Janne Robinson

Imagine for a moment that Mary Oliver could put on leather pants and light up the entire room in both tears and laughter—that’s Janne Robinson in a nutshell.

Born in the wild of Whitehorse, Yukon, Robinson is not only a poet and keynote speaker but also a unique company resource for transforming company cultures through the power of prose and narrative.

At a recent poetry workshop at a corporate retreat in Beverly Hills, teams wrote, read poems and cried together, showing vulnerability for the first time, some who had worked together for 30 years. Participants went home to have conversations with their wives they needed. They started to wake up at 6 AM to take care of themselves; one even emailed her to say that his 17 year-old daughter had joined him in his self-care commitment. Robinson’s work is poetry, but it isn’t poetry. It's a subtle invitation into connection, meaning and living a life on purpose.

With a deep understanding of human dynamics, Robinson delivers transformative experiences that have tangible benefits. According to a study published in the Harvard Business Review, a strong sense of belonging can lead to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% reduction in turnover risk, and a 75% decrease in sick days. For a 10,000 employee company, this translates into an annual saving of over $52 million.

In a world where workplaces sometimes fail to ask or recognize each individual's unique gifts and sense of purpose, Robinson walks into a room and dares to ask, “What are your gifts? What gives your life fulfillment, meaning, and color?” With Robinson, poetry is more than a verse or art - it’s a powerful conduit and invitation for people to express their insides, outside and in doing so to create a life of meaning. When brought into the workplace, this approach highlights the most human parts of ourselves—inevitably breaking down barriers, and fosters deeper connection between teams.