Motivational Speaking
Lisa Fitzhugh
Past Keynotes

A collection of excerpts from past keynote speeches that touch on leadership, introspection, creativity, stepping up, and more.

Past Keynotes
Team Building
Lisa Fitzhugh
Adventure on the High Seas

This essay was based on a vivid and disturbing dream. It describes a large ship of adolescents trying to sail into a fierce storm, unable to harness the power of their collective courage and creativity to save themselves.  It speaks to what’s needed for any team to assemble well and survive such times. 

Adventure on the High Seas
Creativity
Lisa Fitzhugh
A Fool's Errand

In this essay, I highlight the essential role of the fool and his/her capacity to challenge our assumptions about what we accept as the truth, the key to any creative endeavor worth its salt. This may be more relevant now in 2025 than when I wrote it in 2021.

A Fool's Errand
Team Building
Lisa Fitzhugh
An Act of Imagination

During the pandemic we had different experiences of the lockdowns, the virus, and other people’s choices.  I encourage people to consider that we are, each of us, afraid of different things. So if something scary is happening ‘out there,’ it’s important that some people hold less fear, otherwise the collective nervous system would collapse under the strain. 

An Act of Imagination
Leadership Coaching
Lisa Fitzhugh
Leading From the Inside Out

How we lead is directly related to how well we tend to our inner emotional and psychic landscape. Whatever untended ‘business’ inside of us will be projected onto the people around us, especially if we hold more positional authority.   

Leading From the Inside Out

Retreat Facilitation CS

Hugo House

Leadership for the Hugo House in Seattle was seeking to weave together several groups with very different needs and ambitions so they could make better decisions with limited resources going forward.  I was not able to interview all the participants of this half-day session, but we broke through some very stuck places anyway and found more synergy by the end.  

“Lisa is an excellent retreat facilitator, particularly gifted at helping groups of people navigate through fraught situations.  She has an uncanny ability to ferret out the source of tension – which can be unvoiced yet palpable in a group – then adeptly address the anxiety, resentment or dissatisfaction in a way that does not accuse, shame or lay blame on any individual.  Lisa’s calm and generous demeanor conveys to groups wrestling with difficult situations an optimism that inspires people to work together on finding a way forward that includes everyone.  I cannot recommend her highly enough.”

–Tree Swenson, Director, Hugo House

Lifelong Recreation

Brenda Kramer was poised to retire after many years as Director of the Lifelong Recreation Division.  She was looking for a consultant who could work with her team – a team with great passion for their work but at the same time needed to heal and just focus on themselves.  We spent the day with that as our primary intention.  

“Lisa and I worked together on a possible agenda for the day leaving room for spontaneity.  To lift the lid on our ‘over thinking,’ Lisa got us using our creative and imaginal intelligence. We cried, we laughed and found meaning in the symbolism hidden in the stories told through our art projects. Lisa led us to a safe space where we felt anchored as a team.  I am so grateful for Lisa’s ability to really listen and respond to our needs in such a creative and graceful way.”

–Brenda Kramer, previous Director, Lifelong Recreation & Special Populations, Seattle Parks Department