Unlocking the power of grounded confidence
Equipping leaders and teams to stay steady, have courageous conversations, and make clear decisions in uncertain times
Heather Whelpley is a speaker, award-winning author, and executive coach who creates programs for today’s workplace
Testimonials
“Heather's presentation on The Power of Grounded Confidence was fantastic! Our employees called the event inspiring, empowering, and insightful and said it helped them to gain confidence and show up authentically in the world.”
Dawn Valentine, Lindt & Sprüngli
“It is ALWAYS an absolutely joy to work with Heather! She is exceptionally well organized, thorough in her questions and review, and can tailor the experience to your organization. I would bring her on for another speaking engagement in a heartbeat!”
Jessica Sares, ITW
“Her message on grounded confidence didn’t just resonate — it challenged people in a way that felt real and actionable. People were leaning in, reflecting, and thinking about how they want to lead differently. She was the perfect cap to our day.”
Laurel Trost, Associations North
Are you seeing any of these challenges right now?
✔️Everything feels urgent, but the most important work isn’t getting done
✔️Tough conversations are delayed or avoided entirely
✔️Change keeps coming - and everyone is exhausted
✔️You're being asked to do more with less
✔️People feel unsure, unsteady, and overwhelmed
The answer? Grounded Confidence.
Grounded confidence stays steady even when expectations are high, change is constant, and the pressure never seems to stop
With grounded confidence:
✔️ Leaders remain steady and effective in the face of disruption
✔️ People show up to hard conversations with curiosity and courage
✔️ Leaders drive results from a place of purpose
✔️ Employees share ideas that create impact
✔️ Leaders make clear decisions, even under pressure
Ready for your people to lead with clarity, communicate with courage, and create impact that lasts?
“I can’t say enough great things about Heather’s presentation on Discover Your Authentic Voice. We received actionable tools to confidently take up the space we need to communicate with presence and power. We all left feeling empowered to speak up and take a seat at the table!”
— Will Kulesza, Kellanova (formerly Kellogg’s)
Hi! I’m Heather
I want you to walk through the world with grounded confidence.
Yes, I know the world feels pretty UNgrounded right now.
But that doesn’t mean you need to be UNgrounded along with it.
For over a decade, I worked at Cargill and Ameriprise in HR, leadership development, and change management roles. My work took me everywhere from corporate offices to manufacturing plants across the U.S., Australia, and Latin America - and yes, I still have the steel-toed boots in my closet to prove it!
I saw how change and constant pressure impacted how people lead, worked, and communicated.
On a personal level, I felt the pressure to prove, please, and perfect in these environments. I drove myself hard to succeed no matter what. I felt like I was never doing enough - or maybe like I wasn’t enough.
Let me tell you from experience, there is nothing more ungrounding than feeling like you have to prove your worth by living up to expectations outside of yourself.
Then I realized it didn’t have to be that way. There was another possibility.
Grounded confidence.
"Heather was dynamic, engaging and authentic, and created a space where our employees felt comfortable sharing and engaging on topics previously ‘off limits’ with colleagues. Additionally, in our post-event survey, 100% of employees said they plan to use the tools from the session in their ongoing development!"
— Sarah Strehl, CHRO, ECMC Group
Heather’s Speaker Reel
“Heather's virtual presentation was insightful, inspiring, and captivating! Attendance was fantastic and Heather's knowledge, energy, and interactive style kept the group so engaged that attendees commented they didn't realize how quickly time was passing. I would love to bring her back for another event!”
— Kristine Holtzer, Field Engineer, Mortenson
Inspiration from the blog
Executive presence comes up OFTEN in my conversations, and mostly with this question: How do I get more of it?
While you can argue about the exact attributes that lead to presence, there's one that hardly ever gets mentioned and I believe may have the biggest impact of them all:
Your nervous system.