Sean Bott

Spending much of his early life growing up in Saudi Arabia, Sean Bott developed a scorching sense of humor. He began his journey into the delicious art of magic at the tender age of 12 by learning and then performing hypnosis, psychology, and stagecraft at his local library. One quirky magic shop, a degree or two, and more than three pounds later, he can now say he’s been blowing minds, making people gasp and laugh, all while eating curly fries, for over 15 years. Sprinkle on some pit stops at Second City in Chicago to keep his funny skills on point and you’re left with a one-of-a-kind mind reading experience. As you can imagine, all of that heat combined with some childhood trauma, a birth Mom still at large (maybe the rain forest?), and two really weird stepmoms, has given him some anxiety. Sean Bott has studied cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and self-compassion, feeding his interest in the world of clinical mental health counseling. As that journey continues, Sean combines that knowledge, personal experience and mind-reading, to show us how to create warm connection with other humans quickly and authentically.

Whether building deeper relationships as a leader, working with clients, onboarding new employees, or retaining great talent, the tools he provides, creates spaces of belonging faster and easier than ever before. When Sean engages with your people, from start to finish, his focus is on understanding their pain points and working together towards your desired outcome.

Working with over 1,500 associations, corporations, and universities worldwide including companies like Dell, Google, and Disney, Sean has brought curated content, mind-blowing moments, and bucketfuls of laughs (not chicken) to thousands.

“Through my study of empathy, psychology, mentalism, and comedy, I provide positive skills and awareness for others to create connection and belonging. I draw on best practices in cognitive behavioral therapy, self-compassion research and social psychology to create an applicable, cohesive tool-set that is actionable, and implementable.”

At home, Sean Bott is owned by two cats, two kids, and a spouse. He’ll walk on a treadmill – sometimes – and he eats hot soup in the summer.

Connect for Keeps – Attract, keep, and build thriving talent, teams, & organizations

People don’t leave companies, they leave management (and really bad jokes). Often people trudge along in jobs where they feel unseen, and where their best efforts go unrecognized. They feel invisible. The tools in his keynote, clinically proven through various therapeutic modalities and self-compassion research, will teach your people how to make others feel understood, connected, and valued. Layer on truly memorable mind- reading moments and a few solid Dad jokes, and this keynote will be the signature event your people refer to again and again.

Survive to Thrive

Encourage a healthy culture and mitigate employee burnout and uncertainty by empowering leaders with resilience, energy, and creative solutions to pivot your organization from Survive to Thrive!

The tools Sean teaches in Survive to Thrive, tackle head-on the undercurrent of employee erosion that affects company productivity, successful change management, and quiet quitting. From entry-level to C-suite leadership, Sean empowers every level of your organization with effective tools to navigate an ever-changing world. Through research-supported skills such as Riding the Wave, Radical Acceptance, and Emotional Digestion/Emotional Regulation – from the field of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy – your people will learn the power of effective worrying, and learn to thrive in uncertainty. As a people expert and dead ringer for Jack Black(ish?), Sean delivers these powerful tools with warmth, laughter, and wonder.