Erica Keswin, Workplace Strategist

10/28/2026

Congrats, KRISTEN HADEED · Speaker 🫶🏼, on the launch of your new book, Human Leadership!!

Truly, a girl after my own heart. This book is as authentic as Kristen is. I’m so honored to endorse it, as one human leader to another. I think you’ll love all the real stories and lessons in this book. Read and share what you think!

Grab at the l i n k in Kristen’s b i o!

10/22/2026

I love speaking at all kinds of events – company retreats, industry conferences, groups of people managers. But there is always something special at speaking a women’s event.

And this one was very special. I first met Ashley Draper when she reached out see if I would come to the MMA book club and facilitate a discussion about my book, Bring Your Human to Work. The conversations were both inspiring and intense as the organization was going through a huge transformation. The hope was that people could approach these challenges through a human lens, it would not only be good for the people in involved it would be good for business.

Fast forward and the committee asked me to keynote their annual Grow Conference. One of the coolest parts was meeting people IRL who I had spoken to over zoom during the book club.

I have always been the person who tries to say “yes” to the things big and small even when you don’t know where it will lead. In this case, a book club led to a keynote and relationships that I will now have forever.

10/18/2026

What a pleasure to keynote the Dame Leadership Evolution 26 Conference with over 600 leaders from the Harrisburg, PA area. One of themes that came up is that being a great human leader now (in the age of AI) - is important - More Than Ever.

One thing that great human leaders do is to connect their people to the purpose and values of the organization. Not rocket science, but that doesn't make it easy. But.. companies whose people DO feel a sense of purpose at work out perform the stock market by nearly 7%.

So there is an ROI of being a great human leader.

I would love to hear your thoughts on how human leadership is impacting your organization.

Thank you to Harry Walker Agency for making this happen.

09/26/2026

One of the things I always feel like I need more of is TIME! If you feel the same way, Fran Hauser's new book Twenty Minutes is the New Hour is for you!

As Fran so eloquently says, "The goal isn't to do more. It's to focus on what matters - and feel good about how you're doing it."

The book is a practical guide to making real change.

And yes, I brought this book to birthday party in Telluride. Thus the cowboy hat!

08/25/2026

As the summer comes to a close, I am getting ready to put away my white jeans (although some say they are ok all year now) and get back to work. Speaking is typically slower in the Summer so it gives me time to pause and think about the fast-changing world is impacting my work.

I couldn’t help reflect on some of the events I’ve spoken at and amazing people that I’ve met along the way.

Last month, I spoke at March McLellan’s SE Women’s GROW event with 300 senior women leaders who were handpicked to attend. Like most organizations, they are going through so much change. But the women showed up, were engaged, excited to learn and take on whatever is coming next. We all saw first hand the importance of being together IRL – even and especially in the age of AI!

And, we got to play some Maj!  Now, that was a first.

08/22/2026

While I was nostalgic dropping off Daniel for his last year of college (which means I will have 3 kids in the working world!!), I am realizing that each phase of parenting can be awesome in its own way.

Last week, Jeff and I were able to get away with all three kids (7 months in the planning) with 3 other close family friends. We had 8 adults and 10 kids – mostly in their early 20s. And, boy, did we have fun!

Dinners in the villa, clubbing at night, (there is one club which closes at 11 pm which was my fav!), games (Maj, Catan and backgammon), and hours of padel and time in the pool.

While many of my friends and colleagues are dropping of their first or last kid at school or going through some other kind of transition, I’m here to say that the next phase may end up being your favorite!

04/21/2026

New book alert!!

Think about the last leader you observed who felt a little... cringe.

Maybe they talked over people in meetings. Maybe they came across as cold in a way that felt deliberate. Maybe they just seemed like they were playing a part.

They probably were.

At some point, they decided what a leader was supposed to look like based on what they saw from their own boss. And when it was their turn, they played the same role.

My brilliant friend Pam Sherman calls this becoming a "cardboard cutout" version of a role. In her brand new book, Play You, she draws on decades of experience as a professional actor and executive coach to name what so many leaders do: perform a version of what they think is expected, instead of showing up as themselves.

The problem? People can feel the inauthenticity.

Pam calls it the Believability Gap -- the space between who you fundamentally are and who you think you're supposed to be.
I've been talking about this for years. My recipe for a great human leader is one part vulnerability, one part empathy, and one part experimentation. When any piece is missing, there's a gap. For you AND for your employees.

Pam's book uses techniques from the acting world to help you close that gap, find your voice, and step into the role of a lifetime: yourself.

Happy pub day, ! Go grab Play You wherever books are sold.

03/24/2026

02/09/2026

What’s in a name?

For those who saw my IG story a few days ago, you know we welcomed a new puppy last week. He had a very public debut…but no name.

Getting five people to agree on anything is no small feat. The list included everything from Matrix (call him Matty), to Balagan (Jeff’s idea - hard no!), to Oliver, and about 47 others.

But as we spent more time with this little snuggle muffin, Julie and Caroline kept saying the same thing:
“He’s a Bodie.”

We liked the name. But we didn’t have a story yet.

And then Leo entered the conversation. I learned that Jeff had written his college essay on Leonardo da Vinci. Suddenly that felt meaningful. Real connection.

So I decided we would make the final call when I arrived in Florida. Except… the universe apparently had other plans.

At the airport, I met the pilot (slide 8) while boarding. He was a dog lover and stopped to play with our puppy. He asked his name. I told him “TBD,” but shared our short list (which happened to include Pilot!).

The next thing I hear over the intercom is: “Welcome to United Airlines. Thank you for flying the friendly skies. And a special welcome to Bodie on his flight to Florida.”

Decision made. We had a name and the only question left was spelling.

There are a few ways to spell it:
B-O-D-I-E
B-O-D-H-I (beautiful meaning, rooted in enlightenment)
Or B-O-D-E, like Bode Miller, the legendary American ski racer.

Two things sealed Bode for me:

First, our dog Cruiser is named after a ski run in Aspen, a place our family loves deeply. The skiing connection felt right.

Second, when I learned more about Bode Miller, I found someone who is not just an elite athlete. Bode is known for being unusually open about being imperfect and human in a sport that often expects polished, media-trained personalities.

So here he is. Meet BODE.

Eight weeks old and seems pretty perfect to me!

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys their birdies! :)

Grateful to have the whole family together this week playing golf, Catan (even though I don't get to play), and watching the Knicks and the finale of dancing with the stars. (Alix was robbed!)

How are you spending your holiday??