Speaking

On burnout, disengagement, and the future of work

Recorded at TED Democracy in Philadelphia, June 2026. This talk is owned by TED Conferences, LLC. TED.com →

As Seen In:

Signature Keynote

The Workforce is Unwell

Building True Well-being in the Modern Workplace

Most organizations have tried wellness programs, mental health apps, and resilience trainings. Only 20% of workers are engaged. It's time to pivot.

Grounded in psychological research, Danielle skips the fluff and shares what humans actually need to do good work. She introduces the 3Cs — Choice, Craftsmanship, and Community — a framework built on Self-Determination Theory that tackles the root causes of disengagement and bridges the gap between leadership strategy and individual agency.

This isn't a talk about self-care. It's an interactive, evidence-based experience. Your audience leaves inspired, validated, challenged, and holding a shared language for making real changes by Monday morning, no matter where in the organization they sit.

Is this the right talk for your event or organization?

You'll walk away with

A shared language for naming and solving the right problems
Three specific levers leaders can pull inside their existing budget and headcount, backed by psychological research
Interactive poll data on your own workforce, captured live during the session and yours to keep
Memorable examples and case studies people actually repeat to their teams afterward
A takeaway cheat-sheet that keeps the conversation alive past the closing keynote

Book this if

Your engagement scores are flat or falling despite real investment
You're losing people in roles you can't easily backfill
Your well-being programming has low uptake and you don't know why
You're experiencing intergenerational communication challenges among your employees
You want to equip your leaders with real, practical takeaways to implement on Monday

Working With Me

I’ll ask about your people before I workshop my speech. What’s actually going on, what you’ve already tried, what’s off-limits. The talk gets built for your audience and industry, and they’ll get real, practical takeaways to implement as soon as the next day.

I’m available for speaking engagements in-person and virtually and travel nationally from the Greater Philadelphia area.

of employees worldwide are engaged at work — the lowest since 2020. (Gallup, 2026)

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of Gen Zs (48%) and millennials (44%) believe businesses have a positive impact on society

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Disengagement costs the global economy an estimated $10 trillion a year. (Gallup, 2026)

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hours we'll spend at work over the course of our lifetime

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life to live. Let's make it count for you and your employees.

watch my tedx

Why Working Harder Isn't Working

Danielle Roberts delivered a compelling TEDx Talk, "Why Working Harder Isn't Working" at TEDxEustis. Based on Danielle's TEDx closing keynote (54,000+ views), this high-impact short talk explores what burnout costs an organization — and what it gains by building a culture centered on purpose and sustainable success.

Testimonials

Danielle opened my eyes to how we can combat "hustle culture" and find purpose across our lives, including in our professional lives. I expected her talk to speak to the young folks. What I didn't expect was for her to really speak to this crusty old former CEO and land in a place where purpose can help co-create culture that works for everyone. Danielle crushed her speech-- no kidding, I had tears and chills and a MASSIVE smile throughout it...Watch for her. She's absolutely the real deal.

Every generation faces unique challenges. These challenges are rarely solved by those who follow traditional paths but by the voices of those who see beyond where the world is and where it should be. Danielle Roberts is undoubtedly one of those voices. Her ability to synthesize her experience in the traditional world of work and understand what work and life could be reflects a level of wisdom well beyond her years...If you have the opportunity to invite her to your organization to share her critical perspective on the future of work, take it!

As an 8-time TEDx organizer, I am used to hearing a lot of pitches for talks, but few resonate and make me want to know more the way that Danielle's idea did. We were so confident in her abilities that we decided to have Danielle close out our conference, knowing that she would send our guests away with something truly important and life changing to ponder.

“Her energy, storytelling, and focus on purpose and well-being challenged us to think beyond frameworks, processes, and deliverables and consider how we create the conditions for people and teams to truly thrive.”

candid conversations

Media & Press

I turn up on a lot of podcasts and in the occasional newsroom – here are some recent features.

About Danielle

Keynote Speaker. Future of Work Architect. Certified Coach.

Danielle Roberts is a keynote speaker redefining the future of work.

She spent her early career in higher education, telling students their hard work would pay off and their degrees would lead to their dream jobs. Then she moved into ed tech, helping people a decade into those same jobs pivot, upskill, and future-proof careers that hadn’t gone the way they expected.

In 2021, she was laid off herself, and started asking questions she’d never asked before.

Today she brings those questions to organizations wrestling with burnout, disengagement, and retention. A certified Life Design coach and TED and TEDx speaker, Danielle has been featured by Forbes, Entrepreneur, Al Jazeera, and NBC News.”