Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe

Speaking topics

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

• Everyday Resiliency in Ever-Changing Times

  With stress, uncertainty, and unrest at a record high, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe’s message is both inspirational and practical. She introduces her theory “Everyday Resiliency: The 5 Pillars” and shares strategies to help foster each pillar within ourselves and others through research-informed, accessible storytelling and real-world applications.

  This interactive and engaging presentation helps participants regain a sense of calm and order in ever-changing times. Participants will be inspired and equipped to establish new daily systems to increase productivity and decrease overwhelm.

  Audiences will learn:

  • How to identity and recognize practices that foster everyday resiliency.
  • How to work with the barriers and facilitators of resiliency.
  • How to decrease stress during uncertainty.
  • How to revisit and reaffirm values and priorities for life with work integration.

• Hope-Forward: Steadying Our Steps After a Challenging Season

  Our way of life has radically shifted. As the world prepares to awaken, people are left at varying degrees of readiness. Some are nervous while others eagerly await returning to the rhythms and routines of their lives.

  As humans we are hardwired for struggle. We have adapted and found innovative ways of showing up the best we can during this challenging season. We’ve persisted despite the hardships and changes. Yet for many, it came at a cost. Organizations and their teams are tired, depleted, and wobbly, yet it is time we move forward.

  In this season of rising after challenging times, we are in a precious place of opportunity to co-create our future. As we plan our next moves, it is imperative that we acknowledge the past while also setting a steady course for re-entry that is research-informed and practical for people at varying degrees of readiness.

  In this presentation, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe will explore her conceptual framework for re-entry readiness that is based on the principles of psychological safety, resiliency, and productivity with purpose.

• How to Stress Wisely

  Unparalleled stress, unrest, and uncertainty are becoming common and readily accepted. As a result, the blast radius is wide, and the collateral damage is people not living a well-life despite their best efforts. Achieving and maintaining personal and professional excellence in challenging times requires a different approach — we need to learn how to stress wisely.

  In this keynote, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe explores her eight-dimensional framework for cultivating authentic wellness that is sustainable, practical, time-efficient, and realistic. She shares research-informed tactical strategies for moving theory into committed action, and big ideas with real world applications, such as fostering emotional regulation and gauging psychological safety.

  By learning how to apply key insights for building awareness, personal and team accountability, and habit formation, people can implement stress and recovery systems that are built on the foundation of self-stewardship and high performance. By doing so, people enhance their personal and professional effectiveness and capacity for navigating whatever comes their way.

• Emotions as Allies: How Working with Our Emotions Can Enhance Every Part of Our Lives

  Emotions impact every area of our lives, yet emotions are often viewed as secondary to logic and reason. Emotional mastery is the next frontier of professional and personal excellence.

  In this interactive event, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe discusses the origins of emotions and feelings, and explores how to recognize and manage emotions in yourself, others, and among groups. Hanley-Dafoe takes a deep dive into research informed practices of cultivating emotional awareness, responsiveness, and expression to enhance performance and productivity. By understanding heavy emotions like burnout, compassion fatigue, and grief we can begin to foster allyship with our emotions.

  Participants will be well positioned to manage stress, uncertainty, change, and conflict. And, in doing so, enact the everyday resiliency and wellness practices needed to navigate the ever-changing landscape of our lives.

• Leading Through the Storms

  In this session designed specifically for leaders, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe explores what staff and teams need in order to get through uncertain and difficult times. Drawing on her resiliency framework, she explores how to promote and foster resilient practices within your staff and organization and cultivate a workplace culture of community, connection, and engagement that promotes productivity and purposefulness. Hanley-Dafoe will present current research on stress and performance and explain how leaders can mediate distress.

  Audiences will learn:

  • How to identify and address stress behaviour compared to misbehaviour.
  • Tactical strategies for moving people through the stages of change and uncertainty.
  • How to use this moment to create the “big opportunity” and make significant, sustainable, and meaningful change.
  • How to hold space and lead difficult conversations.
  • How to incorporate life with work integration practices to sustain leader wellness.

• All In: Mastering Life with Work Integration for Optimal Performance and Wellness

  Exploring the concept of self-identity and the many roles we hold both personally and professionally, this session examines how we can all successfully build life with work integration.

  Using a value-based living approach to performance with purpose, this session will provide participants the tools and systems for striking the ever-elusive work-life balance. Participants will explore personal value identifiers and learn practices that promote healthy habits, so that they are well equipped to meaningfully show up in every facet of their lives. The information presented in this event is researched-informed, readily available, and grounded in wise practices.

• Inclusive Leadership: A Place and Voice at the Table

  Workforces are welcoming a vista of employees from diverse backgrounds and age demographics. Learning how to create a culture of authentic inclusion is imperative for organizational success.

  Inclusive leadership incorporates the practice of assuring that all team members feel as though they belong, are respected, and are being treated fairly. It is important that everyone not only has a seat at the table, but a voice that is valued. Researchers Espedido and Bourke (2019) presented a framework for organizations to foster inclusive thinking and cultures. The following is a brief summary of each of the six traits of inclusive leaders:

  • Visible commitment: Leaders take action for true inclusion, not just tokenism or politeness. Leaders publicly acknowledge the importance of creating a diverse workplace.
  • Humility: Leaders demonstrate a growth mindset. They recognize they may have some learning to do about welcoming people from diverse backgrounds.
  • Awareness of bias: They show awareness of personal blind spots. They take the time to explore their privilege and the impacts.
  • Curiosity about others: They demonstrate an open mindset and deep curiosity about others. They show a genuine interest in learning with and from others.
  • Cultural intelligence: They are attentive to others’ cultures and adapt as required. Leaders move away from the idea that their respective culture is the norm and the new culture needs to assimilate.
  • Effective collaboration: They empower others by paying attention to diversity and individual safety. Leaders prioritize team cohesion and effectiveness.

  In this presentation, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe will review the inclusive leadership framework and explore how leaders can promote and foster inclusive behaviours and practices that promote team effectiveness and productivity. Audiences will review how leaders can monitor their inclusive leadership footprint and check for impact. Participants will also learn about the behaviour change protocol and how to use this protocol to change and adapt their behaviours.

• How to Transition Resilient Practices into Committed Action

  In this workshop, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe draws on her experiences working with people from around the world from a multitude of industries to support people as they identify and claim their personal capacity of resiliency. Hanley-Dafoe reviews what traits resilient people have in common, and how we can build and strengthen these qualities in ourselves and others.

  Through guided exercises, participants have the opportunity to reflect and design their resiliency markers. This workshop dives deeper into the concepts of “Everyday Resiliency”, providing space and opportunities for participants to reflect, forecast, plan, and enact. The aim of this session is to learn the skill sets and micro behaviours that promote and foster resiliency. It also explores the common barriers to resiliency with tactical direction on how to facilitate authentic change and growth.