Do you find yourself in the vicious cycle of thinking that when X is accomplished you’ll be happy? It’s exhausting and impossible. Before you burn out, take a minute to listen to what Nataly Kogan has to say about how to accomplish true happiness.

Nataly immigrated to the US as a refugee from the former Soviet Union when she was 13 years old. Starting out in the projects and on welfare, she went on to reach the highest levels of success at McKinsey and Microsoft, as a Managing Director at a venture capital fund, and as founder or executive at 5 startups and tech companies.

But after years of chasing a non-existent state of nirvana, Nataly was not only unfulfilled, she suffered a debilitating burnout that led her to find a new way to live and work.

Today, she helps Awesome Humans live and work with more connection, joy, and meaning by sharing her science-backed skills and practices with hundreds of top companies and teams through her Happier @ Work and leadership programs.

TOPICS

IMPROVING HAPPINESS, AND THE BOTTOM LINE
Our always-on work environments are making us less productive, less creative, and generally unhappy regardless of our chosen careers. A recent Gallop study shows that when an employee reports increased feelings of well-being, it is 20% more likely that the employee’s coworkers will report being happier too. In other words, well-being spreads, much like stress spreads-with more than 50% of employees reporting being “close to burnout” when asked about their stress levels.
In this talk, Nataly shares insights and strategies for a happier workforce. Why? Because happier employees are more creative, more productive, less likely to take time off from work for health reasons, better communicators, and deliver better customer service-resulting in an improved bottom-line for all.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPIER…
Why is the pursuit of happiness so stressful and unfulfilling? Why do we believe that huge achievements trump small everyday moments that connect us with ourselves and those we love most? After years spent chasing “The Big Happy” of career, money and achievements, Nataly explores how the science and research behind happiness can be used to improve all aspects of our lives, showing audiences why we should stop saying “I’ll be happy when…” and start saying “I’m happy now because…” Nataly approaches happiness as a clearly-defined practice rather than some spontaneous feeling, sharing with her audiences strategies, techniques, and tools – along with a strong dose of necessary inspiration – to make them part of their own busy lives.

THE NEW WAY TO LEAD AT WORK
This speech is suited for managers and division leaders who are driving toward specific strategic goals. In a high-stakes, high-stress environment, creativity, teamwork, and shared purpose become fragile. How does a leader protect those values which determine the success of a project, and retain the best people for the next project? How do leaders cultivate purpose, satisfaction and the right environment amid the stress of a project to bring out the best in the team? The balance might seem delicate, but Nataly explains how happiness helps the team drive faster and better toward shared strategic goals.

FIRE UP THE AWESOME
This speech is targeted at women to encourage them to connect to their true purpose, learn how to deal with fear, and move from a position of strength to achieve significant growth and fulfillment in their careers and beyond. Nataly has spent her career in male-dominated industries and doesn’t deny that women face significant challenges in the workplace, as well as trying to balance their usually extremely high expectations of themselves with often out of date societal expectations. She offers women audience frank stories, paradigm shifts in thinking, and practical strategies to help them unlock more of their potential without losing their sanity.

REALIZING HAPPINESS: HOW TO UNLEASH HIDDEN ASSETS AND IMPROVE THE BOTTOM LINE
Employee happiness isn’t some feel-good amorphous idea: It’s the greatest unrealized asset in your organization, one that can have a dramatically positive impact on how engaged, productive, and creative employees are at work. In this session, you will learn the practices that can be incorporated into the day-to-day interactions of your employees that have been scientifically shown to significantly increase well-being, reduce stress, avoid burnout, improve team communication and productivity, and increase employee retention and job satisfaction.

MOVING FROM “I’LL BE HAPPY WHEN…” TO “I’M HAPPY NOW BECAUSE…”
When Nataly Kogan was a Russian refugee struggling to learn English in the projects of Detroit, she told herself, “I’ll be happier when…” So, she became a tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist with a McKinsey pedigree who helped sell PayPal, worked at Microsoft’s FUSE lab, and sat on the boards of several high profile tech companies. But despite the success – perhaps you are familiar with the feeling – she still wasn’t truly happy.

Why is the pursuit of happiness so stressful and unfulfilling? Why do we believe that huge achievements trump small everyday moments that connect us with ourselves and those we love most? Nataly Kogan dug into the research and believes the key to being happier is to stop saying “I’ll be happy when…” and start saying “I’m happy now because…” She created a business, Happier, with to help individuals and businesses cultivate happiness.