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The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

Kristin Neff

Self-compassion makes you strong.

Author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself | Co-founder of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion

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What Is Self Compassion? (1:18)

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You Can’t Have Self Compassion Without Mindfulness (1:48)

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Rebounding From Failure (2:00)

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The Three Components of Compassion (1:12)

Lavin Exclusive Speaker

Our society teaches us that self-compassion is the enemy of productivity; that to be kind to ourselves is to invite complacency. But in fact, the opposite is true, says Dr. Kristin Neff, who pioneered the field more than 20 years ago and has been recognized as one of the most influential researchers in psychology worldwide. In her bestseller Self-Compassion, she shares simple and actionable guides proven to increase motivation, boost resilience, and improve mental health. “We have this superpower in our back pocket, we just don’t know it’s there,” says Dr. Neff. “Self-compassion makes us stronger, more motivated, and less self-indulgent.” At a time when burnout is threatening our happiness, success, and productivity, she shows us how to tap into self-compassion and free ourselves to thrive.

“A portable friend to all readers―especially but not only women―who need to learn that the Golden Rule works only if it’s reversible: We must learn to treat ourselves as well as we wish to treat others.”— Gloria Steinem

Described by Brené Brown as “a transformative read,” Dr. Neff’s first book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself quickly became the handbook for truly actionable wellness advice. Using solid research, personal anecdotes, practical exercises, and humor, Dr. Neff was able to clearly explain how to rewrite your own destructive scripts so that you can be healthier, happier, and more productive. Its companion, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, went on to become a bestseller, providing science-backed, step-by-step guidance for tapping your inner resources and transforming the way you work and live.

In her much anticipated follow-up, Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive, she braids a wealth of new research with her personal life story and empirically supported practices, in order to prove that women can use fierce and tender self-compassion to succeed in the workplace, provide caregiving without burning out, be authentic in relationships, and end the silence around sexual harassment and abuse.

Her latest book, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout, offers relatable stories and practical, science-backed anti-burnout tools based on mindful self-compassion practices. Along with her fellow mindful self-compassion expert Christopher Germer, Dr. Neff shares vital strategies for everyone: from healthcare professionals to employees, business owners to parents.

Dr. Neff is an Insight Meditation practitioner and an associate professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Harvard Business Review, among others, and her TEDx talk has been viewed over 1.7 million times. She’s also the co-developer of an empirically supported training program called Mindful Self-Compassion, which is taught by thousands of people worldwide, and the co-author of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook as well as Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals. She is also co-founder of the nonprofit Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.

Testimonials

We are so happy Dr. Neff could join us to discuss her research on the importance of self-compassion. Given the questions that kept rolling in after the practice, I think our audience was grateful for the opportunity to learn from her. One person from our professional staff messaged me directly after the program to say she had a question for Dr. Neff that she had been waiting years to ask and she was delighted to have a chance to do that.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

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Daron Acemoglu

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Nikole Hannah-Jones

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Creator of The 1619 Project | Executive Producer of the Emmy Award-Winning 1619 Project Hulu Docuseries | MacArthur Genius

Greg Hoffman

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Nicholas Thompson

CEO of The Atlantic | Former Editor-in-Chief of WIRED

Speech Topics

Mental Health and Fitness

Inner Strength TrainingHow to Cope With Stress Without Burning Out

Over two thirds of employees are feeling burnt out. There’s the stress of juggling childcare, the loss of routine, the anxiety that more layoffs are just around the corner. Research has shown us again and again that self-compassion is one of the most powerful sources of inner strength, and the key to the kind of emotional resilience required for focus, productivity, and mental well-being. It’s a superpower, says Dr. Kristin Neff, hidden in our own back pocket that we don’t even realize is there.

In this talk Dr. Kristin Neff explains her original research on cultivating inner strength, and provides a set of concrete tools and practices that employees can use in their everyday lives. Audiences will walk away equipped to increase their motivation and productivity and prevent burnout.

Mental Health and Fitness

Self-CompassionHow to Effectively Motivate Yourself with Encouragement Rather Than Criticism

Our first instinct when we fail, suffer, or feel inadequate may be to criticize or to judge ourselves—but there is a better way to get through life’s hardships, says Dr. Kristin Neff. A way that enables us to achieve our highest potential and lead more contented, fulfilling lives. And that’s through self-compassion.

Some people fear self-compassion is a form of self-pity, and obsessively chase high self-esteem instead—their self-worth fluctuating with every success and failure. But research shows us that people who are self-compassionate lead healthier, happier, more productive lives than those who are self-critical. These people also have the resilience needed to cope with traumatic or stressful life events such as divorce, parenting, or the pressures at work.

In this talk, she walks audiences through practices designed to increase motivation, foster grit and growth mindset, and rebound from failure, all through the cultivation of self-compassion.

Gender

FierceHow Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive

Although kindness and self-acceptance allow us to be with ourselves as we are, in all our glorious imperfection, the desire to alleviate suffering at the heart of this mindset isn’t always gentle, sometimes it’s fierce. We must channel this fierceness in order to protect ourselves from harm and injustice; in order to say no to others so we can meet our own needs; in order to motivate necessary change in ourselves and society. Gender roles demand that women be soft and nurturing, not angry or powerful, but like yin and yang, the energies of fierce and tender self-compassion must be balanced for wholeness and wellbeing.

In this wise, caring, and enlightening talk Neff demonstrates how women can use fierce and tender self-compassion to succeed in the workplace, engage in caregiving without burning out, be authentic in relationships, and end the silence around sexual harassment and abuse. In order to create a healthier society, and find lasting happiness, women must reclaim their power, says Neff. And this talk, with its actionable strategies for use in daily life, will show you how.