Mariana Atencio

Mariana Atencio is a Peabody Award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and dynamic keynote speaker whose viral TEDx talk on the power of being different has captivated tens of millions of viewers worldwide. She speaks on authenticity, leadership, resilience, confident communication, and embracing diversity as a competitive advantage in work and life.

Award-Winning Journalist and Global Storyteller
As a national correspondent for NBC News, Atencio earned three Emmy nominations, a Hillman Prize, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Presidential Award for her investigative field work covering Latin America, migration, and human rights. She has reported from Haiti, the Syrian border, and China, and has interviewed Pope Francis, President Biden, King Felipe VI of Spain, chef Jose Andres, author Yuval Noah Harari, and director Francis Ford Coppola, among other prominent figures.

Bestselling Author and Authenticity Expert
Atencio’s bestselling book, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real, inspires professionals and organizations to leverage authenticity to supercharge relationships, careers, and workplace culture. Originally from Venezuela, her personal journey of navigating change and building a new identity fuels her compelling message that what makes you different is what makes you special.

Transformative Keynote Presentations
Her dynamic presentations equip audiences with actionable tools for leading through change, communicating with confidence and empathy, and building inclusive cultures of trust that attract and retain top talent in an era of AI and constant disruption.

The Power of Being Perfectly You

It’s a fact: People are at their best – at work and in life – when they feel like they can be themselves. They’re more confident in the face of change and uncertainty, more engaged and resilient, and have a greater sense of purpose and well-being. But fear can sometimes keep us from being real. In this presentation, Mariana Atencio brings her energy, humor, and skillful storytelling to inspire people to embrace their authenticity and unleash the power that comes with being themselves. Being “Perfectly You” builds trust and connection – it attracts people like a magnet because authenticity stands out in a world of algorithms and A.I. content. Mariana’s unique personal story and infectious optimism energizes people with the courage to fully engage, adapt to constant change, and reach new levels of fulfillment at work and in life.

Sample takeaways:
• Unlock the secret of being our real selves, especially at work.
• How to discover and harness the traits that make you “Perfectly You.”
• Navigate change confidently. Increase your personal fulfillment and sense of purpose.
• Why being vulnerable and leading with empathy inspires others, builds trust, and creates more meaningful relationships.
• 4 steps authentic leaders use to cultivate transformation and innovation and enhance resilience in the face of change.
• Help leaders create a culture of authenticity that spurs engagement, connection, collaboration, and performance.

Transformative Leadership: Building Trust Through Authenticity

A title doesn’t make someone a leader. What makes a leader is followers. The challenge of leading today is that people are increasingly skeptical and distrustful. The job of every leader is to build trust through authenticity and transparency, guiding teams effectively through change and uncertainty. It takes courage to lead this way, but the benefits are undeniable. Leaders who inspire trust generate a sense of belonging and inspire people to deliver their best efforts and ideas.

In this talk, Mariana Atencio helps people tap into the transformative power of embracing their true selves as leaders. She unveils the four core traits that define authentic leaders: unyielding courage, dynamic agility, powerful communication, and an unwavering growth mindset. Her transformative formula for unlocking leadership potential focuses on actionable tools that are immediately applicable to build a culture of trust, authenticity and leading with purpose.

Key takeaways:
• Develop the skills to identify, understand, and guide your team through change effectively.
• Leverage your unique leadership abilities to build trust.
• Communicate with clarity, empathy, and transparency to navigate uncertainty.
• Unite your teams around a shared purpose to drive collective progress.

Communicating Confidently – Cut Through the Noise and Get Heard ( Post-Keynote Breakout or Separate Keynote)

For everyone in business, delivering a message efficiently – internally and in different media – has gotten infinitely more complex in the age of AI. This interactive presentation will help attendees sharpen their communication skills. Mariana equips leaders – from entry level to the C-Suite – with practical tools and tested principles to speak confidently, authentically, and effectively, whether it’s for client meetings, internal communications, Zoom, an important presentation, a traditional media interview, a digital clip and/or a conference stage. Mariana will share tips that took her more than a decade of television and social media experience to learn, working at two of the world’s biggest news networks, in Spanish and English. 45-90 Minutes

Sample takeaways:
• Learn to distill your main message so it resonates across all platforms.
• Practical tips and pro tricks for in-person and virtual presentations.
• Master the power of persuasion in an era of fleeting attention spans.
• Better storytelling to create connection and leave a lasting impact.
• Establish credibility and build trust in an era of misinformation.
• How to navigate real-time interview scenarios with confidence.

Moderating/Interviewing/Hosting

With experience as a national network news anchor and reporter, Mariana brings warmth and intelligence to each hosting, moderating, and interviewing assignment. Mariana’s curiosity and poise help her get the most out of those on stage with her.

The breadth of Mariana’s experience speaks to her versatility. She’s moderated conversations on embracing a mindset for change at Microsoft, on the rights of women in Iran, on gender inequality at Foreign Policy magazine’s HERPower summit, on media representation at the Paley Center for Media, on financial literacy at Nasdaq, on building a personal and professional brand at Columbia University, a panel on geopolitics and economics at Citi Private Bank’s autumn dialogues with three heads of state from Latin America, a session at the United Nations General Assembly meeting on global healthcare inequity, plus the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, PepsiCo, JP Morgan, Accenture, Spotify, Google, YouTube, Clorox, AT&T, Spectrum, and more.