Tara Renze
Emotional Intelligence Expert—Delivering High-Energy Keynotes, Transformational Workshops and EQ Strategies to Ignite Authenticity, Confidence, and Unstoppable Success.
Key Speech Themes:
Emotional Intelligence, Peak Performance, Authenticity, Mindset, Leadership and Influence, Sales, Resilience & Adaptability, Culture and Workplace Belonging
Ideal Audiences:
General Audiences & Motivational Events – Empowering individuals to unlock their full potential, embrace authenticity, and take bold action in life and work.
Women’s Events – Inspiring women to own their power, silence self-doubt, and lead with confidence—both in business and in life.
Leadership & Teams – Elevating emotional intelligence, decision-making, and influence.
Sales Professionals – Mastering mindset, resilience, and high-performance strategies.
Corporate & Workplace Culture Events – Strengthening engagement, belonging, and adaptability.
Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners – Building confidence, emotional intelligence, and long-term success.
Direct Sales – Empowering teams with the mindset, confidence, and emotional intelligence to build authentic connections, overcome obstacles, recruit and sell more.
Meet Tara
Tara Renze is a powerhouse in emotional intelligence and transformational speaking, delivering high-energy keynotes and workshops that ignite lasting change. With a bold, no-fluff approach, she blends sharp wit, relatable stories, and practical strategies to inspire action and drive meaningful transformation. Backed by over two decades of corporate and sales leadership experience, Tara is a certified emotional and positive intelligence practitioner, author, and thought leader who equips individuals and organizations with the mindset and tools to strengthen mental fitness, lead with authenticity, and unlock their full potential. Her message—Be Who You Came to Be—empowers people to create, own, and live the life they desire and deserve, fueling growth for individuals, teams, and cultures alike.
Topics & Descriptions
Keynote Topics:
Be Who You Came To Be - Create, Own & Live the Life you Deserve & Desire
Authenticity doesn’t just transform individuals—it drives results for teams, organizations, and cultures. When people embrace their unique strengths and show up as their best selves, they unlock potential, ignite innovation, and foster meaningful connections that elevate performance and purpose.
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Definition: Be Who You Came to Be (verb)
To embrace authenticity, confidence, and purpose in every aspect of life.
To grow, evolve, and adapt with resilience and self-awareness.
To unlock your full potential and take bold action toward your dreams.
To embody the highest form of emotional intelligence—leading with intention, impact, and unwavering self-belief.
Authenticity doesn’t just transform individuals—it drives results for teams, organizations, and cultures. When people embrace their unique strengths and show up as their best selves, they unlock potential, ignite innovation, and foster meaningful connections that elevate performance and purpose.
At the heart of this transformation is emotional intelligence and mental fitness and the ability to recognize that you are not your thoughts—you are how you choose to show up. With 80% of our daily thoughts being negative, repetitive, and often biased, the ability to shift from limiting narratives to empowering ones is a game-changer.
In this session, you’ll learn how to harness emotional intelligence (EQ) to recognize and reframe those thoughts, quiet the inner critic, and lead with clarity and confidence. When you build mental fitness and tap into the power of EQ, you unlock a level of potential that impacts every aspect of life—personally and professionally.
Through Tara’s inspiring stories and actionable insights, you’ll discover how to:
Strengthen mental fitness and master the power of shifting your perspective.
Redefine success by prioritizing fulfillment over fleeting happiness.
Ignite resilience and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth.
Replace comparison with confidence and fully own your authenticity.
Self-assess with clarity, take bold action, and own your success.
Take bold, strategic risks to achieve big goals and create a life of purpose, impact, and lasting success.
You’ll walk away ready to create, own, and live the life you deserve and desire:
Create: Redefine success by focusing on fulfillment over fleeting happiness, giving yourself permission to grow, evolve, and embrace change with resilience and tenacity. Shift from transactional achievements to transformational impact.
Own: Overcome self-limiting beliefs, eliminate guilt and comparison, and take control of your narrative to step into your true potential through self-assessment and clarity.
