SPEAKING
“Erika Bogan helps audiences see themselves — and their stories — differently.”
Erika Bogan creates deep perspective shifts by helping people recognize the stories shaping how they see themselves, others, and what is possible next. She works with organizations, universities, and conferences that are ready for something that lingers long after the room empties.
As featured in the documentary Meandering Scars, now streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and other platforms.
WHY ERIKA
“Most speakers motivate. Erika helps people see differently.”
There is a difference between a talk that moves people and a talk that moves people to act differently. Erika's work lives in that second category. She does not deliver motivation, she delivers a framework for seeing. Her audiences leave not just feeling something, but understanding something they did not know they did not know.
CHANGE THE STORY
“What happened is not always the same as what your mind says it means.”
Every experience has two parts: what happened and the meaning our mind made from it. Over time, those interpretations can become beliefs about who we are, what we deserve, how we expect others to treat us, and what we believe is possible next.
Change the Story is Erika's framework for learning to recognize that difference. Through storytelling, metacognition, and trauma-aware insight, she helps people question the stories they have accepted as truth, separate what happened from what they made it mean, and build a more accurate story to live from.
SIGNATURE KEYNOTES
#itwasnt: The Perspective Shift that Changes Everything
The event that changed your life and the story you learned to tell about it are not always the same thing. Through #itwasnt, Erika brings Change the Story to life through the moments that shaped her own. She shows audiences how interpretation can become identity, how beliefs built in survival can follow us long after the moment has passed, and how questioning what we have accepted as truth can change what comes next.
“I thought it was love” It wasn’t. It was control
“I thought surviving was enough” It wasn’t enough. It was just the beginning.
“I thought I was stuck.” I wasn’t stuck. I was believing the wrong story.
WHAT AUDIENCES WALK AWAY WITH
A new relationship with their own story
A practical tool for questioning thought patterns
Language for naming what they have been living
Permission to interpret their life differently
THE SHELTER
The version of you that survived is not the version meant to lead your future.
This keynote explores the survival psychology underneath high-functioning collapse — the armor, the exhaustion, and the beliefs that can keep survival patterns in charge long after the danger has passed. It asks what it actually takes to move from a shelter into a home.
Built for leaders, high-achievers, and anyone who has been fine on the outside for too long.
HEAR ERIKA SPEAK
Speaking is personal. Before inviting someone into your room, it helps to see how they hold one.
Watch Erika’s speaker reel for a glimpse of her storytelling, perspective, humor, and the connection she creates with an audience.
WANT TO HEAR MORE?
Listen to an extended excerpt from Shelter Is Not a Home to hear how Erika develops a story and carries an audience beyond the highlight reel.
Audio excerpt from Shelter Is Not a Home
Estimated listening time: 8 minutes
FEATURED PUBLICATION
Published Guest Expert
What Happened to You Is Not the Same as What Your Mind Says It Means
Featured in the Digital Brand Managers Guest Expert Series, Erika explores how the meaning we attach to our experiences can influence our beliefs, decisions, and what we believe is possible.
ALL SPEAKING TOPICS
Every talk. One purpose: help people see differently.
01
#itwasnt: Signature Keynote
The moments that shape us are not always what we think they are. This keynote helps audiences recognize how interpretation shapes identity, healing, leadership, and self-worth — and gives them language to question the stories they have accepted as truth.
CONFERENCES • UNIVERSITIES • SURVIVOR ORGS • WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP
02
Trauma-Aware Leadership
Most organizations train leaders to manage outcomes. This talk helps them understand the people behind the performance. Erika shows leaders how awareness — not authority — builds trust, improves communication, and moves teams forward.
EXECUTIVE TEAMS • HR LEADERSHIP • DEI PROGRAMS • MANAGEMENT TRAINING
03
The Thinking Behind the Living: How to Question the Story in Your Head
Often, what keeps us stuck is not only the situation itself, but the way we have learned to think about it. This talk introduces metacognition — thinking about your thinking — as a practical tool for noticing old patterns, questioning the stories behind them, and creating new choices.
STUDENT AUDIENCES • FAITH COMMUNITIES • MENTAL WELLNESS EVENTS • GENERAL CONFERENCES
04
Survival is a Shelter Not a Home: Reclaim Your Identity
Survival is not the destination. It is the beginning. This talk helps audiences move from “what happened to me” toward “what I now know to be true,” creating space for healing, identity, and personal power.
DV AWARENESS • HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS • SOCIAL WORKERS • COMMUNITY ORGS
WHO BOOKS ERIKA TO SPEAK
Built for rooms that are ready for real change.
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Student life, orientation, leadership programs
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Leadership development, DEI, culture initiatives
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Advocacy organizations, community programs
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Social workers, clinicians, patient advocates
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Women's leadership, survivor, faith-based events
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DV awareness, trauma-informed policy initiatives
PLANNING AN EVENT?
Bringing in a speaker is about more than filling a stage — it’s about creating an experience that stays with people after they leave the room.
Erika offers keynote talks, workshops, panels, and virtual experiences tailored to the audience and goals of each event.
Most sessions range from 45–90 minutes, with longer workshop formats available.
Erika is available for both virtual and in-person events worldwide, with travel coordinated during booking.
Accessibility and stage setup details are provided upon confirmation to ensure the best experience for everyone.
BOOK ERIKA
"Ready to bring a perspective shift to your audience?"
Erika is available for keynotes, panels, workshops, and full-day immersives. Complete the form below and her team will respond within 48 hours.