Keynote TEDx Speaker/Author

Empathy Advocate/Podcast Host

maria ross

TOPICS - • Branding • Culture • Empathy • Innovation

• Leadership • Marketing • Performance • Productivity

• Resilience • Success

maria ross- PROGRAMS

  • THE EMPATHY DILEMMA: How Successful Leaders Balance People, Performance, and Personal Boundaries
  • THE EMPATHY DILEMMA: Balancing People and Performance in the Age of AI
  • THE EMPATHY EDGE: Harnessing the Value of Compassion to Boost Innovation, Engagement, and Performance
  • THE ROI OF EMPATHY: How to Create an Empathetic Culture to Boost Innovation, Productivity, and Talent Attraction (great for HR audiences)
  • YOUR BRAND'S EMPATHY EDGE: How to Create an Empathetic Brand in a Digital World (great for marketing audiences)
  • REBOOT + REFRAME: How a Freak Aneurysm Reframed My Life (Inspirational, and there is also a business/entrepreneurial version of this available)
  • RESILIENCE: Three Keys to Reclaiming Your Identity After Crisis

maria ross - Biography

Maria Ross is a keynote speaker, author, strategist, and empathy advocate who believes cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive. She is the founder of Red Slice and speaks and trains on the ROI of Empathy: how leaders and brands can leverage empathy to better engage and connect. Maria has authored multiple books, including her most recent, The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries, and hosts The Empathy Edge podcast. A dynamic speaker, Maria has delighted audiences virtually and in-person at leading conferences such as TEDx, SHRM, The 3% Conference, SIM Women, Institute of Healthcare Advancement, and PSIVet, and for organizations such as CHRISTUS Health, New York Life, TBWA/Worldwide, Google, Salesforce, and more. Her insights have appeared in many media outlets, including MSNBC, NPR, Entrepreneur, Newsweek, Huffington Post, and Thrive Global, and she is currently a Forbes contributor. Maria lives outside of Sacramento, California with her husband, young son, rescue dog, chickens, and a gecko - and she serves clients everywhere.

"Maria is both a fabulous speaker and subject matter expert on empathy in the workplace. Her style and enthusiasm kept the audience super engaged. Plus Maria shared ideas that could be implemented immediately. Thank you again, Maria. We enjoyed working with you!" 

-Lynn Zimmerman, Vice President of Marketing, WellRight


"Maria and I partnered on a global webinar on empathy. She was an incredible partner during every step of the process from the design of the session to the promotion to the actual webinar. She is proactive, brings data and stories to the audience, and is a terrific conversationalist. I highly recommend her for events and conferences – especially given the relevance of her content today."

-Aaron Hurst, Founder, Imperative


"Maria is an engaging, inspiring speaker who brings all of her knowledge, life experience, and delightful personality to her speaking engagements. Over the course of our 3-day retreat, Maria’s presentation was the favorite of the group! She helped the group understand the business case for empathy and provided practical tools and strategies for strengthening empathy in the workplace."

-Jaime Goff, PhD, SHRM-CP


"Maria was our Keynote speaker at Sales Kickoff when I was at Lever. It is no small task to tackle a topic like empathy in front of over 100 sales and support folks. I could not have asked for a more engaging and relevant presentation. Having reps come up after the presentation to share their stories and gratitude for the session is more than I could have asked for."

-Giorgia Ortiz, VP, Global Revenue Strategy and Enablement at Jellysmack


"Maria is a great facilitator and she deftly got our diverse group talking and contributing. I’d highly recommend any start-up or fast-growth company engage with Maria to ensure they retain their “DNA” as they grow."

-Sherry Lowe, CMO, Exabeam – hired Maria at Splunk and Expanse

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maria ross - MEDIA