MEGAN CARLE

Megan asks questions that move brands and people where they need to go and grow. Her strength and passion lie in transformation, whether that be in workplace culture, leadership, or marketplace by creating an inclusive culture of connection and trust

With nearly 35 years of Fortune 500 industry experience  including stints as Vice President/General Manager – North America Basketball Nike and VP/GM - Western Europe Running — Megan Carle brings vast expertise in consumer facing brand strategies that have resulted in $B wins.

In 2016, Megan founded CSQUAREDTEAM Consulting, which provides consumer-informed brand strategies, workplace culture workshops, and executive coaching from startup to Fortune 500. Megan asks questions that move brands and people where they need to go and grow. Her strength and passion lie in transformation, whether that be in workplace culture, leadership, or marketplace by creating an inclusive culture of connection and trust.

During her three decades at Nike, her integrated leadership helped drive multiple brand and product innovation launches, as well as Nike’s marketplace positioning around WE RUN EUROPE, the London Olympics, and the NBA All Star Games in NYC and Toronto. She is the author of the book, Walk Away to Win, about workplace culture and, specifically, workplace bullying, which is scheduled for a May 16, 2023 launch with McGraw Hill. 

Megan graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA in Political Science. She served on the board of The Open School and is a founding member of “Women of Nike” and “The Wing Women.” She and her husband, Chris, live in Portland with their two children, Spencer and Jackie, and their dog, Blue Bear. She enjoys spending time with her family, seeking out her inner athlete, and listening to Bruce Springsteen.

Speech topics

Creating a Healthy Workplace for All

In the wake of the pandemic, workplaces have seen an exodus of workers who are leaving for reasons ranging from hours to colleagues to workload. At the heart of it all: employees are feeling less supported and valued by their workplace and leaders. Megan Carle wants to change how we conceive of workplace culture. Far from just a feel-good term, the culture of a company is what makes employees feel energized, engaged and productive—or the exact opposite. The good news is that there are very clear markers that manifest themselves when your company’s culture is heading south. Carle talks about how to look for these markers, why and how they establish themselves in the first place, and how a business can re-build its culture so everyone feels safe and can enjoy working toward a greater goal.

THE UNDISCUSSABLE: WORKPLACE BULLYING

There is something affecting over half of American workers, robbing them of their confidence, their health, and their ability to perform even the most basic functions of their job. Sounds like a terrible phenomenon we should all be working to fix, right? But you’d be surprised at how resistant almost everyone in the workplace is to talking about workplace bullying. Megan Carle wants to bring this “undiscussable” topic into the spotlight, and help companies find a way to break the bullying cycle and become places where everyone feels like a valued part of the community. She talks about how bullies operate, why leaders might not understand what they’re doing, and how allies and colleagues can help the people being targeted. Overall, Carle offers hope for both the individual and the corporate organism—a way to eradicate an insidious infection.

REDEFINE YOUR WIN

Most people think of their career and success in a very traditional, linear way: promotions, raises, title changes, and climbing a ladder toward an ultimate goal. But what if something happens, and you have to step off the ladder—or someone gives you a push? In a time when more workers are feeling underappreciated at work, or struggling to balance home and work lives, the definition of success has changed drastically. Megan Carle is here to help you break down what winning means—and doesn’t mean—to you. As someone who was forced to leave behind a job she loved, Carle has instead built a meaningful next chapter that offers satisfaction in ways she hadn’t previously considered. By carefully thinking about what success means to you, how your goals have changed, and what you need to consider yourself a fulfilled worker, you can re-define your win and walk out onto the court ready to play.

THE THREE INGREDIENTS TO AN UNHEALTHY WORKPLACE: SCARCITY, SEXISM, AND SHAME

Women in the workforce are up against a trifecta of considerations that their male counterparts rarely have to face. Looking at the evidence, Megan Carle calls out the reality: there are few women in the room, especially at the top, because of a culture of scarcity, sexism, and shame. Scarcity, because it’s often felt companies only need to have a few women in certain roles, fulfilling a slight nod toward “diversity.” Sexism, because women are still treated as not capable of fulfilling the requirements of top roles. And shame, because women are discouraged from speaking up about these inequities and calling for change. This has to change. Carle can break down why this happens over and over again, even in the modern era; how these three qualities show up in corporate structures and strategies—and thus how we can all start to work against this status quo to make change; and how both men and women can work together to pull back the curtain on these long-held beliefs to fix these underlying problems for the better.

Books

Walk Away to Win: A Playbook to Combat Workplace Bullying

Manage toxic coworkers, support bullied colleagues, and thrive in the workplace and beyond

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