Two-Time TEDx Speaker & Author of "Social Equations"; Authority on Modernizing Culture & Building Emotionally Aware Leadership
Crystal Kadakia Biography
Crystal Kadakia is a two-time TEDx speaker, bestselling author, and trusted advisor to mission-driven and STEM organizations navigating the complexities of culture change. With over 15 years of experience partnering with private sector and nonprofit executive teams, Kadakia brings a rare combination of systems thinking, strategic rigor and emotional intelligence —grounded in a cross-disciplinary education and a multidimensional identity.
As a South Asian woman raised in Texas, and as someone who bridges right-brain empathy with left-brain logic through her background in chemical engineering and organization development, Kadakia draws on the tensions and wisdom of both worlds. These lived and learned perspectives have driven her success in helping legacy organizations modernize their cultures, speak truth to power, and redesign status quo systems that stand in the way of today’s work.
Through her bestselling book, "The Millennial Myth," she began her work by debunking generational change and instead, doubling down on integrating digital ways of working. She advised C-suite leaders across a wide range of industries on how to build a resilient and relevant company culture for the digital age. She continued to deepen her work as a consultant in driving organization transformation, by especially helping to evolve power and structure. Recently, she led the Sierra Club’s most expansive stakeholder engagement process to date for a new structural vision, resulting in ten unanimously approved board resolutions. Today, her consulting work is focused on empowering healthy and resilient org capacity and culture in the sustainability sector.
Kadakia’s talks draw from her consulting experience and drive culture-forward transformation by growing audiences’ capability to work together.
She speaks to a wide range of audiences with tailored outcomes:
- For STEM professionals, she demystifies social dynamics and leadership through frameworks rooted in her book Social Equations, equipping technical minds with the relational tools their education often overlooked.
- For leadership development audiences, she reframes emotional intelligence as a core operational skill, showing how to work with—not around—emotion in the pursuit of progress and performance.
- For C-suite leaders, she delivers bold, unorthodox human insights from the front lines of change, challenging the usual prescriptions and assumptions about what drives genuine cultural transformation.
These talks address tough challenges like inclusion, power dynamics, and the role of emotions in a can-do way for organizations big and small. In particular, she brings insights in from her work in the sustainability movement, including lessons learned from the manufacturing and tech sector, energy and utilities sector, and conservation nonprofits.
Kadakia is the author of four books, and her keynotes are known for blending transformative “aha” moments with opportunities to process the message into practical individualized takeaways. She has been recognized with honors such as Power 30 Under 30, ATD’s One to Watch, and CLO’s Learning in Practice award.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, she is the daughter of Indian immigrants with roots in Gujarat from the village of Balasinor. She now lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Jeremy and their two children.
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Crystal Kadakia Speaking Topics
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Social Equations: Cracking the Code of People, Teams, and Influence for STEM Professionals
Technical brilliance may get you in the door—but the next great challenge is navigating people.
STEM professionals are trained for precision, analysis, and problem-solving. But when it comes to working across teams, managing conflict, or influencing change, most are left to figure it out on their own. That’s where Social Equations comes in.
In this interactive keynote, we’ll explore what it takes to build high-performing, teams in STEM environments. This session demystifies the “soft” side of work by treating social dynamics like any other system—something you can understand, predict, and improve. Through simple, powerful frameworks grounded in Crystal Kadakia’s bestselling book, you’ll learn how to build trust, strengthen team collaboration, and lead with clarity—even when emotions and egos are in the mix.
You don’t have to become someone you’re not—you just need the right tools to make relationships feel less like friction and more like momentum.
In this session, participants will:
- Recognize how emotional dynamics impact collaboration
- Apply self-awareness and regulation strategies when triggered or under pressure
- Reframe conflict and complexity using inclusive, strengths-based mindsets
- Use practical frameworks to bridge differences in communication and teamwork
- Practice scenario-based tools for building trust and connection across diverse teams
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Beyond Diversity: Building Inclusive and Psychologically Safe Cultures
The diversity movement fails when it stops at the diversity scorecard. While diversity and inclusion are frequently lumped together, they are fundamentally different challenges—with distinct goals, strategies, and measures of success. Diversity focuses on who is present; inclusion focuses on how people experience belonging, safety, and participation once they’re there.
To move beyond surface-level metrics, we must shift our thinking. Inclusion isn’t just about redesigning the systems that keep people out and inviting people in the door. It’s about each individual building daily practices of belonging and safety. It’s about each individual tapping into their personal power of human connection to invite relationships. The truth is, we already know how to include others—through moments of empathy, openness, and shared purpose. The challenge is making those moments intentional and systemic.
In this session, participants will:
- Discover why diversity and inclusion require different strategies—and why both matter
- Learn the often-overlooked strengths we all naturally possess that support inclusive behavior
- Clarify personal motivations for inclusion and design a practical, individualized plan to lead with greater inclusion every day
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How do I book Crystal Kadakia to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Crystal Kadakia for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Crystal Kadakia, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Crystal Kadakia or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Crystal Kadakia
Speaking fees for Crystal Kadakia, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Crystal Kadakia are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Crystal Kadakia, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Crystal Kadakia speak about?
Crystal Kadakia is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Asian & Pacific Heritage, Author, Belonging, Bestselling Authors, Business, Business Leadership, Change Management, Corporate Culture, Disruptive Thinking, Diversity & Inclusion, Female Leadership, Future of Work, Futurism, Happiness, Human Resources, Influential Women, Innovation, Leadership, Mindset, Motivational, Non-Profit, Peak Performance, Personal Growth, Professional Development, Resilience, STEM, Strategic Leadership, Teamwork & Teambuilding, TED, Women, Women in Business, Women's History Month, Youth -
Where does Crystal Kadakia travel from?
Crystal Kadakia generally travels from Atlanta, GA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is Crystal Kadakia’s agent?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Crystal Kadakia for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Crystal Kadakia for your next private or corporate function. -
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Crystal Kadakia is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Social Equations: Cracking the Code of People, Teams, and Influence for STEM Professionals, Beyond Diversity: Building Inclusive and Psychologically Safe Cultures, Insights from the Frontlines of Culture Transformation in Complex, Passion-Driven Organizations and Working with Emotion: The Missing Skill for Workplace Wellbeing and Leadership. The estimated speaking fee range to book Crystal Kadakia for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Crystal Kadakia generally travels from Atlanta, GA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Libby Gill, Haydn Shaw, Dr. Jackie Freiberg, Cheryl Cran and Jeanne Meister. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Crystal Kadakia for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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