Patricia Kennedy

Business leader, Change Agent, Consultant, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Idea generator, Life mentor, Parent

A serial entrepreneur, consultant, and speaker, Patty has more than 20 years' experience helping organizations double awareness, engagement, and growth. She has lived and worked in the US, Eastern and Western Europe, and Africa. In 2018, she was named “Female Disruptor,” for pioneering a study with behavioral scientists and business leaders about the impact of change & communication on our brain. She developed a leadership model that helps leaders & teams improve communication and thrive. A national speaker and long-time coach to several C-level executives, Patty is a TEDx speaker and has delivered keynotes and trainings in 10 countries for organizations including UBS, Coldwell Banker, the Lean Start-up Company, national and state educational organizations. Because of her son's fear of public speaking, she volunteered to teach speaking to a group of middle school students- who became one of the first students in the country from a K-8 school to deliver a TEDx talk. More than just teach vocal delivery, it became clear the students (including her son) needed to learn and demonstrate critical leadership skills, and the SpeakWell method and company was born. Given the program success and high demand, SpeakWell is currently being piloted in NYC schools and expanding across the country. Prior to SpeakWell, Patty founded marketing communication agency Kennedy Spencer with one client. Over the course of 10 years, she transformed it to a multi-million dollar agency with offices in New York and Vienna, Austria. Clients included Cooley Group, Credit Suisse, Telekom Austria, and more than 30 schools and education organizations in the US and Europe. A proud St. Bonaventure University graduate, Patty is on the Board of Bronx Charter School for the

Teaching public speaking, helping students find their voice, become leaders & thrive. In a world where test-taking often trumps learning, I have seen the incredible and "life-changing" impact on students, parents, schools and communities when you help students' develop their own strengths, teach public speaking and leadership and develop opportunities online, at school, in their community and even on a national level to demonstrate that leadership. I've seen it myself. While I am an international speaker, my own son had stage fright. A year after I volunteered to teach middle schools students public speaking and leadership, they wanted to share their own voices and ideas, help change the world, and inspire others to do the same. Those 12-year old students became the first in the country from a K-8 school to deliver a TEDx Talk all sharing ideas on how to "create a better world." That is an incredible accomplishment, but the journey ...changed them, changed their lives, and mine....To see students flourish in front of you, believe in themselves, support one another, as they learn critical skills and apply those skills in the classroom and community ...has demonstrably changed others' lives as well.

If we TEACH students public speaking & leadership....we can change the world...one student voice at a time.

business owner, change, coaching, communication, education, entrepreneurship, female leadership, public speaking, training

My TED story starts about 9 years ago, when as a female business owner and international speaker, living in Vienna, Austria and overseeing offices in NYC and Vienna, I was asked to speak at TEDxDuke University. I spoke about courage - and the courage to be yourself. The impact that speech had on people was amazing. 10 years later, my son ironically had stage fright. I volunteered to teach a public speaking and leadership class at his school. A year later, those nine 12-year old students and I decided to apply for a TEDx license, in the hope we could use our voices and share ideas that create a better world and inspire others to do the same. The topics were diverse from saving the planet, to putting sports back on schools, the importance of connection, video games, and materialism. My own son, Eamonn Kennedy - facing his own fear - spoke about the need for students to find their voice. We are still releasing the speeches but the results and impact has already been extraordinary. Students, adults, schools, companies and the community alike...absolutely inspired by a group of 12-year olds who had the courage to make a real difference. If we can do this in one school, we can do it in every school and community. Helping kids believe in themselves, know they matter, and make a difference... To me, there is no more worthy mission.

Singing 80s songs!