LinkedIn Speaker Series

In partnership with our LinkedIn Asian Alliance, we are thrilled to welcome Bonnie Wan, partner and head of brand strategy at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, to our next Speaker Series event. Bonnie is known for her profound insights into life's complexities and her ability to convey them with clarity and warmth. Her new book, The Life Brief, has touched the hearts of readers worldwide, offering a fresh perspective on personal growth, resilience, and embracing life's journey. During our event, Minjae Ormes, our VP of brand and consumer marketing, will join Bonnie to discuss her thoughts on navigating life's twists and turns, finding purpose and meaning, and embracing the power of storytelling as a tool for personal transformation.

In partnership with our Black Inclusion Group and Veterans at LinkedIn, we are thrilled to welcome Doug Melville, an Army veteran turned creative powerhouse, to our next Speaker Series event. Our own Ty Heath, director for The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, will have the opportunity to sit down with Doug and discuss themes from his new book, Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America's First Black Generals.  They will discuss the significance of diverse perspectives in driving innovation and problem-solving, strategies for overcoming adversity and turning obstacles into opportunities, the importance of inclusive leadership in creating environments where every voice is heard and valued, and how to cultivate resilience and adaptability in the face of change and uncertainty. You will gain practical insights and actionable strategies that you can apply both personally and professionally from this powerful session.

Trying to say the exact right thing can feel overwhelming at times, and it may even cause us to feel stuck when it comes to moving from having good intentions to taking concrete action. That's what this Speaker Series event is all about—giving us the tools to have constructive, compassionate conversations across differences. Our own Blake Lawit, SVP and general counsel, will sit down with Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law, to discuss the nuanced subject of his new book (co-authored with David Glasgow), Say The Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice. Together, they will explore how we can move from potentially unconsciously hurting people when we communicate, to consciously helping them.   

Leah Smart, LinkedIn editor and host of the “In the Arena” podcast, sits down with Yung Pueblo—author, meditator, and one of social media's leading voices on the topics of healthy relationships and knowing ourselves. They explore self-awareness practices that can help us experience the world around us in crisp and newly vibrant ways.

In partnership with our Black Inclusion Group, we're thrilled to welcome trailblazer and change agent, Bozoma “Boz” Saint John—one of the world's most dynamic, influential, and accomplished marketers—to our next Speaker Series. This special Black Heritage Month event will be a live streamed conversation in our NY editorial studio followed by a book signing. Boz brings unparalleled energy, transformative thinking, and innovative ideas to everything she touches, and we'll experience this ourselves when she sits down with Ty Heath, market engagement director for The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, to discuss themes from her new book, The Urgent Life: My Story of Love, Loss and Survival. They'll delve into the lessons Boz has learned throughout her extraordinary career, and her exciting new role as ambassador for the African diaspora and special envoy to the president of Ghana. Get ready for some inspirational gems! The Urgent Life draws from Boz's own experiences of tragedy and grief to lay out a roadmap for those of us who are navigating our own battles. Through her stories and insights, Boz lets us know that we are not alone, that we can make it through, and that there is light and peace, and even inspiration, waiting for us when we do.

Restaurateur Will Guidara was 26 when he took over as manager of Eleven Madison Park (EMP), a struggling NYC brasserie that had never quite lived up to its majestic location. Within a decade, EMP was named the best restaurant in the world. How did Will pull off this unprecedented transformation, and what did he learn about business leadership along the way? As it turns out, every business can choose to be a hospitality business—and we can all transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences and lasting relationships, within teams and with our clients.  Jann Schwarz, head of LinkedIn's B2B Institute and one of Will Guidara's frequent collaborators, will lead a conversation with Will about his new book, Unreasonable Hospitality: Giving People More Than They Expect, and uncover Will's secrets on how to become a better relationship builder and charismatic convener of any group of people.

