Graci Harkema, international public speaker and best-selling author, inspiring us all to rise in authenticity, inclusion, and belonging.
You don’t have to be born in a mud hut to have a story.
We all have a story. We all have a purpose.
Workshops
Interactive, inspirational, and engaging workshops focused on inclusion, belonging, and leadership.
Keynotes
Inspirational, powerful keynotes for conferences, seminars, organizations, and higher education.
media
Media speaking engagements, interviews, author talks, and book signing events.
For More, Check Out Graci’s YouTube Channel!
Workshops
1-2 hours in duration | In-Person or Virtual
Graci Harkema’s workshops are inspirational, interactive, and engaging. Participants learn the business case of diversity, equity and inclusion, learn to build more inclusive environments where members are empowered to thrive as their authentic selves, recognize our unconscious biases and how to control them, and rise in authenticity and inclusive leadership. The workshops are an opportunity for organizations in all industries to build more equitable environments, increase collaboration, communication, and teamwork.
workshops
Rising in Inclusion & Overcoming Bias: Graci Harkema’s inspirational and powerful flagship 90-minute training which meets you where you are at in your DEI journey to help you gain a deeper meaning of diversity, learn to overcome our unconscious bias, and create a more inclusive environment.
Rising in Mitigating Microaggressions: 90-minute interactive training of understanding how bias can create intentional or unintentional microaggressions. Learn how to build an inclusive workplace by recognizing and understand how to mitigate microaggressions when they occur.
Rising in Inclusion & Fair Housing: 100-minute interactive workshop on creating environments of equality and belonging by implementing fair housing through legal historical context and inclusion practices for REALTORS®. Certified by Michigan Realtors® for 1 Legal CE credit and 1 Fair Housing CE credit.
Rising in Allyship & Inclusive Leadership: 90-minute training where you will learn tangible steps to be an inclusive leader, leverage emotional intelligence, manage crucial conversations in the workplace, and exemplify authenticity in leadership.
Rising in Allyship—Student Edition: 2-hour interactive workshop meets students where they are to learn tangible steps to see their identities as their strengths, value others’ identities, learn the power of their voice and how to use it in supporting and advocating for themselves and others.
Rising in Inclusion & Belonging: 90-minute inspirational and interactive workshop on building an inclusive workplace. Understand the importance of fostering belonging. Learn tangible steps to be an inclusive leader and ally, while implementing action steps and continued learning for inclusion. Great for team-building.
Rising in Pride: 60-minute training on the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusivity, gender expression and identity, and the history of Pride.
Benefits
After participating in the workshops you will:
Understand organizational business case for authenticity, inclusion, and belonging.
More effectively learn how to build an inclusive environment and foster belonging.
Identify ways to address and check unconscious bias.
Implement action steps and continued learning for authenticity and inclusion.
Participate in team-building and team-bonding with other participants.
Learn ways to more authentically show up in the workplace and in your world.
"Graci brings authenticity and her powerful story which allows her audience to be vulnerable and feel safe. She is informative, impactful and inspires you to lean in and be an ally. We highly recommend her to any organization."
— Amway Hotel Corporation
Ready to begin?
Let’s connect on details and pricing here
“Graci is a passionate, compassionate, and energizing speaker. Her ability to connect with her audience and successfully unpack a really difficult and emotionally-charged topic in a way that’s absolutely relatable to the entire room is nothing short of amazing.”
“Thank you Graci Harkema for sharing your insights on ‘Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace’. I felt very positive to hear thoughtful conversations. The point which struck me - WE all have a bias, WE all make mistakes and WE all make judgments. Yet, if we seek to understand and respect one another, we can make a change.”
Keynotes
30-60 minutes | In-Person and Virtual
Keynote presentation of Graci Harkema’s powerful life story and lessons of adversity, vulnerability, identity, and belonging as an international, transracial adoptee, queer, woman of color.
Through storytelling of Graci’s experiences, participants will learn and receive takeaways on the importance of fostering belonging, building safe and inclusive environments, being an inclusive leader, and leaning how to live and work more authentically.
Keynote Topics
Rising in Inclusive Leadership: Inspirational storytelling of inclusive leadership through Graci’s career journey and life experiences. Audience will gain understanding of meeting our people where they are at and be an ally. Leadership at any level is a process of growth and vulnerability. Leadership development can also be a deeply personal process. For leaders and professionals.
Rising in Authenticity & Belonging: Inspirational storytelling of Graci’s life experiences and the impact of inclusion and belonging in an environment. Audiences will be inspired to embrace our identities, build more safe and inclusive environments where we allow ourselves and others to be seen and heard by living and working more authentically. For students, professionals, and leaders.
Rising in Pride: Graci’s vulnerable story of coming out of the closet, identifying as LGBTQ+. Be inspired to find joy in our queer identities, be empowered as an ally, and see our identities as our super powers, not our shame.
Benefits
After the keynote you will:
Be empowered to exemplify authenticity in the way you show up in the world.
Be inspired to build an inclusive environment and foster belonging around you.
Learn tangible steps to be an inclusive leader.
Ready to begin?
Let’s connect on details and pricing here
“Your story is powerful and I’m so grateful you were able to share it with our team. Your message is important and I’m glad you’ve stepped fully into this space that you were clearly designed to occupy.”
“By far the best keynote presenter I have had the pleasure of hearing, Graci Harkema, speaking on Living Your Truth. She brought me to tears, yet I felt so motivated and empowered through her story. ”
Media
Available now | In-Person and Virtual
Graci Harkema is available to be your guest for media and news interviews, podcasts, panels, and book signing events on all topics related to authenticity, identity, belonging, inclusive leadership, racial equity, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, adoption, family services, female empowerment, and her memoir, Rising.
as seen in:
Benefits
Media engagements:
Connect on diversity, equity & inclusion-related topics and current events.
Learn tips, advice, and in-depth insight of my journey.
I’d love to join your event for speaking engagements, author talks, and book signings
Ready to begin?
Let’s connect on details, customization options, and pricing here
“Graci brings an open and personal touch to the deep process of diving into difficult topics. It’s in this “safe space” that we were able to learn, grow and change.”
“Graci has done the research to understand our brand and company purpose, and she is able to provide concrete advice on communication, marketing and DEI work that aligns with that foundation. She understands our category, but more importantly simply understands people. She consults with patience, confidence and encouragement. She very quickly became an engaged part of our team, while providing an invaluable point of view from outside the organization.”
My Background
I have a decade of corporate diversity, equity & inclusion experience, working with Fortune 100 companies to small businesses to non-profits, spanning across North America, Europe, and Asia. Impassioned by my early quest for belonging, I desire to help people feel included and empowered to be their authentic self. In my free time, I enjoy quality time with friends and family and giving back to the community through philanthropy and volunteerism.
“Wow! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. Your workshop is very powerful. I tend to think about diversity in terms of race, gender and age, but you opened up that definition for me today, as well as the broader idea of bias.”
“Thank you for the learning opportunity with Graci Harkema today! Wow! Powerful words of resilience with Graci Harkema.”
Ready for something but not sure where to start?
contact me for questions!