Live: Achieve peak performance by taking bold, strategic risks, setting big goals, and taking massive action to create a life of purpose, authenticity, and impact.
Tara’s powerful keynote will leave you motivated, empowered, and ready to be who you came to be—while making a lasting impact on your life, team, and organization.
Beyond the Keynote: Tools & Takeaways:
This keynote includes a customized digital workbook featuring actionable exercises and strategies to continue building mental fitness long after the event, including:
✅Positive Intelligence Saboteur Assessment & Report – Identify and eliminate self-sabotaging thought patterns
✅ Mindset Shift Tracker: "You Are Not Your Thoughts" – Learn to reframe negative thoughts and build mental fitness
✅ Big Goals Tracker: "No Playing Small" – Set and track ambitious, transformative goals
✅14-Day Mental Fitness Challenge – Daily practices to strengthen mindset and resilience
Tara’s engaging, no-fluff approach ensures audiences walk away empowered, energized, and equipped to train their minds like they train their bodies—because success starts in the mind.
Why Tara?
Tara Renze brings over 20 years of corporate and sales leadership experience, paired with her passion as a wife and mother, to deliver a message that’s both inspiring and relatable. Certified in emotional and positive intelligence, Tara empowers audiences with proven tools to shift their thinking, strengthen mental fitness, and lead with emotional intelligence. Her high-energy, motivational style and practical strategies create a transformative experience for anyone seeking to level up their personal and professional life.
Get Mentally Fit - Master Your Mind. Own Your Potential.
Using her Create It, Own It, Live It framework, Tara will guide audiences through the mindset shifts and emotional intelligence strategies necessary to build mental resilience, amplify confidence, and unlock their full potential.
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Your thoughts can be your biggest obstacle—or your greatest advantage. Mental fitness is the foundation of peak performance, resilience, and success. In this high-impact keynote, Tara Renze dives deep into the science of Positive Intelligence (PQ) to help individuals and teams rewire their thinking, break free from self-doubt, and eliminate the mental saboteurs that hold them back. When you master your mind, you take full ownership of your success, leadership, and fulfillment—both personally and professionally.
Using her Create It, Own It, Live It framework, Tara will guide audiences through the mindset shifts and emotional intelligence strategies necessary to build mental resilience, amplify confidence, and unlock their full potential.
Create It – Shift Your Mindset & Build Mental Resilience
Recognize the power of your thoughts and how they shape your reality
Identify the mental saboteurs that create self-doubt, fear, and inaction
Rewire your brain by strengthening your Positive Intelligence (PQ) muscles
Develop the emotional intelligence to turn challenges into opportunities
Own It – Take Control of Your Success
Silence limiting beliefs and take ownership of your personal and professional growth
Cultivate self-awareness and emotional mastery to navigate high-pressure situations
Embrace setbacks and uncertainty as stepping stones to breakthrough moments
Stop playing small—elevate your self-worth and step into leadership with confidence
Live It – Perform at Your Peak & Create Lasting Impact
Take bold, strategic action to maximize performance and fulfillment
Build mental fitness habits that strengthen resilience and adaptability
Show up consistently as your best self, both at work and in life
Transform success from a fleeting feeling into a sustainable way of thinking
Tara’s engaging, no-fluff approach ensures audiences walk away empowered, energized, and equipped to train their minds like they train their bodies—because success starts in the mind.
Beyond the Keynote: Tools & Takeaways
This keynote includes a customized digital workbook featuring actionable exercises and strategies to continue building mental fitness long after the event, including:
✅Positive Intelligence Saboteur Assessment & Report – Identify and eliminate self-sabotaging thought patterns
✅ Mindset Shift Tracker: "You Are Not Your Thoughts" – Learn to reframe negative thoughts and build mental fitness
✅ Big Goals Tracker: "No Playing Small" – Set and track ambitious, transformative goals
✅14-Day Mental Fitness Challenge – Daily practices to strengthen mindset and resilienceTara’s engaging, no-fluff approach ensures audiences walk away empowered, energized, and equipped to train their minds like they train their bodies—because success starts in the mind.