On Learning InDay, we have an epic opportunity to hear from Seth Godin, blogger, author, entrepreneur, author, and founder of The Carbon Almanac, a global movement to educate and lead urgent action on the climate crisis.  This group, a collaboration between hundreds of writers, researchers, thinkers, and illustrators has published a powerful tool by the same name that focuses on what we know, what has come before, and what might happen next with our global climate. It's a remarkably readable and impactful exploration of climate science to help ensure we all know the facts about this complex subject. In our live session, we'll discuss the biggest lessons from The Carbon Almanac and why it isn't too late for us to make a positive impact on climate change—if we act now. And we'll gain insight from Seth on leadership and group dynamics to improve the way we work on a daily basis.

Join us as LinkedIn's Vice President of Global Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Rosanna Durruthy sits down with Susan Cain to discuss her new book, Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, the power of a bittersweet, melancholic outlook on life, and why our culture has been so blind to its value.  Her previous bestseller, Quiet, urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued, indispensable introverts among us, revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight. Now, she uses the same mix of research, storytelling, and memoir to explore why we experience sorrow and longing, and the surprising lessons these states of mind teach us about creativity, compassion, leadership, spirituality, mortality and love.

-- Do you feel like you're running faster but not moving closer to your goals? -- Or that you want to make a greater contribution, but lack the energy?  -- Are you feeling like everything is so much harder than it used to be?-- Maybe you even feel like you are teetering right on the edge of burnout? 
If any of this resonates with you, you won't want to miss our Speaker Series event featuring Greg McKeown, author of two New York Times bestsellers, Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most, and Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Our own Dr. Chrissy Roth-Francis hosted a conversation and delved into Greg's actionable advice for making the most essential activities the easiest ones—so you can achieve the results you want, without burning out. The effortless way isn't the lazy way. It's the smart way. It may even be the only way.    

"The secret of life,” Diane Von Furstenberg says, is to “own our imperfections. Own our vulnerability; it becomes our strength. Whatever the challenge is, own it. Owning it is the first step to everything.”  Up next in our Speaker Series, LinkedIn's  Catherine Fisher sits down with iconic luxury fashion founder and dedicated advocate for empowering women, Diane von Furstenberg. Together with Gabby Hirata, the current president of Diane's namesake company, DVF, they share lessons from life, leadership, and their experiences with mentorship and supporting emerging women leaders.  Discover the basis of Diane's empowering philosophy in her new book, Own It: The Secret to Life, an A-to-Z dictionary of life-enhancing ideas. It's a manifesto that will guide you to turn problems into assets and enjoy personal growth at any age.

Are you ready to hear the secrets behind the most extraordinary industry success stories of our times? In our next Speaker Series on September 9, you'll have that chance. Please join us for a discussion between LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner, Reid Hoffman, and our very own Leah Smart. In Reid's critically acclaimed podcast, Masters of Scale, he sits down with visionary founders and leaders from iconic companies such as Apple, Nike, Netflix, Spotify, Starbucks, Google, Instagram, and Microsoft, as well as bold, disruptive startups, such as 23andMe, TaskRabbit, Black List, and Walker & Co.—and digs into the surprising strategies that have powered these companies' growth. Our host Leah is behind the also-wildly-successful podcast In The Arena, so this event will be one amazing podcaster interviewing another. You won't want to miss it.

As we at LinkedIn know very well, relationships matter! They’re crucial to being effective at work and to living a full life. So for our next Speaker Series event, we’re thrilled to be hosting Carole Robin to discuss her new book, Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends and Colleagues, that she co-authored with David Bradford.  Carole and David co-taught interpersonal skills to Stanford MBA candidates for over 37 years in the legendary course, “Interpersonal Dynamics”—affectionately known to generations of students as “Touchy-Feely.” On May 13, it’s reunion time, when Tomer Cohen, our Chief Product Officer, and Stanford MBA who has actually taken the course, will talk with Carole about how to take our relationships from shallow to exceptional by cultivating authenticity, vulnerability, and honesty, while being willing to ask for and offer help, share a commitment to growth, and deal productively with conflict. 

