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Restoring Hope, Clarity, and Sustainable Impact in the Workforce
Where Burnout Meets Renewal and Leaders Find Their Way Forward
Keynote Speaker & Master Facilitator for Mission-Driven Leaders
I help mission-driven organizations restore purpose, clarity, and engagement so leaders and teams can sustain impact without burning out.
Helping Workforce, HR, and Leadership Professionals Thrive, Now and Next
Today’s workforce is carrying more than ever. Rapid change, AI disruption, shifting expectations, and constant pressure have made burnout harder to ignore. For leaders in service-driven roles, navigating what’s next isn’t optional, it’s essential to sustaining people, purpose, and impact.
Jessica Pierce delivers high-impact, hope-centered keynotes that help workforce, HR, and leadership professionals lead through change with clarity, confidence, and renewed purpose. Her talks blend timely workforce insight, real-world experience, and practical tools equipping leaders to engage teams, navigate uncertainty, and build resilient, people-centered, future-ready cultures.
With deep roots in workforce development, HR, career services, higher education, and leadership training, Jessica challenges outdated models while offering realistic, people-first strategies for today’s realities. Her approach is grounded in research, shaped by lived experience, and deeply relatable, resonating with leaders who care deeply about their work and are ready to lead with both strength and compassion.
If you’re planning a workforce summit, HR conference, leadership retreat, or professional development event, Jessica brings clarity, grounded energy, and a deep commitment to helping leaders, and the people they serve, thrive in what’s now and what’s next.
Meet Jessica
Jessica Pierce is a keynote speaker, master facilitator, and workforce & burnout strategist who helps leaders and organizations restore clarity, purpose, and sustainable impact in the work they do every day.
She is the Founder and CEO of Career Connectors, a nationally recognized nonprofit that has supported more than 80,000 professionals navigating career transition, workforce uncertainty, and change since 2009. What began as a response to economic disruption has grown into one of the country’s largest career networking organizations, rooted in the belief that people thrive when they are supported with clarity, connection, and hope.
Jessica’s keynotes and facilitated sessions are known for being both insightful and deeply human. She blends workforce data, real-world experience, and practical tools with authentic storytelling, helping leaders re-engage teams, navigate burnout, and lead through complexity with confidence. Her work resonates especially with professionals in service-driven environments who care deeply about their people and their mission but are feeling the weight of constant change.
With experience spanning workforce development, HR, higher education, leadership training, and economic development, Jessica challenges outdated models while offering people-first strategies that work in today’s realities. Her message is consistent and grounded: meaningful work should not require sacrificing well-being, and sustainable leadership is possible, even in demanding systems.
Jessica’s leadership and community impact have been recognized by the Phoenix Business Journal and Arizona Foothills Magazine, among others. Yet the measure she values most is the ripple effect, leaders who lead better, teams who stay engaged, and people who rediscover why their work matters.
Outside of her professional work, Jessica is guided by faith, family, and purpose. She loves traveling with her husband, Mark, and their three children, and believes that a well-lived life, like a strong career, is built with intention, connection, and hope.
Jessica's Talks
Jessica’s keynote talks are engaging, insight-rich experiences designed to restore clarity, confidence, and momentum for leaders and teams navigating change. Rather than relying on motivation alone, her sessions equip audiences with practical tools, grounded strategies, and renewed perspective, helping people lead well within their current roles while preparing for what’s ahead.
Blending workforce insight, leadership experience, and authentic storytelling, Jessica connects deeply with audiences who care about their work but are feeling the weight of complexity, pressure, and constant transition. Her keynotes help leaders move beyond survival mode, rethink how they lead and support others, and build sustainable pathways for engagement, growth, and impact in today’s evolving world of work.
Reignite Your Passion: Preventing Burnout & Finding Purpose in People-Centered Work
Those who serve others for a living across workforce, government, education, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations, carry a unique weight. The work is meaningful, purpose-filled, and deeply human. Over time, however, the constant pressure to give, adapt, and lead through change can quietly lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and disengagement.
In this powerful and hope-filled keynote, Jessica Pierce speaks directly to leaders and professionals who care deeply about their work but are feeling stretched, tired, or at risk of losing the very passion that brought them here. With honesty, clarity, and compassion, she reframes burnout not as a personal failure but as a signal that systems, boundaries, and rhythms need to change.
Grounded in real-world experience and authentic storytelling, this keynote invites audiences to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what sustains both their impact and their well-being. Jessica introduces a practical framework centered on seven essential areas of life, Faith, Family, Friends & Community, Finances, Career, Health, and Joy, offering a renewed way to think about sustainability in service-driven work.
This keynote doesn’t ask people to do less meaningful work. It shows them how to carry it differently, with clarity, resilience, and hope, so they can continue leading, serving, and making a difference without burning out.
This Keynote Will Help Audiences:
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Recognize burnout early by identifying the often-overlooked signs of compassion fatigue and chronic overload common in mission-driven roles.
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Reframe sustainability by understanding how boundaries, clarity, and structure protect both people and purpose.
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Restore personal and professional alignment across key areas of life to support long-term engagement and fulfillment.
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Leave with renewed clarity and hope, equipped with practical perspectives they can immediately apply to lead and serve more sustainably.
