Speaking Topics
Career & Creativity
A keen Fortune500 executive needed only one song and three paragraphs of bestselling Bare Naked Bravery before grabbing author and singer-songwriter Emily Ann Peterson by the shoulders... "My colleagues NEED to hear absolutely everything you have to say and sing about. What are you doing next Tuesday? Will you come speak and sing at our national monthly luncheon?? You're the perfect fit."
That first corporate event received such rave reviews it wasn't long before other organizations, nonprofits, retreats, and conferences caught on to the same idea:
When the ingredients of true bravery mix with the magic of song, audiences of all sizes are empowered with the inspiration, knowledge, and confidence to be the bravest version of themselves.
photo from workshop hosted by Rocky Mountain Folks Festival's Song School
Automating Your Career & Creativity
Productivity Principles and Other Power Tools for Making Bravery Feel Easier
Creative visionaries wear all the hats, often all at once. So how does one not drown in an overwhelming to-do list?! Emily Ann Peterson, songwriter and bestselling author of Bare Naked Bravery: How to Be Creatively Courageous walks you through her favorite software/robots for career creatives. Attendees will learn how to pick the right tool and receive an introduction to tools that help to:
- create a system for DIY booking or publicity
- automate your social media without faking it
- organize & automate your next product launch/release
- build a membership site for your patrons
- automate scheduling and payments
- and most importantly, up-level your creative output
What Attendees are Saying...
"So well-organized! An inspiration! Thank you!" - Tina, NERFA conference attendee
"Awesome! Awesome!! Awesome!!!" - Molly, NERFA conference attendee
"I like that you began with a song, so moving!" - Susan, NERFA conference attendee
"Thank you for sharing the slides and notes with everyone -- I could really listen to everything you said!" - Carl, FARM conference attendee
"I loved your examples of how to automate social media and your encouragement to clarify social media objectives." - Carla, FARM conference attendee
"I loved the burrito analogy and exercise! Thank you so much!" - Lauren, conference attendee
SAM is a jerk.
How to Break Up with Your Starving Artist Mindset
SAM is a jerk. Starving Artist Mindset is an epidemic causing the underselling, underpricing, and the telling of cringe-worthy jokes about paying rent. Using Emily Ann's own bestselling book Bare Naked Bravery: How to Be Creatively Courageous, Jeff Goins' Real Artists Don't Starve and Emilie Wapnick's How to Be Everything, you'll discover how to bravely use your fears to craft a living made with confidence and generosity. Once free from SAM's hold, you'll learn:
- The spectrum of business models for creatives & multipotentialites
- How to choose your worth & price yourself without cringing
- How to expand your vision of possibility & spot unique, profitable opportunities
- How to reframe and lean on ALL your skills, especially your creative skills, to create a lucrative & meaningful living
What Attendees are Saying...
"This was the most AMAZING workshop at this conference all weekend! Life-changing!" - Peter, conference attendee
"You said TONS of useful things! Thanks!" - Lynn, FARM conference attendee
"I get what this 'bravery' quest is now. Truth about yourself and personal honesty seem simple, but you are totally right that it's so much harder than it seems. Mind expanding! Thank you!" - Mary, FARM conference attendee
photo from workshop hosted by Rocky Mountain Folks Festival's Song School
Radically Honest Songwriting
Sing What You *Really* Mean To Say
"Well that was nice..." is not always what you want to hear from a listener as a songwriter. So in this workshop, attendees will unfold the reasons why radical honesty can be a songwriter's most beloved tool for conveying their boldest truth through art. Using concepts from Emily Ann's own bestselling book Bare Naked Bravery: How to Be Creatively Courageous, attendees will learn:
- Daily writing exercises to highlight undeniable personal truths
- How to stop hiding behind metaphor, narrative, and just say it.
- How to nurture radical honesty while maintaining compassion and sensitivity for others in the room.
- How to edit your songwriting if it's shying away from truth
Attendees are encouraged to bring their respective songwriting instruments, pen, paper, and a song in-process.
*can also be modified for non-songwriting audiences!
Additional Career & Creativity Speaking Topics
- How to Be a Weirdo in the Music Biz & Make It Work for You
- Getting Started with Songwriting
- What Makes a Song/Concert/Musician/Podcast/Book “Good?”
- Finding Your Never-Ending Source of Inspiration
- Using Creative Skills in Unlikely Places
- Creating a Disciplined Approach to Prolific Creativity
- Stage Fright: The Boldest & Best Ways to Overcome It
What to Expect...
“I received INCREDIBLE feedback. I got so many emails and even had teammates I passed in the hall who made comments. Thank you again!”
- Keri McGregor, GVP, Enterprise Operational Risk & Inclusion at SunTrust Bank
"One thing the world needs is courageous, humble people who do what it takes to make a difference. Emily Ann is one of those people, a young woman with an inspiring story and welcoming approach."
- Troy Anderson, founder of Speak Up For The Poor
"I learned more truly impactful ways to improve my business in an hour with you than I have with others over the course of several months!"
- Jennifer Ballard, founder of JLN Cosmetics
"Whether you're dealing with illness, loss, pain, or struggle these concepts can help you make it through. Emily teaches you to be brave when you need it the most."
- Nina Ferreyra, CEO of 707Ave
"Thirty minutes with Emily Ann literally turned months of disheartened procrastination on its heels."
- Mandy Troxel, business owner
“It was a wonderful session and touched on so much that is happening in my life. It brought up feelings that I didn't know I was suppressing. I am sooo glad I was able to join. Thanks to everyone that had something to do with the event.”
- Keynote Attendee, SunTrust Bank
"Instead of making us feel bad for not being brave enough, Emily Ann Peterson compassionately encourages us to face our fears. She elegantly notes that it’s ok to feel but that we can be more of the people we want to be if we courageously move toward our fears."
- Dr. Chris Friesen, Ph.D., author of Achieve: Find Out Who You Are, What You Really Want, & How To Make It Happen
"Emily Ann draws on
real-life experience to write with honesty, intelligence, and pluck about how to overcome adversity by facing our fears, flaunting our mistakes, and becoming our authentic selves."
- Katherine Ketcham, author of The Only Life I Could Save
"Emily’s storytelling is authentic, moving and highly engaging."
- Akshay Nanavati, author of Fearvana
"You can live beyond the hurt. Emily Ann shows you how."
- Michelle Madrid-Branch, author of Mascara Moments
"Emily Ann Peterson explores what bravery really is and how you can achieve it."
- Dr. Elaine Hodge, author of Stepping Outside the Secrets
"Sometimes we need help to pull away the covering of fear and find the courage to be brave. Sometimes that help is a person: Emily Ann is that one."
- Janet Haney, author of Write Your Way Through Change