Join Nina McQueen, Vice President, Global Talent - Benefits, Mobility & Employee Experience, as she hosts Academy-award winning actor and producer, Matthew McConaughey, for a discussion about his book, Greenlights, his memoir about how to approach life’s challenges, get more satisfaction and “catch greenlights”. This energizing conversation will be a great start to the year as we learn to catch more greenlights in 2021 and realize that the yellow and the reds eventually turn green too! 

Join our VP of Global Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Rosanna Durruthy as she hosts a LinkedIn Live Speaker Series with Shellye Archambeau, Former CEO of MetricStream and Fortune 500 board member, to discuss her new book, Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers and Create Success on Your Own Terms. Full of empowering wisdom from one of Silicon Valley's first female Black CEOs, her inspiring book offers a blueprint for how to achieve your personal and professional goals. Shellye asserts that ambition alone is not enough to achieve success as she shares practical tools and approaches to employ right now, including concrete steps to: capitalize on the power of planning, develop financial literacy, build your network and integrate work, marriage, parenthood and self-care.  

Join LinkedIn’s Head of Social Impact, Meg Garlinghouse as she hosts a LinkedIn Live Speaker Series with New York Times bestselling author, Kelly Corrigan on her latest book, Tell Me More - a deeply personal, honest and often hilarious examination of the essential phrases that help foster connection in our lives. Together they’ll discuss the significance of phrases such as, “I don’t know” and “Tell me more” - and how we can use Kelly’s lessons to cultivate deeper connections and understanding with our colleagues, friends and loved ones today. This chat will lift your spirits with Kelly’s light-hearted sense of humor and meaningful insights.   Hot-off-the-press: PBS NewsHour is launching a special and intimate interview series: Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan. Her first episode is launching the same day as this event with former guest speaker, Bryan Stevenson. You’ll also have an opportunity to hear more from Kelly on her podcast and radio show, Kelly Corrigan Wonders.

Join LinkedIn’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and Executive Co-Sponsor of EnableIn, Mel Selcher, as she hosts our first-ever LinkedIn Live virtual Speaker Series with Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th Surgeon General of the United States and author of Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. Mel and Dr. Murthy will discuss the importance of human connection, the hidden impact of loneliness on our health, and the social power of community.  This discussion couldn’t come at a better time—as COVID-19 continues to evolve, the public health imperative is clear: to save lives, we need to radically increase the physical space between us. But will these practices condemn us to loneliness and lead to a “social recession”? Dr. Murthy strongly believes healthy relationships are as essential to our overall health as vaccines and ventilators, and that we have a great opportunity to strengthen our connections and communities during this time. He’ll share four key strategies to help us not only weather this storm, but heal our social world far into the future. This is a Speaker Series you won’t want to miss! 

Join LinkedIn's Vice President of Global Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Rosanna Durruthy, and Zainab Salbi, author, humanitarian, activist, and TV personality to discuss Zainab’s latest book, Freedom is an Inside Job: Owning Our Darkness and Our Light to Heal Ourselves and the World. Her book explores the meaning of living authentically in the world while being true to ourselves and our values.   Through her own stories and experiences, Zainab will take us through a process of self-discovery. We will learn to uncover our hidden motives and desires so we can live in alignment with our authentic values. “As long as we are conflicted within, we will continue to live in conflict without,” writes Zainab. 

When Charles (“Chuck”) R. Schwab founded The Charles Schwab Corporation, he made stock investing, once expensive and clubby reserved for the few, accessible to ordinary Americans. In his new personal memoir, ‘Invested: Changing Forever the Way Americans Invest,’ Schwab describes the ups and downs he had along the way as he fulfilled his passion to have Main Street participate in the growing economy as investors and owners, not only earners.  Join LinkedIn CFO Steve Sordello as he hosts an illuminating discussion about the personal challenges Schwab faced, how he overcame them, the life-lessons learned over his lifetime-- and how he turned a democratizing idea into an industry-changing reality that helped make investing and saving for retirement easier for millions.