The Secrets to Level Up Your Leadership
Elevate Your Leadership, Strengthen Emotional Intelligence, Transform Team Culture, and Drive Sustainable Success
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Elevate Your Leadership, Strengthen Emotional Intelligence, Transform Team Culture, and Drive Sustainable Success
Authentic leadership is the foundation for driving results, fostering innovation, and creating a culture of trust and engagement. At its core, leadership is about emotional intelligence (EQ), self-awareness, adaptability, and the ability to bring out the best in others. Great leaders don’t just focus on their own success—they create teams, cultures, and environments where success is inevitable.
After two decades in corporate leadership and sales, Tara Renze developed this high-energy, transformational keynote to share the game-changing leadership secrets she has mastered along the way. This session goes beyond motivation—it's practical, engaging, and designed for immediate impact.
Since no two organizations are alike, each keynote is fully customized to meet the specific needs of the audience.
A Sneak Peek at Tara’s Leadership Secrets:
Drawing from over 20 powerful leadership strategies, Tara customizes each keynote to deliver the 7-10 secrets that best fit the audience’s challenges and goals. These high-impact insights help leaders elevate their leadership, strengthen EQ, and build thriving cultures.
Some of the topics explored in this keynote include:
✅ Leadership Isn’t About You – The best leaders focus on bringing out the best in their teams, not just themselves.
✅ The Thermostat Approach to Culture – Set the tone, stay consistent, and create an environment where people thrive.
✅ The ACE Method for Conflict Resolution – Assume a misunderstanding, Collaborate, and Extinguish tension for win-win outcomes.
✅ The Power of LOVE in Leadership – Lead with L.O.V.E.: Listen, Observe, Validate, Empower to inspire and connect.
✅ Get Mentally Fit – Strengthen resilience and eliminate self-sabotaging thoughts that limit leadership potential.Beyond the Keynote: Tools & Takeaways
Each keynote includes a customized digital workbook featuring key exercises, mindset shifts, and leadership strategies designed for immediate application. Attendees will receive tools to:
✅ Identify and overcome self-limiting beliefs
✅ Strengthen confidence and leadership impact
✅ Set bold goals and take strategic action
✅ Elevate emotional intelligence and self-awarenessTara’s dynamic, no-fluff approach leaves audiences inspired, empowered, and ready to lead at the next level.
Workshop Topics:
The Secrets to Level Up Your Leadership Workshop
This interactive workshop is available for 90 minutes to 1/2 day sessions.
This workshop is designed to meet CE credit requirements for leadership development, workplace engagement, and emotional intelligence training.
Tara Renze is a certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner and Positive Intelligence Coach, bringing research-backed methodologies to help leaders and teams increase self-awareness, resilience, and mental fitness.
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The Secrets to Level Up Your Leadership
Elevate Your Leadership, Strengthen Emotional Intelligence, Transform Team Culture, and Drive Sustainable Success
Authentic leadership is the foundation for driving results, fostering innovation, and creating a culture of trust and engagement. At its core, authentic leadership is rooted in emotional intelligence (EQ)—the ability to understand and manage emotions while inspiring and empowering others. The best leaders are self-aware, adaptable, and intentional about their impact, fueling success by building high-performing, emotionally intelligent teams.
But how do leaders create an environment where teams feel valued, inspired, and empowered to grow, change, and evolve within an organization?
After two decades in corporate leadership and sales, Tara Renze developed this high-impact workshop to share the game-changing leadership secrets she has mastered along the way. This session goes beyond theory—it's practical, engaging, and designed for immediate impact.
Since no two organizations are alike, each workshop is fully customized to ensure participants walk away with relevant, high-impact strategies that can be immediately applied to their roles and teams.
A Sneak Peek at Tara’s Leadership Secrets:
Tara pulls from 20 powerful leadership secrets designed to elevate leaders, strengthen emotional intelligence, and transform culture.
