Blog - Jody Urquhart

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Why I Stopped Confusing Humility with Self-Doubt

April 15, 2025 No Comments

I used to think humility meant staying quiet and dimming my light so others could shine. But I realized that

Human-Centered Leadership and the Science of High-Performing Teams

April 14, 2025 No Comments

Why do some teams thrive while others barely survive? It’s not luck — it’s science. A human-centered leadership approach transforms

The Fastest Way to Kill Employee Morale: The Voice in Your Head

April 10, 2025 No Comments

The fastest way to kill employee morale is to be present physically but absent mentally. When leaders are lost in

HR Is Supposed to Build Workplace Culture, Not Babysit It

April 8, 2025 No Comments

HR is often seen as the go-to for resolving workplace issues, but this perception needs to change. Instead of babysitting,

Human-Centered Leadership Speaker: Why Leaders Are Chasing the Wrong High

April 3, 2025 No Comments

Imagine this: You check your email, get a notification, and feel that tiny rush of satisfaction. Before you know it,

Hesitations of Hiring a Motivational Speaker

April 3, 2025 No Comments

Leaders often hesitate to hire a motivational speaker due to concerns about cost, effectiveness, and relevance. However, the right speaker

What Clients Are Saying

Tracy Dejong Discover Card

Jody creates breakthrough moments of self-reflection that fundamentally changes how teams collaborate.

Victoria McPheat Sunlife Global Investments

Jody’s use of comedy helped break down our defences and encouraged our team to stop living on autopilot

Marisol Kroll Kruger

This isn't about another motivational speech. It's about rewiring how professionals authentically engage, lead, and create meaningful workplace connections.

Donna Balter Cambridge Health Alliance

It’s a huge relief to experience a motivational speaker with no PowerPoint. You are authentic, hilarious and relatable.

If you have to control everything, you’re not le

If you have to control everything, you’re not leading—you’re limiting.
Micromanaging:

It kills trust.
It smothers creativity.
And it sends the message: I don’t believe you can handle this without me.

But the truth is, leadership isn’t about control—it’s about courage.

Letting go isn’t easy. It means trusting people to rise, to fail, to figure it out.
It means understanding that people can only meet you to the degree they’ve met themselves.
And that growth often looks messy before it looks strong.

If you want your team to step up, you have to step back.
Create the space. Set the vision.
Then trust them to get there in their own way.

Let go—not because you’re giving up control,
but because you’re building people who no longer need it.

#HumanCenteredLeadership #LeadershipSpeaker #FemaleMotivationalSpeaker #Micromanage #LeadershipGrowth #LetGoToLead #Leadership #EmpoweredTeams #TrustOverControl

𝐓𝐡𝐞 #𝟏 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞? 𝐓𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.

Here’s the truth most leaders miss:

👉 People don’t want to be fixed — they want to grow.

Yet most feedback sounds like a report card.
Focused only on what went wrong.

No wonder it demotivates.

Great leaders do this instead:
They shift from performance review to potential unlock.

Here’s how:

1️⃣ Acknowledge what’s working — build from strengths

2️⃣ Spot the next step — “You nailed this. What if you also tried…”

3️⃣ Inspire growth — don’t just correct, coach

People rise when they feel seen and stretched.

Lead with belief, not just critique.

💬 What’s one piece of feedback that unlocked growth for you? #femalemotivationalspeaker #leadership

The Fastest Way to Kill Employee Morale? Easy. S

The Fastest Way to Kill Employee Morale?

Easy.

Schedule a mandatory team-building activity during everyone’s lunch break.

Because nothing says we value you like taking away the one hour people had to eat, breathe, or cry in their car.

You know the drill:
• There’s forced fun.
• There are trust falls.
• There’s a breakout room where someone suggests “icebreakers,” and someone else plots their escape through the ceiling tiles.

Meanwhile, Linda just wanted to microwave her sad little leftovers in peace.

Connection isn’t built on obligation — it’s built on presence. It happens when people want to be there, not when they’re volun-told.

If you want to build morale, don’t steal people’s lunch. Feed their energy, not their resentment.

Want a team that laughs, connects, and actually wants to be in the room?

Let’s do it the human way. With meaning, humor, and no trust falls required.