We’re thrilled to learn from leadership guru and business strategist, Simon Sinek! Best known for popularizing the concept of Why, Sinek’s TED Talk is one of the most watched TED talks of all-time, hitting 37+ million views. Sinek is also the author of multiple NYT best-selling books, “Start with Why” and “Leaders Eat Last” -- acclaimed for helping organizations around the world inspire their leaders to reach new heights. Join LinkedIn Editor in Chief, Dan Roth as he chats with Sinek about the themes of his latest and greatest, The Infinite Game, that largely focuses on how adopting an infinite mindset is necessary for leaders who want to build stronger, more innovative and more inspiring organizations.

Join us as LinkedIn General Counsel Blake Lawit sits down with Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, to discuss Smith’s new book, Tools and Weapons, a narrative from his past 25 years at Microsoft, as the company navigated some of the thorniest issues of our time.  Smith operates by a simple core belief: When your technology changes the world, you bear a responsibility to help address the world you have helped create. Challenges have been created that come with no preexisting playbook, including privacy, cybercrime and cyberwar, social media, the moral conundrums of artificial intelligence, big tech's relationship to inequality, and the challenges for democracy, far and near.  Come and learn about some of Microsoft’s most crucial recent decision points, as it strives to protect the hope technology offers against the very real threats it also presents.

Unconscious bias can be at work without our realizing it, and even when we genuinely wish to treat all people equally, ingrained stereotypes can affect our visual perception, attention, memory, and behavior. This has an impact on education, employment, housing, and criminal justice. In Biased, with a perspective that is scientific, investigative, and informed by personal experience, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt offers us insights into the dilemma and a path forward. Come ready to learn and be inspired as Eberhardt presents a hopeful framework for discussion and action by connecting racial bias with the scientific study of the brain. The good news is that we are not hopelessly doomed by our innate prejudices -- Eberhardt reminds us that racial bias is a human problem -- one all people can play a role in solving. 

Join us as LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner sits down with Andre Iguodala, three-time NBA champion, to discuss insights from Iguodala’s new book, The Sixth Man.  Andre Iguodala is one of the most admired players in the NBA. Off the court, Iguodala has earned respect, too—for his successful tech investments, his philanthropy, and increasingly for his contributions to the conversation about race in America. Centering around leadership, drive, pain and accomplishment, this is a powerful memoir of life and the culture of basketball that reveals new depths to the superstar athlete. The Sixth Man offers tremendous insight into the most urgent stories being told in American society today, touching on diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Join us as LinkedIn VP of Engineering Erica Lockheimer sits down with Telle Whitney, former CEO of the Anita Borg Institute and co-founder of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference, to discuss the successes and challenges women in technology face and how to create cultures where women thrive. Whitney has been a force in the industry, truly changing the trajectory for Women in Technology. When the Grace Hopper Conference started in 1994, there were 500 attendees. Today, it sells out within minutes and has over 20,000 attendees!    Get ready to be inspired by Whitney’s key leadership lessons learned throughout her career, her thoughts on the importance of diversity and career advice that will benefit everyone.

Join us as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman sits down with former Executive Chairman of Alphabet and former Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, and Jonathan Rosenberg, former Senior Vice President and Advisor to Alphabet CEO, Larry Page, to discuss insights from their new book, “Trillion Dollar Coach.” From Steve Jobs and Dick Costolo to Larry Page and Sundar Pichai, several of the biggest names in Silicon Valley will gladly credit much of their success to one name you’ve probably never heard of and who’s no longer with us – Bill Campbell. Considering that Bill helped create well over a trillion dollars in market value, his leadership method doesn’t just deserve our recognition, but could result in an extraordinary return on investment of your time if you learn it.  “Trillion Dollar Coach” shares behind-the-scenes business wisdom from Bill Campbell, Silicon Valley’s preeminent executive coach. Although he was perhaps the greatest executive coach of all time, Bill shunned the spotlight and rarely gave interviews. The authors hope that by open sourcing his principles and sharing stories of how they have worked for others, they can help people at all levels become more effective managers and leaders.  

