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
Fee: $20,000 + $1,500 flat travel and hotel
Tara Renze's whole message started with six words her 87-year-old grandmother wrote in a letter: "be who you came to be." That letter sparked a career dedicated to helping individuals and organizations understand why emotional intelligence — not just talent or effort — is the actual lever of sustained performance.
A certified emotional intelligence and positive intelligence practitioner with leadership studies at both the Wharton School and Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Tara brings real methodology to what other speakers deliver as inspiration. Her clients include Pfizer, T-Mobile, Amazon, and Aflac, among many others.
She is the author of Be Who You Came to Be and the upcoming Perfectly Flawed, and hosts her own growing platform on EQ, authenticity, and performance. Her sessions consistently receive some of the highest post-event ratings on our roster — with attendees frequently describing specific tools they still use months later.
Ideal for: women's leadership conferences, sales kickoffs, direct sales events, leadership development programs.
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
Be Who You Came To Be: Where Personal Growth Fuels Professional Performance.
This signature keynote challenges individuals to reconnect with who they are at their core — and translate that clarity into meaningful impact at work and in life. In a world defined by rapid change, comparison, and constant pressure, fulfillment and performance are no longer separate pursuits. When people strengthen self-awareness, mental fitness, and emotional intelligence, they don’t just feel better — they lead better, collaborate better, and perform better. Because who you become ultimately determines what you build.
-
Be Who You Came to Be (verb):
-To lead from authenticity instead of approval.
-To grow beyond titles, pressure, and comparison.
-To choose fulfillment over fleeting happiness.
-To show up with emotional clarity, confidence, and courage.This keynote is a powerful call to realignment. Because high performance isn’t built on hustle alone. It’s built on identity.
When individuals strengthen emotional intelligence and mental fitness, they stop being ruled by fear, doubt, and self-sabotage -and start leading with intention. With nearly 80% of daily thoughts negative and repetitive, the true competitive advantage is learning to recognize those narratives and choose how to respond.
Authenticity doesn’t just transform individuals — it drives organizational results. When people know who they are and why they matter, culture thrives, innovation ignites, and performance rises.
In this keynote, audiences will learn how to:
• Strengthen mental fitness and quiet the inner critic
• Redefine success through fulfillment, not burnout
• Replace comparison with confidence
• Self-assess with clarity and own their growth
• Turn setbacks into bold, strategic actionThis keynote follows Tara’s signature framework - Create. Own. Live.
Create – Redefine success and give yourself permission to evolve.
Own – Eliminate self-doubt and take control of your narrative.
Live – Step into bold goals and lead with purpose under pressure.This isn’t motivation. It’s mental discipline. It’s emotional intelligence in action. It’s the edge that powers sustainable performance.
Beyond the Keynote
Participants receive a customized digital workbook featuring tools that extend impact long after the stage lights dim.
• Positive Intelligence® Saboteur Assessment & Report
• “You Are Not Your Thoughts” mindset tracker
• Bold Goal action planner
• 14-Day Mental Fitness Challenge
The Human Edge - EQ Practices That Power Performance in a High-Pressure World
The Human Edge equips leaders and teams with the emotional intelligence practices that elevate performance in a rapidly changing world. As technology accelerates and pressure intensifies, the ability to regulate emotions, navigate conflict, and build trust becomes the true competitive advantage. This keynote delivers practical, actionable EQ strategies that strengthen self-awareness, resilience, and influence under pressure. Because in the age of artificial intelligence, emotional intelligence is what sets people — and organizations — apart.
-
In a world accelerated by AI and constant disruption, technical skill is expected.
Emotional regulation is the differentiator.
The Human Edge is Tara Renze’s signature performance framework — a set of practical, repeatable emotional intelligence practices that elevate leadership, culture, and results when pressure is high and margin is thin.
Because in the age of artificial intelligence, emotional intelligence is the competitive advantage.
This isn’t theory. It’s the human edge that drives performance.
The Reality Leaders Face
Today’s leaders are navigating:
• Rapid change and AI disruption
• Burnout and emotional fatigue
• Generational tension and communication breakdown
• High performance expectations with little margin for errorMany were promoted for what they produce — not how they lead. And under pressure, unregulated leadership erodes trust, clarity, and culture faster than any market condition.
The Human Edge Practices
Tara introduces seven core EQ practices that elite leaders consistently choose — especially when it’s hardest:
Ordinary Is Extraordinary
-Excellence isn’t flashy. It’s disciplined consistency.Get Mentally Fit
-You are not your thoughts. Regulate before you respond.Lead Yourself
-No one cares about your growth more than you do. Self-awareness is the advantage.Protect Your Relationships
-Connection drives performance. Conflict handled well builds trust.Assume Good Intent
-Operate from curiosity, not accusation.Find Your Raving Fans
-Stop performing for everyone. Influence the right people deeply.Dare to Become
-Growth requires courage. High performers evolve beyond their current identity.And woven through it all: Leadership Is Love. Leave people better than you found them.
Because leadership isn’t about control. It’s about impact.