The Future of Work: Top Trends for 2026 - Inspire, Innovate and Lead
The workforce is experiencing a seismic shift, and two forces are driving it: Gen Z and AI. With Gen Z rapidly reshaping workplace expectations and AI revolutionizing hiring and talent management, organizations that fail to adapt risk falling behind. Is your team ready for what’s next?
In this high-energy, eye-opening keynote, Jessica takes your employees, association members, or conference attendees on a deep dive into the most disruptive workforce trends of 2025—from AI-driven recruitment and automation to skills-based hiring and Gen Z’s demand for purpose-driven work. Attendees will walk away with:
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A roadmap for navigating the AI revolution in hiring, retention, and workforce planning
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A deep understanding of Gen Z's workplace priorities and how to attract, engage, and retain them
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Innovative talent strategies that go beyond traditional hiring models
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The tools to build a future-proof workplace that thrives in a rapidly evolving job market
This isn’t just another workforce talk—it’s a wake-up call for organizations and workforce professionals looking to lead in the era of AI and Gen Z. Whether you’re an HR leader, workforce professional, or business executive, this keynote delivers the insights, energy, and strategies needed to transform challenges into opportunities. The future of work is here—let’s embrace it, not fear it.
Purpose-Driven Influence: Speak Life, Build Legacy
Your voice matters.
In today’s fast-moving world, leadership is no longer just about titles or output, it’s about clarity, connection, and the kind of influence that leaves a legacy.
In this inspiring and actionable keynote, Jessica empowers leaders to reconnect with their purpose, refine their voice, and activate their influence in a way that transforms others. With authenticity, humor, and real-world wisdom, Jessica shares her journey from career disruption to building one of the nation’s most impactful nonprofit organizations, serving over 75,000 professionals.
Key Themes:
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Purpose fuels presence: Clarify your values and lead with intention
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Influence is built, not given: Trust is earned through alignment and consistency
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Speak life: Use your voice to uplift others and build lasting leadership
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Connection multiplies impact: Relationships are the foundation of real influence
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Legacy starts now: Your leadership decisions shape the stories others will tell
Audience Takeaways:
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A renewed sense of purpose and clarity in how they lead
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Practical tools for leading with trust, consistency, and heart
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Strategies for building meaningful connections that expand their influence
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A challenge to lead in a way that outlives the moment
Perfect For:
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Women’s leadership conferences
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Corporate leadership development programs
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Association events and professional retreats
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Veterans and transition-focused gatherings
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Nonprofit and purpose-driven organizations
Helping others build their careers is deeply rewarding, but for professionals supporting others daily, it can also be draining, overwhelming, and exhausting—leading to burnout and a loss of motivation.In this energizing and inspiring keynote, Jessica Pierce delivers real, practical strategies to help professionals rediscover their passion, avoid burnout, and create lasting impact in their work. Attendees will learn how to reignite their purpose by balancing the seven key areas of life: Faith, Family, Friends/Community, Finances/Wealth, Career, Fun/Travel and Health/Fitness.
Jessica will challenge attendees to be brave, raw, and honest about stress, burnout, and the emotional toll of serving others. Through powerful storytelling and actionable strategies, she will equip professionals with the mindset and tools needed to maintain passion, overcome burnout, and reignite their drive to help others. Your work is changing lives—let’s make sure it fuels YOURS, too.
Re-Igniting Passion: Finding Balance & Purpose When Helping Others Find Their Path
Upcoming Events
Tanana Chiefs Conference
Health Board Facilitation
Jan 29th - 31st
Your Impact NOW! Purpose-Driven Influence
State of Arizona Workforce Regional Remix
5 Locations throughout Arizona in February, 2026
Facilitate 2.5 day board meeting to set strategy and goals.
In this energizing and inspiring keynote, Jessica Pierce delivers real, practical strategies to help professionals rediscover their passion, avoid burnout, and create lasting impact in their work.
Jessica's Testimonials
As a board member for several organizations, we have invited Jessica to speak at several events. Jessica’s insight into workforce issues is engaging as she pulls from practical experiences that motivate people to take action. Our events with her as keynote have been our best attended and highest ranked programs. Jessica is not just a thought leader, she is a leader in action!
Rob Stenson, Ed.D
University of Jamestown
Director of Business and Governmental Affairs
In an era, where empowering others is an invaluable asset, Jessica stands out as a beacon of inspiration. Her journey as a successful businesswoman and nonprofit founder exemplifies resilience, dedication, and a genuine passion for making a difference in the lives of those around her.
Linda Luman
Achieve
VP Human Resources
Jessica Pierce was our keynote speaker and a panel moderator at our annual Training EXPO with a mixed audience of 200 people representing all different types of career level and industry, and she was the top rated speaker of the entire daylong session! We brought her back for a membership webinar in January, receiving similar excellent feedback. Jessica is engaging and interactive both in person and online. I highly recommend her inspirational presentations!
Susan Ciardullo
Arizona Private School Association
Executive Director
Jessica is an outstanding, inspiring speaker, blending expertise with a genuine passion for empowering women leaders and business professionals. Her presentations are not only informative but transformative, leaving a lasting impact on the audience. Jessica's relatability creates an environment where individuals feel seen and inspired to take actionable steps toward their goals. I highly recommend Jessica for any event seeking a knowledgeable, passionate, and relatable speaker.
Denise Gredler,
CEO/Founder
BestCompaniesAZ
Lets Connect.
Lead with Confidence:
Empowering Leaders to navigate innovation, balance, and impact in an evolving world of work.
602-818-5875