Join us as LinkedIn Wellness Director Michael Susi sits down with international fitness icon, nutrition expert, and legendary big-wave surfer, Laird Hamilton, to discuss Laird’s take on human resilience, relationships, business, technology, risk-taking, and the importance of respecting the natural world ‒ all through the lens of his life both in and beyond the ocean. While the world increasingly seeks happiness from fads and self-help books, Laird Hamilton  focuses on looking inward and appreciating the brilliant creature we already are. In his book, Liferider, Laird uses five key pillars – Death & Fear, Heart, Body, Soul, and Everything is Connected – to illustrate his unique worldview and life practices, offering inspiration to anyone who wants to elevate their ordinary, landlocked life to do extraordinary things.  Liferider is based on extensive interviews and conversations between Laird and his co-writer, Julian Borra, with additional insights from Laird’s wife, pro-volleyball player Gabby Reece, joined us for this event as well.

Join us as LinkedIn Chief People Officer, Christina Hall sits down with Chip Conley to discuss his new book, "Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder." This book was inspired by his professional journey as the 26-year old founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, when he took an inner city motel and turned it into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America, to being an “elder” 50-year-old mentor and unexpected intern at Airbnb. Part manifesto and part playbook, Wisdom@Work ignites an urgent conversation about ageism in the workplace, calling on us to treat age as we would other types of diversity. In the process, Conley liberates the term "elder" from the stigma of "elderly," and inspires us to embrace wisdom as a path to growing whole, not old. Many “elders” have been forced to make a mid-career change, are choosing to work past retirement age, or are struggling to keep up with the millennials rising up the ranks. Wisdom@Work helps bring understanding about the value of “elders” and multi-generational teams in the workplace.

Join us as LinkedIn Chief Marketing Officer, Shannon Brayton sits down with Chelsea Clinton to discuss the work Clinton is doing to empower young activists to change the world. In Clinton’s new book, Start Now! You Can Make a Difference, she shares information about problems both large and small. She breaks down concepts of health, hunger, climate change, endangered species, and bullying so that young people can understand the world around them. She helps them learn how they can make a difference in their own lives, as well as in their communities and the world at large. Clinton hopes to encourage kids to learn more about what helps them to be healthy and to be inspired to stand up for what they believe is right.  

Join us as we turn the tables on our frequent LinkedIn Speaker Series interviewer, Reid Hoffman, and interview HIM about his new book, Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies. Reid’s new book comes out at the beginning of October, so don’t miss this “hot off the press” chance to hear directly from him about the lessons he has learned. Shannon Brayton, LinkedIn CMO, will host a fascinating fireside chat to understand what “blitzscaling” means and what separates the startups that get disrupted and disappear from the ones who grow to become global giants.

Join us as LinkedIn co-founder Allen Blue sits down with Dr. Kim to discuss the work we are doing together to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. The goals of the World Bank Group are to end extreme poverty by 2030 and boost shared prosperity for the bottom 40 percent of the population in developing countries. By providing access to data trends and insights, LinkedIn is supporting the World Bank to achieve these goals. Come learn more about this innovative collaboration - how you can get involved and make an impact.

Join us as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman sits down with Daniel Pink to discuss his new book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Everyone knows that timing is everything. But we don't really know much about timing itself. Our lives are a never-ending stream of "when" decisions: when to start a business, when to change jobs, when to get serious about a person. Yet we often make those decisions based on intuition and guesswork. Timing, it's often assumed, is an art. In his new book, Daniel unlocks the scientific secrets to good timing to help us flourish at work and at home. We hope you’ll leave this session with insights into how to live a richer, more engaged life!

