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Neil Pasricha

Bestselling Author or "The Happiness Equation"

New York Times bestselling author of 'The Happiness Equation' and 'Two-Minute Mornings' with over 2 million copies sold
Former Director of Leadership Development at Walmart
One of the 10 Most Inspiring TED Speakers of all time

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A Harvard MBA, New York Times best-selling author, award-winning blogger and one of the most popular TED speakers in the world, Neil Pasricha is a “pied piper of happiness” (The Star) who dazzles audiences with ideas and simple tools that skyrocket organizational happiness and engagement.

Pasricha spent a decade inside Walmart, the world’s largest company, working for two CEOs directly and then as Director of Leadership Development. He complements this “what’s worked” authority with infectious enthusiasm and heartfelt authenticity. He builds trust with audiences and then challenges them to commit to simple 2-minute habits that cultivate a positive mindset each day.

Pasricha has spoken to royal families in the Middle East, Ivy League deans, and CEOs at organizations such as Pfizer, Uber, and Indeed — using research and models that enhance individual performance and create a more positive and productive workplace.

Neil is the author of 10 books and journals including ‘The Happiness Equation’, a science-backed habit-filled guidebook to living a happy life, ‘Two-Minute Mornings’, his simple daily practice to win your morning, and ‘The Book of Awesome’, a spinning rolodex of gratitudes based on his 100-million-hit, award-winning blog 1000 Awesome Things. Neil’s books are New York Times and #1 international bestsellers, have spent over 200 weeks on bestseller lists, and have sold over 2,000,000 copies across dozens of languages.

Neil hosts an Apple “Best of” podcast called 3 Books where he’s on an ‘epic 20-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world.’ Each of the 333 chapters discusses the 3 most formative books of an inspiring people like Brené Brown, Bryan Stevenson, David Sedaris, Judy Blume, and Malcolm Gladwell.

Neil has degrees from Harvard and Queen’s and writes for Harvard Business Review.

He lives with his family in Toronto.

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1. HAPPINESS

THE HAPPINESS EQUATION: Science-Backed Habits to Cultivate Positive Mindset

We live in a world where we’re bombarded by change, expectation, and uncertainty. News media hijacks our brains while social media tells us we are never good enough. Anxiety, depression, and loneliness rates are at record highs. What we need is a splash-of-cold-water talk that is science-backed, story-laden, and full of laughs. Audiences learn how it is possible, despite larger tectonic plates they cannot control, to use specific research-backed tools and practices to cultivate a habit-based positive mindset every day. Based on Neil’s #1 international bestseller The Happiness Equation.

2. CHANGE

BE HAPPY FIRST: Resilience and Breakthrough Performance In Times Of Change

After Neil’s wife left him and his best friend took his own life, he crash-landed in an empty downtown bachelor apartment. Just twelve months later, he was working directly for the CEO at Walmart, running the International Academy of Digital Arts and Science’s “Best Blog in the World”, and had just published The Book of Awesome, which stormed the New York Times bestseller list and sold over a million copies. The lesson was clear: resilience and growth can come from challenge and change. An inspiring talk that shares action-based ways to lift performance to new heights.

3. MINDSET

THE SCIENCE OF POSITIVE GROWTH MINDSET

Does great work lead to happiness? Or… does happiness lead to great work? Neil Pasricha shares counterintuitive research-based answers in this fun, fast-paced, research-grounded tour of the emerging neuroscience and positive psychology landscape. Neil shows how cultivating a positive mindset results in 31% higher productivity, 37% higher sales, and 300% greater creativity – and then shares how to get there. Based on fresh research Pasricha published in Harvard Business Review, this is a high-energy, takeaway-laden talk that gets audiences buzzing.

4. LEADERSHIP

LEAD YOURSELF BEFORE YOU LEAD OTHERS

Which company is #1 on the Fortune 500 and has been for over a decade? Walmart. The retail behemoth’s rise to half a trillion dollars in sales with over two million employees has been well-documented. But what hasn’t been documented is how they develop, nurture, and grow leaders up through those ranks. Neil served as Director of Leadership Development at Walmart and worked for the CEO while partnering with Harvard Business School to develop the first global leadership program inside the retail giant. In this talk he shares how leaders can use science-backed practices to help themselves show up to lead teams of two, two thousand, or two million. It starts with yourself. Neil will show you how.

5. HABITS

HAPPY HABITS: Tiny Changes, Massive Results

Why do so few people say, “I love my job”? Gallup reports a whopping 79% of the global workforce is disengaged. But what if there were simple habits that could help turn employees into their most engaged, creative, and productive selves? It’s not crazy talk. It’s actually happening. Using his unique blend of science-backed models and lean-in-and-laugh stories, Neil shares simple happiness habits and, more importantly, teaches audiences how to make them stick. The result is an easy and research-backed way to build small, simple habits to help create workplaces where people show up inspired to do their best work every day.

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Client Testimonials

Neil was my favorite speaker throughout the entire RISE series. He held the most raw discussion about being your real self in the workplace and learning how to find your happy. I really really REALLY hope that my colleagues and leadership continue to hear his messages and implement the changes he recommends so that we can build a better culture.

Johnson & Johnson

Neil delivered a powerhouse keynote for our organization. He informed and inspired an audience of more than 400 individuals and managed to strike a personal chord with each attendee. He was great to work with in preparation of the event and we would recommend Neil to any group that is looking for someone to energize the crowd!

Fortune 100 Energy Company

Neil joined the Audi Executive Team across the United States and his happiness lessons were the highlight of the show, engaging dealer associates, and invigorating the audience. He is always on point, thought-provoking, and receives near-perfect ratings. Listen to him!

Audi

Neil was phenomenal!!!!! I was very grateful that we were able to have him a part of our weekend but after meeting him and experiencing his presentation, I am in awe of his generosity to share his expertise and positive energy with our physicians and staff.

Kaiser Permanente

Neil was incredibly attentive and intentional about delivering a message tailored to the needs of our group of over 2000 people. He shared valuable insights with humility, humor, and authenticity. He was inspirational and thought provoking. People were moved to laughter and tears at different times throughout his presentation. They were 100% engaged the entire time he spoke, and have continued, even a month later, to talk about the lessons they learned from him.

Healthy Families of America

I cannot tell you the buzz in our meeting still after your presentation. People cannot stop talking about you and even people who have seen you for the third time commented on how it’s just amazingly valuable every single time! Our employees saw in you what I saw many years ago in your first TED talk -- your authenticity, strong values, kindness, and incredible wit and intelligence. You are a real talent and I feel so proud to have shared your voice with my company - I know you help our people be better.

AstraZeneca

Before Neil came to Uber we had seen his TED Talk, Google Talk, and some had read his books so our expectations were already pretty high. But he exceeded them! We knew his style would be accessible and his content would be engaging, but we didn't predict the impact he would have on Uber folks after the conference. Attendees were more visibly energized and they began taking Neil's advice to be more positive in their own lives. We feel it helped them at work and with their families as well. A life-changing talk. Thank you, Neil!

Uber