A Speaker With Heart
Talie’s empathetic and approachable style makes her a powerful speaker and facilitator for organizations looking to create a change in the world.
She engages with audiences at the soul level by bringing her own story to life and inviting others to shed their boundaries to connect deeply to the truth.
Co-founder and CEO of Smith & Connors, she is a visionary creative strategist with over 25 years of experience in branding, design, and user experiences. Her unique approach — called “Design Therapy” — empowers organizations to embrace their true voice, aligning deeply with her passions for mentorship, leadership, and purpose-driven business. With a background in visual design and literature, Talie transforms complex stories into engaging identities, advocating for diversity, equity, inclusion, and the empowerment of disadvantaged groups. Her work spans the philanthropic, nonprofit, government, and academic sectors, making her a pivotal figure in fostering community, culture revolution, and purposeful change.
Talie’s Clients
1803 Fund
Arizona Community Foundation
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Stanford University Office of Development
Meyer Memorial Trust
National Psoriasis Foundation
Nonprofit Association of Oregon
Oregon Community Foundation
Open Society Foundations
Oregon Well-Being Trust
Oregon Health Leadership Council
Park City Community Foundation
Philanthropy Northwest
Talie is a powerhouse speaker that connects her audiences quickly and deeply to her story — and to the depths of themselves. She cracks herself open with her own unique brand of joy and vulnerability, setting the audience at ease at the same time they feel her pulling them underneath the surface to get at what really matters. She is a pro!
Speaking Topics
Talie speaks on a wide variety of topics. Below are some of her key talks.
Conscious Leadership
Leading with love (not fear)
Leading high performance teams
Transformation through servant leadership
Failure & Perseverance
Building trust and vulnerability in a team
Failure is the way — reframe it
Branding
For nonprofits
For purpose-driven business
Design Therapy
Bringing alignment during divisive times
Design as a therapeutic process
Facilitation
Talie has worked closely with leaders, teams, and groups across large institutions and small companies to find alignment and build trust. What makes her a powerful facilitator:
Strong Emotional Connection
Talie brings her vulnerability immediately to a room, and creates safety for others to meet her there.
Inclusive Approach
Talie has been working with widely diverse teams and communities for over 20 years and models listening from the heart.
Joyous Engagement
Talie’s bright joy is hard to miss when she’s working with others through change.
Bridging Divides
Talie naturally brings alignment to a group of people with diverse perspectives by clarifying the chaos and centering humanity.
Talie is available to contribute to events anywhere in the world to inspire transformation and bridge alignment.