Valerie Alexander

Renowned Expert on Happiness & Inclusion

Valerie Alexander

Renowned Expert on Happiness & Inclusion

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Biography

Valerie Alexander is a renowned expert on happiness and inclusion, and a nationally-recognized speaker on the topics of happiness in the workplace, the advancement of women, and unconscious bias. Her TED Talk, “How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias” has been viewed more than 500,000 times, and she has spoken at hundreds of conferences, colleges and companies on these topics.

She holds the U.S. Registered Trademark on the phrase, “…as a Second Language” for the self-help and personal growth space, and as that trademark holder, publishes works by other authors, including Parenting as a Second Language, Creativity as a Second Language, Grief as a Second Language, Mindfulness as a Second Language, and soon-to-be-released books on Aging, Marriage, Dating and other topics.

In addition to inspiring and educating audiences around the world as a speaker and author, Valerie also writes Christmas movies for the Hallmark Channel, which she knows you secretly love, even if you only admit to watching them with your mom. Her most recent is Memories of Christmas, starring Christina Milian. As a screenwriter, Valerie has also worked with Joel Schumacher, Catherine Zeta Jones, Barry Sonnenfeld, Ice Cube and others.

Valerie made her directing debut with the award-winning short film, Making the Cut, and as a committed equality activist, she is the creator, producer and director of Say I Do, Life Support, and The Wedding Matters, three highly successful commercial campaigns in support of everyone’s freedom to marry.

As a professional moderator, she has interviewed dozens of Hollywood’s top stars, writers, directors and artists, including Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Sean Penn, Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Chris Nolan, Annie Mumolo, Simon Kinberg, Tom Hooper, Luc Besson, Michelle Yeoh, Jason Reitman, Tom McCarthy, John Wells, Michael Moore, Brian Helgeland and Kurt Sutter.

Prior to becoming a screenwriter, Valerie was a corporate securities lawyer, a venture capital consultant and an investment banker in the Silicon Valley, and the V.P. of Business Development for two new-media start-ups in Hawaii and Los Angeles, respectively. From 2016-2019 she was the Founder and CEO of Goalkeeper, a tech startup that built communication platforms that make it easier for you to make the people you love happy.

Valerie received her B.A. from Trinity University and her J.D. and M.S. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds Certifications in the Science of Happiness from U.C., Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business, the latter through a program in which she was one of the featured instructors.

In the spring of 2010, Valerie was invited to Berkeley Law to teach the legal ethics seminar, Representation of Law in Film, and in May of 2016, she was the commencement speaker at Trinity University, giving the inspiring address, “Tiger at Heart.”

Before entering the professional ranks, Valerie paid for her own education working as: a horse wrangler; an algebra teacher; a runway model; a semi-professional soccer player; a tutor for the developmentally disabled; an amusement park supervisor; a SAT, GRE & LSAT prep teacher; and the world’s worst waitress.

Valerie has been married to writer-producer, Rick Alexander, since 2006. Valerie and Rick live in Los Angeles, California, with their ill-mannered German Shepherd, Vegas.

Speaker Videos

Speaking Reel

TEDx: How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias

2016 Trinity University Commencement Address

Speech Topics

How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace (Despite Having "Female Brains")

In this talk, we explore the evolution of the gendered brain and the relationship between that and the structure of traditionally male-run enterprises. This funny, provocative talk takes an honest look at what women are doing to hold ourselves back, how we can adapt to get into positions of power, and how we can successfully compete on a playing field designed by men to reward their achievements. It also gives organizations the tools they need to ensure that they recruit, reward and most importantly, retain their top performing employees.

Happiness in the Workplace: Your Secret Weapon for Success!

Ignoring unhappy workers is the most expensive mistake employers can make. This talk address the issues of “Accidental Managers,” toxic employees and a disengaged workforce. We discuss the science behind happiness at work and show employers easy adjustments in communication and policy that instantly make a huge difference among any workforce.

How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias

The insidious thing about unconscious bias is the unconscious part. With awareness, we can overcome the effects of it, in our society, our companies and ourselves. This talk shows the audience where our bias comes from, without judgment or blame. It includes straightforward actions individuals can take, and policies employers can implement, to ensure bias is identified and "outsmarted."

Besides it being good business to address these issues, it’s better for all of humanity for us to create happier, more equitable and level playing fields for everyone. In other words, eliminating unconscious bias, ensuring opportunities for women to advance, and making sure people are happy at work is not only the right thing to do, it also has huge economic upsides, and makes the world a better place.

Testimonials

“Valerie inspires leaders at all levels to achieve personal and business outcomes beyond expectations by focusing on equality, inclusion and – most importantly – happiness!”

- Client