What truly drives the impact you're trying to make—fear or empathy? In this thought-provoking keynote, Dr. Payal Beri invites you to examine the motivations behind your actions, challenging you to consider how fear and empathy—both powerful, emotionally charged forces—shape the way you lead and influence the world around you.

Imagine the energy you put into your work: is it fueled by fear and anger or grounded in empathy and compassion? Fear can create division, overwhelm your nervous system, and ultimately push people away from your cause. It’s a draining, isolating force that leaves exhaustion and negativity in its wake. But what if you could shift that energy to a place of empathy and compassion? Picture yourself leading from a space where conversations are open, perspectives are broadened, and connections are built through understanding rather than fear.

Through powerful stories and deep reflections, Payal will reveal how embracing empathy as a driving force can shift the outlook on challenges ahead. You'll learn how to foster clarity, unity, and a more grounded energy in your work, empowering you to lead with curiosity and compassion rather than reactionary fear.

In this session, you'll discover how to:

Examine Your Motivation:

Understand the emotional drivers behind your actions so that you can identify when fear is fueling your decisions and begin to shift toward empathy.

Transform Fear into Compassion:

Learn how to redirect the energy of fear and anger into empathy and compassion to foster clearer thinking, calm your nervous system, and build bridges instead of barriers.

Create Space Inclusive Conversations:

Gain practical strategies for holding space for others, even those with differing perspectives, allowing for meaningful dialogue and deeper understanding.

Create a Unified Impact:

Hear inspiring examples of leaders who have shifted from fear-based action to empathy-driven leadership and see how it created lasting, positive change in their communities.

This keynote isn't just about shifting your mindset—it's about transforming how you lead and the impact you create. By fueling your work with empathy, you will create a more inclusive, energized, and sustainable approach to leadership. Join Payal Beri for an experience that will leave you inspired, grounded, and ready to lead from a place of compassion, connection, and clarity.

What if the next big disruption in your industry isn’t about technology or strategy—but about human connection? In this compelling and interactive keynote, Dr. Payal Beri reveals how the most groundbreaking innovations come from deeply understanding people—their needs, behaviors, and emotions. The companies that thrive aren’t just ahead of trends; they’re shaping the future by prioritizing relationships, emotional intelligence, and focusing on empathy.

To truly innovate, organizations must move beyond transactional thinking and embrace the empathy needed to inspire loyalty, anticipate needs, and create lasting impact. Through neuroscience-backed insights and real-world examples, Payal will challenge conventional approaches and demonstrate how empathy unlocks curiosity and bridges the gap between transactional to transformational creativity, design, and a deeply connected market.

In this session, you'll discover how to:

Unlock Disruptive Thinking – Learn why the most innovative companies prioritize human connection to shape the future of business.

Leverage Empathy as a Competitive Advantage – Understand how emotional intelligence enhances decision-making, problem-solving, and customer loyalty.

Redefine Traditional Models – Engage in experiential exercises designed to help you rethink outdated sales, marketing, and business strategy approaches.

Scale Innovation with Emotional Intelligence – Walk away with practical strategies to integrate empathy into your business model, ensuring long-term relevance and impact.

This isn’t about keeping up with trends—it’s about leading your industry by revolutionizing how you connect, create, and disrupt.

People don’t buy from businesses—they buy from people they trust. And trust isn’t built through aggressive pitches, endless follow-ups, or one-size-fits-all strategies. It’s built through relationships. The most successful sales professionals and brands aren’t the ones pushing harder—they’re the ones listening better.

In this keynote, Dr. Payal Beri unpacks why empathy is the most powerful, yet overlooked, sales strategy in today’s market. When businesses stop treating customers like transactions and start treating them like people, everything changes—conversions increase, loyalty strengthens, and referrals become effortless.

Through real-world stories and practical strategies, this talk will challenge outdated sales tactics and show how leading with empathy creates authentic relationships that drive revenue. Attendees will walk away with:

The Relationship-Driven Sales Advantage—Why Emotional Connection Always Outperforms Transactional Selling.

How to Sell Without Selling—practical ways to build trust and make customers feel seen, heard, and valued.

The Power of the “Right Questions”—how the right conversations create long-term loyalty and repeat business.