Hire me to speak — I promise to make it worth their lunch.

#FunnyMotivationalSpeaker #EmployeeMorale #TeamBuilding #ComedySkit #FunnySpeaker #WorkplaceHumor #HumanCenteredLeadership #LeadershipWithLaughter

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐈’𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞.

Yep — stomach churning, mind racing, hands a little too cold.

The first five minutes on stage? Pure nerves.

“Will they connect with this?”
“Am I enough?”

But here’s the twist:

That fear? It’s fuel.
That cortisol rush? It sharpens focus.
It anchors me in the moment.

I used to chase fearless. Now I chase real.

Confidence isn’t the absence of fear — it’s dancing with it.

A head nod, a soft laugh, eye contact… the nerves settle.

The message flows. The fear fades.
So tell me this:

👉 Where are you projecting confidence while battling doubt behind the scenes?

#womeninleadership #FemaleMotivationalSpeakers #humanity #fearless

Bold Women Break Barriers In a world that still q

Bold Women Break Barriers

In a world that still questions a woman’s leadership, boldness isn’t optional — it’s necessary.

Female leaders aren’t just showing up — we’re standing tall, speaking up, and pushing back against outdated bias.

In this video, I dive into how women can rise above the double standards and own their voice, power, and presence at work. It’s time to lead with courage, not apology. To stop asking for permission. To take up space and bring others with us.

Because leadership isn’t about fitting in — it’s about standing out.

Watch now and share with a woman who inspires you to be bold.

#motivational #speaker #femaleleadership #femalemotivation #leadershipdevelopment #boldleaders #womensupportingwomen #workplacebias #motivationalspeaker #womeninleadership #femaleempowerment

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬.

Avoiding conflict doesn’t keep peace — it delays explosions.

Most teams think de-escalation means suppressing emotions. But bottling them up only breeds resentment.

Great leaders don’t avoid emotions — they guide them.

Here’s how:

1. Acknowledge the Emotion
Validate before fixing. “I see this is frustrating — let’s work through it.”

2. Focus on the Issue, Not the Person
Critique the problem, not the individual. Keep trust intact.

3. Encourage Reflective Responses
Pause > Reflect > Respond. Teach calm, not chaos.

Handled right, conflict can strengthen teams — not split them.
#conflictresolution #femalekeynotespeaker

I Thought Being Busy Meant I Was Important—Until

I Thought Being Busy Meant I Was Important—Until It Broke Me

(Here’s a really cool
Write-up from a recent event)

I’m ambitious. I’m driven. I care deeply about doing good work.

But for a long time, I thought that meant I had to do more, be more, prove more.
I told myself, “Keep going. Stay visible. Stay booked. Stay ahead.”

Underneath all that drive were beliefs I didn’t even realize I was carrying—
That my value was in my output.
That if I stopped, I’d lose momentum.
That slowing down meant falling behind.

I didn’t mean to burn out—I just didn’t think I had permission to stop.

All the travel, the constant motion, the pressure to always be “on”…
Eventually, it created a deep anxiety I couldn’t ignore.
I was busy. I was successful.
But I was miserable.

And that was my turning point.

I’ve had to learn how to slow down.
To really show up for my clients.
To be available in a real way for my family.
To stop running and start being present.

I’m still ambitious. That hasn’t changed.
But now I know: being busy isn’t the goal.

Being present is.

If any of this hits close to home, you’re not alone.
You don’t have to earn your worth through exhaustion.
You’re allowed to do less and still matter.

#Leadership #Authenticity #HumanCenteredLeadership #realestateagent #MotivationalSpeaker #Burnout #presenceoverperfection

Narcissists thrive on your reaction- don’t give

Narcissists thrive on your reaction- don’t give it to them.

Narcissists- they want to provoke and manipulate emotions to stay in control. The key to leading them effectively? Don’t give them the reaction they crave. Stay calm, set clear boundaries, and focus on facts, not feelings. By refusing to feed their need for drama, you maintain control and lead with empathy without losing your own balance.

#LeadershipTips #HumanCenteredLeadership #FemaleMotivationalSpeaker #LeadershipSpeaker #LeadWithEmpathy #NarcissistLeadership #LeadershipSkills #MotivationalSpeaker #LeadingNarcissists

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