How to Eliminate Complexity, Reclaim Control, and Win in the Age of AI
We’re no longer managing change.
We’re managing chaos.
This keynote shows leaders how simplification becomes a competitive advantage—helping organizations cut through noise, regain focus, and lead with confidence when everything feels uncertain.
Keynote Description
The relentless volume and velocity of change is exhausting. Layered on top is AI, which means more tools, more options, more expectations. And that’s the trap: Bolt AI onto broken processes and you don’t fix the problem – you just speed up the bad work. The real path forward isn’t about more technology. It’s about simplifying first, so humans can lead and AI can support.
When people are overwhelmed by complexity and the path forward isn’t clear, the easy answer is learning to tolerate it better. But the goal isn’t endurance – it’s to eliminate the problem. Lisa Bodell shows organizations why simplicity is no longer a “nice to have” – it’s the foundational strategy to reclaim focus, eliminate noise, and create the space where both teams and technology can actually flourish.
Lisa’s passion for simplicity is personal. Raised in a home filled with instability and unpredictability, she learned early how to survive chaos and create clarity when everything was unclear. That skill propelled her corporate success, but it also led to burnout. It wasn’t until she realized she didn’t need to manage chaos – she needed to eliminate it – that everything changed.
Backed by more than 25 years of global experience and compelling case studies from organizations like Netflix, AT&T, and Pfizer, Lisa shares the practical tools and mindset shifts that help organizations simplify how work gets done without sacrificing results. Through humor, interactive polling, and unforgettable storytelling, Lisa challenges leaders to stop reacting and start shaping the work – and culture – they truly want.
Why adding AI to complex work amplifies problems instead of solving them
Practical tools to help people focus on what matters most
A deeply relatable story that inspires personal and professional transformation
Real-world examples of how simplification drives speed and innovation
A call to action: stop fixing people to work harder – fix work to work better, then let AI amplify what’s great
Simplicity is positioned not as minimalism or efficiency theater, but as a powerful lever for performance, resilience, and clarity.
Instead of reacting to constant disruption, leaders learn how to intentionally design work that supports people and results.
Clients typically combine these depending on time available on their agenda. Sessions can be customized from 60–90 minutes depending on group size.
Format: 30 minutes
After the keynote, keep the energy and focus alive with a powerful 30-minute fireside chat featuring Lisa Bodell and a senior leader from your organization.
This session creates a platform for leadership to engage in real talk about what holds the organization back and what must change—culturally, behaviorally, or structurally. Lisa facilitates a provocative, no-fluff discussion that bridges keynote insights with your company’s real challenges.
The second half of the session opens up to the audience for live Q&A—giving people the opportunity to ask bold questions, surface concerns, and hear candid reflections from the top.
It’s equal parts inspirational and actionable—and a dynamic way to model change from the top down.
Workshop Option
Ready to make simplification efforts stick? This highly engaging workshop activates Lisa Bodell’s keynote content with immediate, tangible next steps.
Participants put a real-world process or project through the lens of MURA — Minimal, Understandable, Repeatable, and Accessible. This framework helps leaders and teams simplify overly complex tasks, processes, or problems in a way that can be reused again and again.
Through facilitated discussion, participants uncover dozens of opportunities to eliminate barriers and unnecessary time sucks while building a customized plan for meaningful change.
Participants leave with new ideas, a practical framework, and a renewed commitment to doing work that actually matters.
Clients typically combine these depending on time available on their agenda. Sessions can be customized from 60–90 minutes depending on group size.
If you want to spark bold thinking and real results fast, this session delivers.
Based on one of Lisa’s most iconic tools, Kill a Stupid Rule is a fast-paced, interactive workshop where teams identify and challenge the outdated rules, bloated processes, and unnecessary work holding them back.
In small groups, participants brainstorm the “stupid rules” they want to eliminate, then map them by ease of elimination and potential impact. With Lisa’s facilitation, groups vote on top candidates, share insights across teams, and leave with a clear path to action.
Whether used as a breakout or full-room experience, this session generates immediate energy, clarity, and momentum—and gives leaders a replicable tool to drive change long after the event ends.
If chaos has become the default, it’s time to redesign the work—not push people harder.
Bring Unleash the Power of Simple to your organization and give leaders the tools, confidence, and clarity to eliminate what doesn’t matter and focus on what does.