Keynotes & Engagements
For the boardroom, the ballroom and the smaller room
For leaders who are winning and privately exhausted.
Dr. Daryl Appleton, keynote speaker
Dr. Daryl speaks to leaders about the part of performance that seldom makes the agenda: self-awareness. Her talks give a room language for something high performers rarely say aloud, the cost of carrying everything well, and show how pressure shapes the way people decide, delegate and react.
Dr. Daryl Appleton, Ed.D., LMHC, is a behavioral strategist who advises executives and leadership teams. She is a licensed mental health counselor in Rhode Island.
Her advisory, podcast, and media work are educational and are not therapy.
Her work is not financial, legal or tax advice.
From the stage
From the Audrain Hat Luncheon keynote, Oct 1, 2026
“I have never once been hired to coach a woman because she wasn't doing enough.”
“Is this a hard moment that I need to adapt well to and dig in? Or is this a situation that is fundamentally not right for me in some way?”
Keynote topics
Better Than Balance
Doing less, better.
This keynote redefines success around fewer, better commitments: where your good hours go, what gets a smaller yes, and what gets a kind no.
Building Resilience That Endures
A keynote on burnout for women leaders and high performers.
It's not resilience if it is burning you out in the process. This talk separates real resilience from endurance for its own sake.
Self-Awareness Before Skills
For executive teams.
This keynote shows leaders how to see their own patterns under pressure (how they decide, delegate and react) before reaching for another framework.
The Confidence Curve: Rethinking Doubt and Redefining Success
On self-doubt and impostor feelings in capable people.
Doubt doesn't disappear with seniority. This talk looks at why accomplished people second-guess themselves and how to work with doubt instead of waiting for it to pass.
These themes also run through her podcast, Feelings & Other F Words.
Private events
Dr. Daryl accepts a limited number of private engagements each year, for private-client and private-bank gatherings and for family and next-generation retreats. These are conversations more than performances, shaped with the host around the guests in the room, and they stay on the human side of leadership, family and change. Her work is not financial, legal or tax advice.
Formats: a keynote with time for questions; a private gathering, with a short talk and conversation for a host's guests; a fireside or moderated conversation; or a working session for a leadership team or a family, alone or with a keynote. See Immersives & Retreats.
Past engagements
Keynote speaker, Audrain Hat Luncheon (Oct 1, 2026).
Speaker, Northern RI Chamber Bold in Business Breakfast (Oct 15, 2026).
Breakout speaker, Bryant University Women's Summit (2026).
Panelist, NE Coastal Creative ELEVATE (2026).
Speaker/panelist, New England Coastal Creative BLOOM (2026).
Dr. Daryl designed and delivers the Performance Wellness Curriculum for surgeons at Brown University Health.
Host of Feelings & Other F Words. Featured in Vogue's best mental health podcasts (2024).
Upcoming
Rhode Island Bankers Association, "The Confidence Curve: Rethinking Doubt and Redefining Success" (Oct 22, 2026)
Santander and Webster Bank, "Change Mastery: Rewriting Your Story in Seasons of Transition" (Oct 27, 2026)
Opening keynote, NE Coastal Creative ELEVATE (Jan 12, 2027).
Questions from hosts
Does Dr. Daryl speak at women's leadership events?
Yes. Recent engagements include the Audrain Hat Luncheon, the Bryant University Women's Summit and the Northern RI Chamber's Bold in Business Breakfast.
Does Dr. Daryl speak at private-client gatherings or family retreats?
Yes. She accepts a limited number of private engagements each year, including private-client and private-bank gatherings and family and next-generation retreats. Each is designed with the host in advance. Her work is not financial, legal or tax advice.
Is this a motivational talk?
No. Dr. Daryl's keynotes are grounded in behavioral research and her advisory work with executives. They are candid and practical rather than inspirational.
Can the keynote be paired with a workshop for our leadership team?
Yes. A keynote can open a working session or offsite for the leadership team. See Immersives & Retreats.
Is Dr. Daryl's work therapy?
No. Dr. Daryl Appleton, Ed.D., LMHC, is a behavioral strategist who advises executives and leadership teams. She is a licensed mental health counselor in Rhode Island. Her advisory, podcast, and media work are educational and are not therapy.