Tara is a gifted speaker and exceptional storyteller. Her experiences with mental health, both personal and professional, have made her especially effective in connecting with audiences on a subject that some may find sensitive, yet her compassion and engaging presentation style makes it easy to break barriers and wade through challenging topics. OEDA was proud to have Tara as their 2024 Keynote Speaker for our Annual Conference and look forward to working with her again in the future.

Tara presented to my company's senior leadership team at our annual offsite. Nearly two months later, my colleagues are still discussing both the content of her presentation as well as her ability to use candor and humor to illuminate a serious topic like mental health.

Tara came to present on mental health at our leadership retreat with over 100 of our leaders. She did a great job helping us understand how to better watch out for our employees and each other…especially in the times we now live in! I was particularly impressed with how various of my leadership team spoke up in front of others on issues they were dealing with personally or in their workforce and wanted Tara’s advice. And, after her prepared remarks, she stayed around for 30 minutes during our break which allowed others to approach her on a more personal basis, which was fantastic. I heard nothing but good things from my leadership team. Great job Tara!

December 4, 2019, Rebecca was Tara’s clientDecember 4, 2019, Rebecca was Tara’s client There can be no question that it is difficult to get college students to talk about mental health but Tara tackles this problem head-on. Instead of telling students what they should do, or how they should act she offers them the opportunity to meet her where they are. She is approachable, sincere, real and direct. It proved to be a powerful combination, allowing students to let down their guard enough to hear her message. Her program help demonstrate and normalize the fact many of us are impacted by factors that fall under the umbrella of mental health. Her programming helped educate students beyond the challenges, and impacts to offer practical tools to find support or call someone who is equipped to help.

Tara Rolstad is one of the most inspiring speakers I've ever heard. "Chief Truth Teller" is a great title for her - Tara doesn't shy away from hard truths. Instead, she makes them funny, actionable for each of us, and profound. I've heard Tara speak a number of times, and she always demonstrates her warmth, ability to react beautifully in the moment, and command of the stage. I can honestly say she's changed my life for the better.

“I need to be able to talk about it at work. I’m glad we had this presentation that tells everybody it’s ok. There is no stigma, it’s ok, it’s depression, it’s everybody. Especially since the pandemic, a lot of people don’t know what anxiety is, “I’m having this feeling, I think I’m dying….” It’s anxiety and it’s ok…… Tara is fantastic at presenting….I appreciate that while we’re talking about mental health, there’s humor still involved, the way you included everybody…and kept the audience captivated.”

“Tara is great at engaging the audience with a call to action, which is critical for our mission. Her presentations are always a draw for our events, and I know going into an event that she’ll take care of all of the details I need. She’s a pleasure to work with!”

“Tara was really great on stage, and one of the things I appreciate about her is how present she is and great about creating a connection with audience members. It instantly feels warm and comfortable when her presentation starts, and I think it brings a sense of calm and comfort to the people in the audience, around a topic that can be kind of nerve-wracking, to be honest. I would strongly encourage you to consider working with her in the future.”