Psychology · Technology · Community
Resilient systems for complex humans.
Stephanie spent two decades inside global Fortune 50 companies and earned a Master's in Performance Psychology to understand why we keep burning out. We have never had more tools, more apps, more coaches, more AI. Yet, people are burning out faster than ever.
As Seen In
Chapter One
I said yes to the life that scared me.
I started at Sony at 18. A global role took me to Tokyo, and instead of coming home, I walked across town to ASICS and stayed in Japan for nearly a decade. When I finally left Asia, I didn't get on a plane home. I freelanced through Mexico and Belize. Then I landed in Spokane. Sure, why not.
Sony, San Diego
Started in corporate before most people finish college.
Tokyo: Sony, then ASICS
Global marketing and business development roles, and a place where community was immediate.
Mexico and Belize
Freelancing, figuring out what I actually wanted to be when I grow up.
Spokane
A master's in performance psychology, a PhD in progress, and a few of my own businesses.
Chapter Two
Putting the pieces together for a puzzle someone else built.
Along the way, I built a version of myself out of inherited responses and beliefs. Those survival patterns earned me promotions, passport stamps, and businesses. Then they started working against me.
Nature gave me the raw materials. Nurture decided what got built. And the voice running the show wasn't really mine.
"You can't listen to your gut when someone else is behind the wheel."
Chapter Three
Too much. Too soon. Too often.
That’s how I define trauma. It’s subjective, which moves it out of the category of things that only happened to other people. Almost everyone can find it somewhere in their own life.
When life hands us too much, too soon, too often, we adapt. We build armor: the perfectionism, the over-functioning, the yes when we mean no. That armor works. It’s how capable people get promoted, get things done, and hold everything together.
Until it doesn’t. The armor gets heavy. And the voice in your head running the show turns out to be one you picked up along the way. That’s when smart, high-functioning people start running on empty and can’t figure out why.
“Positive self-talk is still a borrowed script.”
The answer isn’t silencing that voice or swapping it for a nicer one. It’s questioning it with curiosity, and finding your neutral: the place where you can actually hear yourself. Once you see the voice was installed, you can stop taking orders from it.
FROM MY STORY TO THE WORK
What would it look like if the systems worked, especially under pressure?
That question sent me back to school. And it's the thread through everything I teach now, on stages and in rooms full of people who are wicked smart, just exhausted. Each keynote takes it to a different place: you, your community, and your tech.
Signature Keynote
Running on Too Many Open Tabs
Stay Sharp, Grounded, and Resilient When Everything Is Demanding Your Attention
The four questions I ask myself every time I hit the same wall: Truth, Armor, Bandwidth, Support.
Community Resilience
Before and After the Shit Hits the Fan
Building the Resilience Loop
What I learned building community by hand: resilience is built before the crisis and after it.
Tech Stress
Solarpunk Brain
Using Tech to Build a More Human Life
What I learned building the tech: not everything should be automated, and not everything should be human.
WHY PEOPLE WORK WITH ME
I refused to pick a lane. That's the point.
Most speakers bring research or real-world experience. I bring both, plus the tech, plus the scars.
1
I've studied it.
Master's in performance psychology. PhD candidate in psychology, specializing in trauma and community resilience. I hold a hard line on evidence, so no pop-science brain myths.
2
I've lived it.
Two decades inside Fortune 50 brands, a decade abroad, and building businesses from scratch. I know what pressure feels like from the inside.
3
I've built it.
I build tech and community systems, not just talk about them. HIKE with Her and Kaizen are where the ideas get tested.
4
I give you tools, not a pep talk.
Direct, human, evidence-based. Your people leave with tools they can use on a Tuesday.
From the room
What people say after.
"Throughout the past year, both personal and professional challenges have come up, and time and again, I've been able to lean on the mindset and tools Stephanie has shared with me. Her guidance has made a real difference."
Marc M. — VP Commercial Business, Former Client
"Stephanie demonstrated that coaching is much more than advice and accountability — it's empathy and empowerment. She creates space for clarity without judgment and momentum without pressure."
Jennifer J. — Commercial Banker, Workshop Attendee
"I had a feeling you were the right fit for that room, and it sounds like the women confirmed it. That's exactly what I was hoping for when I made the recommendation, so hearing that it landed the way it did means a lot. I appreciated our time together the week before too. It was clear you came prepared and thoughtful, and I think that showed."
Monica W. — CLA Member, Excellent Women in Laundry Planning Committee
Get in Touch
Planning an event? Let's talk about your room.
Share your date, audience, and theme, and I'll tell you which keynote fits.
Stephanie High is a leading voice in Washington State on performance psychology, community resilience, organizational systems, women's mental health, and trauma-informed leadership.
Based in Spokane, WA · Open to Travel
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