of things I did know in a new and enlightening way and left feeling more empowered than I have in a very long time–and I’m not even trying to flatter you (just telling the truth!). 

– Lucia Mokres, DVM Senior Clinical Scientist, Abbott Vascular 

 

“Denise’s audiocast at Intel Corporation in Santa Clara on “Courage, Confidence, and Coaching” was superb! The audiocast was broadcast across the US and Costa Rica and replays are still being downloaded around the globe. The feedback from our employees has been fabulous. One employee said ‘Excellent, Excellent! The material was very well presented, engaged the audience, and added real value.’ Many people commented that they learned so much from the 90-minute session. Denise’s relaxed style, attention to detail, and mastery of the subject matter made it easy for our employees to understand they didn’t have to find one [mentor] to offer them everything. They need to network, reach out, and get coaching and mentoring from a whole bunch of different people. Denise has a gift for connecting people, even when she can’t see them! She helps people understand how they need to make the necessary connections to progress in their careers. I am privileged to know her and lucky to learn from her. 

– Elizabeth Mason Intel Corporation 

 

“Denise’s workshop session on “Becoming a Thought Leader” at the Invent Your Future Conference was very insightful. I got a better understanding of the path from a leader to a thought leader; learned several tools including listing my credentials, building my support base, providing social proof and above all communicating to become an effective thought leader. I am very excited to try all these techniques in the coming months and hope to report back success stories of my own. Thank you very much, Denise. 

– Piyanka Jain PayPal 

 

“Denise has always done an exceptional job presenting her Managing Career/Life Workshops at our KPMG offices across the country. She is a key component of our strategy to train and retain our senior managers. Her sessions always rate over a 4.5 on a scale of 5 and we get many positive comments from all of the participants. 

– Sandra Bushby National Director of Women’s Initiatives, KPMG 

 

“Thank you for sharing your insight, knowledge, and experience this afternoon. I found the “Accelerate Your Career Success with Mentors, Coaches and Sponsors” seminar you presented at Abbott HQ was very enlightening and inspiring. There is more I can and SHOULD be doing to expand my network and my opportunities to grow professionally – there were quite a few “light bulb” moments for me! You were a situational mentor to me today, thank you. 

– Colleen Rafferty Abbott, Hemotology Division 

 

“A talented trainer possessed of a wealth of people skills and industry knowledge, and a great public speaker, Denise is an excellent ally. I participated in a training session with her, and she had the group of assembled type A plus people eating out of her hand and scribbling notes about her pearls of wisdom within moments. She’s someone you want on your side. 

– Alex Clemens Board Member, Coro Leadership 

 

“Denise is one of our most-requested speakers and regularly attracts a tribe of raving fans at each year’s conference. Whether she’s speaking about thought leadership, mentors, or building your career through networking, her sessions are always highly rated and the audiences really respond to her humor and warmth, as well as her practical and actionable ideas. 

– Ruth Stergiou, CMP CEO, Planning Dynamics, Event Production 

 

“Denise, your presentation and workshop received top reviews from our TechLeaders audience! Given that the room was filled with tenured professors from top universities, as well as industry leaders, that is really saying something! 

– Telle Whitney CEO, Anita Borg Institute 

 

“I just wanted to say thank you again for coming all the way to Dallas to teach our [Managing Career/Life Choices] workshop yesterday. I had a great time in the class! You are truly a motivational speaker. Once I thought about my personal life goals and created an action plan, the career goals just kind of seemed to follow. Thank you so much for an amazing day!!” 

– Ashlee P. KPMG 

 

Thanks to the thought-provoking discussions I experienced in your workshop, as well as the new ideas introduced to me in last week’s session, I feel I’m closer than ever to achieving the life of my dreams. Thank you for all that you’ve brought to us in your workshops. 

Valerie Herenchak KPMG 

 

“Thank you very much for your fantastic talk Thursday night at Cisco. I learned a lot from your presentation and wish I had heard it 10 years ago when I first joined the company. 

– Mei Wang, Ph.D. Head of Cisco Asia-Pacific Research 

 

“I was thrilled when you leveraged the energy in the room to focus on pay negotiation – a politically difficult direction to take, but you did it well. [We] plan to explore other opportunities with you. 

 Chile Hile Sr. Marketing Manager, Intuit 

 

“I really enjoyed your seminar for American Women in Science (AWIS). It was insightful, thought-provoking, and uplifting. I found myself driving home and imagining the lioness in me and I have used that idea several times since to inspire me at work! Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. 

– Simona Neumann Sr. Scientist, Geron 

 

“Our guests were very impressed with the meeting where you and Karen spoke. They had such a good time and there were a lot of excellent comments about the format and the questions were right on target with what business owners need to think about today, i.e. working collaboratively and not competitively. 

– Maxine Goulding NAWBO Silicon Valley 

 

“Denise’s seminar, “Courage, Confidence, and Coaching, Finding Your Path” that she offered to the WANDA group (“Women’s Achievement Network and Development Alliance) was very well-received and much appreciated. Everyone found the program tremendously helpful and a lively discussion followed that included everyone strategizing various work issues, how to use mentors in specific situations, and even sharing their resumes. WANDA is deeply grateful to you, Denise, for your time and talents in providing this training pro bono for our non-profit program and for the fantastic advice you shared with these dedicated and hard-working WANDA members. We hope to have the opportunity to work with you again for our future classes! 