The future of sales isn’t about talking people into something—it’s about making them feel understood. When you master this, you don’t just close deals—you create customers for life.

“Dr. Payal Beri created an incredible experience for our talent across all agencies to learn how to tap into empathy to add value, create influence and advocate for self in remote work environments. We had everyone from early career to senior leadership attend her immersive experience, with an attendance that has surpassed any of our former engagements. The participants' feedback has been positive, motivated, and ready to apply her strategies immediately. We’ve had senior leaders who already see the benefits of her teaching after one month. Senior leaders are ready to bring Dr. Beri in for recurring work with our agencies and ensure talent continues to apply her strategies as it’s enhancing the culture we’ve already built of trust and innovation. “

Naimah Bhuruku

Program Specialist, Flight Center, Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity at NASA

"There is a lot to planning and organizing an ERG speaker event. The catering has to be delicious, the swag has to be on point, and of course the speaker needs to be fun and engaging. We specifically wanted a speaker that was able to speak on breaking the asian stereotype in the workplace and foster a culture that welcomes new ideas and culture - and Dr. Beri was perfect for this. She also interviewed us to see if we were also a perfect fit for her as a client, which I very much appreciated.

Already having attended one of her workshops from SASE, I knew that she would be engaging with the audience. But what was profound is that allies understanding the perception and how they could promote a more inclusive culture. I was able to visibly see everyone nodding collectively. Many colleagues have expressed how Dr. Beri was able to clearly provide insight in how to navigate the stereotypes. As a fellow asian, I thought I knew it all - but for Payal to add value to even just the allies at the event, showed that she was able to communicate beyond cultural boundaries. I really look forward to the next time we can coordinate a company workshop!"

Simon Lee, Diversity and Inclusion Lead

Tenable Inc

"Dr. Payal Beri spoke at two of the recent Insurance Business Women in Insurance Summits, and brought a fantastic perspective on the importance of emotional intelligence as a leader. She artfully engaged the audience through her session talk and moderation of interactive table discussions. Dr. Payal Beri brought an energy into the room that both lightened the day and deepened the discussion. She was a fantastic addition to the summit!"

 Jesse Friedl

Global Head of Events at Key Media

“If you have not had the pleasure of Dr. Payal Beri talking to your leadership team, you are missing out on having a stronger team that uses the power of empathy. The passion and power of her words hit the core of our humanity. Thank you Dr. Payal Beri for your voice, your courage, your passion and your service. I look forward to your next talk with us.

Raquel Cundiff

Senior Engineer and Program Administrator at Boeing

“Payal created an excellent workshop on Using Emotional Intelligence to add value, create influence and advocate for self to support the team during the leadership annual meeting. Her initial partnership was smooth, from the insightful questions and understanding of our needs to customize the talk that best supported our team. She was incredibly receptive to feedback, worked through iterations that made the delivery impactful, and left the team with resources and immediate and long-term transformations. The strategies and insight Payal provided resonated with each team member, regardless of seniority and role. We were thoroughly pleased with Payal as a guest speaker at the annual leadership conference.”

Soumya Chauhan

Finance Leader at Google

“Payal Beri facilitated an excellent interactive, engaging session filled with discussion about strategies and support systems to ensure better mental health as Groupon's Global Inclusion and Diversity first of its series of Virtual Conversations for employees.”

Corey Flournoy

Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Groupon

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Payal for the past three years on various leadership development programs for our Asian professional audience. I can honestly say that Payal is one of our most valued partners. She continuously innovates her approach and consistently brings high energy and a can-do attitude as we continue to learn and evolve to our audience's needs in this fast-changing landscape. I’m looking forward to continue working with Payal and RK Empathy for years to come!

Paraag Maddiwar,

Program Event Manager of SASE (society of scientists and engineers) 

"Your insights were not only enlightening but also profoundly inspiring to everyone in attendance. We have already received fantastic feedback from the approximately 130 attendees, many of whom have expressed how much they gained from your talk. Your ability to connect with the audience and provide valuable perspectives on the AAPI experience was both impactful and memorable.

Thank you once again for taking the time to join us and for making our event such a resounding success. We look forward to the possibility of collaborating with you again in the future."

Muta Mashack, Diversity and Inclusion Lead

Tenable Inc