How I Help Companies & Leaders Be You-ier
Keep your best people from quietly updating their LinkedIn
Stop spending on wellness apps that don't fix what's actually wrong
Become the company people brag about working at
The problem:
You've spent a fortune on wellness, but your people are still burnt out & checked out. Even though you have a meditation room. And a standing desk initiative. And a wellness app nobody's using. Somehow … absenteeism and presenteeism keep going up.
Here's what I think is going on. And I've been studying this for 30 years.
You don't have a burnout crisis. You have an authenticity crisis.
Your people are not being their you-iest selves at work.
Research supports this. For example, a 2025 Zety survey of 1,000 workers found that 60% feel pressure to conform at work.
And so people are shrinking… not stretching. And that shrinking is exhausting them in a way no meditation app can fix.
Aristotle figured this out in the 4th century BCE. He argued that human beings are designed to flourish. But only when they're living according to their own unique nature. He warned: A person who isn't… is like a knife that won't cut. Technically functional. Fundamentally wasted.
Kierkegaard said this too, in his own you-ier way: "The most common form of despair is not being who you are."
Plus the Harvard Study of Adult Development confirmed the perks of being you-ier. They report: People who thrive the most aren’t the ones who achieve the most. They're the ones who stay most authentically themselves.
Who Calls Me…
Different industries. Same problem. Your people got flattened, and flattened people don't perform, don't connect, and don't stay. The fix isn't adding “more polish.”
It's allowing people to be “more them.”
Conference and event planners
You've booked the speaker with the good slides. Everyone clapped. Nobody changed. You want the one people quote in the elevator a year later. That only happens when a talk gives people permission to be more themselves, not better versions of what they think others want.
Chief People Officers and heads of HR
You've read the engagement data three times and it’s keeping you awake till 2am. The underlying problem? Your people have a Meaning & Purpose Deficiency. Engagement is what comes back when people are allowed to be the authentic version of themselves at work.
CEOs with executive teams that look great on paper
Smart people. Impressive résumés. Yet something's off at work. Your team isn't short on talent. They're short on candor, because everyone in that room learned the safest thing to be is agreeable. You don't need new people. You need people to show up as themselves.
Professional services firms
Law, consulting, accounting, wealth management. Your product is your people, and everyone in your category sounds identical. You can't automate authenticity. Your entire margin lives in whether your best people still sound like themselves.
Family offices and multi-generational wealth
The trusts are handled. The succession plan is filed. What nobody's trained for is the actual inheritance conversation, the one about meaning, purpose and legacy. You don’t just want to pass down your wealth. You want to pass down your wisdom. And to do that, you need to know what makes you you-ier.
Women's leadership programs
"Lean in" has run out of road. Your rising leaders were promoted for being exceptional. But now they’re focusing on being palatable. And they need to stop shrinking.
The work & results:
I offer a range of services. Keynotes, Workshops. Leadership team retreats. Culture interventions. Executive coaching. In-person or virtual. Customized to your industry and audience.
I speak on topics like:
How you-ier leaders make sharper decisions & connect deeper with clients.
How you-ier employees perform better & stay longer. How a you-ier culture stops hemorrhaging top performers.
How a you-ier brand differentiates in a market drowning in sameness.
How you-ier advisors deepen multi-generational client loyalty.
Different audiences get different emphasis. The underlying thesis doesn't change.
The results:
Your top performers stop planning their exits.
Your meetings start feeling more engaged.
Your senior team shows up bolder & happier.
Your clients feel more understood & connected. They even get excited to meet up on the phone or Zoom or in person.
The upshot: Your company becomes you-ier in all areas. Which, it turns out, is the most underrated competitive advantage on earth… better work performance, better client satisfaction, better sales figures, better moods, better days.
Karen Salmansohn is a sought-after expert and speaker.
Watch & listen to corporate and media appearances:
TEDx Talk:
Fun is your high-performance fuel
Keynote:
How To Create A Happier Workplace
Media Interview:
Why Madonna loves Karen Salmansohn
Behavior Change Tip:
This one habit makes you 92% more likely to achieve your goals
Karen’s podcast guest appearances
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Living For Meaning: How to Use the ‘Memento Mori’ Mindset to Find Direction and Create a Purpose-Driven Life | Love, Happiness & Success Podcast
Most people don’t realize they’re running on autopilot until life forces them to stop. Through the lens of ‘Memento Mori’, this episode shows you how living for meaning can help you find direction, improve your overall well-being, and create a purpose-driven life. You’ll learn how to use this mindset shift to support your self improvement, reduce your stress, and cultivate happiness right now.