Some of the secrets explored in this workshop include:
✅ Use a Clear Mirror to Self-Assess – Cultivate radical self-awareness and take ownership of your success.
✅ Get Mentally Fit: Strengthen Your Positive Intelligence – Identify and quiet self-sabotaging thoughts that limit performance.
✅ Leadership Isn’t About You – The best leaders don’t focus on their own greatness; they bring out the best in others. Using lessons from basketball coaching, learn how to develop a team culture that creates raving fans.
✅ Managing Team Culture: The Thermostat Approach – Leaders aren’t thermometers, reacting to the environment; they are thermostats, setting and maintaining a consistent tone that fosters trust, engagement, and long-term success. Learn how to lead with consistency, composure, and a commitment to leaving people better than you found them.
✅ Never Complain Down – Master the art of leading with confidence and composure, even in difficult situations.
✅ The ACE Method for Conflict Resolution – Assume a misunderstanding, Collaborate, and Extinguish tension to create win-win outcomes.
✅ Assertiveness & The Big Ask: Responding Intellectually vs. Emotionally – Master the art of assertiveness, communication, and strategic influence.
✅ The Power of LOVE in Leadership – Shift from transactional leadership to transformational leadership by leading with L.O.V.E.: Listen, Observe, Validate, Empower.Learning Activities:
Participants will receive a comprehensive, downloadable workbook featuring:
Fulfillment Inventory – Personal and professional assessment to align purpose and performance.
Comparison Inventory & Admiration Shift Exercise – Move from unhealthy comparison to inspired admiration.
Nostalgia & Assumed Constraints Questionnaire – Identify and overcome limiting beliefs.
Butterfly Goals & Invitational Fear/Risks Bucket List – Take bold, strategic action toward big goals.
Clear Mirror Self-Assessment Worksheet – Gain clarity on strengths and growth areas.
1-5-10 Year LIVE IT Plan – Create a roadmap for personal and professional success.
14-Day Emotional Intelligence Challenge – Daily strategies to strengthen self-awareness, adaptability, and mindset.
Mindset Shift Tracker: "You Are Not Your Thoughts" – A tool to help reframe negative thoughts and build mental fitness.
Big Goals Tracker: "No Playing Small" – A system for setting and tracking ambitious, transformative goals.
Positive Intelligence Saboteur Assessment & Report – Delivered to participants' inboxes to identify self-sabotaging thought patterns.
Continuing Education Credit Information:
This workshop is designed to meet CE credit requirements for leadership development, workplace engagement, and emotional intelligence training.
Tara Renze is a certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner and Positive Intelligence Coach, bringing research-backed methodologies to help leaders and teams increase self-awareness, resilience, and mental fitness.
This workshop is also supported by research from Positive Intelligence, a scientifically validated framework that simplifies and strengthens EQ development. Positive Intelligence research has been validated by over 500,000 participants in 50 countries and provides a proven methodology for fostering sustainable leadership growth.
Get Mentally Fit Workshop
(This interactive workshop is available as 90 minutes – half-day workshop)
Master Your Mind. Conquer Self-Sabotage. Elevate Performance.
Your thoughts can be your greatest advantage—or your biggest obstacle. Mental fitness is the foundation of resilience, leadership, and success. This immersive, interactive workshop expands on the Get Mentally Fit keynote, diving deeper into the science of Positive Intelligence (PQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ) to help participants rewire their thinking, eliminate self-sabotage, and strengthen their mindset for peak performance.
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By understanding and conquering their inner saboteurs, attendees will develop the skills to reduce stress, increase focus, and show up as their best selves in work and life.
Key Learning Objectives & Takeaways:
✅ Understand the Power of Emotional & Positive Intelligence – Learn how EQ and PQ impact leadership, retention, and overall job satisfaction.
✅ Identify and Eliminate Your Mental Saboteurs – Recognize the self-sabotaging thought patterns that hold you back and replace them with empowering strategies.
✅ Unlock Your Positive Intelligence Score (PQ) – Discover how to shift from negative thinking to a mentally fit, high-performing mindset.
