How to Eliminate Chaos, Reclaim Control, and Thrive in Times of Change
We’re no longer managing change.
We’re managing chaos.
This keynote shows leaders how simplification becomes a competitive advantage—helping organizations cut through noise, regain focus, and lead with confidence when everything feels uncertain.
Keynote Description
Today’s workplace is defined by constant disruption: economic instability, geopolitical unrest, the explosion of AI, and a culture of nonstop urgency. Teams are drowning in complexity and leaders are pressured to give direction when the path forward is anything but clear.
In this compelling keynote, Lisa Bodell argues that the solution isn’t more effort or better time management—it’s radical simplification. Simplicity is no longer a “nice to have”—it’s a competitive strategy to eliminate noise, regain focus, and lead with confidence in uncertain times.
Lisa brings this message to life through a powerful personal story. Raised in a home filled with instability and unpredictability, she learned early how to survive chaos. That same survival skill propelled her corporate success—but it also led to burnout. It wasn’t until she realized she didn’t need to manage chaos—she needed to eliminate it—that everything changed.
By shifting from hyper-productivity to intentional simplicity, she reclaimed her time, her leadership, and her life. Her story resonates with audiences who silently struggle with the same overwhelm and opens the door to a completely new way of working.
Backed by more than 25 years of global experience and compelling case studies from organizations like Netflix, AT&T, and Pfizer, Lisa shares the practical tools and mindset shifts that help organizations simplify how work gets done—without sacrificing results.
Through humor, interactivity, and unforgettable storytelling, she challenges leaders to stop reacting to the chaos around them and start shaping the work—and culture—they truly want.
A new, empowering lens for leading through uncertainty and complexity
Practical tools like “Kill a Stupid Rule” and the 3 E’s: Eliminate, Embed, Empower
A deeply relatable story that inspires personal and professional transformation
Real-world examples of how simplification drives speed, innovation, and clarity
A call to action: stop fixing people to do more work—start fixing the work to better support your people
Simplicity is positioned not as minimalism or efficiency theater, but as a powerful lever for performance, resilience, and clarity.
Instead of reacting to constant disruption, leaders learn how to intentionally design work that supports people and results.
Clients typically combine these depending on time available on their agenda. Sessions can be customized from 60–90 minutes depending on group size.
Format: 30 minutes
After the keynote, keep the energy and focus alive with a powerful 30-minute fireside chat featuring Lisa Bodell and a senior leader from your organization.
This session creates a platform for leadership to engage in real talk about what holds the organization back and what must change—culturally, behaviorally, or structurally. Lisa facilitates a provocative, no-fluff discussion that bridges keynote insights with your company’s real challenges.
The second half of the session opens up to the audience for live Q&A—giving people the opportunity to ask bold questions, surface concerns, and hear candid reflections from the top.
It’s equal parts inspirational and actionable—and a dynamic way to model change from the top down.
Workshop Option
Ready to make simplification efforts stick? This highly engaging workshop activates Lisa Bodell’s keynote content with immediate, tangible next steps.
Participants put a real-world process or project through the lens of MURA — Minimal, Understandable, Repeatable, and Accessible. This framework helps leaders and teams simplify overly complex tasks, processes, or problems in a way that can be reused again and again.
Through facilitated discussion, participants uncover dozens of opportunities to eliminate barriers and unnecessary time sucks while building a customized plan for meaningful change.
Participants leave with new ideas, a practical framework, and a renewed commitment to doing work that actually matters.
Clients typically combine these depending on time available on their agenda. Sessions can be customized from 60–90 minutes depending on group size.
If you want to spark bold thinking and real results fast, this session delivers.
Based on one of Lisa’s most iconic tools, Kill a Stupid Rule is a fast-paced, interactive workshop where teams identify and challenge the outdated rules, bloated processes, and unnecessary work holding them back.
In small groups, participants brainstorm the “stupid rules” they want to eliminate, then map them by ease of elimination and potential impact. With Lisa’s facilitation, groups vote on top candidates, share insights across teams, and leave with a clear path to action.
Whether used as a breakout or full-room experience, this session generates immediate energy, clarity, and momentum—and gives leaders a replicable tool to drive change long after the event ends.
If chaos has become the default, it’s time to redesign the work—not push people harder.
Bring Unleash the Power of Simple to your organization and give leaders the tools, confidence, and clarity to eliminate what doesn’t matter and focus on what does.