Liz Fosslien

Liz Fosslien is an author, illustrator, and expert on workplace emotions whose work has influenced how professionals approach feelings in the workplace. Fosslien is the co-author and illustrator of the national bestseller "Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay" and the Wall Street Journal bestseller "No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work," both written with Mollie West Duffy and translated into more than 15 languages. Her approach combines behavioral science, personal storytelling, and original illustration to make complex emotional concepts accessible to professionals, managers, and leaders.

"No Hard Feelings" challenges the idea that emotions should be excluded from the workplace, arguing that acknowledging and managing emotions leads to more effective and meaningful work. Its follow-up, "Big Feelings," explores seven challenging emotions—including uncertainty, burnout, perfectionism, and regret—and offers science-based strategies for navigating them. The book was selected as a Next Big Idea Club pick by Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Dan Pink, and Adam Grant. Fosslien also contributed illustrations to Adam Grant's New York Times bestselling book "Hidden Potential."

Fosslien's career includes roles as an analyst at Analysis Group, executive editor at Genius, creative director at Parliament, and head of content and communications at Humu, a behavioral science firm. She serves on the leadership team of Atlassian's Team Anywhere initiative, supporting distributed teams in collaboration. Throughout her career, Fosslien has spoken about her experiences with burnout and anxiety, providing depth to her work on emotional intelligence and mental health in the workplace.

As a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, Fosslien has presented to organizations including Google, Spotify, MIT, NPR, LinkedIn, Dropbox, the US Air Force, and JP Morgan Chase. She addresses topics such as building resilient teams, combating burnout, effective storytelling, and navigating hybrid work. Fosslien is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, and her work has appeared in Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Economist, TED, and NPR. Her illustrations are widely shared on social media by professionals interested in workplace well-being and emotional intelligence.