✅ Fulfillment vs. Happiness – Why fulfillment is the real driver of success and how to cultivate it.
✅ Eliminate Unrealistic Comparisons – Elevate authenticity and confidence to improve overall job satisfaction.
✅ Master Fear & Risk-Taking – Deconstruct fear, embrace change, and step into growth.
✅ Self-Assess to Self-Actualize – Implement a system for continuous personal and professional development.
✅ Develop a Personal PQ Roadmap – Create a step-by-step plan to strengthen mental fitness and eliminate self-doubt.Who This Workshop Is for:
The modern workforce constantly wrestles with the balance of career, family, personal growth, and fulfillment. This workshop provides actionable solutions to some of the most pressing questions professionals ask themselves:
How do I make an impact and grow within my organization?
How do I navigate change, stress, or self-doubt?
How can I be successful at work and at home?
How do I stop sabotaging myself?
How do I build sustainable happiness and fulfillment?
By increasing mental and emotional fitness, attendees will reduce stress, increase engagement, and perform at their peak—all while honoring who they came to be.
Workshop Format & Experience:
This workshop is a deep dive that expands on the Get Mentally Fit keynote and includes:
✅ A Custom Workbook – Attendees will use this during the workshop and take it with them for continued learning. Virtual attendees receive a printable PDF.
✅ Three Team Breakout Sessions – Facilitated exercises focused on self-discovery, actionable takeaways, team building, and group sharing.
✅ One Individual Breakout Session – Guided time to develop a personal PQ roadmap to get and stay mentally fit.
✅ Pre-Workshop Positive Intelligence Assessment – All attendees will receive a FREE PQ assessment to take before the session, providing valuable insights into their mental fitness and self-sabotaging patterns.Why Positive Intelligence?
Positive Intelligence (PQ) simplifies and strengthens the development of emotional intelligence. Research shows that mental fitness training improves performance, reduces stress, and enhances resilience. This framework has been validated by over 500,000 participants in 50 countries and provides a proven methodology for increasing self-awareness, adaptability, and leadership effectiveness.
Tara Renze is a certified Emotional Intelligence & Positive Intelligence Practitioner who brings a dynamic, no-fluff approach to helping teams elevate their mindset, eliminate self-sabotage, and lead with confidence.
Videos
Full Bio
Tara Renze is an author, keynote speaker, emotional intelligence & positive intelligence practitioner, podcaster, thought-leader, wife and mother and is redefining how we unleash purpose, level up our success and create sustainable happiness and fulfillment in all aspects of our lives. After two decades of success in corporate leadership and social selling, she started writing and keynote speaking to empower others to "be who they came to be" and create, own and live the life they desire, envision and deserve. Tara has a true passion and talent for guiding others to harness and realize their full potential.
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Early Beginnings and Corporate Success:
Tara Renze's journey to empowerment and inspiration began in the competitive arena of corporate America. At CareerBuilder.com, her exceptional leadership and sales acumen were quickly recognized, earning her the coveted "Sales Leader of the Year" accolade. Tara's impact expanded as she took the helm of the national new hire sales training program and served as a national sales manager consultant, shaping the future of sales leadership with her innovative approaches and insights.
Transition to Social Selling and Entrepreneurship:
Building on her corporate success, Tara ventured into the world of social selling with Stella & Dot. Here, she founded a nationwide, multi-million-dollar business, blending her corporate expertise with entrepreneurial spirit. This phase of her career not only showcased her business acumen but also her ability to connect with and inspire a new generation of women entrepreneurs.
Current Role as a Beacon of Authenticity and Empowerment:
Today, Tara Renze is a beacon for those seeking to "be who they came to be." Her grandmother's transformative note to her son in 2007 became the cornerstone of Tara's mission. As an author, keynote speaker, and emotional intelligence practitioner, Tara has dedicated her life to empowering others. Her work is supported by her impressive educational background, with a degree from the University of Kansas and leadership studies at the Wharton School and Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Tara's influence extends through her books, such as "Be Who You Came To Be" and the collaborative children's book "Be Who You Came To Bee," along with her eagerly awaited "Perfectly Flawed." Her "Be Who You Came To Be" merchandise line further embodies the spirit of her empowering message.
