Biography

Book Maya Shankar through The Keynote Curators.

Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist and the creator, executive producer, and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, which Apple awarded as the Best Show of the Year 2021 and which received an Ambie award from the Podcast Academy in 2022. Maya was a Senior Advisor in the Obama White House, where she founded and served as Chair of the White House Behavioral Science Team. She also served as the first Behavioral Science Advisor to the United Nations under Ban Ki-moon, and as a core member of Pete Buttigieg’s debate preparation team during his 2020 presidential run.

Maya has a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience from Stanford, a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, and a B.A. from Yale. She’s been profiled by The New Yorker and been the featured guest on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” “Freakonomics,” and “Hidden Brain.” She’s a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music’s pre-college program, where she was a private violin student of Itzhak Perlman.

Contact The Keynote Curators for Maya Shankar’s fees and availability.

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Videos

Why Change Is So Scary — and How to Unlock Its Potential | Maya Shankar | TED

How to Shape Your Identity & Goals | Dr. Maya Shankar

Malala, On Losing Herself | A Slight Change of Plans podcast

What If Finding Community Wasn't So Hard? ft. Dr. Vivek Murthy | A Slight Change of Plans podcast

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Blog Posts

Confidence Without Vulnerability Creates Teams That Never Improve

Insights on how confidence and vulnerability coexist in high-performing teams from decorated Navy fighter pilot Jack Becker's proven debrief strategies.

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Champion Mindset Starts Where Talent Ends and Work Begins

The champion mindset that separates top performers from everyone else with insights from elite performance speaker Ross Bernstein.

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Inspiration Starts When You Start Nurturing Genuine Connections

Discover where real inspiration comes from with Chris Schembra's proven approach to human connection that transforms workplace culture and employee engagement.

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Brand Leadership Secrets That Transform Culture and Drive Business Success

Learn how brand identity drives business success from the inside out with expert insights from Denise Lee Yohn on culture, purpose, and customer experience.

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AI Guardrails Guidance Leaders Actually Need Before Scaling Technology

AI decision-making needs guardrails. Explore how keynote speakers help leaders build responsible AI governance without sacrificing innovation.

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Storytelling Expert Bruce Turkel Reveals Why Your Events Fail to Connect

Storytelling expert Bruce Turkel shares proven techniques to transform events from forgettable presentations into experiences audiences remember.

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