Brandi Heather
B.Ed, M.A.
AB, CATrusted by Fortune 100, Fortune 500 and industry-leading organizations to help people adapt, connect, and create under pressure. Playful Intelligence™ is the interactive experience your audience is craving, and will never forget. Press PLAY.
Brandi Heather is an experience.
Through her Playful Intelligence™ Framework, Brandi taps into the biological drive to play as a catalyst for something rare: a shift in how people connect, communicate, and imagine what is possible - right in front of your eyes.
Her interactive keynotes and training blend neuroscience with contagious energy, creating moments where people don’t just hear about resilience, creativity, and connection—they feel them. Even the most “serious” industries leave saying: This changes everything.
Playful Intelligence™ = Evidence-Based Advantage
Brandi Heather’s Playful Intelligence™ Framework is built on research from neuroscience, physiology, and organizational psychology, showing that play and playfulness build:
Adaptability Under Pressure - Play trains the brain to flex and respond in uncertainty
83% of leaders say adaptability matters more than technical skills (McKinsey, 2021).
Connection & Engagement - Play activates trust and belonging in the brain.
Highly engaged teams experience 78% less absenteeism, 51% lower turnover, and 18% higher productivity (Gallup, 2023).
Creativity & Innovation - Play sparks bold ideas and gives people the courage to share the
Innovative organizations are 2.4× more likely to outperform competitors in revenue (McKinsey, 2022).
Teams engaged in playful collaboration are 45% more likely to generate creative solutions (HBR, 2021).
Burnout Prevention - Play restores energy and reduces stress.
Employees who experience more engagement are 78% less likely to report burnout (Gallup, 2023).
Playful Intelligence™ gives people and organizations a science-backed pathway to lasting engagement, innovation, and resilience.
As a bestselling author and entrepreneur, Brandi built her speaking business after two decades as an award-winning college professor in health sciences. Today, she helps organizations prevent burnout, retain talent, and spark cultures where people thrive using something they already have - a biological drive to play.
Brandi has founded award-winning non-profit and for-profit organizations focused on disability inclusion, workplace culture, and using the science of play as a strategy to understand and retain teams. She has helped lawyers loosen up, municipalities manage complexity, CEOs improve retention and performance, and financial services and tradespeople think more creatively. Some of her most meaningful work is helping people rediscover the joy in what they do - and the value within themselves.
Behind the science is a story audiences don’t want to miss - one that proves play can move illness to wellness.
Her first book, Return to Play: Rebuilding Resilience, Risk and Reconnection, became a bestseller in creativity self-help, happiness, educational leadership, inclusive education, and social work. It combines practical playful strategies with lived experience, personal interviews, and commentary from thought leaders including marketing guru Seth Godin and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink.
Play isn't a break from work. It is how you do your best work.
You can find Brandi kicking off conferences for events where organizers want audiences to feel energized, connected, and using the content all day as a catalyst to networking and social engagement.
She also delivers full-day trainings for leaders in healthcare, human services, and business - supporting change management, workplace culture, organizational effectiveness, and keeping people joyful and connected.
Events she lights up include:
- Kick-off Keynotes
- Closing Keynotes
- Association Conferences
- Organizational Team Building
- Sales and Leadership Meetings
- Executive Retreats
- Entrepreneurship Conferences
- Breakout Sessions and Masterminds
- Only limited by your imagination
Every engagement includes:
- Pre-event meetings, personalized surveys, and collaboration
- Customized content to meet organizational or event goals
- Videos and book giveaways to boost engagement and advertising
- A personalized Post-event PlayBook with access to key insights and next steps
- SO MUCH FUN!!
In a world that demands that we be extraordinary and live “show-home” lives, she reminds people and organizations that we already have what it takes to thrive - if we allow ourselves to return to play.
Brandi Heather something you have never seen before and you will never forget.
Brandi Heather is an experience.
Through her Playful Intelligence™ Framework, Brandi taps into the biological drive to play as a catalyst for something rare: a shift in how people connect, communicate, and imagine what is possible - right in front of your eyes.
Her interactive keynotes and training blend neuroscience with contagious energy, creating moments where people don’t just hear about resilience, creativity, and connection—they feel them. Even the most “serious” industries leave saying: This changes everything.
Playful Intelligence™ = Evidence-Based Advantage
Brandi Heather’s Playful Intelligence™ Framework is built on research from neuroscience, physiology, and organizational psychology, showing that play and playfulness build:
Adaptability Under Pressure - Play trains the brain to flex and respond in uncertainty
83% of leaders say adaptability matters more than technical skills (McKinsey, 2021).
Connection & Engagement - Play activates trust and belonging in the brain.
Highly engaged teams experience 78% less absenteeism, 51% lower turnover, and 18% higher productivity (Gallup, 2023).
Creativity & Innovation - Play sparks bold ideas and gives people the courage to share the
Innovative organizations are 2.4× more likely to outperform competitors in revenue (McKinsey, 2022).
Teams engaged in playful collaboration are 45% more likely to generate creative solutions (HBR, 2021).
Burnout Prevention - Play restores energy and reduces stress.
