Julia Korn, Duke Instructor, Business Insider Most Innovative Career Coach & TEDx Speaker

Julia Korn, Duke Instructor, Business Insider Most Innovative Career Coach & TEDx Speaker profile image

About

Julia Korn is a keynote speaker and executive career coach who helps high achievers stop “playing by the rules” that are quietly holding them back—and start building careers that actually work for them. Julia has worked with hundreds of leaders navigating visibility, confidence, self-advocacy, and career growth inside complex organizations. Her sessions are known for being equal parts validating and activating—giving individuals the language, tools, and permission to advocate for themselves more effectively at work. A recognized thought leader named a Business Insider Most Innovative Career Coach and a Forbes contributor, Julia brings both credibility and real-world relevance to every talk. Her TEDx talk, Break Up With “Should” In Your Career (Editors’ Pick of the Year), has resonated with professionals globally who are ready to challenge outdated expectations and redefine success on their own terms. Julia is a favorite among Women’s ERGs for her ability to spark honest conversations around impostor syndrome, visibility, and career ownership—while leaving attendees with practical strategies they can apply immediately. Her sessions are especially impactful for organizations looking to: Retain and advance high-potential women Build cultures where women feel seen, heard, and promoted Equip employees with tools for self-advocacy and career growth Offstage, Julia is a mom to a spirited three-year-old—her most powerful reminder that leadership starts with unlearning perfectionism. Julia's new book, Stop Working Hard and Start Working Smart, comes out in Summer 2026 and will be available for bulk order. BOOK SUMMARY: Every high achiever has been told the same lie: work hard, keep your head down, and success will follow. And for a while, it does. Hard work gets you noticed and maybe even earns you that first promotion. But at a certain point — and it happens to almost every driven professional — working harder, well, stops working. Promotions go to people who seem to do less. Recognition goes elsewhere. The harder you grind, it seems the more invisible you become. The good news is, this is not a motivation problem. It is a strategy problem. And strategy problems can be solved. From Forbes Contributor and Business Insider's Most Innovative Career Coach Julia Korn: Stop Working Hard. Start Working Smart. is the book that names what is actually happening when high achievers fail to advance— and gives readers the exact framework to fix it. The engine of career advancement past a certain point is not effort. It is strategic human connection. This book gives professionals a concrete, step-by-step system for building the relationships that actually move careers forward: a Personal Board of Directors — a carefully chosen group of Mentors, Connectors, Sponsors, and Friends who champion your growth, open doors, and tell you the truth when no one else will. Whether you are early in your career or decades in, this book meets you exactly where you are and shows you a smarter, more connected way forward. Speaker Reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNjfE7LQJT8

Services

  • Navigating Difficult Conversations with Courage

    --HIGHLY INTERACTIVE -- --OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBER CONNECTION AND DIALOGUE-- This workshop provides a practical, psychology-backed framework for navigating difficult conversations with clarity, courage, and emotional intelligence. Participants learn why conversations become high-stakes, how stress responses derail communication, and how to shift from unhealthy conflict patterns to productive dialogue. Through reflection tools, planning techniques, and in-the moment strategies, attendees leave equipped to communicate with intention, build trust, and create healthier working relationships. Audience Takeaways How to identify your stress style and triggers in tough conversations. A repeatable four-phase model for approaching any difficult dialogue. Tools to clarify your intent and stay grounded under pressure. Strategies to build trust, psychological safety, and accountability.

  • Personal Branding Without the Cringe

    --HIGHLY INTERACTIVE -- --OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBER CONNECTION AND DIALOGUE-- Strong performance alone doesn’t guarantee visibility or opportunity. This highly interactive workshop reframes personal branding as a practical—and surprisingly human—business skill. Through relatable examples, moments of humor, and incisive reflection, participants explore how professional reputations actually form and why clarity about their why matters as much as competence. Participants engage in guided reflection, small-group discussion, and real-time practice to get clearer on what drives them, how they add value, and how to communicate that clearly without feeling gross. Audience Takeaways Articulate what you want to be known for—and pressure-test it through discussion. Identify what motivates you and how it shows up in your strengths and decisions. Align visibility with authenticity Understand how to be more visible without feeling performative or inauthentic

  • Break Up With “Should” at Work: Skyrocket Your Career by Moving from Autopilot to Intention

    --HIGHLY INTERACTIVE -- --OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBER CONNECTION AND DIALOGUE-- This talk is an epic combination of Julia’s Editors’ Pick TEDx talk (Breaking Up With “Should” In Your Career) and her most delivered in-person keynote (How to Build Your Career Board of Directors). Audience members will uncover how unspoken “shoulds” quietly run their careers and personal lives— shaping their choices, draining their energy, and keeping them stuck on autopilot. This hilarious, relatable and actionable keynote challenges the idea that hard work alone leads to opportunity, that silence equals safety, and that self-sacrifice is the price of success. Participants will learn how to replace default thinking with intentional action through simple reflection tools, low-risk experiments, and strategic relationship-building. The session introduces the Personal Board of Directors as a practical, energizing framework for creating momentum, accessing opportunity, and designing a career and life that actually feel aligned, sustainable, and self-directed. Audience Takeaways: Identify the invisible “shoulds,” inherited rules, and default behaviors that are quietly shaping their choices and limiting their growth. Implement simple, immediate tools to move off autopilot and start making intentional decisions starting immediately. Build a Personal Board of Directors using a clear, repeatable framework for creating opportunity, accountability, and career momentum. Activate the confidence and language to ask, negotiate, set boundaries, and advocate for themselves without guilt, apology, or over-explaining.