Celeste Headlee is an internationally praised journalist, radio host, bestselling author, and TED Speaker. She has hosted numerous shows for National Public Radio and anchored the 2012 presidential coverage for PBS World. As a speaker, Celeste has delivered talks and workshops for several high-profile organisations such as Google, Apple, United Airlines, and ESPN.
Beginning her career as a reporter for KNAU, Celeste has moved through numerous host and reporting roles throughout her over 20-year career. She spent a number of years at WDET Detroit Public Radio and NPR, anchoring a variety of shows throughout her time there. In 2001, she became Managing Editor at NPR’s Next Generation and in 2006 was a reporter for Day to Day, serving as the Midwest Correspondent. She co-hosted The Takeaway at PRI before creating and hosting On Second Thought at Georgia Public Broadcasting. Since 2018, Celeste has been a guest host for numerous NPR Shows and, since 2022, has been the President of Headway DEI Training. She serves as an advisory board member for ProCon.org and the Listen First Project, is a board member of the National Centre for Race Amity, and co-hosted season 4 of the Scene on Radio podcast.
Alongside her radio career, Celeste has published multiple books, including ‘We Need To Talk: How To Have Conversations That Matter’, ‘Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving’, and ‘Speaking of Race: Why Everyone Needs to Talk About Racism and How to Do It’. Celeset received the 2019 Changemaker Award and was selected twice to be a Getty/Annenberg Journalism Fellow, as well as a Fellow with the Institute of Journalism and Natural Resources. Celeste was also among the first Fellows in Reporting on Native Stories for Native National News.
Celeste is a celebrated TED speaker; her talk, '10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation', has been viewed over 15 million times. She has since delivered ‘Don't Find a Job, Find a Mission’, ‘Help Make America Talk Again’, and '8 Ways to Prevent Burnout'. A varied and confident speaker, Celeste is the perfect addition to any event and is guaranteed to leave a lasting positive impact on all audiences. Her dynamic and insightful talks deliver on all aspects, and her in-depth discussions on race, diversity, communication, and productivity truly demonstrate her authority as a professional speaker.
Social Media
Books
Heard Mentality: An A-Z Guide to Taking Your Podcast or Radio Show from Idea to Hit
We Need To Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter
Do Nothing: Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing and Underliving
Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk about Racism--And How to Do It
Celeste Headlee's official speaker topics are listed below:
- Race
- Diversity
- Effective Communication
- Increasing Productivity While Avoiding Burnout
- Difficult Conversations
- Teamwork
Official Feedback From In-person & Virtual Events
"In a time when there seems to be an abundance of talking at rather than talking with, Headlee emphasises the importance of having real conversations with people on all sides of every equation." - Atlanta Magazine
“…In this day and age of smartphones, self-absorbed social media mavens and short attention spans, conversation is a dying art.” - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Celeste Headlee was the keynote speaker at our Annual Conference last month. Definitely a highlight for our audience. Her comments on how to have better conversations were on point and timely, and she offered useful tools and tips. I would HIGHLY recommend her as a keynote speaker.” - APIC
“We engaged Celeste to headline a thought leadership meeting of our top clients. The dialogue began with an adroit sampling of fascinating science around business communication and quickly morphed into a quality conversation among some very energised and engaged executives. We enjoyed the enthusiastic feedback from our clients and doubtless strengthened our relationships with them through their interaction with Celeste. Engaging Celeste was not only a very worthwhile experience for our clients but a great investment for our business.” - Templar Advisors
- 2022 – President, Headway DEI Training
- 2021 - Speaking of Race Published
- 2020 – Do Nothing Published
- 2018 – Guest Host, NPR
- 2017 - We Need to Talk Published
- 2016 – President, Celeste Headlee Media
- 2016 – Heard Mentality Published
- 2014 – Radio Host & Executive Producer
- 2012 – Journalist
- 2009 – Host, Public Radio International
- 2005 – Reporter, NPR
- 2002 – Soprano, Michigan Opera Theatre
- 2001 – Managing Editor, NPR’s Next Generation
- 2001 – Producer/Reporter, WDET
- 1999 – Host/Reporter, KNAU
How to hire Celeste Headlee
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Celeste Headlee for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
