Susan David

Susan David

Pioneering Architect of Emotional Agility and Transformational Leadership

Core Intelligence Domain: Leadership
Location: Boston, USA | Languages: English
Representation: Represented globally by PSpeakers Global Intelligence

Dr. Susan David is a globally recognised management thinker, award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist, and the definitive authority on emotional agility, whose proprietary frameworks have revolutionised how C-suite executives build resilient, high-performing organisational cultures. In an era of unprecedented complexity, her strategic foresight enables leaders to navigate disruption by cultivating psychological safety, adaptive leadership, and sustained emotional intelligence at scale.

As the CEO of Evidence Based Psychology, Dr. David advises executive teams across multinational corporations, including the United Nations, Ernst & Young, and the World Economic Forum. Her bespoke methodologies bridge the gap between rigorous scientific research and pragmatic business execution, ensuring that organisations can effectively harness human capital to drive strategic growth. She is also the co-founder and co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, where she has been instrumental in professionalising the coaching industry and establishing evidence-based standards for executive development.

Dr. David gained global prominence with her breakthrough concept of Emotional Agility, which the Harvard Business Review named a Management Idea of the Year. Her subsequent #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life, has been translated into over 30 languages and serves as a foundational text for modern leadership development. Furthermore, her landmark TED Talk on the power of emotional courage has amassed tens of millions of views, cementing her status as one of the most influential voices shaping the future of work.

Core Speaking Themes & Masterclasses

Dr. David delivers high-impact keynotes and masterclasses designed to equip leaders with the cognitive and emotional frameworks required to thrive in volatile environments:

• Emotional Agility for Transformational Leadership: Strategies to unhook from unhelpful patterns and lead with purpose, clarity, and adaptive strength.
• Cultivating Resilient Organisational Cultures: Designing psychological safety protocols that empower teams to innovate and execute amidst continuous disruption.
• Navigating Complexity and Change: Frameworks for managing the human dynamics of corporate restructuring, digital transformation, and global shifts.
• The Future of Work: Empathy as a Performance Multiplier: Leveraging emotional intelligence to enhance engagement, retention, and bottom-line productivity.
• Overcoming Toxic Positivity in the Workplace: Embracing authentic emotional ranges to foster genuine collaboration and sustainable high performance.

Major Achievements & Proprietary Frameworks

• #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author: Emotional Agility, lauded globally as a critical blueprint for personal and professional development.
• Harvard Medical School Faculty: Esteemed academic background bridging clinical psychology and executive application.
• Thinkers50 Recognised Thinker: Frequently ranked among the world’s top management thinkers and a recipient of the Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award.
• Institute of Coaching Co-Founder: Pioneered evidence-based coaching standards at McLean Hospital, shaping the future of executive mentoring.
• Global TED Phenomenon: Her TED Talk, “The gift and power of emotional courage,” ranks among the most viewed and impactful talks on human psychology and leadership.

Key Takeaways

• Strategic Adaptability: Leaders equipped with Dr. David’s emotional agility framework are proven to navigate corporate disruption with superior clarity and significantly reduced burnout.
• Cultural Transformation: Moving beyond toxic positivity to establish authentic, psychologically safe environments is essential for unlocking innovation and long-term retention.
• Evidence-Based Execution: Her methodologies are grounded in rigorous Harvard-backed research, providing quantifiable, actionable strategies for C-suite decision-makers.
• Future-Proofing Human Capital: Emotional intelligence is no longer a soft skill but a critical performance metric for navigating the future of work.