Michelle Berry

Born in Manhattan and raised in the Catskills, Michelle is a forward-thinking entrepreneur, intrepid orator, inspirational coach, self-help author, award-winning poet, occasional actor, renowned coffee snob, imperfect vegan, hiking leader, and sly humorist who has covered The White House and Capitol Hill as a TV journalist. In addition to running her business, she is also the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) at Alternatives Federal Credit Union in Ithaca, NY.

Hailed by audiences worldwide as “life-altering," "captivating," "courageous," and "authentically-transformative," she is also a Reiki Master Teacher and an internationally-praised meditation leader. Considered an expert on the impact of stress on the psychology of workplace behavior, Michelle has opened for Maya Angelou, Dorothy Cotton, Mos Def, Howard Zinn, and The Dalai Lama.

She began her career in print, radio, and TV broadcasting, later transitioning to communications consulting and teaching. Michelle has taught brand marketing, crisis communications, and PR at leading universities. She went on to work as an aide to politicians and to later run for and win a seat on her City Council where she also served as an Alternate Acting Mayor for the City of Ithaca. She also won a Delegate Seat in her Congressional District, representing President Barack Obama. She has also appeared on "Good Morning America," in Men's Fitness, O-Magazine, and national TV commercials.

Michelle devotes her life to helping visionaries increase wellness to decrease costs, increase productivity, and happiness at work. She holds a graduate degree in Organizational Communication from Cornell University and a dual BA degree from Binghamton University in English and Political Science, where she was a Presidential Scholar and Commencement Speaker.

Last year, she spoke twice at SXSW and can't wait to do it again!