Nicole S. Palmer

This keynote pulls back the curtain on the unwritten rules of corporate America—the ones no one talks about, but every Black woman is expected to master. Nicole S. Palmer breaks down the seven universal rules from her bestselling book, illustrating how power, politics, and perception collide in the workplace. With humor, storytelling, and raw honesty, she exposes the hidden dynamics that shape success and survival while equipping audiences with practical tools for reclaiming agency, building strategic visibility, and thriving in environments not built for them.

Ideal Audience: Corporate professionals, ERG leaders, women’s leadership groups, DEI champions.

Based on one of the book’s most talked-about chapters, this session explores the toll of over-performance and the myth of endless resilience. Nicole offers a path toward self-preservation, centering the importance of rest, boundaries, and redefining strength in high-pressure environments.

Audience: Employee resource groups, leadership conferences, wellness and women’s summits.

Part motivational, part tactical, this talk helps audiences identify their current “player type” and evolve from merely surviving corporate spaces to strategically thriving in them. Nicole unpacks mindset shifts, visibility tactics, and political intelligence—without losing soul or sanity.

Audience: Emerging leaders, professional development programs, and corporate retreats.

In this bold closing keynote, Nicole challenges professionals to stop waiting for fairness, mentors, or recognition—and start architecting their own outcomes. With her signature blend of humor and honesty, she equips audiences to take radical ownership of their career trajectories and define success on their own terms.

Audience: Leadership summits, DEI programs, professional women’s networks, and empowerment events.