Meet Jenn Willey
Jennifer Willey does more than just inspire when she speaks--she changes behaviors with well-researched insights and clear strategies that help others overcome fear and achieve their potential. Her wealth of experience on-air, on stage and on task as an entrepreneur and C-Suite executive ensures she will own the room with a unique, dynamic keynote that delivers actionable "a-ha" moments her audience will be anxious to apply.
Jenn customizes her material to meet your business goals and align with your event theme. Every talk integrates findings from Wet Cement’s proprietary Fearlessness at Work Survey, academic research insights, relevant material and lessons learned from Jenn’s professional career journey. Attendees will walk away with a renewed sense of purpose, a more “fearless” perspective and proven techniques to power growth for themselves and their companies.
Jenn is a member of the National Speaker's Association, national and New York City chapters. She is also an eSpeakers certified Virtual Presenter. Jenn speaks on a range of topics across Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Self-Leadership. Learn more about her signature talks below.
Jenn Willey is a preferred speaker of International Women's Day.
Jenn's Bio
Founder & CEO, Wet Cement
Jennifer Willey helps others conquer fear to drive growth. She shifts mindsets and behaviors through inspirational stories of her unique career journey, coupled with research insights. As Founder of Wet Cement, Jenn is proud to be one of only 50 U.S. CEOs leading a Disability-Owned and Woman-Owned certified business.
Jenn shares her mistakes, challenges, and lessons learned to inspire and provide actionable strategies for her audiences. Her career started at the age of eight as a child actor. She became certified as one of the nation's youngest Fitness Professionals, graduated to TV news anchor by 21, and then spent the next two decades leading sales, strategy and marketing at tech and media companies. Now as an entrepreneur, she’s built a new kind of mission-driven business empowering others to achieve their potential by developing the ‘Fearless Fundamentals’—Confidence, Communication, Connections, Control, and Culture.
Fueled by purpose and her own professional experience, Jennifer is committed to advancing inclusivity and gender equity. She created Wet Cement's gender equality practice, Advance Women at Work™ to design empowerment programs for women and modern leadership training for male executives. Jennifer is the first-ever Innovation and Inclusivity Advisor to Comexposium Japan and she is the Gender Equality Advisor for the DPAA as well as co-creator of its Women's Leadership Initiative, WE.DOOH. Her volunteer efforts are aligned with this mission; she contributes company time and profit to WorkingforWomen.org. Jenn was recently awarded the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber’s Women of Achievement for 2023.
Jennifer has a B.S. in Communications from Cornell University and a Diversity & Inclusion Certification from eCornell. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.
Signature Talks
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
International Women’s Day 2024: Inspire Inclusion--
Celebrating Achievement and Advancing Gender Equality in the Workplace
Intended Audience: General
Custom-crafted to support the 2024 International Women's Day theme, this empowering keynote provides a transformative journey that celebrates women's achievements and fosters gender parity in the workplace. This session is essential for every employee, echoing the inclusive spirit of International Women's Day - a day that belongs to everyone, everywhere.
Focus Areas:
-
Awareness of Workplace Discrimination: Delving into the subtle and overt forms of discrimination, whether intentional or unintentional, that women face in professional settings.
-
Actionable Strategies for Leaders and Allies: Providing concrete methods for leaders, allies, and women themselves to support and advance gender parity.
-
Understanding Higher Standards: Exploring the elevated expectations placed on women in terms of communication, perception, and overall workplace conduct.
-
Combating Stereotypes: Identifying and addressing the stereotypes that hinder women's progress in professional environments.
-
Celebrating Women's Achievements: Recognizing and honoring the contributions of women at work through simple, yet meaningful, ways.
Key Takeaways:
-
Inclusive Meeting Playbook: Attendees will leave with a comprehensive guide detailing the role of senior leaders, managers, women, and other team members in fostering an inclusive environment. This roadmap helps minimize microaggressions and interruptions while maximizing support and psychological safety in meetings.
-
Empowerment and Resilience Strategies: Practical tips and insights for every attendee on how to demonstrate strength, resilience and self-advocacy to positively impact gender equity.
This keynote is not just an event, but a catalyst for change, inviting every employee to be an integral part of a more inclusive, equitable, and empowered organizational culture. Join us in this pivotal session to make a meaningful difference in advancing gender parity in the workplace.
Advance Women At Work: Women's Empowerment
Intended Audience: Female professionals
Did you know that four out of five male leaders say a lack of confidence is the biggest barrier holding back women from climbing the corporate ladder? Or that men hold more than 80% of leadership roles, partially because they approach networking and mentorship differently than women do? Or that women are interrupted 3x more than men at work? Informed by original research, Advance Women At Work offers inspiring and actionable content to help women be more fearless at work and in life. This keynote empowers the women (and men!) in your organization to become more effective leaders and create a collaborative culture. We focus on five key pillars--Confidence, Communication, Control, Connections and Courage--while combining data and insights across assertive language, personal development and business networking.
Attendees will leave with:
-
An understanding of what’s holding them back and strategies to overcome personal roadblocks
-
More confidence in their strengths and abilities, and a plan for developing skills they need to fulfill their mission
-
Ways to communicate more assertively to enhance credibility and effectiveness
-
A roadmap to advance their careers by developing a Personal Board of Directors
-
Additional strategies to transform their professional growth and personal relationships
Learn more about our signature Advance Women At Work program here. Additional details on Advance Women At Work Japan are available here.
