Shelley Paxton keynote speaker headshot

Shelley Paxton

  • Keynote Speaker
  • Leadership
  • Based in United States
  • Showreel
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Shelley Paxton keynote speaker is a globally recognised thought leader, bestselling author, and former Chief Marketing Officer of Harley-Davidson, now Chief Soul Officer.

Description

Shelley Paxton keynote speaker is a globally recognised thought leader, bestselling author, and former Chief Marketing Officer of Harley-Davidson. After decades at the top of the corporate ladder, she found herself “success-empty instead of success-full.” That realisation sparked a profound transformation, one that reshaped her career, her mission, and the way leaders around the world think about success.

Now as Chief Soul Officer, Shelley helps individuals and organisations redefine success on their own terms, prioritising wellbeing, authenticity, and purpose. Her work is an antidote to burnout, disengagement, and cultural disconnection, inspiring a new era of leadership grounded in humanity and soul.

Shelley Paxton Keynote Speaker: Career and Achievements

With over 26 years in global marketing and advertising, Shelley has left her mark on iconic brands including McDonald’s, Visa, and Harley-Davidson. As CMO of Harley-Davidson, specifically, she led one of the world’s most recognised lifestyle brands through a period of cultural transformation. Her journey then inspired the bestselling book Soulbbatical: A Corporate Rebel’s Guide to Finding Your Best Life, which became a movement for conscious leadership and soulful success.

In addition, Shelley’s work has been featured on NBC, CBS, Forbes, Inc., and Thrive Global, and she has been called “the next Brené Brown” for her blend of honesty, humour, and heart. She also serves as Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University and Guest Faculty at the Modern Elder Academy. Based in Chicago, furthermore, Shelley is passionate about mental health advocacy.

I Quit So You Don’t Have To: Flipping the Success Script

At the peak of her career, Shelley walked away from corporate life to rediscover her soul and redefine success. In this candid and empowering keynote, therefore, she shares how leaders can shift from exhausted to energised, from success-empty to success-full. Audiences leave with a powerful framework for redefining success in a sustainable, soul-aligned way, along with simple, actionable practices to shift from burnout to purpose-driven leadership.

Additional Keynotes: Ripples of Impact and Success-FULL

Beyond her signature talk, Shelley also explores how organisations can build cultures that fuel people rather than deplete them in Ripples of Impact. She shows how authentic leadership and conscious culture design can drive engagement, creativity, and performance. Alternatively, in What Are You Rebelling For?, she empowers entrepreneurs and changemakers to pursue success without sacrificing wellbeing, offering a roadmap to ambition with balance and meaning.

For organisations exploring the full range of leadership keynote speakers available through Corporate Speakers Global, Shelley Paxton stands out for her rare blend of Fortune 500 marketing credentials and soulful, human-centred leadership. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Book Shelley Paxton keynote speaker to help your organization redefine success and build cultures that celebrate wellbeing. Contact us to check availability.

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.

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