Meet Renée
WRITER . SPEAKER . RESEARCHER.
LOVING LEADER.
Renee with clients after a keynote talk for a British law firm.
Hi, my name’s Renée!
After a devastating loss upended my life and my young family when I was 27, I struggled for many years with grief, regret, and fear.
At age 35, I took courage and learned to love my life again. With the love of family and friends, I reclaimed my future.
Years later while leading human culture change work in a 60,000 person organization, I came full circle, able to express why it so important to put love at the center of all human experiences including work.
I am convinced that fear is toxic and harmful, but love is healing and infinitely beneficial.
Love at the center of our teams.
Love at the center of our organizations.
Love at the center of our leadership.
Love at the center of change.
Love at the center of our lives!When we put love at the center, love delivers the results we long for and desperately need: happier work lives, solved problems, expanded opportunities, belonging for all, more successful teams and organizations, and ultimately healthier families and communities too.
I’ve spoken boldly about love to leaders and teams in education, healthcare, construction, engineering, manufacturing, corrections, social services, IT, finance, human resources, professional services, retail, the military, non-profits, and more. I’ve found that rather than be resistant, people around the world are ready to turn from fear and embrace love as a way of working and being.
I’m ready to bring this message of love to your team or event too. Are you ready? Let’s talk!
Renee is committed to helping organizations put Love at the center of leadership and work.
To be fully human means being fully ourselves. It means being connected to each other and having a sense of belonging.
Being fully human means knowing that we each matter and that our gifts are received.
People do incredible things when they can bring their true selves to work. They give their best and find meaning and joy.
In March 2020, Renée launched A Human Workplace, a global coaching and consultancy with more than 30 affiliates in the US, Canada, and the UK all dedicated to making work more loving and human. Renée’s primary focus is Loving Leadership.
In April of 2023, Renée and Lili Boyanova Hugh co-founded the Center for a Loving Workplace, a 501(c)3 dedicated to creating a shift to loving leader, team and organizational practices through research, education, and community engagement.
More about Renée Smith
Renée was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest of the US in Washington State. She traveled and later lived in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and Kenai Peninsula until a family tragedy brought her back to the PNW.
In 2002, as a single mom of four, she completed her BA in Organizational Behavior at Seattle Pacific University then earned her MS in Organization Development from Pepperdine University. This took plenty of perseverence, faith, and courage, as did embarking on a new career helping organizations optimize their workplace cultures.
She served as Director of Workplace Transformation in the Governor’s Office for the State of Washington, a position created for her to reach state leaders and teams with her message and practices of loving leadership. In 2019 she spoke to more than 100 audiences around the world telling them that the best results come when team members experience more love and less fear at work. and finally launching A Human Workplace full timeon March 3, 2020. During the pandemic she and her team have reached thousands of people with Human Workplace Gatherings like Working Alone Together and Finding Our Way Back Together, along with her Keynotes and Talks on making work more loving and human during the pandemic.
Learn more about Renée’s professional education and experience on her LinkedIn profile.
After two decades of experience providing award-winning organization development and continuous improvement culture work in public, private, and non-profit organizations, Renée now dedicates her time to bringing her message of more love and less fear to audiendces everywhere as a keynote and conference speaker, writer, and advisor. And, as the leader of A Human Workplace, she activates a team of global consultants committed to making workplaces more loving and human. They bring their vast skills to support leaders and teams around the world who are ready for love to change their workplaces.
Renée lives on the shores of the Puget Sound in the shadow of Mount Rainier. A mother of four and grandmother of nine (yep!) she enjoys drawing with oil pastels, concocting craft cocktails for friends at the beach, hosting “Grandma Camp” for her grandchildren, rowing her single shell when the water is still, and exploring cities with friends who live around the world.
Connect with Renée to find out about bringing her message to your organization or event. She can help you create an unforgettable event by bringing the message of love that people need right now. Teams will be more effective and engaged when people feel more valued, safe, and free to bring their full creative selves to the table. This is a workplace where people want to stay.
The secret to transforming workplaces to be more productive and effective, healthy and happy is through Love.
Radical idea? Yes!
Fluff? No way.
Renée Smith, bold advocate for all things human
Talking About Love
It’s powerful. It’s meaningful.
It’s an invitation to be fully human. That’s a relief and a joy too!
It’s time to change work for good with love!
The change people in every occupation and organization urgently need for 2022 and beyond is not found in old fear-based ways of leading and working. It is found by creating conditions of love and psychological safety that work in concert with human behavior and biology not against them.
I focus on love, love in our workplaces, work design, work relationships, love for our customers, for each other, and for ourselves. I share the tremendous benefits that come for both the feeling and actions of love.
Based on my original qualitative research as well as insights from neuroscience, behavioral science, and two decades of organizational experience, I use riveting story-telling to inspire leaders and teams to turn away from worn-out industrial-era practices and adopt human-friendly workplace practices to ignite an era of love, empathy and compassion at work and in the world. I offer concrete examples and tools anyone can use for putting love in action each day.
It’s time to put love at the center of your organization too!
Reach out today for more information on booking your leadership retreat, all-staff, or conference keynote!