Allyship & The Modern Male Leader:
How to Build a Culture of Inclusion and Empowerment
Intended Audience: Male professionals and leaders
Cultivating an inclusive culture is a top priority for ‘modern leaders,’ but it is easier said than done. Sexual harassment and unconscious bias training are just the first steps in creating an organization where everyone can thrive equally. Male executives and managers are expected to build collaborative cultures that drive innovation, engagement, loyalty, and the bottom line, but they aren’t given a playbook on how to make that happen. Until now.
In this helpful, supportive, and non-judgmental program, we provide 'the good guys' with an insider’s look at the top growth barriers for women, the science behind it, and what they can and should do, to achieve gender equity. We help the men in your organization tackle the necessary attitudinal, operational, and behavioral changes, including topics like non-promotable work, the double bind, the broken rung, microaggressions, and meeting interruptions, among others. Your team will learn new strategies to help female reports and colleagues be more empowered and effective while promoting an inclusive culture.
Attendees will leave with:
-
Knowledge of the top factors holding women back from achieving their potential and what they can do about it
-
A better understanding of the Gender Issue Spectrum--from harassment to microaggressions
-
A plan to shift how they operate across key leadership functions including talent recruitment, pay and promotion equity, culture and team dynamics
-
Simple methods to create a psychologically safe environment and encourage collaboration
Innovation Through Inclusivity: How to Build an Inclusive Culture Together
Intended Audience: General
Collaborative cultures drive innovation, engagement, loyalty, and the bottom line. But while cultivating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive equally is a priority for most leading organizations, there is no ‘playbook’ for understanding and embracing equity, until now. In this new keynote, we examine the internal and external barriers holding women back from achieving their potential. We explore workplace realities like non-promotable work, the double bind, the broken rung, microaggressions and meeting interruptions, among others. Your team will learn new strategies to help empower and advance women while making it easier for men to understand their role in promoting an inclusive culture.
Attendees will leave with:
-
Knowledge of the top factors holding women back from achieving their potential and what can be done to solve these challenges
-
A better understanding of the gender inequities in today’s workplace
-
A plan to shift how they operate to change the equity equation at work – regardless of their gender
-
Simple methods to create a psychologically safe environment and encourage collaboration
Innovation Through an Inclusive Mindset
Audience: General
In today’s dynamic business environment, it is critical that employees re-imagine how they embrace change, collaborate, and take risks. Your team needs to confidently pursue new opportunities with higher-level decision-makers and fresh channels for growth while operating without all the answers in a way that resonates with potential partners. This keynote provides your team with the building blocks to be confident, agile, and collaborative.
Attendees will leave with:
-
Inspiration on how the most successful, innovative companies adapt and take risks
-
Insights into how diverse teams deliver better business outcomes and drive higher innovation revenue
-
An understanding of how others who lack confidence can self-sabotage and limit creativity, innovation, and growth
-
Simple methods to create a psychologically safe environment and encourage collaboration
Self-Leadership
Evict the Impostor: How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome and Improve Confidence
Intended Audience: General
Have you ever thought of yourself as a fraud or a fake, waiting for others to ‘find out’ that you aren’t really as smart or talented as everyone thinks you are? If you haven’t personally felt this way, your team members probably have. Impostor Syndrome affects the majority of women at work, but men also struggle with it too. The vast majority of professionals secretly lack confidence at work and identify with one or more Impostor Syndrome ‘competence types’—and they are hungry for strategies on how to understand and overcome their own limiting beliefs. Imposter Syndrome holds high performing, intelligent and creative people back from achieving their potential and can wreak havoc on team dynamics. Those touched by the impostor wand withhold their best ideas, shy away from promotions, delay taking action, burn themselves out and compromise the team. This workshop provides effective methods to build confidence and manage Impostor Syndrome so together we can overcome roadblocks that prevent us from reaching our goals.
Attendees will leave with:
-
An understanding of how pervasive Impostor Syndrome is and why it matters
-
The ability to identify various Impostor Syndrome ‘competence types’
-
Strategies to improve their own mindset and behaviors
-
Methods for managing team members who suffer from low self-confidence or Impostor Syndrome
Build Your Personal Board of Directors: How to Advance at Work Through Allies and Advocates
Intended Audience: General
The relationships you forge along the road to success can have a tremendous impact on your professional growth. Research shows that men are more likely to build sponsor and mentor relationships to help them navigate tricky political situations at work and position themselves for promotions. All too often women are told “they should find a mentor or sponsor’ but aren’t sure where to begin or how to do this in an authentic way. The result is that women are ‘slipping’ on the proverbial “broken rung” and not promoted at the same rate as their male colleagues.
This valuable and actionable workshop makes it easy for women to map out a plan of who can help them on their professional journey and how to build those win-win relationships. Attendees will identify the critical role sponsors, mentors, peer thought partners, allies, and protégées play in supporting their careers. Participants recognize their personal career growth needs, learn the value that each member of a personal board can provide, and build a network of trusted partners who will share a vested interest in their future.
Attendees will leave with:
-
An understanding of how a personal Board of Directors can help them meet their career goals
-
A clear view of their top developmental priorities and the ‘gifts they have to give’ to mentor others
-
A roadmap of how to identify each type of board member and the role he/she plays
-
Strategies to help them approach potential advocates and win their support
Sample Keynotes
Testimonials
Thought Leadership
As a successful entrepreneur, seasoned presenter, and gender equality advocate, Jenn has many opportunities to share her perspective across industries and channels. A high-profile thought leader, Jenn has been featured in a broad range of articles, podcasts, and events where she's shared her passion to advance women and help others "fear less."