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Your To-Die For List: What Matters When Productivity Isn't the Point | The Legendary Leaders Podcast
What makes someone quit a six-figure advertising career to write books that help people think differently? In this episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan sits down with Karen Salmansohn—bestselling author, behavioral change expert, and the creative force behind NotSalmon.com—whose sharp wit and mortality-driven wisdom will make you rethink everything on your to-do list.
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Avoiding Life's Potholes with Karen Salmansohn | Mick Unplugged
Embrace Self-Love and Boundaries: Karen believes the key to a fulfilling life and career is learning to love yourself, be your own best friend, and set boundaries that affirm your self-worth. Take Bold, Ballsy Action: Whether in business or life, “being ballsy”—taking risks and going beyond the minimal effort—opens up greater opportunities, especially for women seeking to break the mold.
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How to Live with More Joy & Less Regret with Karen Salmansohn
Bestselling author and behavioral change expert Karen Salmansohn brings her signature wit, heart, and no-fluff wisdom to a topic most people avoid: death. But instead of fear or gloom, Karen offers a refreshing and empowering perspective on how getting clear on your mortality can actually help you live more fully.
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Karen Salmansohn Tells The World "Just Watch Me!" - Jonathan Fields | Good Life Project
Good Life Project(tm) founder, Jonathan Fields, interviews bestselling author and entrerpeneur, Karen Salmansohn.
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How to Live with More Joy & Less Regret with Karen Salmansohn | Once Upon A Food Story
We discuss what Karen calls "near-life experiences," explore a powerful practice called death mindfulness, and dive into why writing your own eulogy might just be the most life-giving thing you can do. Karen also shares simple mindset shifts that help you let go of the word should, tune into your purpose, and bring more meaning and presence into your daily life.
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Mortality Awareness: Meaning, Motivation, and Your To-Die-For Life with Karen Salmansohn | Self-Helpless
Delanie Fischer is joined by Behavioral Change Expert and Bestselling Author, Karen Salmansohn, to discuss insights from her latest book, Your To-Die-For Life: How to Maximize Joy and Minimize Regret . . . Before Your Time Runs Out. Karen combines neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and personal stories to share effective mindset hacks, exercises, and the core values that will help you avoid the top regrets of the dying, be present, and have more fun—more often.
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Memento Mori: Being Intentional and Living for Meaning
What if the secret to living your best life... is remembering that it won’t last forever? In this episode of Love, Happiness, and Success, I’m joined by author and mindset coach Karen Salmansohn to explore how the ancient principle of memento mori—remembering that you will die—can radically transform the way you live right now.
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Leaders Who Care - Your ‘To Die For’ Life with Karen Salmansohn
Meet Karen Salmansohn. Bestselling author & leading Behavioral Change Expert with 2 million books sold. Community of 1.5 million social media followers. Founder of NotSalmon.com and YourToDieForLife.com ... as well as Brand Honey Consulting. Wake up your inner ostrich. Time's ticking. Life's finite. Turn “someday” dreams into “today” actions. Her research-based mortality awareness methods will turn your "What Ifs" into "Remember Whens."
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The AGEIST Podcast
Best-selling author and behavior change expert Karen Salmansohn shares how mortality awareness can be one of the most powerful motivators for living with purpose. She explains her concept of a “near-life experience,” when people go through the motions instead of fully engaging in their lives, and how to break free from it. Karen offers practical tools—like writing your aspirational eulogy and linking core values to habits—that help listeners live with urgency and authenticity. Her upcoming book, Your To-Die-For Life, blends humor, science, and philosophy to guide readers toward more meaningful, regret-free living.
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Aristotle's Secret to Happy Life with Karen Salmansohn | Life, Death & the Space Between Dr. Amy Robbins
I sat down with bestselling author and behavioral change expert Karen Salmansohn for a conversation that will change how you think about your life and your death. We went deep on mortality awareness, the "near-life" experience so many of us are stuck in, and how to use the end of life as a powerful tool to live more boldly and authentically right now.
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Live a Life Worth Dying For: Maximizing Joy and Minimizing Regret with Karen Salmansohn
What if the secret to a happy life isn't about productivity, but about confronting your own mortality? In this episode of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, Erica Rooney sits down with Karen Salmansohn, a bestselling author, wellness expert, and the founder of NotSalmon.com. With a blend of psychology, humor, and a no-BS approach, Karen empowers women to live their happiest, most successful lives.
Praise from Pros