Join us as LinkedIn’s Head of Social Impact, Meg Garlinghouse, sits down with Jennifer Dulski, the head of Groups at Facebook, and former president of Change.org, to discuss how you can turn your mission into a movement that creates change. Anyone can spark change if they believe in the power of taking action, no matter where, or how small, they start. In Dulski’s new book, Purposeful, she explains how to create a clear vision, inspire supporters, persuade decision makers, navigate criticism, and more. Our world needs movement starters more than ever and this discussion about Purposeful will empower you to start your own movement and make your mark on the world.

Join us as LinkedIn’s Co-Founder, Reid Hoffman sits down with Fred Kofman, Advisor on Leadership Development, to learn more about Fred’s new book, The Meaning Revolution. Bringing together economics and business theory, communications and conflict resolution, family counseling and mindfulness meditation, Kofman argues that our most deep-seated, unspoken, and universal anxiety stems from our fear that our life is being wasted - that the end of life will overtake us when our song is still unsung. Material incentives like salary and benefits only drive a small portion of employees’ motivation. What really drives engagement is the meaning, a feeling that what we do day in and day out makes a difference, that how we spend our time on earth serves a larger purpose beyond just ourselves. Join the conversation to learn: How to “die before you die,” thinking about the legacy you are leaving behind while you still have an opportunity to shape it How to assume a truly “response-able” mantle of leadership, in a step-by-step, practical way How to move past your deepest fears and anxieties to fashion a truly heroic life How organizations, and the people within them, can make a difference in the world

Join us as LinkedIn’s CMO, Shannon Brayton, sits down with Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer Hearst Magazines, to learn why The New York Times recently described Joanna as “one of the most powerful people in media.” Not only has Joanna had an incredible career before her current role overseeing content and editorial partnerships for 300 magazines globally as the CCO of Hearst Magazines, but she also has made incredible impact through the board of Women Entrepreneurs New York City, an initiative to expand female entrepreneurship, with a focus on underserved women and communities.   Joanna also currently sits on the board of directors of Snap Inc, is the executive producer of ABC Freeform’s scripted drama, The Bold Type, and has recently written a book with HarperCollins on relationships in the digital age and lives called Love Rules.

LinkedIn for Good hosted David Miliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and former Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, to discuss how individuals and organizations can work to alleviate the global refugee crisis. As the son of refugees, David has brought a personal commitment to the IRC’s work. Under his leadership, IRC has launched a global strategy focused on collaborating with the private sector to further its mission to help people whose lives have been shattered by conflict and disaster to regain control of their future. At LinkedIn, this is also an issue we’re actively engaged with: through our Welcome Talent initiative, LIFG partners with nonprofits, governments, and the private sector to provide refugees the training, resources, and networks they need to become a new member of their local workforce. If you’re interested in learning more about the current refugee crisis and how you can help, join us for this important conversation!

In 2017, not a month went by without major revelations about discrimination or harassment in Hollywood, politics, the media, and beyond. As the #MeToo movement spread, millions of women bravely came forward to share stories of abuse and sexual harassment. As we begin 2018, one thing is clear: the desire for change has become palpable. In BROTOPIA: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley, Bloomberg TV journalist Emily Chang takes on the industry that has perhaps had the most profound impact on the future of humanity and created the greatest wealth of our generation - technology. Its inventions have become integral to our modern lives and instigated extraordinary change—but behind the scenes, it’s far from a utopia.   Join us as LinkedIn’s Managing News Editor, Caroline Fairchild, sits down with Emily to discuss what Emily has discovered about the staggering gender inequality in the tech industry, and to understand more about how we got here and how can we foster real change.

