Shelley Paxton

Shelley Paxton

  • Keynote Speaker
  • Leadership
  • Based in United States
  • Showreel
Book Shelley Paxton Now

Shelley Paxton is a 26-year advertising and marketing veteran whose legacy is imprinted on iconic global brands like McDonald’s, Visa, and Harley-Davidson. At the pinnacle of her career, as Chief Marketing Officer of Harley-Davidson, she was shocked to find herself feeling success-empty instead of success-full. That awakening led her on a profound journey that became her mission, business, and bestselling book, Soulbbatical: A Corporate Rebel’s Guide to Finding Your Best Life.

Now Chief Soul Officer, she works with leaders and teams to redefine success and reshape cultures in ways that celebrate humanity, wellbeing, and soul.

Her influential work is an empowering antidote to corporate burnout, attrition, and disengagement. It’s gained recognition on platforms like NBC, CBS, Forbes, Inc., and Thrive Global, making her a respected thought leader, advisor, and sought-after keynote speaker who’s been called “the next Brené Brown.” Her energizing and actionable keynotes are creating Ripples of Impact (ROI) in lives, businesses, and culture.

She’s also honored to be an Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University, Guest Faculty at Modern Elder Academy, and a longstanding Guide for c-suite female executives in Chief.

Shelley is based in Chicago and obsessed with mental health advocacy and the color orange.

SHELLEY IS ON A MISSION TO LIBERATE A BILLION SOULS FROM SUCCESS-EMPTY TO SUCCESS-FULL.

Keynote Topic

I Quit So You Don’t Have To: Flipping the Success Script from Burned Out to Badass

With burnout, attrition, and disengagement still dominating headlines and impacting bottom lines, Shelley’s talk is the essential roadmap for redefining success that’s more energizing, less exhausting, and ultimately advocating for a new ROI that fuels both human and organizational growth. She shares lessons from her own journey — from Chief Marketing Officer of Harley-Davidson to Chief Soul Officer on a mission to help more of us live success-FULL (not success-EMPTY). She is passionate about paying forward what she’s learned so every leader (at every level) can show up more powerfully for themselves, their people, and their work. Her provocative questions and actionable insights are inspiring audiences to champion change in their lives, companies, and the world.

Depending upon the audience, Shelley’s keynote title, subtitle, and content can be adapted for relevance. In addition to speaking about the leadership journey, she is also passionate about shifting organizational culture to drive enterprise growth (with “Ripples of Impact: Creating Cultures That Have Impact In the World, Not On Our Wellbeing”) and inspiring entrepreneurs on how to avoid burnout while building their dream (with “What Are You Rebelling For? A Rally Cry and Roadmap to Success-FULL”).

Audience Takeaways:

  • A fresh and energizing perspective on (re)defining success and (re)shaping cultures.
  • Empowering, experience-based language, concepts, and tools for showing up more bold, brave, and badass in life and leadership.
  • Actionable insights and commitments to help shift leaders into creating immediate impact in their lives, companies, and beyond.

Formats:  All talks can be delivered as keynotes, workshops, or a custom curated combination of both. Live or virtual, of course. More details in the FAQ below.

Related Speakers