What Leaders Walk Away With
• Tools to regulate emotion and set the tone under stress
• A practical method to turn conflict into connection (ACE Method)
• A mental fitness framework to quiet self-sabotage
• A clear mirror for intentional growth
• A renewed understanding that culture is shaped by daily behavior, not slogansThe Human Edge doesn’t teach leaders what to do. It strengthens who they choose to be under pressure. And that’s what sustains performance.
Ideal Audience
Best suited for executive teams, people managers, and modern organizations navigating rapid change, generational tension, and AI disruption. Ideal as a leadership keynote or development session for companies seeking practical emotional intelligence tools that elevate culture, communication, and results.
The Butterfly Goal Effect™ - Where Personal Alignment Drives Professional Impact
The Butterfly Goal Effect™ helps individuals move beyond surface-level achievement and set goals rooted in identity, alignment, and purpose. When people are clear on who they are and what truly drives them, they don’t just perform — they take ownership, innovate, and contribute at a higher level. This framework equips teams to replace burnout-driven hustle with courageous, aligned action that fuels sustainable growth. Because when personal alignment is strong, professional impact becomes inevitable.
-
The Butterfly Goal Effect™ helps individuals move beyond surface-level achievement and set goals rooted in identity, alignment, and purpose.
When people are clear on who they are and what truly drives them, they don’t just perform — they take ownership, innovate, and contribute at a higher level.
Because when personal alignment is strong, professional impact becomes inevitable.
This isn’t about chasing more goals.
It’s about setting the right ones.The Challenge:
Many high achievers have checked every box.
Titles earned. Metrics hit. Goals accomplished.
And yet burnout, disengagement, and goal fatigue remain.
Like a caterpillar in the chrysalis, we are built to evolve. But somewhere along the way, after the promotions and achievements, many stop stretching. Comfort replaces curiosity. Output replaces growth. Performance becomes hustle-driven instead of purpose-driven.
And cultures feel it.
The Framework: Butterfly Goals
Tara introduces Butterfly Goals™ — transformational personal and professional goals that stretch individuals beyond comfort zones, spark fulfillment, and fuel innovation across organizations.
Blending emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and powerful storytelling, she shows audiences how challenge activates fulfillment — and how growth rewires the brain for resilience, creativity, and sustainable performance.
When individuals stretch into their potential:
• Confidence rises
• Innovation ignites
• Engagement deepens
• Cultures strengthen
• Results accelerateWhen people are inspired to grow and stretch, they don’t leave — they lean in.
Create It. Own It. Live It:
Create It - Understand the science behind transformational growth.
Learn how to set goals that reignite curiosity, courage, and innovation.Own It- Build the mental fitness required to overcome fear, rejection, and self-doubt.
Silence inner saboteurs. Take bold, aligned action. (No one cares more about your success than you do.)Live It- Shift from chasing happiness to pursuing fulfillment.
Embrace evolution over arrival.
Turn setbacks into comebacks and growth into lasting impact.Audience Takeaways
Participants will:
• Understand the neuroscience and emotional intelligence behind goal achievement
• Learn to set transformational Butterfly Goals™
• Build mental fitness to overcome fear and rejection
• Shift from hustle-driven burnout to fulfillment-driven performance
• Inspire cultures of innovation, courage, and continuous evolutionBecause cultures that value growth as much as output don’t just perform — they thrive.
Ideal Audience
Ideal for sales-driven and growth-focused organizations seeking aligned, sustainable performance. A strong fit for leadership offsites, revenue teams, entrepreneurs, and high-growth companies facing goal fatigue, hustle-driven burnout, or stalled momentum.
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.
-
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
“The Pacific West Association of REALTORS® were incredibly fortunate to have Tara Renze present at our Membership Meeting. From the moment she began, it was immediately clear that she was an engaging and powerful speaker. Tara captivated the audience with her authenticity and passion, and it was evident that her message deeply resonated with our members. Not only did she inspire, but she also provided practical, actionable tips that could be readily implemented in our daily work and lives. The feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive, with many attendees mentioning how much they took away from her session. Tara has an incredible ability to connect with people, and we are grateful for the lasting impact she has left on our membership.” - VP, Marketing & Communications at Pacific West Association of REALTORS
“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“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
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Tara Renze
Q: What does Tara Renze speak about?
A: Tara Renze speaks on emotional intelligence, positive intelligence, authentic leadership, and her signature message "Be Who You Came to Be." As a certified EQ and positive intelligence practitioner with leadership studies at both the Wharton School and Kellogg Graduate School of Management, she gives audiences a framework for building the self-awareness and authenticity that drive real performance — not just inspiration.
Q: What is Tara Renze's speaking fee?
A: Tara Renze's speaking fee is$20,000 + $1,500 flat travel and hotel. She is also available for half-day and full-day workshops at separate rates. Contact Upside Speakers for current availability and pricing.
Q: What types of events is Tara Renze best suited for?
A: Tara Renze is one of the most requested speakers on our roster for women's leadership conferences, sales kickoffs, direct sales national conventions, and leadership development programs. She is also frequently booked as a professional emcee for corporate events.
Q: How do I book Tara Renze for my event?
A: Tara Renze is exclusively managed by Upside Speakers. Contact us through the form at upsidespeakers.com/book-a-keynote-speaker with your event details and we will confirm availability and discuss keynote versus workshop format options.