Shasta Nelson

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Shasta Nelson is a friendship expert, keynote speaker, and the author of four books on the science of friendship who helps organizations build the workplace connection and belonging that drive trust, retention, and performance.

Shasta has spent 15 years researching what makes relationships thrive — as Chief Friendship Officer of the U.S. Chamber of Connection, author of four books on relationships and belonging, a two-time TEDx speaker with nearly 1 million views, and a speaker with 500+ keynotes. For the past six years, she’s used a diagnostic tool with organizations to actually measure relationship health — not intuition, data.

Her research has identified three behaviors that bond any two people — positivity, consistency, and vulnerability — and she translates the science behind them into frameworks that determine whether teams trust each other, cultures thrive, and conferences create real connection.

Organizations invite Shasta to speak when they want to:

Accelerate trust on teams so leaders collaborate faster and navigate change with resilience Strengthen culture, engagement, and retention Equip leaders and employees with practical relationship skills that improve belonging and performance Transform conferences from passive events into connection experiences

Her clients include global companies, healthcare systems, associations, and leadership teams working to strengthen trust and culture.

Because it’s time to trust the data: when relationships get stronger, everything else works better.

3 keynotes from Shasta

Every keynote is tailored to your audience and theme.

Signature keynote

The Science of Friendship at Work: Accelerating High-Trust, Resilient, and Rewarding Relationships

Did you know that employees with meaningful relationships at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their jobs, take fewer sick days, collaborate more effectively, provide better customer service, and stay longer with their companies? A sense of belonging is the #1 factor in employee satisfaction — and building it is one of the most effective levers for reducing turnover and increasing fulfillment. In this dynamic, interactive keynote, friendship expert and author Shasta Nelson teaches the Science of Friendship at Work — translating her signature framework, the 3 Requirements of Relationships, into a practical lens for evaluating and strengthening connection within your teams.

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The Connected Leader: Driving Performance and Growth through Human Connection

We frequently talk about how lonely it is “at the top,” and yet we’ve almost resigned ourselves to believing that’s the way it has to be. Just as our team members need to have meaningful relationships at work to be more engaged and productive, our leaders need to feel connected and supported. The stats speak for themselves: 60 percent of CEOs say they’re lonely, and three-fourths of them say that it’s hurting their performance. But it doesn’t have to be this way—leaders who have supportive relationships at work are more resilient through crisis, communicate more effectively, and enjoy increased longevity and health. In this fun and interactive program, social relationships expert and author of The Business of Friendship: Making the Most of Our Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time, Shasta Nelson delivers strategies to create and maintain the supportive relationships that your leaders need and addresses the biggest fears around boss-employee friendships, such as favoritism, confidentiality breaches, and more.

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Relationally Fit: The Social Secret to a Longer, Happier Life

How many of us struggle to muster the energy to socialize with strangers or even with our closest friends? Making new friends or deepening our existing relationships is uncomfortable, awkward, and—at times—painful. But choosing to avoid social discomfort often leaves us feeling lonely, with over 61% of the United States and 73% of Gen Z-ers feeling lonely on a regular basis. The damage to our health, happiness, and longevity is devastating. Feeling disconnected is as harmful to our well-being as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, twice as harmful as being obese, and is the equivalent of being a lifelong alcoholic. So what’s the solution? In this energizing program packed with real-world research and inspiring stories, social relationships expert Shasta Nelson explores the #1 health factor more important than kale and treadmills and teaches us how we can enjoy long, connected lives.

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