Collaboration shouldn’t drain your team—it should drive your mission.

Deb in Action

Signature Keynote

Beyond Collabor(h)ate: Turning the Hard Work of Working Together into Real Results

Let’s be honest: collaboration often feels harder than it should. Despite all the talk about teamwork, most organizations struggle to turn good intentions into real results. They hire enthusiastic collaborators, roll out the latest tools, and add “collaboration” to the company values poster—yet the friction persists.

The truth? The problem isn’t malintent or apathy. It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the psychology that makes working together actually work. Organizations are driven by big visions—real change they want to create in the world—but realizing those visions depends on people working together. When people, tools, and culture fall out of sync, collaboration stalls, frustration mounts, and impact suffers.

With nearly three decades of experience teaching, researching, and applying the science of human connection, Deb brings powerful truth bombs and truth balms to every audience—naming the unspoken frustrations of collaboration while showing a clear, doable path forward. Deb is not a “rah-rah” motivational speaker; Deb is a straight-talking social scientist who’s been there and gets it. Deb helps audiences build collaborations that actually work.

Recognize the three mistaken beliefs that quietly sabotage collaboration—and understand why these patterns create frustration, drag, and burnout.

Gain a powerful, psychology-based framework to transform collaboration from an empty buzzword into a serious lever for meaningful, lasting change.

Learn practical tools to turn collaboration from a draining obligation into a productive, energizing force for achieving big visions.

Leave equipped, energized, and ready to do together better.

Key Takeaways

Good-fit Audiences

This talk is perfect for leaders, teams, and organizations that rely on collaboration to achieve ambitious goals—but feel stuck in the friction, frustration, and inefficiency of working together. It resonates especially with:

Executive and senior leadership teams aligning people, purpose, and process without the usual collaboration drag.
Cross-functional corporate teams breaking through silos to deliver results under pressure.
Philanthropic and nonprofit leaders driving collective impact across organizations and sectors.
Higher education and community leaders managing shared governance and complex partnerships.
Professional associations and conferences seeking research-backed insights that move beyond “team-building” platitudes to real, lasting change.
Company all-hands, industry conventions, and professional development events.