Kelsey O'Connor

Hi, I'm Kelsey! 

So often, we celebrate doing great things but what about being great people? Everyone has external labels that define them. It could be a job title, a role in a relationship, etc. However, we can't always control our circumstances and it only captures a glimpse of who we are. Sometimes we get caught up in acting as human doings, rather than human beings. That's why it is critical to build our identities, and see others, beyond labels. 

I am a recent social work graduate and former D1 softball player. In 2021, I suffered a traumatic brain injury that forced me to leave softball. For several months, I struggled to recover from both physical and cognitive symptoms, which almost led me to leave school all together. After being stripped of the abilities and labels that had defined me (D1 athlete, honors student, researcher), I had to completely rebuild my identity. Throughout my healing process, I unlocked a new mindset that completely brightened my perspective and transformed the way I appreciated myself, and everyone around me. Instead of building identity on tangible performance, I found that true identity is based upon 1) Attitude. 2) How we treat other people. 3) Unique intrinsic strengths and qualities. 

I ultimately graduated (yay!) and shared this realization in a commencement speech delivered to 20,000 people at PNC arena. Then, a recording of the speech went viral on Tiktok and Facebook with over 15M views. Now, I travel the country speaking to universities, teams, businesses, and nonprofits about how to rebuild identity outside of performance. 

I believe different stories can share universal experiences. While I share parts of my personal story, I personalize this talk to each specific audience. Unlocking this new mindset has been life-changing for audience members who have struggled to build their identity outside of work, sports, relationships, but then felt empowered to identify who they truly are, based on three specific things. 

Thank you for your consideration. I would love the chance to connect and empower YOUR organization to see themselves, and each other, beyond labels!