Molly Kawahata is a speaker, strategist, ice climber, and former climate advisor to the Obama White House who specializes in unlocking the transformative potential of hope within organizations. Her expertise centers around utilizing the science of hope as a catalyst for positive change, with a particular focus on cultivating transformative leadership, reshaping work cultures, and revitalizing brand and societal narratives. Molly's strategies have helped organizations bolster retention, productivity, morale, and employee mental health. 

Dubbed "the hope whisperer," Molly has proven that hope is not a fluffy concept—it's one of the most effective strategies at our disposal. And there is a lot of research to back it.

Molly's remarkable life story, depicted in the acclaimed and award-winning Patagonia film, THE SCALE OF HOPE (2022), delves into her pursuit of climbing steep mountains in Alaska, her personal journey living with a mental illness, and her work to transform societal narratives by infusing them with hope and empowerment. Her story has resonated with audiences worldwide, amassing over one million views on YouTube, streaming on Delta Airlines, and being inducted into the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art.

Molly is the Founder of Systemic Impact Strategies, a consultancy advising leading brands, NGOs, foundations, filmmakers, content producers, campaigns, and CEOs on climate strategy, organizational development, communications, and branded content with a focus on systemic solutions that drive real impact.

Molly’s impactful keynotes and workshops, as well as her profound insights into hope-based leadership and transformation, have made her a sought-after speaker with prominent institutions and organizations, including the Kennedy Center Presidential Monument, the U.S. Capitol, Google, Nike, Harvard, and global IMAX audiences. Her presentations have resonated globally with audiences ranging from CEOs to tech companies, activists to universities, entrepreneurs to venture capitalists, Members of Congress to the public at large. 

Molly leverages profound insights in behavioral change to empower individuals and organizations to not only envision a brighter future, but also realize their collective power to create it.

 

 

Topics:

  • Molly delves into the fascinating realm of hope within the workplace, presenting the science behind its potential to transform organizations. Molly provides evidence-based strategies to help leaders and organizations increase retention, productivity, engagement, job satisfaction and employee morale through the science of hope. This insightful keynote and/or workshop provides actionable strategies for organizations seeking to infuse hope into their workplace ethos, enhancing overall well-being and performance.

  • Tailored as a keynote and/or workshop for employee and organization audiences, this topic takes a deep dive into the profound influence of hope in our lives and its capacity to spark a collective force within organizations. Molly explores the interplay between individual and collective mental health, shedding light on how cultivating hope can foster resilience, agency, well-being, and collective action at an organizational level. Gain valuable insights into the transformative power of hope within your team and organization.

  • In this keynote and/or workshop, Molly equips leaders and organizations with evidence-based strategies to enhance retention, productivity, engagement, and employee morale through the science of hope. Her guidance empowers leaders to create hope-centered work cultures that transform individuals and organizations from the inside out, enabling them to achieve their mission more effectively and efficiently.

  • Grounded in psychology and neuroscience principles, Molly empowers in this keynote and/or workshop organizations, brands, creatives, and thought leaders with the proven effectiveness of hope-based storytelling. She covers narrative development, the neuroscience of storytelling, metaphor as a framing tool, and cultivating future-oriented thinking to drive transformative change within organizations.

  • Drawing from evidence-based practices in climate cognition, communications, and framing, this keynote and/or workshop offers practical strategies to empower companies and organizations to impact climate discussions, action, and thought leadership at the societal level. She infuses these strategies with the transformative power of climate hope, inspiring others to recognize that a brighter future is not only possible but within their collective agency to shape.

Twitter: @MollyKawahata

Instagram: @mollykawahata