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Speaker Bio

Steve Foran’s dream is one billion happier people.

While not the typical career path of an Electrical Engineer, Steve began exploring the relationship between gratitude and philanthropic giving during my MBA—receiving the Gold Medal for highest academic standing. Since then, he’s been writing and conducting practice-based gratitude research and teaching the habits of gratefulness—more than sixteen years now. What has emerged is our science-based program, Gratitude At Work. It’s a simple, yet innovative approach to thriving leadership and business results.

Steve founded Gratitude at Work in 2006 and started hosting conversations in my community which have since grown into work with leaders around the world, shifting cultures, helping leaders and their teams be happier at work by bringing more gratitude to work each day. While his audiences love the process he uses, business owners love the results delivered.

Steve’s 2019 book, Surviving to Thriving – The 10 Laws of Grateful Leadership, was named 1 of 8 recommended reads by Greater Good Science Center at University of California Berkeley and 1 of 5 positive psychology books for a happier 2019 in inc. Also in 2019, Steve was an inaugural winner of Canada’s CEO Trusted Advisor Awards Program and in 2017, Steve was awarded the gold standard in professional speaking, CSPTM.

Steve is a son, brother, husband, and unapologetically proud father and grandfather. Steve’s kids poke fun at his gratitude work (air quotes) and he is a lifelong resident of Halifax, Nova Scotia and trying to do his part to make my community a better place to live.

Speaker Topics

Gratitude at Work: The Superpower to Thrive

The Big Idea
Thriving isn’t about doing more; it’s about discovering the power of gratitude to break free from being overwhelmed and build a meaningful, energized life. By addressing the barriers that hold us back, you’ll unlock greater resilience, happiness, and well-being both at work and at home.

Keynote Description
In a world where many feel stuck, dissatisfied, and burned out, the secret to thriving lies in gratitude. This session explores how gratitude shifts your mindset, helping you navigate the challenges that leave you feeling overwhelmed and unfulfilled. You’ll discover the invisible obstacles keeping you from your best self and learn a practical, step-by-step practice to transform your resilience and well-being. Through powerful insights and actionable tools, you’ll leave feeling inspired, energized, and equipped to build a thriving, happier life—personally and professionally.

Outcomes
The audience will leave with:

  • a clear understanding of gratitude as a skill critical to personal well-being and professional success.
  • two actionable techniques to build resilience, improve energy, and increase happiness.
  • a renewed sense of hope, optimism, and confidence to thrive in any environment.
Gratitude at Work: Unlock Professional Success

The Big Idea
Success begins with your mindset. By leveraging the power of gratitude, you can cultivate a world-class mindset that drives professional growth, strengthens relationships, and helps you thrive—even in the most chaotic environments.

Keynote Description
The path to professional success often feels blocked by stress, uncertainty, and a sense of “never enough.” This session reveals how a gratitude-based mindset helps you overcome these barriers, reduce stress, and unlock your full potential. By building a world-class mindset, you’ll improve your focus, strengthen relationships, and consistently achieve better results. With a simple, actionable framework, you’ll learn how to manage chaos, boost your resilience, and bring your best self to work and life every day.

Outcomes
The audience will leave with:

  • a proven understanding of gratitude as a driver for professional success and personal well-being.
  • two practical tools to thrive in chaotic environments, manage stress, and increase happiness.
  • a renewed sense of purpose, energy, and confidence to achieve their goals.
Gratitude at Work: Building a Stronger Team 

The Big Idea
Success is a team effort. By celebrating small wins and recognizing the people who uplift and support you—your “success team”—you’ll build stronger connections, foster collaboration, and create a more engaged and motivated community.

Keynote Description
Great teams celebrate together, and every success—big or small—deserves recognition. In this session, we explore how gratitude helps you identify and strengthen your personal success team while celebrating the wins that drive progress. You’ll learn practical strategies to foster connection, build momentum, and create a positive, collaborative culture that thrives. By shifting focus to appreciation and shared victories, you’ll leave feeling inspired, connected, and equipped to bring these practices into your workplace and beyond.

Outcomes
The audience will leave with:

  • a clear understanding of gratitude as a catalyst for celebrating success and building stronger teams.
  • two actionable techniques to recognize small wins, foster connection, and improve personal well-being.
  • a renewed sense of energy, optimism, and connection to their team and community.

Testimonials

I’ve attended continuing education sessions around the world and it’s very rare one gets to experience the calibre of what you do.

HR Manager, Alliance Dental

There was an immediate strengthening of trust between me and my team as a result of having Steve speak with our group.

Division Director, IG Wealth Management

Steve is one of our most popular keynote speakers on Bright. I’ve attended a couple of his talks now and can’t recommend them enough.

CEO, Bright

We deal with some topics that can be very heavy and we needed a message that would leave a positive imprint on our delegates—he closed our event on an energetic, positive, upbeat tone and gave us a few simple tools we could implement right away.

General Manager, Association of Industry Sector Councils

We were familiar with Steve’s speaking so we felt very comfortable he would deliver as promised—it’s great to know there’s no risk with a keynote speaker. I personally appreciated his simple actionable take-aways.

Manager Communications & Partnerships, Workers Compensation Board of Nova Scotia

Our people felt Steve was very relatable, and several even commented that our hybrid virtual event was our best annual team meeting ever.

VP Operations, East Coast Credit Union

The audience loved Steve’s closing keynote – everything from the engaging activities he orchestrated to the simple take-aways he provided.

Executive Director, AWARE-NS

When Steve stole the show with his opening keynote at our National Conference I knew I had to bring him in to speak with our team.

President & CEO, Credit Counselling Services of Atlantic Canada

Steve had great impact on our partner team and we left his sessions with practical tools we are using for our own personal growth as well as tools to engage with our teams.

Managing Partner, Atlantic Canada, BDO

Featured Video

Steve Foran headshot photo

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