Shannon's Popular Speaking Topics
Speaking Topic #1
From Stressed to Steady
In today’s fast-moving world, stress is a constant companion — especially in service-based, high-pressure environments. But that doesn’t mean we’re powerless.
In From Stressed to Steady, Shannon McQuaide offers a practical, science-informed path to resilience through the practices of yoga, mindfulness, and meditation. With warmth, humor, and decades of experience working with first responders, educators, and leaders, Shannon invites participants to explore simple, sustainable tools for regulating the nervous system and restoring balance.
Rooted in both neuroscience and ancient wisdom, this talk helps individuals and teams understand how stress impacts the body and brain — and what we can do about it, one breath and one small shift at a time.
Why It Matters
- Chronic stress erodes clarity, creativity, and connection — at both the personal and organizational level.
- Nervous system regulation isn’t just a wellness buzzword — it’s the foundation of sustainable leadership, teamwork, and decision-making.
- When individuals and institutions prioritize well-being, cultures transform — from reactive to responsive, from exhausted to empowered.
Key Takeaways
- A grounded, accessible introduction to the neuroscience of stress and recovery
- Gentle, practical tools from yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness anyone can use — no experience required
- Insight into how individual habits contribute to or protect against burnout
- A fresh look at why well-being is a leadership skill, not just a personal one
- An experience that is engaging, experiential, and immediately applicable
Want to create a culture of resilience, recovery and wellbeing - even in a high-pressure environment? Let's work together.
Contact Me to bring From Stressed to Steady to your team, department, or conference.
Speaking Topic #2
Leading Through High Pressure: How to Stay Well, Lead Well, and Adapt Without Burning Out
In high-stakes environments — from the courtroom to the fireline — leadership is not just about making decisions; it’s about maintaining clarity, compassion, and stamina under pressure. This talk explores the inner skills that support outer effectiveness, especially in roles that require constant responsiveness to crisis, change, or emotional load.
Grounded in real-world experience and supported by tools from mindfulness, leadership coaching, and trauma-informed practices, this session invites leaders to move beyond survival mode and into sustainable, values-aligned leadership.
Why It Matters
Leadership in high-pressure environments isn’t just about making tough calls — it’s about doing so repeatedly, often without rest, recognition, or room to reflect. Over time, even the most committed leaders can find themselves operating in survival mode, disconnected from their purpose, their people, and even their own well-being.
Unchecked stress and chronic overextension don’t just harm individuals — they erode trust, effectiveness, and culture. And yet, many leaders have never been taught how to manage the internal weight of external demands.
This talk matters because:
- Burnout is not a personal failure — it’s a system-level signal that something needs to shift.
- The ability to lead with presence, clarity, and emotional regulation is learnable — and essential for sustained impact.
- When leaders prioritize their own wellness, they give permission for their teams to do the same — creating cultures that thrive, not just survive.
This is the shift: from enduring the pressure to skillfully navigating it — with strategy, support, and heart.
Key Takeaways
- The Role of Boundaries in Resilient Leadership: Understand why boundary-setting is not selfish — it’s strategic, especially for those in service-oriented roles.
- Mental Health Is Leadership Capacity: Discover how stress, anxiety, and overextension impact performance and presence — and what to do about it.
- Wellness as a Collective Responsibility: Shift the narrative from individual toughness to team resilience and culture change.
- Micro Practices for Macro Impact: Walk away with simple, science-informed tools to regulate the nervous system, build focus, and reset under pressure.
Contact Me to bring Leading Through High Pressure to your team, department, or conference.
Speaking Topic #3
Teamwork That Heals
What makes a team truly effective isn’t just strategy or skills — it’s the quality of the relationships at its core. In high-stakes, emotionally charged environments, the ability to listen deeply, communicate clearly, and repair ruptures is what builds trust, resilience, and psychological safety.
This session explores how presence, empathy, and emotional intelligence create the foundation for strong, connected teams. We’ll explore practical tools from nonviolent communication, restorative practices, and trauma-informed leadership — and how they can transform your culture from stressed and siloed to collaborative and cohesive.
Why It Matters
- In teams where high performance is expected but emotional capacity is low, burnout and conflict are inevitable.
- Individual well-being is inseparable from team culture — you can’t thrive alone in a toxic system.
- When teams learn to slow down, listen, and stay in connection through tension, they become more adaptive, more creative, and more durable.
Key Takeaways
- How to build presence into daily communication for more clarity and connection
- Key practices from nonviolent communication and restorative circles to support understanding and repair
- Strategies for naming conflict without blame — and staying engaged when conversations get hard
- Why well-being is a shared responsibility, and how team dynamics either support or sabotage it
- Tools to create a culture of psychological safety, mutual respect, and shared ownership