Reinventing Yourself — The Leadership Upgrade
Reinvention is not a detour. It is your next level.
There is a moment every woman reaches — not a crisis, not a failure, but a quiet knowing. A restlessness. A sense that she has outgrown the chapter she is in. That moment is not a warning sign. It is an invitation.
Reinvention is not about becoming someone different — it is about becoming more fully who you already are. It can happen at 30 or at 50. It can feel scary and unsettling — and exhilarating all at once. The women who thrive don’t wait for the world to redesign them. They take ownership of the trajectory of their life and their success — proactively, courageously, and on their own terms.
In this keynote, Bernadette helps you recognize when it is time to reinvent, understand what reinvention truly demands of you, and build the clarity, courage, and strategy to make it happen — before the world makes it necessary.
Trust — The High-Performance Accelerator
TRUST IS NOT A SWITCH. IT’S A LEADERSHIP CAPABILITY.
Most leaders think trust is something you either have or you don’t.
They are wrong. Trust is dynamic. It’s situational. It is built—or broken—through every conversation, decision, and interaction. High-performing teams don’t succeed because trust simply exists—they succeed because leaders intentionally build it, measure it, and protect it.
When trust declines, the cost is immediate. Innovation slows. Decisions are delayed. Accountability weakens. Talent disengages. Performance suffers.
This keynote reveals why trust as a strategic leadership advantage—not a soft skill. Bernadette shares practical strategies to build high-trust cultures where difficult conversations happen sooner, feedback—one of the most avoided yet most powerful leadership practices—is a catalyst for growth, and people take ownership, feel safe to challenge ideas, and perform at their best.
If trust is dynamic, every leader need to know.
How do you intentionally build trust? And how do you know when it’s slipping before performance does?
Key Takeaways
- Learn the leadership behaviors that create trust, strengthen accountability, and create the conditions for high performance.
- Transform feedback into a competitive advantage by creating a culture where honest conversations happen early often and in every direction.
- Build psychologically safe teams where people challenge ideas, collaborate with confidence, and take ownership of results.
Challenge Imposter Syndrome
It’s not about competence. It’s about courage.
If you lead, manage, mentor, coach, or train others, you need to understand imposter syndrome. It has no gender, age, or experience, and it affects high-achieving leaders across every industry. It’s not a reflection of ability–it’s a pattern of thinking that causes talented people to question their value and hesitate when it matters most.
The result? Individuals hold back. Organizations lose leadership potential, innovation, and performance.
In this engaging keynote, Bernadette reveals why imposter syndrome persists, how to break the cycle, and how leaders can replace self-doubt with confidence, courage, and greater impact. Drawing on proven strategies and her certification as a facilitator with the Imposter Syndrome Institute, Bernadette shares practical strategies audiences can apply immediately.
Key Takeaways
- Recognize the hidden patterns and beliefs that fuel imposter syndrome.
- Understand why competence alone does not eliminate self-doubt—and why courage is the catalyst for growth.
- Strengthen confidence, voice and presence and reframe limiting thoughts into purposeful action for greater influence and impact.
Lead Through Uncertainty
The future belongs to leaders who choose courage over certainty.
The world is changing faster than any leadership playbook anticipated. This session equips leaders to maintain clarity under pressure, make confident decisions in ambiguity, and master one of leadership’s greatest challenges—delivering results without losing the people delivering them. Performance with empathy. Urgency with trust.
Bernadette reveals why building a Change-Positive Culture is no longer a competitive advantage—it is the defining capability of leaders and organizations that will thrive in an era of continuous disruption.
Key Takeaways
- Develop the mindset and leadership behaviors to communicate with confidence and lead change instead of reacting to it.
- Keep teams focused and aligned when priorities shift, increasing accountability, ownership, adaptability, and sustainable performance.
- Build psychological safety and trust, reduce overwhelm, strengthen engagement, and create the confidence people need to thrive through constant change.
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More about Diana Valler
- Diana Valler is an accomplished and dynamic executive with a wealth of experience spanning more than 20 years in the realms of Strategic Human Resources, Talent Management, and Organizational Transformation, all of which are keenly geared towards delivering tangible business outcomes.
- Diana’s expertise lies in the art of cultivating human capital and enhancing organizational capabilities by harmonizing them with business objectives and corporate vision, thus catalyzing accelerated growth, heightened competitive agility, and the swift execution of strategic endeavours. Her is manifested through her innovative contributions to the HR landscape, consistently guiding and supporting business stakeholders.
- Before joining Travel Brands, Diana boasted an impressive track record as Vice President of Human Resources for multiple professional services firms operating in diverse sectors such as franchising, consulting, and software.
More about Michelle Wimes
- Michelle is the Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Children’s Mercy Hospital, in Kansas City – Missouri
- She is a strategic leader and former practicing attorney who is deft at implementing best practice strategies to create, build and deliver meaningful, comprehensive and effective policies and practices to reflect and support an inclusive people and culture initiative.
- She is a nationally renowned presenter and author and has received numerous awards for her many professional contributions.
More about Laura Bream
Laura Bream is currently the Vice President of Human Resources for a a large and highly successful privately held family business.
Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a deep commitment to helping others in their career journey.
She holds over 20 years in Human Resources experience.
Laura has a passion for arts and supporting arts in the Modesto community (Vice Chair on the Modesto Symphony Board).
She holds a Bachelor’s and master’s degree in music Vocal Performance.
She is a trained opera singer – mezzo-soprano.
