Why I Do What I Do

As a young reporter, I saw a woman save her home from a wildfire using only a kitchen broom and a garden hose. As surprised by her courage as she was, I became a lifelong student of how people rise to extraordinary challenges.

Since then, I’ve been fortunate to learn from hundreds of people, including Nobel Prize-winning scientists, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, top civil rights leaders, university presidents, foundation and nonprofit heads, CEOs, extreme athletes, and many more who didn’t have the titles but had a lasting impact.

Today, these lessons are more relevant than ever, and I am excited to share them with people who want to make a positive difference in their organizations, communities, and families.

Bio

Lisa Bennett is an author, award-winning journalist, and speaker who focuses on helping people rise to big challenges, one small step at a time. She is the author of the forthcoming books Mission—Driven: Leading with Courage in an Uncertain World and Safekeeping: Raising Children in a Changing World.

Lisa partnered with emotional intelligence expert Daniel Goleman to co-author Ecoliterate, which Sir Ken Robinson called “powerful and persuasive.” She is the editor of Women Amplified and has contributed to numerous other books, including The Compassionate Instinct, Smart by Nature, and A Place at the Table.

She is a former leader of several national organizations dedicated to advancing equality, education, and the environment. She facilitated a major conference on climate communication and education and has spoken at many events, including a gathering of 1,200 at the Washington Convention Center and the National Press Club and numerous conferences.

A Bit More

Lisa has in-depth knowledge about how to lead and communicate on some of the most hot-button issues of our day, from climate change to LGBTQ+ rights and women’s equality.

She is a former Harvard University fellow in the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. She earned a master’s in international affairs and journalism and a bachelor’s in literature and writing at Columbia University.

Lisa’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Harpers, The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Forbes, Vox, More Magazine, Mothering, Greater Good, Lion's Roar, The Huffington Post, Thrive, Narratively, and elsewhere. 

She also has appeared on dozens of TV and radio programs, including ABC and NBC-TV San Francisco, the BBC, C-SPAN, the Sean Hannity Show, West Coast Live, and Wisconsin Public Radio.

Lisa lives in California and is the mother of two adventurous sons. She loves hiking, swimming, yoga, skiing, travel, and a good challenge.