Leadership Keynote Speaker Dr. Christiane Schroeter Your team knows
what to do.
The step is too big.
Research-backed leadership keynotes that give your audience one small step to take on Monday. Based in San Luis Obispo, speaking across California and virtually.
PhD · TEDx Speaker · Fulbright Scholar · Featured in Business Insider and Newsweek · Research cited 870+ times
As Heard & Featured On
What hosts and organizers say
What the people who booked her say.
"We selected Christiane as our TEDx kick-off talk. Top-notch. Consummate professional. She reflects the TED ethos: ideas change everything."
Jen Oliver · Executive Producer, TEDxFolsom
"I was thrilled with how Dr. Christiane Schroeter delivered Own Your Growth. Engaging, practical, extremely well received. Attendees left with strategies they could apply immediately. I would recommend her for any conference where the audience values practical takeaways."
L.A. Plax · Conference Chair, Inland Prosperity Conference · Inland Empire Women's Business Center
"She showed up with a level of commitment and enthusiasm every coach hopes for. She didn't just take feedback, she embodied it. If you're looking for someone who brings heart, discipline and brilliance to everything she does, Dr. Christiane Schroeter is it."
Carmen Paredes · TEDx Speaker Coach, Exceptional Leadership Solutions
"As our literal ‘11th hour speaker,’ she had to deliver a fun and impactful presentation at the end of a marathon 11-hour Zoom session. And she did. Her energetic 11-Minute Lesson, complete with activities, was a terrific wrap up for our event."
Bobbie Carlton · Founder, Innovation Women
"Dr. Christiane Schroeter brought valuable insights, energy, and practical strategies that gave our Inland Prosperity Conference attendees meaningful tools to strengthen and grow their businesses."
Jackie Scott · Director, Inland Empire Women's Business Center"I attended your Clarify Your Voice and Add to Your Following presentation and found the information to be extremely helpful... Thank you for providing such valuable information and helping me not feel so intimidated by Instagram. Thanks to you, I went for it, and created my first post."
Britt Fairchild · Attendee, Central Coast Writers Conference at Cuesta CollegeSmall steps. Measurable change.
This is the talk the book came from. No sizzle reel, no form to fill in first. Press play, and see how a room responds when the step is finally small enough.Hear her before you book her.
The TEDx talk shows the stage. These conversations show the rest. How she thinks on her feet, handles the hard question, and makes the research simple enough to use on Monday.300+ podcast interviews on leadership, confidence, and communication. Her own show was named 2025 Woman Podcaster of the Year. The best of them live in one playlist. Start with the first three.What podcast hosts say
"She made the conversation very practical and easy to follow, using real examples and simple stories to explain how small steps can build confidence and create lasting change."
"Her expertise in leadership and human performance really came through, and she has a gift for making ideas feel actionable."
"A fantastic guest who brought the perfect blend of science, warmth, and practical wisdom to our conversation about creating lasting change."
Recent stages
Everything your committee needs, on one page.
The one-sheet has the talks and the bio on a single page. Forward it, or paste the five facts beside this into your email.Download the one-sheet →Download approved photos →Share the full talk →- Formats45 to 60 minute keynote. Half-day and full-day workshops. Virtual sessions, from a full keynote to an interactive 11-minute closing lesson.
- AudienceExecutive retreats of twenty to keynote rooms of 500 and more.
- TravelBased in San Luis Obispo, California. Travel is quoted with the keynote.
- FeeKeynotes from $10,000. Shorter formats from $7,500, including breakouts and virtual sessions. Full workshops are quoted with your keynote.
- ReplyA personal answer within two business days, with a hold on your date.
Choose Your Keynote
Three Leadership Keynotes. One Throughline.
Small Steps, Big Momentum
Why Leaders Stall in Times of Change, and How to Move Anyway
For teams in the middle of change, when everyone knows what to do and nobody is doing it. Grounded in behavioral economics and the Petite Practice® method.
Best fit: leadership summits and all-company meetings of 100 to 500.
Takeaways
- Name the one step small enough to start before lunch.
- Say the goal out loud to one colleague.
- Stop restarting from zero after one bad week.
Own the Room
How to Communicate with Confidence When the Stakes Are High
For leaders who carry the high-stakes conversations: the board update, the hard feedback, the room that has already made up its mind. Presence and clarity, without the volume.
Best fit: executive retreats and manager cohorts of 20 to 150.
Takeaways
- Open a high-stakes conversation with the point, in one sentence.
- Hold the pause instead of filling it.
- Disagree with a senior voice, calmly and once.
The Quiet Authority
Why the Loudest Person in the Room Is Rarely the Most Powerful
For leaders who are done trying to be the loudest voice and want to be the one people follow. Influence built on clarity and conviction, and a room that leans in.
Best fit: leadership conferences and leadership development programs of 100 to 500.
Takeaways
- Say less in the meeting and get quoted more after it.
- Decide what you will not do this quarter, and say it out loud.
- Ask for the room, the raise, or the role in one clear sentence.
For event planners · Free scorecard
What Sticks After the Talk
Most keynotes get judged in the room. The real measure shows up the following week, back at people's desks. This one-page scorecard walks you through eight quick checks, from the research behind the message to the take-home and the fee. Score any speaker you are considering, me included.
Get the free scorecard →Print it and share it with your committee.
Ph.D. Research
The Science Behind Small Steps
Petite Practice® is built on 20+ years of peer-reviewed research in behavioral economics and decision science, cited over 870 times.
01
Small Shifts Win
Cited 311 times in the Journal of Health Economics: incremental changes drive more behavior change than dramatic ones.
02
Willpower Is Not the Variable
What looks like willpower is almost always an incentive, information, or environment problem. Change the setup, and the behavior follows.
03
The Framework
Petite Practice® is built from this research, designed to work with how the brain actually makes decisions.
Featured in Journal of Health Economics · Health Economics · PLOS ONE
Every claim here comes from published, peer-reviewed work. I am glad to send the papers to your committee before you decide.
View full research →Booking a Keynote, Answered
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Meet Dr. Christiane
Lead with Clarity
[kris-tee-AH-nuh]
The Small Steps Doctor · Confidence and leadership, built one rep at a time
I help leaders find clarity when everything feels urgent, then turn it into momentum that actually lasts.
I'm a TEDx speaker, leadership strategist, bestselling author of five books including Petite Practice®, and professor. For 20+ years I've stood in front of rooms of every kind: lecture halls, boardrooms, conference stages. My work blends peer-reviewed research with tools people can use on Monday morning.
Petite Practice® is the belief that big change comes from small, repeatable steps.
Dr. Christiane
By the Numbers
Ready to Move Forward?
Ready to Book Dr. Christiane to Speak?
Tell me your date, your room, and what you need your audience to do differently on Monday. You will have a personal reply and a hold on your date within two business days.
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