Trusted by Leading Brands:
Tara's credibility is underscored by her collaborations with renowned brands such as Aflac, T-Mobile, Amazon, American Century Investments, Baxter, the Women's Foodservice Forum (WFF), Farmasi, and many more. These partnerships reflect the trust and value placed in her expertise and the universal appeal of her empowering message.
Personal Life and Advocacy:
Her favorite titles in life are wife to Scott, mom to Ben and Jack, daughter, sister and friend. Her dogs, Olive & Phog, are by far her biggest fans. Tara enjoys traveling, cooking, fitness, live music, all things sports and dancing in the kitchen.
Beyond her professional achievements, Tara is a passionate advocate for breast cancer awareness, inspired by the battles faced by her loved ones.
Testimonials
“I continue to get positive feedback internally on how well (Tara’s) message has resonated with people and the timeliness of the message within Pfizer. Thank you again for your time, Tara and willingness to share your message with our team.” - Field Medical Director, Malignant Hematology, Pfizer Oncology
“Thank you for bringing so much energy and a powerful message to our Xyngfling event! You were a huge hit and we heard many of our attendees say you were the best keynote we have ever had. You did a fantastic job of making an emotional connection with our attendees and it helped them open their hearts and minds to your message. You were so easy to work with and poured so much good into all of us - it was outstanding!” - Chief Sales Officer, Xyngular
International Event, Munich Germany:
“It was an unforgettable event, Tara Renze! You have absolutely crushed it with your enthusiasm, power, energy and life experience. You have lightened up the fire in my team and gifted them with the power to “Be who they came to be”. Our energies have resonated for the first time in Munich, but definitely not the last time. Keep shining & empowering others with your great talent!” - Sales Director, Lavylites“What an amazing experience it was to have you speak at ALC 2024! Your vibrant personality, lively energy and your candid approach to authenticity resonated deeply with the audience. Thank you for an amazing keynote turned into a call-to-action to embrace our true selves and ‘be who we came to be’. We needed to hear it … and you said it.” - Office of the CEO, ATS Corporation
“Tara Renze is an extraordinary speaker and author who truly knows how to connect with her audience. Her keynote on "Be Who You Came to Be" was nothing short of inspiring. Tara did her homework, coming fully prepared and familiar with our audience at ASID, which allowed her to weave in anecdotes and examples that resonated deeply with everyone in the room. She masterfully combined humor with profound insight, guiding us through the steps to recognize how our mindset shapes our personal and professional success. Tara’s ability to engage, enlighten, and empower is truly a gift. She made a room with over 450 people feel intimate; as if we were having a conversation with a group of friends on how to balance the many pieces of family, work, home and more. After her keynote, Tara graciously mingled with our members during the break between sessions, surprising and delighting us with her generous willingness to give more of her time. Tara is incredibly talented and brings an elevated level of presentation completely exceeding our already high expectations. We can’t wait to find another opportunity to work with her again in the future”. - Chief Brand Experience Officer, the American Society of Interior Designers
“The connection she had with the group was nothing I have seen in a long time. Tara knew Aflac and I could tell she had done her homework (learning about the culture and what we are all about as a company). That really resonated well with the teams during breakout sessions and as keynote speaker. She also spoke long enough that the audience attention was all on her and not their cell phones, which says a lot about her as a motivation speaker. The part and she had several I like, was going out into the audience talking one on one with them during discussion in the breakout session… a BIG WIN for me. I loved every minute and look forward to her speaking at more of our events/or meetings in the future.” - Lead/Event Planner for Aflac
“MCAA's goal to elevate the women in our industry has a better road map now thanks to your input. As I mentioned after your session, I gained many new insights and tools on how I can be better in my efforts to help elevate everyone in our organization. You've truly made a difference - thank you.” - CEO, MCAA (Mechanical Contractors Association of America)