Looking for an inspirational, authentic consultant/speaker to connect with your audience as humans and help your event leave a lasting imprint on their hearts.
A Perfect Blend of Soul + Strategy
Hiring the right speaker for your event is a huge task. I know. I’ve been in your shoes and it often feels like everything is riding on this choice. Sure, you could go with a nationally known speaker guaranteed to fill your room. (No judgment! Getting butts in seats is the kind of the point, right?)
But, if you’re looking for someone who will show up as a messy human who’s willing to be vulnerable, raw, and real that your audience can connect with and relate to, then I might be your girl.
Let’s talk about working together for your next event if you want:
To laugh! I don’t take myself too seriously and laughing feels good. I’m not a stand-up comic or anything, but life is funny. We’ll focus on life.
To feel supported from start to finish! I’m not the kind of speaker that slides in five minutes before taking the stage, collects a paycheck, and bails. I come early, stay late, and endeavor to hug every person in the room. (I have no sense of personal space but I’ll only touch the ones that desire it. Promise.) Plus, I’m a hard worker; fifth-generation farm kid here.
• To look and feel smart. I’m just saying it. I know how big this decision
is. If your event is for accountants or engineers, I’ll save you time. I’m probably not your person. But, if you want people to feel seen, valued, and equipped to go back to their lives and do better, than I might be. (Engineers and accountants are people, too. If you’re planning an event for them and this is your goal, we should talk.) Ultimately, we’re all just humans trying to do the best we can. I’m a human who sees this and honors it. I can hold an absurd amount of space for it, actually.
I also offer breakout sessions and facilitated discussions in addition to traditional keynote services. Basically, if you like my vibe, let’s talk. It’s way too hard to figure out if I’m the right choice for your event based on what you read here.
SPEAKING TOPICS:
Because I work as both a community developer and organizational consultant, I can and do speak on a wide variety of topics and while I know it can be helpful to see a list, the truth is, I just want to talk to you to see if what you need is what I can do! But these are topics I regularly speak about but I always work with you to personalize the content for your audience.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TOPICS:
Creating Community Culture
The Human Side of Economic Development
Creating Experienced-Based Tourism
Enhancing Community Engagement
Changemaking in a Small Town
ORGANIZATIONAL + PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT TOPICS:
Living BIG in the Life You’re In
How to Say No
Owning Your Power
Transparency + Vulnerability in the Workplace
The Value of Knowing Your Values
TRUSTED BY
What Others are Saying
Professional Bio
Rebecca Undem has always been passionate about two things: people…and talking to people. She built her early career with an international talent management firm, helping hundreds of leaders discover the truth she now teaches everywhere she goes: organizations and communities thrive when their people do.
Today, Rebecca is the Founder and Executive Director of Growing Small Towns, a nonprofit committed to helping rural communities become places people love to call home by growing their human, social, and cultural capital. She’s also the host of The Growing Small Towns Show, a top-25% podcast for people who think, dream, and build big in small places.
As a nationally recognized speaker and organizational development consultant, Rebecca brings a rare blend of humor, humanity, data, and straight talk to the conversations leaders need most. She helps small communities and small businesses navigate generational shifts, workplace culture challenges, and the brave work of creating places where people truly belong.
Rebecca is also the author of How Mommy Got Her Groove Back™, a personal and heartfelt story about rediscovering identity and purpose—proof that she doesn’t just teach growth and courage; she lives it.
At her core, Rebecca is a student of humanity. She cries easily—joy, sorrow, a perfectly timed key change—because she believes people are profoundly interconnected and that strangers are simply friends she hasn’t yet met. She’s a dive-bar philosopher who can talk for hours about what makes humans tick, the kind of person who writes parody songs for loved ones, and believes nothing soothes the soul quite like a good tune and a high five. And even though she stands nearly six feet tall, she’s built her life around a simple belief: small wins every time—small towns, small companies, small moments of courage. Rebecca is always working to stay open-hearted in a world that makes it tempting not to be, because she believes people have an unlimited capacity for growth when given safety, curiosity, and a little bit of hope.
Rebecca went against her youthful declarations and married a farmer, Jeremiah, and together they’re raising three incredible kids, Andrew, Carter, and Brynlee, in the small North Dakota town they proudly call home. Their life is chaotic, beautiful, and deeply rooted in everything Rebecca believes about possibility, belonging, and the power of people.
