Anna Kallschmidt

How does a North Florida self-professed (and externally accused)  redneck end up earning a Ph.D. in I-O psychology and working at Big 4 firms, Ivy League Institutions, and federal agencies? Aren't there a lot of scary changes along the way?

You bet. 

Dr. Anna Kallschmidt shares her story of her transition from a sheltered rural homeschooler to a Ph.D. implementing human capital programs all over the country. She humorously demonstrates to audiences what she had to unlearn...many fears. At the core of her transition was learning how to get over her fears: the fear of change, the fear of being wrong, the fear of being replaced, and the fear of change. 

She is not one to take a "holier-than-thou" approach, or to make your audience feel bad about themselves. In fact, her signature speaking tool is to throw herself under the bus so the audience has a raw look into what making mistakes and fear look like, which empowers the audience to let down their defenses and evaluate their own identities and behaviors without shame. Through hilarious and relatable stories, she walks her audience through each of these fears and how they require courage to work through - the courage to have faith, the courage to be curious, the courage to recognize your power, and the courage to be held accountable. 

After hearing Dr. Kallschmidt speak, your audience will be empowered to take initiative in their own life and work and have tools to help them shift from the Cycle of Fear to the Cycle of Courage. Dr. K leaves her audience with step-by-step tools on how to have Courageous Conversations to continue these reflections outside of the auditorium and inspire action.

After hearing Dr. Kallschmidt speak, your audience will:

• Bolster Teamwork: Gain a new perspective on teammates they identify as “other.”
• Improve Communication: Implement techniques to improve idea sharing and conflict resolution.
• The Courage to Hear Feedback: Distinguish between accountability and shame.

More about Dr. K:

Dr. Anna Kallschmidt is a country bumpkin AND an award-winning industrial-organizational psychologist, recognized by the American Psychological Association as a leader in research on social class dynamics in the workplace. Her contributions to understanding social class dynamics and workplace identities have garnered recognition and have been instrumental in advancing intersectional conversations about workplace culture. She is a thought leader in understanding the “unwritten rules of work” and how they impact everyone, particularly marginalized communities, within organizations. 

Dr. K has consulted for private, public, and academic institutions around the nation, including several federal government clients, Big 4 firms, and Ivy League institutions. She leverages her qualitative and quantitative analysis skills to collect organizational data and diagnose organizational needs. Her expertise allows her to take a holistic approach to diagnosing organizational issues throughout the employee life cycle, including job analysis, recruitment, selection, training, and performance evaluation. The results drive real change; for example, her previous work has increased her previous clients' employee retention rates by up to 30%. In addition to her speaking, she authors the monthly newsletter, Tables Over Fences, where she discusses the nature of organizational culture and how leaders can become more in tune with identifying and shaping their culture.