Make the workplace

a place people want to be.

Doing good work is an essential part of living a good life, so why do so many of us dread or resent the time we spend at our jobs? The term “Sunday scaries” exists for a reason…

It’s possible, and good for business, to create a work environment that uplifts the human spirit rather than drains it.

The Wonder of Work offers keynotes and workshops to help organizations, leaders and individuals make work a source of fulfillment, growth, and wellbeing in our lives so we can better serve our customers, communities and people close to us.

All content is rooted in industry research, ancient & new wisdom, and more than a decade of experience leading organizational culture, engagement and development at a global Fortune 50 company.

Let’s make work a little more wonderful…

Where do you, your team or your organization need new perspective and inspiration to grow in the right direction?

My most requested talks are listed below. Each one is informed by more than a decade of professional experience, ancient & new wisdom and industry research.

Content is customizable, ranges in length from 20-minute keynotes to 2-hour workshops and can be delivered virtually or in-person.

Looking for something a little different? I’ve got you. Just let me know your specific needs and I’ll do my best to meet them (and then some).

  • WHY THIS MATTERS
    These days, there’s a lot of talk about the importance of finding our purpose and optimizing every aspect of our work & lives…No pressure. This talk will relieve feelings of anxiety and inadequacy for you and your teams and give you new, attainable, fulfilling goals to work toward.

    WHAT WE WILL EXPLORE TOGETHER
    1. How can accepting our limitations make us less stressed and more productive?

    2. What wisdom does psychiatrist, author and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl offer us about finding our life’s meaning and how can it change how we show up at work?

    3. Why are rest, reflection, play and exercise vital for increasing productivity?

    4. What is the link between overwork and poor mental & physical health and performance?

    5. What drains our energy, motivation & confidence and what gives us energy, motivation and confidence…and how can we build upon positive momentum?

  • WHY IT MATTERS
    Leaders can make or break how we feel about our work and how well our teams function. We’ll discuss how “soul-centered” leadership allows us to connect with the sacred responsibility of leading a team and act from the wisest, truest, most compassionate place within ourselves.

    WHAT WE WILL EXPLORE TOGETHER
    1. What power do we hold as leaders and how can we hold it humbly and use it for good?

    2. How can we build trust and mutual respect with the people who work for us?

    3. How does soul-centered leadership allow us to respond to difficult situations calmly and courageously?

    4. How can this style of leadership help us not “sweat the small stuff” and model greater resiliency?

    5. How does leading with more humility and humanity create healthier, high-performing teams?

  • WHY THIS MATTERS
    This talk offers helpful insight into how our human brains, emotions and energies work so we can better understand ourselves, others and group dynamics. This understanding will help us shift unhealthy dynamics, improve relationships and communicate much more effectively.

    WHAT WE WILL EXPLORE TOGETHER
    1. Why is developing more compassion for ourselves a prerequisite for adopting a growth mindset?

    2. How do societal and corporate structures, org charts and norms affect the human psyche and influence our behavior?

    3. What is “emotional transference” and how can it shape our relationships and reactions?

    4. What practices help us gain more self-awareness so we can respond more wisely in difficult situations?

    5. How can clarifying our intentions and sharing our own vulnerabilities help us get better at delivering constructive feedback?

  • WHY THIS MATTERS
    Disruption is a constant occurrence in life and work. This contemplative talk outlines key tenets that help you not only survive times of upheaval, but seize the opportunities that come with being forced outside your comfort zone.

    WHAT WE WILL EXPLORE TOGETHER
    1. How can we start to expect and even welcome the cycle of disorientation and reorientation inherent in life and work?

    2. What are examples and practices for how challenges can make us more creative and innovative?

    3. How can we lead through difficult times with the compassion, optimism and direction our teams need in order to overcome and grow?

    4. What are the phases of change and what do people need in each phase?

    5. What do we have to gain from adversity and what can we offer others on the other side of it?

  • WHY THIS MATTERS
    Traditional work schedules were established post-industrial revolution when workers were viewed more like machines. Since then, we’ve come a long way in understanding how humans actually work. Our society has also changed, with most families now having two working parents who are trying to balance the needs of the home with responsibilities at work. Now, thanks to technology, many employers have the ability to help people establish work schedules that allow them to show up for their families, colleagues and companies more effectively and sustainably.

    WHAT WE WILL EXPLORE TOGETHER
    1. How can we shape our schedule to help us be more creative, problem solve and achieve “flow states” more often?

    2. Why is synchronization key to driving effective collaboration and camaraderie within your organization?

    3. How can grasping for more control and oversight of our employees drive maladaptive behaviors and negatively impact engagement and retention?

    4. How can we give people the flexibility they need while also effectively communicating expectations, setting boundaries and holding them accountable?

    5. How does allowing people more autonomy to manage the many demands of their work and lives impact employee engagement, productivity and mobility?

This all started when

I almost quit…

In 2012, I was a few years into my career in corporate communications and was missing a sense of purpose and creative fulfillment.

While scrolling through non-profit job boards and considering returning to studying improv comedy, I got an offer to lead a new team charged with transforming organizational culture and improving the employee experience. It sounded meaningful, challenging, creative and fun…and it has been.

Over the past decade, I’ve been learning and growing personally and professionally. I’ve come to realize that the research and wisdom I’ve sought out from psychology, spirituality and philosophy to become a more whole, healthy human being also has the power to change how we approach our jobs and shift the dynamics of our workplaces for the better.

I love helping people infuse more psychological, spiritual and philosophical wisdom into corporate environments through out-of-the-box keynotes and workshops that inspire, encourage, entertain and offer practical ways to apply learnings.

This is me,
Carlyn Lynch Schofield

Christopher Thompson, Head of Talent Engagement at JPMorgan Chase

“Carlyn is one of the most thoughtful and inspirationally intentional leaders I know.

She brings purpose and passion to the engagements she leads.

She is a gifted speaker and facilitator.

She makes authentic human connections and people leave her sessions

inspired, encouraged and ready to take action.

Her empathy and care, mixed with a desire to share meaningful insight

help her bring people together to solve real problems.

I am a complete fan…You should be too.”

Shelly Taft, Senior Program Director at Women’s Leadership Summits, Executive Summits

“In my role here for the last 15 years, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing thousands of speakers - 

so many that it’s hard to remember the standouts -

the ones that really strike a chord - the special ones who really speak to you…

I will say that Carlyn is ONE of those speakers.”

Darla Stover, Major Gifts Officer at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio

“Carlyn is a compelling speaker, very captivating and the kind of person you 

instantly feel a connection with. She is a natural born leader and

motivates her audience. She is certainly making a difference in the world.”

Video & audio clips from some of my nationwide talks & workshops

Finding the clarity, connection, creativity and courage that inevitable disruptions in life and work offer us…

Sharing the most valuable things I’ve learned from more than a decade of leading diverse, distributed teams with women leaders across the country for Women’s History Month…

Organizations are like organisms…

They’re made up of living, breathing people who collectively create how the whole thing feels and functions by the way we behave, the policies we make and how we treat each other. In order for an organization to be healthy, the individuals within it must inherently be healthy as well.

Each of us has an intrinsic desire to make meaningful contributions to the structures we’re part of, and an equally strong desire to be supported and nourished by those same structures. Unfortunately, the behaviors and practices within an organization often undermine this naturally reciprocal relationship when they make us feel burnt out, unsupported, disrespected or disillusioned.

My talks & workshops offer individuals and organizations insights and practices that support holistic wellbeing and performance, creating profound ripple effects that extend beyond businesses to families, communities and the world.

Get in Touch