Interested in what the future will hold? Join us as LinkedIn Co-Founder and Partner at Greylock Reid Hoffman hosts a fireside chat with MIT Sloan School of Management’s faculty members Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee. Erik and Andrew are co-authors of the 2014 NYTimes best-selling book, The Second Machine Age, and their latest book, Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future. Reid, Erik, and Andrew will discuss the fascinating times that we are living in today - a time where a machine can play the strategy game Go better than any human; upstarts like Apple and Google are destroying industry stalwarts such as Nokia; and ideas sourced from the crowd are infinitely more innovative than corporate research labs. Andrew and Erik know what it takes to master this digital-powered shift, and Reid will have a chance to discuss with them how we need to rethink the integration of minds and machines, of products and platforms, and of the core and the crowd.

Join us for a fascinating fireside chat with Stacy Brown-Philpot, CEO of TaskRabbit, and Ty Heath, the President of our Black Inclusion Group (BIG). They will discuss the future of work, the sharing/gig economy, how TaskRabbit is fueling it, and what is being done in Silicon Valley to invest in diversity. Fun fact: Did you know that Stacy grew up where LinkedIn opened our most recent office?!?  We’re excited to bond over Detroit and hear how growing up there has shaped her view on the world.

To kick off our 2018 LinkedIn Speaker Series, we are honored to host Chade-Meng Tan (Meng), Retired Jolly Good Fellow at Google (yes, that was actually his official job title!).  Meng’s session will set us all up for a productive and successful year by enlightening us on some of the key learnings from his book, Joy on Demand.  This book is the long-awaited follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Search Inside Yourself and shows us how to cultivate joy within the context of our fast-paced lives and explains why it is critical to creativity, innovation, confidence, and ultimately, success in every arena.

As the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma advocates for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change, and Forbes recognized her in Forbes 30 Under 30. Haben travels the world consulting and public speaking, teaching clients the benefits of fully accessible products and services. Haben has also been consulting with EnableIn to make LinkedIn’s workplace and products more inclusive, and we are so excited to introduce her to the rest of the company!  Listen to Haben’s inspiring story, and learn how disability is driving innovation.

Not only is this your chance to meet an astronaut - Captain Jim Wetherbee, US Navy (Ret.) - but you will also have the opportunity to learn about the high-quality operations used by astronauts in space. In addition to being the only five-time Space Shuttle Commander, Jim has been involved in several high-profile projects including studying the Challenger explosion and the BP pipeline spill to prevent accidents like those from occurring again. Come listen to his fascinating stories from being in space and learn his risk-management techniques that can be applied in everyday life. And, not to mention - he has some pretty amazing pictures from his astronaut days that you won’t want to miss!

Join us as Scott Shute, our VP Global Customer Operations, sits down with two New York Times–bestselling authors, Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson, to discuss new research showing what meditation can really do for the brain. In the last twenty years, meditation and mindfulness have gone from being kind of cool to becoming an omnipresent Band-Aid for fixing everything from your weight to your relationship to your achievement level. In their new book, “Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body,” Goleman and Davidson show us the truth about what meditation can really do for us, and exactly how to get the most out of it.  This is one of those rare books that has the power to change us at the deepest level.

This is an age of epic political turbulence around the world. Old hierarchies and institutions are collapsing. All the “givens” of civic life are no longer given. From the fracturing of the major political parties, to the spread of bottom-up movements like Black Lives Matter and $15 Now, citizens across the world and across the political spectrum are reclaiming power. It is no longer the exclusive domain of CEOs, political elites, and insiders from any political party. And the question that today’s rising citizens have to face is: Are you ready? Do you understand power? And if you want to make change in the world, do you know how? Eric Liu, who has spent a career practicing and teaching civic power, will delve into this topic in an incisive and inspiring session. Using examples from the left and the right, past and present, he will reveal the core laws of power and show us that we all can generate power and create strategies of reform. If you want to be more than a spectator in this new era, join us!