Employees who experience more engagement are 78% less likely to report burnout (Gallup, 2023).
Playful Intelligence™ gives people and organizations a science-backed pathway to lasting engagement, innovation, and resilience.
As a bestselling author and entrepreneur, Brandi built her speaking business after two decades as an award-winning college professor in health sciences. Today, she helps organizations prevent burnout, retain talent, and spark cultures where people thrive using something they already have - a biological drive to play.
Brandi has founded award-winning non-profit and for-profit organizations focused on disability inclusion, workplace culture, and using the science of play as a strategy to understand and retain teams. She has helped lawyers loosen up, municipalities manage complexity, CEOs improve retention and performance, and financial services and tradespeople think more creatively. Some of her most meaningful work is helping people rediscover the joy in what they do - and the value within themselves.
Behind the science is a story audiences don’t want to miss - one that proves play can move illness to wellness.
Her first book, Return to Play: Rebuilding Resilience, Risk and Reconnection, became a bestseller in creativity self-help, happiness, educational leadership, inclusive education, and social work. It combines practical playful strategies with lived experience, personal interviews, and commentary from thought leaders including marketing guru Seth Godin and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink.
Play isn't a break from work. It is how you do your best work.
You can find Brandi kicking off conferences for events where organizers want audiences to feel energized, connected, and using the content all day as a catalyst to networking and social engagement.
She also delivers full-day trainings for leaders in healthcare, human services, and business - supporting change management, workplace culture, organizational effectiveness, and keeping people joyful and connected.
Events she lights up include:
- Kick-off Keynotes
- Closing Keynotes
- Association Conferences
- Organizational Team Building
- Sales and Leadership Meetings
- Executive Retreats
- Entrepreneurship Conferences
- Breakout Sessions and Masterminds
- Only limited by your imagination
Every engagement includes:
- Pre-event meetings, personalized surveys, and collaboration
- Customized content to meet organizational or event goals
- Videos and book giveaways to boost engagement and advertising
- A personalized Post-event PlayBook with access to key insights and next steps
- SO MUCH FUN!!
In a world that demands that we be extraordinary and live “show-home” lives, she reminds people and organizations that we already have what it takes to thrive - if we allow ourselves to return to play.
Brandi Heather something you have never seen before and you will never forget.
Leaders Play First: Unlocking Your Playful Intelligence™ for Business and Leadership Success
Format: Interactive Keynote
Description:
Playful Intelligence™ is the missing link between high performance and well-being. It’s the human operating system behind every great idea, innovative team, and workplace people want to be part of - come find out how to use it.
Many leadership talks hand you a new model to follow. Brandi Heather hands you the reset button you...
You Can't Play In A Show Home: Building a Worklife You Can Live In
Format: Powerful Opening or Closing Keynote
Description:
What if the solution to burnout, disconnection, and disengagement isn’t more effort—but a system that’s already built in?
In this electrifying, science-backed keynote, Brandi Heather reactivates the part of your audience that stress and survival mode have shut down. With live interaction, heartfelt humor, and powerful insights from neuroscience...
Healing Our Caring Systems: How Playful Intelligence Builds Adaptability, Courage, and Connection
Format: Interactive Keynote
You were born with Playful Intelligence™ - your biological drive to play that makes you adaptable, creative, and connected to others. But for many caring professionals, it gets put on pause while trying to be everything to everyone and hold it all together perfectly under pressure.
So, here’s the question:
Who’s taking care of the people who take care of people?
Get Powered by Playful Intelligence™: The Human Operating System for Motivation, Innovation and Collaboration
Format: High-Energy Interactive Keynote
Description:
Pressure doesn’t always bring out the best in us - it often shuts down the very systems we need to think clearly, take risks, and work together. Playful Intelligence™ is the switch that turns them back on.
In this fast-paced, interactive keynote, Brandi Heather shows how play isn’t the opposite of work - it’s the the most underused driver...
Playful Intelligence™: The Creativity & Adaptability Reset Your Team Needs Now
Format: Full Day or Half-Day Workshop, or Multi-day Retreat
Description: When change hits, most teams double down on what’s safe—and slowly suffocate their own best ideas. Innovation gets buried under process. Risk-taking feels dangerous. And “problem-solving” turns into finding the fastest way back to business as usual.
This talk flips that instinct on its head. By finding and utilizing your Playful Intelligence™,...
The Safest Teams Take the Boldest Risks: Burnout Prevention & Psychological Safety with Playful Intelligence™
Format: Full Day or Half-Day Workshop, or Multi-day Retreat
Description: Our brains are built to solve problems, imagine, experiment, and create - but stress, constant change, and “do more with less” expectations shut down that ability fast. The very thing we need most - courage to be curious and connected - is the first thing to disappear.
In this workshop, Brandi Heather helps you restore your personal biological advantage:...
Playful Intelligence™ for Leaders
Format: Full Day or Half-Day Workshop, or Multi-day Retreat
Description:
Your leaders set the tone for everything. Performance, culture, retention.
While they are trying to perform perfectly under pressure they can get overloaded or stuck in survival mode, and the whole system feels it.
Leadership shouldn’t come at the cost of personal well-being, and this training shows leaders...
