Parul Somani
Global speaker, writer, and leadership coach on the power of intentional actions
Leads interactive keynotes and workshops for Fortune 500 companies, conferences, healthcare systems, universities, nonprofits, etc.
Cancer survivor and award-winning patient leader
Alum of MIT, Harvard Business School, Bain & Co, and Silicon Valley startups
Parul Somani is a global keynote speaker, writer, and leadership coach empowering people to create powerful outcomes with intentional actions. Over her 20+ year career in business, management, and coaching, Parul has developed, tested, and proven a groundbreaking approach to helping people, teams, and organizations get unstuck, embrace change, and make difficult decisions. She is now sought-after by Fortune 500 companies, Silicon Valley startups, universities, healthcare systems, conferences, and other nonprofits for her authentic storytelling, powerful frameworks, and actionable insights. Parul is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and is featured in Forbes, Thrive Global, the Authority Magazine, The South Asian Times, and podcasts on professional and personal growth.
Parul is also an award-winning patient leader and health advocate. Her experiences as a BRCA1 carrier, cancer survivor, and care manager, in combination with her business expertise, make Parul an inspiring and valuable thought partner to patients, advocacy groups, and healthcare companies. She has been invited to speak on genomics and cancer care, patient advocacy and empowerment, mental wellbeing, and access to quality care by leading health organizations, including the White House for President Biden's Cancer Moonshot, the World Economic Forum's Global Precision Medicine Initiative, Stanford Health Care, HLTH, and more. Parul wrote her blog, "New Job. New Baby. New Cancer.", throughout her cancer treatment, and it has since been read in ~85 countries. The American Cancer Society recognized Parul's contributions to patient leadership by naming her their 2020 "Raising Hope Honoree" and inviting her to serve on their National Breast Cancer Roundtable and Patient and Family Advisory Council.
Previously, Parul advised Fortune 500 companies and private equity firms as a Senior Manager at Bain & Company, and held leadership roles in consumer technology and genomics start-ups. She currently serves on the advisory board for the Stanford Health Communication Initiative and early stage healthcare start-ups, and the Global Mentorship Board for One League. Parul holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a minor in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Parul resides in the Bay Area with her husband and two daughters, and carries a lifelong love for Indian dancing, which she formally performed for over thirty years.
Learn more about Parul's work, and see additional videos of her engagements, at parulsomani.com
Speech topics
All topics are available as a keynote, an interactive keynote, or facilitated workshop for in-person or virtual events.
The M.O.V.E. Framework: NAVIGATING CHANGE and UNCERTAINTY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CLARITY
As individuals, teams, or organizations, our only constant is change. We are continually navigating successes and setbacks, and an evolving sense of identity, so how we respond to change is critical to our mental wellbeing and performance. In this powerful talk, Life Leadership expert Parul Somani empowers us to embrace change with intentional actions. She will help us understand our emotional reactions, teach us proven coping techniques, and guide us in developing responses to change that honor our Path of Least Regret™. Somani combines compelling research curated from psychology and neuroscience, insights from case studies (including her own inspiring story), and interactive prompts, to transform our approach to change in life and leadership.
MANAGING STRESS: Proven Strategies to Turn Stress to Your Advantage
We are constantly faced with pressures that impact our performance and fulfillment, and while some stressors may be inevitable, we have choice in how we respond to them. In this powerful talk, Life Leadership expert Parul Somani empowers us to manage stress with intentional actions. She will discuss the impact of pressure on performance, share five proven strategies to manage stress, and guide us in applying these techniques to our current lives as we pursue our Path of Least Regret™. Somani combines compelling research curated from psychology and neuroscience, insights from case studies (including her own inspiring story), and interactive prompts, to inspire us to turn stress into an advantage.
GETTING UNSTUCK: Overcome Mental Traps and Act with Intention
How do we get unstuck and move forward when we feel paralyzed by uncertainty and indecision? Imagine the impact on our personal and professional lives if we felt better equipped to make difficult choices. In this powerful talk, Life Leadership expert Parul Somani empowers us to get unstuck with intentional actions. She will introduce her proven, four-step process for overcoming mental traps, pursuing our Path of Least Regret™, and thriving in life and leadership. Combining compelling research curated from psychology and neuroscience, insights from case studies (including her own inspiring story), and interactive prompts, Somani will guide us on a journey that will transform our approach to life, health, career, and more.