Susan Kokores Co-Founder, WANDA 

 

“I’ve attended several talks, workshops, and meetings about career management strategies. Nothing came close to the expertise and advice Denise offered. Within an hour, I gained a much clearer and more informed approach to self-promotion and job search strategies. I can’t thank you enough! 

– Eva Glasrud MA Candidate in Psychology, Stanford University 

 

“Denise Brosseau is a rare combination of someone who is both an expert in her field and a committed sharer of ideas. In her presentation at the Microsoft Conference in San Francisco, I was blown away by her capacity to clearly articulate a topic that, up to that point had seemed convoluted and inaccessible to me. Then, immediately after the presentation, not only did she follow up on a question that I had asked during the session, but she then went on to ask me about my business. Without any prompting, she offered to put me in touch with a potential business partner. Out of all my years of attending business conferences, I have never come in contact with a presenter who is that willing to extend herself. Whereas others talk about their commitment to the concept of mentoring, Denise actually puts her words into action. She is a model of what it means to be a leader. 

– Laura Putnam Principal, Motion Infusion

Thought Leadership Academy Participants

“I got so much more out of this group than I expected. Not only was the content highly applicable and provided in an easy-to-digest format (lots of worksheets, reflection exercises, breakouts) but the other participants were all on their own thought leadership journey, so I could learn from watching them and gain ideas from their strategies, too. Denise is an excellent instructor — she held my feet to the fire and shared a ton of great ideas and resources.”

– P. Thomas, Academy participant

 

“Looking back, I can’t believe how much we covered in our six months together and how much progress I made. I was definitely a bit of a skeptic going in because I never thought I’d have time to attend the sessions, much less implement what I learned, but Denise did a great job keeping people (including me) on track and the sessions became something I really looked forward to each month. If you’re on the fence, I say…go for it. You’ll be glad you did.”

– N. Murphy, Academy participant

LinkedIn Learning Course

“You are a remarkable person and educator. I appreciate your courses, they effectively conveyed more relevant information than I would have expected in the time that it took to complete them. I already am stimulated and had changes in mind before the course was over. I have trained many, many professionals in my life, and am not an easy critique.  You do it well and I sincerely appreciate walking away having not wasted my most valuable asset and a better version of me in the process.  That’s a win.”

– Chris Bangs, SMB Professionals Group

 

“I just finished your LinkedIn Learning course on becoming a thought leader – it was excellent!  Finally a practical approach that draws out the right thinking.”

– Lisa Mladenovic, Manulife

“I always loved teaching and consider myself decent in public speaking, teaching and general presentation. I wanted to let you that you were fantastic in this 1.5 hour course.  Besides the course content and flow, I congratulate you on your flawless speaking and logical thought process.”

– Michel El Khoury, Yahsat, UAE

 

Executive Coach / Thought Leadership Coach


“Denise is an untiring champion of seeing in you what is possible and is very constructive in providing advice and strategy as you take on new projects, positions or roles. She has been an invaluable asset to me as I scaled my career from corporate executive at PG&E to the Vice Chancellor’s office.
I couldn’t have done it without her.”

– Van Ton-Quinlivan, former Executive Vice Chancellor, Workforce Devt and CTE, California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office

 

“Denise proved to be an invaluable resource for me as I explored career options and focused on increasing my connections with the local community. She listens carefully and she really understands the business world so her insights are relevant and practical – she never falls back on boilerplate generic advice. She’s able to move easily from serving as a sounding board on broad strategic issues to providing focused tactical support for specific goals. Denise’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and she’s great fun to be around! I can highly recommend her services to any executive seeking a sophisticated, objective, well-connected advisor.”

– Margaret Craig, CEO, Signiant

 

“When Denise makes a recommendation, I listen! Denise has proven to be an excellent personal and professional coach and adviser. Her business acumen and knowledge have been very settling through some very unsettling times. Denise is a risk taker who has advised me on how to take calculated risks that support my big picture vision. Denise’s follow-up is excellent and her Rolodex is outstanding. Whenever I need a recommendation for other professional service providers, I can always call on Denise for a sound referral. She is unselfish with her time, her talents and with sharing resources. I know her clients and her colleagues benefit from her excellent networking skills. I look forward to continuing to work with her in the future.”

– Janet Miller Evans, Senior Account Manager, UPS

 

“Denise has helped connect me to people I needed to aid with my consulting business, with great results.She really goes above and beyond the call of duty, offers regular, useful recommendations and insights into actions I can take to better market my business. She is a wealth of information and helpful advice and is enthusiastic about her work. I highly recommend Denise for your business or personal coaching.”

– Maureen Gevertz, Business Consultant

 

“Denise is an amazing person who listens and explains in great detail. With her extensive background in career development , she is able to find solutions for you that open your mind to new paths to grow. I would also recommend her services for anyone looking to explore new paths in their career.”

– Anna Jacobi, Sr Global Program Manager, Macrovision

 

“I enjoyed how you made it possible for me to get deep and really think about the WHY’s and HOW’s to manage this career transition and then to plan and realize that I can do this without so much apprehension.”

Maria R., C-Suite Executive, Orange County, CA

 

“Denise helped me re-think and re-focus my thinking around my work, which is a good thing to do when you’re halfway through life. It is easy for an academic to get stuck in a rut – teaching the same courses, doing the same kind of research and writing the same sorts of papers year after year, and getting caught up in lots of “administrivia.” Denise asks great probing questions and identifies clear action steps, which has helped me move in new and different directions and use my skills in new ways.”

– Lisa B., Professor, University of Minnesota