13 recommend Brandi
Post your own verified review when you hire this speaker through eSpeakers.
Brand of a Leader
On-Site
M.B.E.C.B.., CEO, Brand of a Leader
Brandi is rare because, despite her countless speaking engagements, she pours her entire heart and soul into the experience she creates. She is the most non-transactional speaker I’ve met in a while. When someone truly cares and brings their entire humanness, not only their knowledge and expertise, it makes the world of a difference.
Sysco
On-Site
B.B.R., Healthcare Marketing Lead, Sysco
What stood out to us from the very first interaction was how fully Brandi lives what she speaks about—her energy is infectious, her emotional connection with the audience is effortless, and she brings a spark that instantly lifts the whole room. She is extremely organized and goes the extra mile to tailor her session to the event, making her an absolute dream to collaborate with.
Health Stand Nutrition
On-Site
A.H.R., CEO, Health Stand Nutrition
Your message was just what our heart centred team that is known for helping others needed to hear to fill them up and tap into their creativity and fun filled nature. These memories and reminders of finding micro moments of play will have long lasting impacts for our team. Thank you Thanks for the FUN day with so many great messages about finding resiliency through play! Your session far exceeded our expectations. Thanks for the laughter and relevant messages we can bring back to our personal and professional lives.
Service Canada / Government of Canada
On-Site
E.B., Project Officer, Service Canada / Government of Canada
Brandi Heather exceeded our expectations, very engaging. Useful techniques and strategies that participants could implement.
Alberta Association of Midwives
On-Site
W.C., Manager, Finance & Administration, Alberta Association of Midwives
Brandi’s session at the Alberta Association of Midwives Conference was exactly what our group needed. She brought a fresh, interactive approach that left us feeling seen, energized, and reconnected to why we do this work. Her ability to blend play, science, and real-world application made this one of the most impactful sessions we’ve had. I highly recommend her.
Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc.
On-Site
A.H.R., CEO, Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc.
Your message was just what our heart centered team that is known for helping others needed to hear to fill them up and tap into their creativity and fun filled nature.
Agriculture Financial Services
On-Site
M.D.M.S.C., Chief People Officer, Agriculture Financial Services
Her ability to connect these concepts to human physiology was fascinating and gave us a deeper understanding of why joy and play are so impactful in both personal and professional settings. Throughout the day, the energy in the room was electric, with moments of discovery, laughter, and genuine connection. The feedback from our team was overwhelmingly positive. Many shared their "aha moments," expressing how the training shifted their perspectives and gave them tools to approach challenges more creatively and collaboratively. Above all, the experience brought us closer together, reminding us of the importance of finding joy in the work we do. Thank you, Brandi, for a truly memorable and meaningful day!
ALIGN Association of Community Services
On-Site
N.M., Practice and Policy, ALIGN Association of Community Services
Brandi engaged a room of 240 people into stopping to play without feeling silly, demonstrating the powerful effect and science of play in our work. She was professional and engaged the through the entire process, and tailored the presentation for our participants. We will definitely be accessing her services again in the future!
ALGC
On-Site
J.W., Gaming Programs, Social Responsibility, ALGC
People are still talking about your personality, your engagement, your content, and you’re energy. Surveys have named you personally as being the highlight of the entire event.
Clan Mothers Healing Village
On-Site
V.M., Director of Programs, Clan Mothers Healing Village
Your ability to work with our group spoke volumes about your passion for helping people grow and accepting individuals where they are at. I have gratitude for you and what you do. Gitchi Miigwetch.
Canadian Association of Professional Speakers
On-Site
C.S., 2024 Convention Chair, Canadian Association of Professional Speakers
Brandi was an absolute highlight of our convention in Costa Rica. Her keynote was a true crowd favorite. Engaging, energizing, and filled with moments that had the entire room leaning in and laughing together, while also leaving attendees with a fresh perspective on the role play can have as a powerful strategy in both business and life. Beyond the stage, she was just as exceptional to work with. From the planning side, Brandi was incredibly responsive, thoughtful in her communication, and genuinely collaborative throughout the process. As an event planner, that kind of partnership makes all the difference. Given that her work focuses on the power of play, it’s no surprise that she truly embodies what she teaches. She brought the same energy, warmth, and joy to our planning conversations that she brought to the stage. Brandi was an absolute pleasure to work with and helped make the entire experience shine. I would welcome the opportunity to work with her again anytime.
Kansas School Counselor Association
On-Site
A.M.F.H.P.., Counselor Education Dept., Kansas School Counselor Association
I would highly recommend Brandi for your conference she will leave people uplifted and joyful, it is an incredible start to any conference.
Special Olympics Alberta
On-Site
E.R.., Sports & Program Coordinator, Special Olympics Alberta
I can easily say that 2 weeks after the event people are still talking actively about the keynote and are interested in attending next year and we project these conversations will continue. The Keynote was a huge hit and fit our unique group of conference attendees perfectly!She cares so deeply and is so kind that it radiates throughout the room, and it was an amazing experience getting to witness how everyone else around me changed when she walked in the room. Brandi is more than a great Keynote speaker; she is someone you never forget.
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