Mariana Atencio

Mariana Atencio is a Peabody award–winning journalist, author and speaker, included in AdWeek’s “Young Influentials”, as well as the co-founder of Go Like, her multimedia production company.

As a former anchor at Univision/Fusion and national correspondent at NBC News, she has traveled the world to report on some of the most volatile conflicts of our times, in both English and Spanish, for over a decade.

Mariana’s TEDx Talk on authenticity, “What Makes You Special?”, is one of the top 10 most watched on YouTube and translated into 11 languages. Her first book, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real, was an Amazon Best Seller for Latino Biographies and selected as an Audible Editor’s Pick and AppleBooks “Must Listen.”

Her work has been honored with a Peabody, a Gracie, and an IRE award. She won Columbia University Journalism School’s “First Decade Award” and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Presidential Award. Mariana is a 2020 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

She has keynoted at the United Nations ‘Girl Up’ Summit; the LinkedIn annual conference alongside speakers like Michelle Obama, as well as Spotify, Microsoft and Citi Private Bank’s Autumn Dialogues. She is featured on HBO’s “Habla Now” as one of the Latinx leaders driving the narrative for the next decade.

She is highly embraced by her social media community for her uplifting messages of inclusiveness and authenticity.

Embracing Change, Reducing Anxiety, Reinventing Yourself & Reclaiming Control to Become Leaders (VIRTUAL OPTION) 

In the wake of Covid-19, we have all -whether we wanted it or not- been thrust into a transformation. Being nimble, adapting, reinventing ourselves have been become key to our survival.

This isn’t entirely new to Mariana. As a breaking news journalist, she has been covering natural disasters, protests and mass shootings for over a decade. Mariana has been meeting people on what is probably the worst day of their lives. Yet, they’ve shown her incredible kindness, forgiveness and resilience.

In this very pressing talk, Mariana reveals what she has learned through these interactions and shares applicable takeaways for audiences to -re-act- to the current changes, to reclaim our power, lessen the fear of failure and to reinvent ourselves.

Exercise:
Uniqueness Discovery – Mariana asks attendees to write the top three pros and cons that they recognize within themselves and later asks them to flip the cons into competitive advantages. This will be done using their “Perfectly You” cards. After this exercise, attendees will achieve more clarity on the value they bring to the table. They will be encouraged to share it with others towards the end of the exercise. It is a very dynamic and fresh way to make attendees discover new things about themselves that they will take home and apply in the workplace.

Authenticity 

Human beings innately want to blend in – think back to being a child on a playground. Over time, we repeatedly minimize the traits that make us special until we can even lose our sense of self. Through her powerful speech on authenticity, Mariana will share how minimizing the traits that made her special prevented her from standing out in the marketplace. It wasn’t until she began to recognize and celebrate those differences, life began to shift. Mariana will teach attendees to flip the script and share the power that authenticity holds for an employee, inevitably strengthening teams and impacting the world. Mariana will also share insights of tapping into your authenticity in era of filters and social media.

Takeaways include:
– Understanding the power of authenticity;
– Discovering the “secret sauce” behind every attendee;
– Connecting the dots – why being authentic makes your team better and its impact on the world

The Power of Storytelling for People and Brands 

After a 10-year career navigating traditional television and social media, having been awarded a Peabody for her work in journalism, Mariana knows how to tell an authentic story – one that will build bridges and create change. In this talk, Mariana will demonstrate how the same principles of authentic storytelling on television can be applied by brands to engage customers and employees alike.

For better or worse, an authentic story is what sticks. It is essential to our collective history. Mariana will teach the audience how the power of a message, spoken, written, recorded, will be ever present in our lives. Discover what kind of a lasting message YOU want to leave behind and how to make it stick!

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

One of the top challenges for executives nowadays is not only ensuring employee diversity and inclusion but also cultivating a sense of belonging. Employees who feel connected and valued are more expressive and liberal with their ideas. This sense of belonging fosters creativity; providing an environment where employees feel safe taking risks.

How does an organization successfully diversify its workforce? How can they reach underrepresented communities? As the only Latina National correspondent on NBC news, Mariana will share insights for executives on how to attract this diverse talent in the 21st century. She will share tools to help cultivate belonging – championing and celebrating workforce cultures and perspectives. As Mariana explained in her viral Ted Talk “What Makes You Special?”, we think that belonging should happen instinctively, but it takes work. Through exercises like “Your Top 3s”, which Mariana has engaged during global conferences like Spotify Annual Conference and United Nations Girl Up Summit, Mariana will guide attendees on how to discover their own magic in order to recognize and embrace it within their workforce talent.

Takeaways include:
– How to hire diverse talent where they are;
– How to integrate talent into the company culture;
– Practical techniques to make your employees feel like they belong in the workplace

Exercise:
“Your Top 3s” – Mariana asks attendees to name the top 3 unique traits they see in themselves. After this exercise, attendees will have a better idea of what they bring to the table and they will be encouraged to share it with others towards the end of the exercise to build community and belonging. Can only be done with “Perfectly You” cards which MA can provide the client to print.

CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS:

Your Special Sauce – Teamwork

The key to being a successful team member starts with understanding that belonging takes work. In this talk, Mariana focuses on how failing as a team and feeling like a kid is important to fueling innovation as a team.

Exercise:
“As Seen on TV”. Mariana brings teams of 2 people on to the stage and asks them to sell items (provided by Mariana) to the audience, in an “As Seen on TV” style. The twist? The contestants have to work in teams and sell items for something else than what they are regularly used for. The audience will discover teamwork techniques on the spot that will keep them entertained with practical takeaways.

Millennials and Gen Zs

In this talk, Mariana will guide attendees as to what millennials and Gen Z’s expect from the workplace, what motivates them and how they should be catered to. As a millennial herself, who regularly connects to both generations on her social media platforms, Mariana will also share her insight into what these generations buy, why they buy it and the values they adhere to.

Empowerment 

In this inspirational talk, Mariana shares the keys to tapping into your true power, which can be achieved by empowering others. She will specifically focus on female empowerment, empowering young girls and leading by example.  Many people subscribe to the roles that are expected of them. As a result, people and especially women are often feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Mariana will give you the tools to prioritize and find a balance in your life, rather than to strive for perfection. Through dancing and music, in this very dynamic session, you will not only leave energized and enlightened but also empowered to take on whatever your day brings.

Immigration and Unity 

Mariana left her native Venezuela fleeing violence and oppression at age 24 and came to the United States as an immigrant. That meant resetting her life and rethinking who she was, what she “brought to the table” and how she could contribute. In this time of division, where anti-immigration is the order of the day, Mariana talks about the contribution that a diverse community can make to a company and also the world. She talks about how to proudly celebrate what makes everyone special, our immigrant roots and solutions as to how companies can attract immigrant talent and make them feel like they belong. Through her very powerful first-hand account, Mariana will make the audience laugh and cry and discover how we can all become more united in companies, departments and around the world.