Lisa Haisha
Transformational Keynote Speaker
Creator of KnowThySelves™
You’re not one self. You’re a cast.
Inside every leader is a cast of voices influencing how we think, communicate, create and make decisions.
The Overthinker. The Judge. The Fixer. The Joker. The Seductor. The Egotist. The Victim.
Each carries a gift. But when one voice unconsciously takes over, a strength can quickly become a limitation.
Lisa Haisha helps leaders and teams recognize who’s speaking, access more of their creative intelligence, and consciously choose who leads.
“Every voice deserves to be heard. Not every voice deserves to lead.”
— Lisa Haisha
Signature Keynote
KNOW THYSELVES®: WHO’S SPEAKING?
Leadership, Creativity & Conscious Choice
Put us under pressure, challenge an idea, question our competence or introduce uncertainty, and a different part of us may take the microphone.
In this interactive keynote, Lisa introduces the Seven Imposters—the Victim, Overthinker, Judge, Fixer, Seductor, Joker and Egotist—and reveals how the same patterns that help us succeed can also limit creativity, leadership and decision-making when they operate unconsciously.
Through storytelling, humor and live audience experiences—including Lisa’s signature Creative Round Table—participants discover how changing the voice they’re listening from can change the ideas they see.
They learn to recognize Who’s Speaking?, use Name It. Frame It. Tame It., and step into the Director’s Chair—where the whole cast can be heard and conscious choice becomes possible.
WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WILL GAIN
- Greater awareness of the patterns shaping decisions and behavior
- A practical way to interrupt reaction and make more conscious choices
- New ways to approach problems and unlock creative thinking
- An understanding of when a strength has become a limitation
- A shared language teams can use long after the keynote ends
45–60 Minute Interactive Keynote
Leadership | Creativity | Innovation | Human Performance
Also available as a 90-minute workshop, half-day experience or executive leadership session.
“You’re not one self. You’re a cast.”
Additional Keynotes
Under a Baghdad Roof
Courage, Curiosity & Our Shared Humanity
What happens when we get close enough to the people we have been taught to fear to hear their stories?
Drawn from Lisa Haisha’s memoir and her experiences traveling through Iraq and more than sixty countries, Under a Baghdad Roof is a deeply human exploration of identity, culture, fear and the assumptions that divide us.
Through stories of family, war, cultural immersion and unexpected connection, Lisa takes audiences beyond headlines and stereotypes and into the lives of ordinary people living inside extraordinary circumstances.
This is not a geopolitical lecture.
It is a human one.
Lisa invites audiences to become curious about the stories we inherit about other people—and courageous enough to discover what becomes possible when curiosity is stronger than certainty.
WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WILL GAIN
- A more human understanding of people living across cultural and political divides
- Greater awareness of how inherited stories shape perception
- Practical ways to replace assumption with curiosity
- A deeper appreciation for courage, resilience and our shared humanity
Ideal for: Universities • Schools • Nonprofits • Humanitarian Organizations • Cultural Organizations • Community & Faith Organizations • Global Citizenship Programs
WHISPERS FROM CHILDREN’S HEARTS
What Children Can Teach Us About Being Human
Lisa Haisha traveled to fifteen countries asking children three simple questions about life, the world and what they wished adults understood.
Many of those conversations took place in orphanages and communities where children were living through circumstances no child should have to understand.
What Lisa discovered was not simply suffering.
She found humor, wisdom, imagination, resilience and an astonishing ability to see truths adults often complicate.
Whispers from Children’s Hearts brings those voices to the stage.
Through photographs, stories and the words of the children themselves, Lisa invites audiences to see war, poverty, belonging, kindness and hope through the eyes of those who rarely get a microphone.
The result is not a talk about saving children.
It is an invitation to listen to them.
WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WILL GAIN
- A deeper understanding of how children experience adversity, difference and belonging
- A powerful reminder of the resilience and wisdom children carry
- Greater empathy for children affected by war, poverty and displacement
- A renewed sense of our responsibility to listen before assuming we know what others need
Ideal for: Schools • Universities • Children’s Organizations • NGOs • Humanitarian Organizations • Educators • Foundations • Community & Faith Organizations
Available as a Keynote + Interactive Workshop
Many of Lisa’s presentations can be expanded into an engaging workshop with guided exercises, discussion, and practical tools that help participants immediately apply what they’ve learned.
Workshops can be customized for leadership teams, conferences, retreats, and organizations.
TAKE THE WORK DEEPER
Lisa’s keynotes can be expanded into interactive workshops and leadership experiences.
For organizations, the Know ThySelves® experience can incorporate the Creative Round Table, Seven Imposters, Name It. Frame It. Tame It., and Director’s Chair to explore real challenges in creativity, communication, decision-making and leadership.
Experiences can be customized for leadership teams, company offsites, conferences, universities, nonprofits and organizations.
Where This Work Was Forged
Lisa Haisha is an author, speaker, social anthropologist and creator of SoulBlazing® and Know ThySelves®.
Her lifelong curiosity about human behavior has taken her to more than sixty countries—from Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s regime and the Bedouin caves of Petra to orphanages, prisons, retreats, leadership events and boardrooms.
Through Whispers from Children’s Hearts, Lisa traveled to fifteen countries interviewing hundreds of children about life, fairness and hope. Her humanitarian work has been formally recognized by the United States Congress and the City of Los Angeles.
For more than two decades, Lisa has worked with leaders, creatives, entrepreneurs and individuals exploring the patterns that shape human behavior, relationships and choice.
BRING LISA TO YOUR STAGE
Whether Lisa is speaking about the voices inside us or listening to the voices of children living worlds away, her work begins in the same place:
Curiosity about what it means to be human.
Each keynote is customized for the audience, organization and moment.
