Keynote speaking topics: a method, not a mood.

Lorrena Black’s keynote speaking topics are imposter syndrome and resilience. She spent 25 years in the Army being told what a leader should look like, and each keynote gives the room the method she used to lead as herself anyway.

Speaker kit (PDF)

Two signature keynotes. Book either one.

Lorrena Black on stage in a pink suit, arms open, at NextGen Meetings

Standalone keynote

Imposter Interrupted

Outsmarting Self-Doubt with Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence tools that interrupt self-doubt before it costs another opportunity.

Audiences leave able to

  • Name the quiet costume they reach for most
  • Contribute their ideas in the meetings where decisions get made
  • Make confident decisions without over-preparing or over-explaining
  • Coach a colleague through self-doubt, in language the whole team shares
See the imposter syndrome keynote →
Lorrena Black with a microphone, walking a ballroom audience

Standalone keynote

R.A.L.L.Y.™ to Rise

Recenter. Adapt. Lead. Leverage. Yield.

Five repeatable steps for leading through change, worked live by the whole room.

Audiences leave able to

  • Navigate change with five steps they can repeat
  • Name the one step they skip under pressure
  • Recover after a setback and keep leading
See the resilience keynote →

Also available

R.A.L.L.Y.™ the Room
Both frameworks in one keynote.
Half and full day workshops
Either program as a workshop.
Keynote plus workshop
Same-day bundles: the room hears it, then practices it.
Breakouts
Hands-on practice, alone or after a keynote.

Who books her

Before you decide, watch her work.

The Untold Strength of the Non-Combat Soldier

TEDxDetroit · November 2025 · 9 min

Challenges shape your leadership voice. They don't silence it.

“Rocks,” a story performance

Second place, NSA Michigan Last Story Standing

Also on stage“Follow Like a Leader” at DisruptHR Detroit, and the MVAA Women Veterans Conference.

An Army Major’s lessons, told by a storyteller.

25 years in uniform

Lived experience

Enlisted as an HR specialist in 1997 and retired a Major in 2022, leading as herself under real pressure to conform.

Storytelling
TEDxDetroit speaker and second place at NSA Michigan’s Last Story Standing. The story carries the lesson, so people remember it.
Practical tools
Emotional intelligence and the R.A.L.L.Y. Method, worked live on real situations and used the next morning.
Ideal forLeadership summitsWomen’s leadership programsERGs and BRGsAssociation conferencesAll-hands meetingsEmerging leader cohortsVeteran service organizationsHR and SHRM chapters

She doesn’t take the stage. She owns it.

NextGen Meetings
“Lorrena Black is a masterful storyteller and a commanding presence, the kind of speaker who doesn’t just take the stage. She owns it. She had the entire room in the palm of her hand, laughing one moment, deeply reflecting the next.”

Mimi Brown, CSP

Leadership Keynote Speaker, Conference Host & Emcee

EZCORP
“Her transparency created an immediate sense of connection with our participants. She challenged attendees to identify what they will start, stop, and continue. The framework was simple, powerful, and immediately applicable.”

Dr. Neferiatiti Holt

Senior Manager of Belonging, EZCORP

Town of Carver
“Amazing, such an important message given by an incredibly engaging speaker. I was not expecting this today, but I feel so empowered and I have actions I can use in my life going forward.”

Celestine Crews

Town of Carver

Coaching
“Our coaching sessions have stuck with me for years and I still think back to our sessions as I continue to grow. Anyone who enters a coaching session with Lorrena or has the opportunity to hear her deliver a speech is lucky.”

Katie Maximena Flunker

HR Business Partner, coaching client

Choosing a keynote

Which keynote fits my event?

Choose Imposter Interrupted when the room is capable and holding back: over-preparing, over-explaining or going quiet where decisions get made. Choose R.A.L.L.Y.™ to Rise when the organization is in the middle of change and needs five steps it can repeat.

Can she combine the two?

Yes. R.A.L.L.Y.™ the Room puts both frameworks in one keynote.

How long is a keynote?

45 to 60 minutes, tailored to your theme, industry and goals.

Is either keynote eligible for HR credit?

The HR version of Imposter Interrupted is eligible for HRCI and SHRM credit.

Does Lorrena speak outside Michigan?

She is based in Metro Detroit, travels from DTW and is available nationally, in person or virtual.

How does a booking start?

Every booking starts with a discovery call. Use Check Availability on any page, or call the office at (915) 269-2168.

Book a keynote.

Or call the office at (915) 269-2168 · lorrena@lorrenablack.com