Emily O’Brien

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• The Comeback Blueprint

  Recovering and rebounding from difficult circumstances is easier said than done but not impossible. Emily O’Brien — the CEO and Founder of Comeback Snacks, a business she built from scratch while serving time behind bars — is living proof that a setback, no matter how large, doesn’t have to be the end of your story.

  In this keynote, O’Brien breaks down her proven “comeback blueprint”, designed after successfully navigating the criminal justice system and the world of entrepreneurship. Through sharing the highs and lows of building her business — from launching it while serving time and coordinating branding and market research through hand-written letters, to scaling it into a brand now on shelves across North America — she shares the two components she believes are non-negotiable for success today: kindness and resilience.

  O’Brien’s blueprint is a result of her own personal reckoning: the embarrassment, guilt, anger, and even revenge she felt in the aftermath of her mistakes, and the difficult conversations that followed. She shares how she moved from looking back on the past to taking ownership of it — and how that shift in accountability became the foundation for building something unstoppable.

• Business Success and Emotional Profit

  Starting a small business is tough. Starting one behind bars is another challenge entirely. The CEO and Founder of Comeback Snacks, Emily O’Brien takes audiences through the trials, tribulations, and life lessons acquired after building a business in federal prison and elevating it to new heights after her release.

  From forgiving one’s past mistakes to helping others in need, O’Brien discusses how the real “profit” needed to succeed in business and life is not simply financial, but emotional. She shares her riveting entrepreneurial story while breaking down her lessons learned, including how to build momentum with no capital, how collaboration and community can grow a business faster than money can, and how finding real joy in the work is what keeps founders motivated for the long haul.

  Key takeaways include:

  • Redefining “profit” to include empathy, purpose, and impact.
  • How self-forgiveness unlocks the confidence to lead.
  • Turning past mistakes into fuel for helping others succeed.

• The Trust Gap: How Great Leaders Create Cultures Where People Can Grow Beyond Their Mistakes

  Most hiring processes are built to screen people out. Emily O’Brien built hers to bring people in. As CEO and Founder of Comeback Snacks, she has staffed her company with fellow justice-impacted individuals — a decision rooted in her own experience of what it feels like to be defined by a single mistake.

  O’Brien lays out the case for fair chance hiring in practical terms: what she calls a trifecta of benefits, where businesses gain loyal talent, employees gain dignity and stability, and communities lower reoffending rates and stronger safety nets. She’s built her team on this different set of rules and seen her company flourish.

  O’Brien is candid about where this conviction comes from: the stigma she faced coming out of prison, and the handful of people who trusted her before she’d proven anything. That early trust became the model for the culture she runs today — one where a mistake is a starting point, not a life sentence.

  Key takeaways include:

  • The business case for fair chance hiring (talent, loyalty, retention).
  • How to build a culture where people are trusted to grow.
  • Why second chances strengthen teams, not just individuals.

• Women in Leadership: Smashing That Popcorn Ceiling

  As a female entrepreneur in the male-dominated food retail industry, Emily O’Brien has learned how to survive in a tough market while facing constant pressure. In this keynote, she breaks down what that’s actually required of her: patience, courage, and perseverance. Rather than positioning herself against the men she’s worked with, she’s learned to work alongside them — a strategy that’s shaped how she leads and how she’s grown her business.

  O’Brien speaks openly about her own story as a woman in leadership — the pressure to prove herself, and the moments she chose to push forward anyway. Above all, she credits humour and joy as what carried her through the hardest parts of building her business.