More about Giana Lozano
Giana’s story is proof that women who experience adversity can find light at the end of the tunnel. Giana’s life drastically changed when she lost her mother to cancer when she was 23 years old. However, Giana found life in her mother’s passing and was inspired to turn her life around— from not working or going to school to attending one of the world’s most prestigious schools— she aimed high because she knew life was too short not to.
Her belief in “trusting the process” and “everything happens for a reason” is exemplified in her journey— from working retail, to becoming a makeup artist, to her current role as a Product Marketing Manager— she emphasizes the importance of embracing all past selves because it has allowed her to grow in ways she never thought possible.
Giana Lozano is a Product Marketing Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS) where she combines her love of storytelling and being creative.
- She holds a BA in English from Columbia University where she graduated summa cum laude. She was also the Chair of Inclusion and Equity of the General Studies Student Council of Columbia University.
- In her spare time, she mentors women of color who are looking to uplevel their career and spends time with her little sister from Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.
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More about Aisling Blake
Aisling’s story is a testament to unyielding determination, audacity, and the unwavering belief that women can excel in whatever they set their minds to. She’ll share stories of her bold choices, which often led to extraordinary opportunities and personal growth.
Aisling was a force to be reckoned with on the squash court, but her journey went beyond the game.
Aisling Blake is a former professional athlete who has embarked on a life journey that reads like an inspiring novel:
- Graduate from Trinity University in Dublin, Ireland.
- Aisling ranked no 2 as woman squash player in Ireland and no 21 in the world
- She was the former President of the international Women’s Squash Association
- Aisling is currently a commentator on the professional world tour and General Manager of Squash Zone in the Bay Area, California
More about Vivian Faustino
At a young age, Vivian refused to be defined by conventions and societal norms. She embraced her strengths, found opportunity, and pushed beyond the doubts of others to forge a path to success.
Vivian founded the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) in 2018, with the mission of making entrepreneurship education experiential and inclusive. CCSF was awarded the 2021 Entrepreneurial College of the Year by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship.
International Business Lecturer and Former Assistant Director, Center for Business Studies and Innovation, Asia-Pacific, University of San Francisco (USF).
Award-winning educator who teaches entrepreneurship and international business at the University of San Francisco and City College of San Francisco.
Vivian Faustino started as an entrepreneur while raising three kids as a single parent and building an 18y corporate career, in Asia and North America and serving in senior leadership roles.
Vivian received the 2020 Canvas Educator-of-the-Year Award and 2023 Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award from USF and was selected as one of 2023 top five Female Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year by the Triple E Awards.
WOMEN
IN BUSINESS ACADEMY
OCTOBER 5, 2023
TORONTO, CANADA
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More about Liza Streiff
At 18 years old, Liza had a personal experience that deeply influenced who she has become and how she navigated challenges over the years.
Liza Streiff is the youngest and first female CEO of Knopman Marks Financial Training, a company that has trained hundreds of thousands of professionals to pass their high-stakes securities licensing exams.
In her three years as a CEO, revenue has increased 87%, the number of full-time employees has tripled, and the company’s scope has expanded beyond exam prep to high-performance training.
Liza Streiff is a high-performance expert, passionate about broadening access to the financial industry. She is excited to be launching a new product line that will give more people the tools and education to get into the industry.
On a personal note, Liza is dedicated to her family and has 3 young children.
More about Susan Hensley
Early in her career, at the age of 24, Susan had a painful experience, however it was a pivotal moment in her development as a leader. She learned and embraced valuable lessons that followed her for the rest of her life and influenced her journey as a leader.
Susan Hensley had two very distinct and successful careers
- 11 years as a journalist, television main anchor and producer of evening newscast
- 24 years in human resources, experienced leader of global change initiatives including strategic planning, all aspect of talent management, and corporate communications
She’s currently a volunteer coach through Stanford Seed program, providing strategic business consulting and executive coaching for businesses in Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
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TUCKER STINE
Executive & Team Coach. Brand Architect.
Tucker has worked with Fortune 100 companies, tech giants and global changemakers such as Microsoft, F5, Accenture, Azure, AWS and more.
His career began in the advertising and marketing world through large agencies in Boston and San Francisco working on large consumer, food and beverage and technology brands, but ultimately life brought him back to Southern CA where he continued his love for helping companies tell great stories. In 2012, Tucker left the corporate world to taste the life of an entrepreneur and founded his own firm that focuses on helping leaders develop their purpose, create strategic action plans, and connect with their customers on deeper levels through transformational communication.
Tucker holds a BS in Marketing and Business Management and an executive credential in Strategic Marketing Management from Stanford University. He resides in San Diego, CA with his wife of 22 years and their two teenage kids.
BERNADETTE McBURNIE
Executive & Team Coach. Women Leadership. TEDx Speaker.
The first half of her career was with large multinational corporations, in cosmetics, banking and import-export industries, including L’Oréal, one of the largest Cosmetic companies in the world, BNP and Paris Indosuez Banks. She gained invaluable experience leading teams and successful projects in very diverse organizations and cultures, in Europe, Asia and North America.
In the second half of her career, Bernadette became an entrepreneur and runs two businesses. She built an international health network and established her speaking and coaching practice, working with C-suite executives, professionals and business owners who are committed to take their overall success to the next level.
Throughout her global travels and professional career, she has become passionate about empowering women around the world, diversity and equality, keeping our families healthy and protecting the beauty of our planet. Bernadette is blessed with an incredible husband and three beautiful children.
