Speaking
Insightful. Grounded. Transformative.
Conversations that change how people think, lead, and work together.
The world of work has changed. The pace is faster, the pressure is greater, and the leadership challenges we face today can't be solved with yesterday's thinking.
My keynotes and workshops help audiences understand what's driving the way we think, decide, communicate, and perform under pressure, while providing practical tools they can apply immediately in their work and lives.
Grounded in psychology, neuroscience, leadership, and systems thinking, every talk is customized to your audience, your goals, and the conversations that matter most.
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 Who I Speak To:
I speak to two primary audiences, with each presentation tailored to their unique challenges and goals.
For Individuals &Â Communities
For audiences seeking greater clarity, resilience, and purpose in how they live and lead.
Common audiences include:
- Conferences and summits
- Retreats
- Community organizations
- Professional associations
- Wellness and leadership events
- Podcasts
These conversations help people better understand themselves, navigate uncertainty and change with greater confidence, and build the internal capacity to thrive under pressure.
For Organizations & Professional Audiences
For leaders, teams, and organizations navigating change, complexity, and sustained pressure.
Common audiences include:
- Leadership conferences
- Executive off-sites
- Company all-hands
- Learning and development events
- Industry conferences
- Association meetings
Organizations invite me to help leaders think differently about leadership, burnout, change, culture, and the organizational conditions that shape performance.
I had the pleasure of working with Christina when I invited her to present at a 2025 Wellbeing Think Tank event focused on Thriving Together: Personal Mindsets and Practices for Organizational Wellbeing. From start to finish, Christina was exceptional to work with. She was organized, responsive, met every deadline, and proactively helped promote the event.
Most importantly, she delivered. Christina’s session was engaging, thoughtful, and grounded in both psychology and real-world application. One hundred percent of our attendees rated her as engaging and knowledgeable, which speaks volumes about her ability to connect with diverse audiences while maintaining depth and credibility.
Following the event, Christina chose to continue her involvement with Wellbeing Think Tank as a volunteer and subject matter expert, generously sharing insights at the intersection of psychology, leadership, and systems change. She brings clarity, curiosity, and a collaborative spirit to everything she does.
I highly recommend Christina for coaching, consulting, and speaking engagements. She is someone you can trust to deliver meaningful, high-quality work and to elevate the conversations she’s part of.
- Chase Sterling | Founder, The Wellbeing Think Tank
Speaking Topics
Every presentation is customized to your audience and goals. Common topics include:
Leadership Under Pressure™
Build the capacity to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and steadiness when the stakes are high.
Navigating Burnout, Stress & Sustained Pressure
Understand the biological, psychological, and organizational factors driving burnout and what it takes to create sustainable performance.
Leading & Living Through Change
Navigate uncertainty, transitions, and complexity with greater resilience, adaptability, and purpose.
The Nervous System & Performance
Discover how your nervous system shapes decision-making, communication, leadership, wellbeing, and performance, and learn practical strategies to regulate under pressure.
Identity, Meaning & Purpose
Explore how life transitions, leadership, and career change influence identity, fulfillment, and the way we lead ourselves and others.
Culture, Leadership & Human-Centered Systems
As AI transforms the way we work, organizations have an opportunity to become more human, not less. Explore how leadership, culture, organizational design, and technology work together to create environments where people and performance thrive.
Decision-Making Under Uncertainty
Learn why pressure changes the way we think and how leaders can make clearer, wiser decisions in complex and rapidly changing environments.Â
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What Audiences Leave With
Every presentation is designed to help audiences:
- Understand why leadership and work feel different under sustained pressure.
- See the connection between biology, behavior, and organizational performance.
- Walk away with practical strategies they can apply immediately.
- Leave feeling more hopeful, capable, and equipped for what's ahead.
What Makes My Speaking Different
Most leadership talks focus on what people should do.
I help audiences make sense of the biological, psychological, and organizational patterns shaping the way they think, feel, communicate, and lead under pressure. When people understand what's driving those patterns, they can transform from the inside out, creating lasting change not only in what they do, but in who they become.
By combining psychology, neuroscience, systems science, and more than two decades of experience working with leaders and organizations, I help people make sense of complex challenges in ways that feel practical, deeply human, and immediately useful.
People leave with more than inspiration. They leave with a new lens for understanding themselves, their teams, and the systems they work within.Â
BOOK A CONVERSATION"I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Christina Pate as a featured speaker for the PMI Arizona Thought Leadership series.
She brings a unique ability to connect psychology, neuroscience, leadership, and organizational systems to the real challenges leaders face.
Her session on Leading Under Pressure in the Age of AI was insightful, practical, and thought-provoking. One message that has stayed with me: AI can scale production, but it cannot scale wisdom.
Dr. Pate is an engaging speaker and thoughtful advisor whom I would gladly recommend to organizations navigating leadership, change, and transformation."
-Widline Luctama, Ed.D, PMP, SHRM-CP | Thought Leader Team, Project management Institute (PMI) Arizona
Speaking Formats
Presentations can be delivered in a variety of formats, including:
- Keynotes
- Conferences
- Leadership retreats
- Executive off-sites
- Panels and moderated conversations
- Fireside chats
- Podcasts and media interviews
- Virtual presentations
Recent Engagements
Podcasts
- From Doing to Being: Presence, Leadership, & Organizational Change. Synergy Podcast
- Burnout is a Signal, Not a Weakness: A More Sustainable Way to Lead. Kind of A Big Deal Podcast.
- Why Leadership Isn't Just About Better People, but about Better Systems. Dare to Evolve Podcast.
Interviews
Virtual Presentations
- Thriving Together: Personal Mindsets and Practices for Organizational Wellbeing. Wellbeing Think Tank Presentation. Virtual Event for the Wellbeing Think Tank.
- Leading Under Pressure in the Age of AI: The Human Capacity Behind Enterprise Agility. Thought Leader Session for the PMI Arizona Chapter.Â
Keynotes
- The conditions for thriving: Unearthing the root causes of safety and wellbeing. Keynote Address for the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Summit.  Â
- Fortifying ourselves and the work toward justice: Attending to the mental health of educators. Keynote Address for the Midwest & Plans (MAP) Equity Assistance Center Equity Leaders Institute.
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BOOK A CONVERSATIONLet's Start The Conversation
Whether you're planning a conference, leadership event, executive retreat, podcast, or community gathering, I'd love to learn more about your audience and the impact you hope to create.
Together, we'll design a presentation that's practical, engaging, and tailored to your goals.
Book a conversationFAQS
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Do you work with individuals AND organizations?
What’s the difference between coaching and consulting?
ARE SESSIONS VIRTUAL OR IN PERSON?
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