Erika Gerdes

Hi, I’m Erika.

I work with brands to build authentic teams who take risks & change the world.
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As I work with leading brands, I consistently hear:

We want to build teams who can bring their full selves to work.

We want to challenge our top performers to drive new results without burning out.

We want to build psychological safety and connection in our teams.

But there’s a challenge that goes overlooked:

You have a team of high performers. They were born achieving. Taking risk includes possible failure…and failure is not an option to a high-achiever.  

You can tell high-achievers all day, “we like risk, we celebrate failure” (and you can mean it.) 

But, they won’t hear you.   

They go above and beyond in all they do and remain narrowly focused on those things they have a long track record of doing well. 

This ends up limiting their range of performance, satisfaction and impact.

Culture change comes as you develop a philosophy of:

Full Range Living

This is a process where your team members:

○ Realign to core values

○ Learn new patterns

○ Drive growth authentically

I work with leaders and teams from

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Authenticity is an ongoing process…

Throughout my 12-year career at Google, I lived two seasons. The first was a daily pattern to prove my value, perform at the highest level, and achieve as much success as possible. 

Then, I experienced a moment of change. My 3-month old daughter needed serious spinal surgery. The pressure of that experience made me reevaluate how I was living, and for whom. Like so many people I talk to, I had all the gold stars, but I didn’t have myself

It started me on a journey to live from a place of authenticity. I stopped pretending and started showing up as more real, which at the time was a person whose personal life was in upheaval. 

The strangest thing happened. None of the failure I thought I would experience when I stopped pretending and performing occurred.  In fact, just the opposite. As I stopped trying to prove myself, clients connected more deeply with me. This greater trust led to better results both with my colleagues and our clients.

In my final role at Google, I led one of the largest global ad partnerships and scaled the business over 300% in just a few years, which wouldn’t have been possible when my focus was “having it altogether.”  

Today, I work with brands to create the same kind of transformation within their teams. As they expand into their full range, team members trust themselves more, reconnect with what matters most to them, and bring a more real, full self to work.   

In the process, they create better results while experiencing more personal fulfillment. 

Create the environment for your team to bring their full selves to work.

Speaking

✓ Deepen team’s connections

✓ Boost team’s confidence in unique strengths and contributions

✓ Unleash greater creativity and innovation

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Advising

✓ Instill a culture of trust

✓ Unlock greater performance, with more fulfillment and less burnout

✓ Improve collaboration, communication and presence

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1:1 Coaching

✓ Tap into your truest self

✓ Undo the power of your limited beliefs

✓ Develop confidence & clarity to live more fully

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Full Range Performance leads to:

More Authenticity

New Ideas

Stronger Team Relationships

Better Communication

Innovation

Deeper Connection

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Speaking Testimonials

Pinterest Women’s Conference

Erika was a hit with her keynote at the 2020 Pinterest Women’s Conference! Even in our virtual format, Erika was incredibly engaging and energetic throughout her session. Listeners came away with actionable practices to empower them and their aspirations. – Hannah Van Gorp, Women’s Conference Co-Lead, Pinterest

Google Breadwinning Women Global Event

Erika’s message is engaging, high energy, thought provoking and behavior changing. She weaves her message through a personal story that pulls you in and sprinkles in data & evidence – equally appealing to both hearts and minds – ultimately compelling you to start your own transformational journey. Erika’s Art of Undoing message is critical especially in a year that continues to test our resilience and lands equally well virtually or in person. If you are looking to unleash more of your potential (or your employees) and be happier while doing it, I encourage you to reach out to Erika. – Elle Duncan, Global VP, Sales Enablement, Google

More Raves

Erika’s positive and uplifting message is a valuable asset to any conference.– Shawna Baron, Co-Founder of Springfield Devs and Method Conference Organizer

Erika is an amazing and captivating speaker. She always keeps the audience engaged and motivated throughout her talks.– Michel Sharritt, Co-Founder of Cue Camp & Situated Research

Erika has an engaging energy on stage that’s calm yet powerful. She has the unique ability to deliver key takeaways in a simple yet comprehensive manner. – Melissa Zeman, Director of Recruitment at Northwestern Mutual 

Erika is an incredible speaker with a prolific gift for writing and communicating complex concepts in a way that is thoughtful, generous and life-changing. – Tricia Brouk, Executive Producer of Speakers Who Dare & TedX 

Erika is an engaging, professional and highly motivational speaker. She brought that rare, dynamic element to our event that contributed to an outstanding experience for our attendees.– Marty Goodnight, Associate Publisher, Springfield Business Journal 

Erika’s commanding stage presence, keen audience awareness and fantastic delivery stole the show.– Mike Emling, Executive & Internal Communications, Google 

Erika’s ability to deliver a powerful and authentic message in an intimate setting or to a large group was always consistent and impactful. She is confident, clear, and inspiring. – Hetal Gordon, Global Director, Google 

Let’s Be Friends!

Get weekly inspiration and encouragement to embrace your Authenticity Impact

The Authenticity Impact

You are your most impactful when you are your most authentic and the world needs the impact that only you can make.

You have a combination of skills, talents, strengths, perspectives and experiences that are unique to you and you alone – no other person throughout history ever had them, or will ever have them again in the future.

When you embrace your authenticity and share your gifts, you maximize your impact and change not just your world, but the world.

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