Headliner
Shawn Achor, keynote speaker on Happiness & Positive Psychology

Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0, Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons

Image used for identification and editorial purposes. Name and likeness remain the property of their owner.

Happiness & Positive Psychology keynote speakers

Shawn Achor

"The Happiness Advantage" Author & Positive Psychology Expert

Speaking feeFee on requestConfirmed for your date on request
  • Keynote · Virtual
  • English
Check availabilityScroll the full profile

Headliner can arrange a booking with Shawn Achor or their representative. This profile is compiled from public sources; availability and fees are confirmed on request. A listing here does not imply endorsement, affiliation, partnership, or exclusivity.

Signature keynotes

What your audience walks away with

  • Outcome

    The Happiness Advantage

    His signature keynote, based on the New York Times bestseller. The seven principles of positive psychology that fuel success and performance at work, and the science proving happiness drives success, not the other way around. Anchored by his landmark finding that a positive brain is 31% more productive. Practical, funny, and immediately applicable.

  • The Power of Beliefs

    Drawn from his latest book. The beliefs you hold about the world predict not just your experience of the present but what happens next. Achor names the "Great Drift", the modern rise of burnout, anxiety, loneliness, and depression, and teaches the seven core beliefs that most powerfully shape health, success, and well-being, plus research-based methods to strengthen them. Available in tailored versions for sales leaders, leadership audiences, and the AI age.

  • Big Potential, Success Is a Team Sport

    Based on his book Big Potential. Why pursuing success collectively beats chasing it alone, and how social connection becomes a performance multiplier. How to raise the potential of everyone in your ecosystem so the whole team rises, not just the individual.

  • Before Happiness, The Power of Positive Genius

    Based on Before Happiness. The skill that comes before the happiness advantage: shaping how you perceive reality so positive change becomes possible. How to see more paths forward, route around obstacles, and "transport" a team toward a more positive, productive reality.

  • Positive Leadership & The Ripple Effect

    For leadership and management audiences. How leaders set the emotional tone of an organization, and how one person's positivity measurably ripples across teams, turning culture from a slogan into a system that drives engagement and results.

  • Happiness & Performance in the AI Age

    A tailored program on protecting human potential, focus, and well-being as work is reshaped by AI, keeping teams resilient, connected, and high-performing through rapid change.

The story

Who Shawn actually is

Shawn Achor was born in Waco, Texas, in 1978. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a Master of Arts in Christian and Buddhist ethics from Harvard Divinity School, then spent more than a decade living, researching, and lecturing at Harvard, where he served as a freshman proctor and was one of the teaching assistants for the university's famous positive-psychology "Happiness" course, one of the most popular classes on campus. Out of that work, Achor became one of the world's leading experts on the link between happiness and success. In 2007 he co-founded GoodThink Inc. with his sister Amy Blankson, an applied-research consulting firm that now delivers positive-psychology trainings in more than 50 countries. He later co-founded the Institute for Applied Positive Research with his wife, Michelle Gielan, a positive-psychology researcher and former CBS News anchor. His 2011 TED talk, "The Happy Secret to Better Work," has been watched more than 27 million times, one of the 25 most-popular TED talks of all time. His research has made the cover of Harvard Business Review (he's authored 35+ HBR articles), and his work has been featured on a PBS lecture seen by millions and across two of Oprah Winfrey's Super Soul Sunday sessions, a 2015 Oprah Winfrey Network online course, and Oprah's 2016 SuperSoul100 list. Achor is the New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage (2010), Before Happiness (2013), and Big Potential (2018), and his 2026 book The Power of Beliefs turns two decades of research, including work with NASA, the NFL, and much of the Fortune 100, into a playbook for the "Great Drift" of modern burnout and anxiety. The throughline of all of it: happiness is a discipline, it can be trained, and it makes individuals and organizations measurably better.

The receipts

Books & publications

  • The Happiness Advantage

    2010

    the seven principles of positive psychology that fuel success and performance at work. The foundational text.

  • Before Happiness

    2013

    the five hidden keys to shaping your perception of reality so positive change becomes possible ("positive genius").

  • Big Potential

    2018

    how pursuing success collectively, not individually, raises achievement, happiness, and well-being.

  • The Power of Beliefs

    2026

    the seven core beliefs that most predict success and a better life, and how to strengthen them against the modern "Great Drift" of burnout and anxiety.

  • Ripple's Effect / How to Make a Shark Smile

    positivity for younger readers.

Gravity

Career highlights & recognition

  • Milestone

    TED

    "The Happy Secret to Better Work", 27M+ views, one of TED's 25 most-watched talks of all time

  • Milestone

    Harvard

    BA (Harvard) + MA (Harvard Divinity School); 12+ years researching/lecturing there; TA for Harvard's famous "Happiness" course

  • Recognition2026

    3× New York Times bestselling author

    The Happiness Advantage, Before Happiness, Big Potential (plus 2026's The Power of Beliefs)

  • Credential

    Founder of GoodThink Inc.

    positive-psychology trainings delivered in 50+ countries

  • Milestone

    Harvard Business Review

    research featured on the cover; 35+ HBR articles

  • Milestone

    Peer-reviewed research

    stress-mindset study with Yale's Alia Crum & Peter Salovey at UBS, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

  • Milestone2014

    Oprah

    two Super Soul Sunday sessions (2014), an Oprah Winfrey Network online course (2015), and SuperSoul100 (2016)

  • Milestone

    Worked with

    NASA, the NFL, the Pentagon, the U.S. Marines, Google, Microsoft, Intel, the NBA, UBS, KPMG, and much of the Fortune 100

  • Milestone

    PBS-aired lecture

    seen by millions

Booking with confidence

What to expect when you book Shawn

  • 01

    Compiled from public sources

    This profile is built from public, verifiable material and stamped with the date it was last reviewed. Nothing here is a claim we cannot trace to a source.

  • 02

    Availability and fees, confirmed

    Tell us your date and brief, and we confirm Shawn's availability and current fee on request. We never publish a fabricated figure or imply an exclusivity we do not hold.

  • 03

    Managed end to end

    From first inquiry to the day itself, Headliner handles briefing, contracting, and logistics, so your team can focus on the event.

Answers

Booking questions, answered

Is Shawn Achor available for my event date?

Availability changes with Shawn's schedule and the season. Tell us your date and we'll confirm whether Shawn is open, and hold the slot while you decide.

What formats does Shawn offer?

Shawn is available for Keynote and Virtual engagements. We'll match the format to your audience and run-of-show.

What does Shawn speak about?

Shawn's keynote themes include Positive Psychology and Performance. Each talk is tailored to your audience and outcomes.

What languages does Shawn present in?

Shawn presents in English.

Where does Shawn travel from?

Shawn is based in Dallas, TX and travels internationally for engagements; virtual sessions are also available.

Ready to book?

How to book Shawn: fees, availability & process

Get the full picture on Shawn Achor’s speaking fee, the real availability drivers, best-fit events, and the step-by-step booking process for Shawn.

Read the booking guide

Before you book

Guides to book with confidence

New to booking a keynote? These guides cover fees, process, and fit, so you can brief us and book Shawn with confidence.

Profile updated . Compiled from public sources; confirm current fees and availability with Headliner.

Book Shawn Achor through Headliner

Tell us about your event and we’ll confirm Shawn’s availability and fee, typically within four business hours.

Book Shawn Achor through HeadlinerBrowse the roster

Keep exploring

Speakers in the same vein

Shawn Achor

Fee on request

Check availability