Whitney Johnson
Thinkers50 Top 10 Global Business Thinker | CEO, Disruption Advisors | Creator of the S Curve of Learning® | WSJ Bestselling Author | 2025 ATD Thought Leader Award
Elise Mitchell
Three-Time CEO & Founder of Mitchell Communications Group (Sold to Dentsu) | Executive Coach & Leadership Strategist | Author of Leading Through the Turn
Elise Mitchell is a leadership speaker, executive coach, and three-time CEO who built one of the fastest-growing PR firms in the world and sold it to global giant Dentsu. Drawing on her signature 'journey mindset,' she helps leaders navigate change, adversity, and growth without losing themselves. An author, entrepreneur, and avid motorcyclist, she turns hard-won lessons into practical, inspiring guidance for leaders at every level.
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Elise Mitchell biography
Leadership speaker Elise Mitchell is a three-time CEO, entrepreneur, executive coach, and author who has lived the lessons she teaches. She founded Mitchell Communications Group in a spare bedroom and grew it more than 500 percent in five years into one of the top ten fastest-growing public relations firms in the world, a two-time Inc. 500/5000 company, before selling it to the global advertising giant Dentsu. Known for a candid, practical style, she helps leaders and organizations grow, adapt, and lead well through change and adversity.
Speaker Elise Mitchell’s career spans both the entrepreneurial and corporate worlds. After the sale of her firm, she took on a global role leading mergers, acquisitions, and integration for Dentsu’s public relations network, and later became CEO of the Dentsu Aegis PR network. Today she advises leaders, from founders of fast-growing start-ups to executives at Fortune 100 companies, through her own leadership and business consultancy. A sought-after executive coach and board director, she has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of the Year, a PRWeek Agency Professional of the Year, and a “Top Speaker to See” by the Huffington Post.
Leading Through the Turn
Mitchell is the author of Leading Through the Turn: How a Journey Mindset Can Help Leaders Find Success and Significance (McGraw Hill). An avid motorcyclist, she draws a powerful parallel between riding and leading: the best riders, like the best leaders, keep their eyes up and look “through the turn,” staying focused on where they want to go rather than fixating on the obstacle in front of them. Her central idea, the “journey mindset,” challenges leaders who are so fixated on the destination that they burn out and lose their way, and shows them how to find both success and significance, and to enjoy the ride.
As a speaker, Elise Mitchell is warm, authentic, and genuinely memorable, blending vivid personal stories with hard-won, practical leadership strategies. She speaks on leading through change and adversity, the journey mindset, strategic thinking, building high-growth companies, and leading at your best without losing yourself. Audiences leave not just inspired but equipped, with a clear, usable framework from a leader who has built, scaled, sold, and coached at the highest levels.
Elise Mitchell Speaking Videos
Success, Growth & The Journey Mindset: Leadership Lessons
Leadership & Purpose: Why The Journey Matters As Much As The Destination
Elise Mitchell Keynote Topics
Based on her book, Elise Mitchell’s signature keynote draws a powerful parallel between riding a motorcycle and leading a business: the best riders keep their eyes up and look through the turn. She shares the story of how she built, scaled, and sold a world-class company, and nearly lost herself in the process, and the “journey mindset” that changed everything. Audiences learn how to stay focused on where they want to go, lead well through sharp turns and uncertainty, and find both success and significance along the way. Inspiring, honest, and immediately practical.
Every leader eventually hits a hard turn: a downturn, a crisis, a loss, a reinvention. Drawing on two decades of building a company and coaching leaders through their toughest moments, Elise Mitchell gives audiences a grounded, encouraging playbook for leading through change and adversity. She shows how to stay calm and clear under pressure, make good decisions in uncertainty, and bring your people with you. A resilient, real-world keynote for organizations navigating disruption.
In a world of constant noise and competing priorities, the leaders who win are the ones who can cut through the chaos and think clearly. Elise Mitchell shares the strategic habits and frameworks she used to grow a boutique agency into a global brand, and that she now teaches as an executive coach: how to focus on what matters, make sharper decisions, and turn complexity into a clear path forward. A practical, high-value keynote for leaders and teams who want to think, and lead, more strategically.
Elise Mitchell grew her firm more than 500 percent in five years and sold it to a global giant, so she knows what building a high-growth company really takes, and what it costs. In this candid keynote she shares the lessons behind that journey: how to scale a culture, lead a fast-growing team, make the hard calls, and build something meaningful without burning out or losing yourself. An honest, inspiring talk for entrepreneurs, founders, and anyone chasing ambitious growth.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Elise Mitchell
Why Elise Mitchell?
Booking Elise Mitchell brings audiences a rare combination: a three-time CEO who built and sold a world-class company, and an executive coach who now helps other leaders do their best work. She speaks from genuine experience, growing her firm more than 500 percent in five years, selling it to global giant Dentsu, and coaching leaders from start-ups to the Fortune 100, and she delivers it with warmth, honesty, and her memorable “journey mindset.” Practical and inspiring in equal measure, she sends audiences home with real tools, not just motivation. She is an ideal choice for events on leadership, change and resilience, entrepreneurship, and women in business. To bring Elise Mitchell to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Elise Mitchell?
Elise Mitchell is an American entrepreneur, three-time CEO, executive coach, and leadership author. She founded Mitchell Communications Group in 1995 and grew it more than 500 percent in five years into one of the top ten fastest-growing public relations firms in the world and a two-time Inc. 500/5000 company. In 2012 she sold the firm to the global advertising company Dentsu, where she went on to lead mergers and acquisitions for its PR investments and to serve as CEO of the Dentsu Aegis PR network. Today she advises leaders through her own leadership and business consultancy and is a sought-after executive coach, board director, and keynote speaker. She is the author of Leading Through the Turn: How a Journey Mindset Can Help Leaders Find Success and Significance (McGraw Hill), and a passionate motorcyclist based in Nashville.
What is “Leading Through the Turn” and the “journey mindset”?
Leading Through the Turn is Elise Mitchell’s book (McGraw Hill), and it reflects both her philosophy and her passion for motorcycling. The title comes from a core principle riders learn: to get safely and skillfully through a turn, you keep your eyes up and look through it, toward where you want to go, rather than fixating on the hazard right in front of you. Mitchell applies that same idea to leadership through what she calls the “journey mindset.” Too many leaders, she argues, become “destination leaders,” so consumed by hitting the next goal that they burn out, lose perspective, and stop enjoying the ride, something she nearly did herself at the height of building her company. The journey mindset is the antidote: staying focused on where you want to go, leading well through the sharp turns of change and adversity, and pursuing not just success but significance, while actually savoring the experience along the way. It’s a message she delivers through vivid personal stories paired with practical, usable leadership strategies.
What topics does leadership speaker Elise Mitchell cover?
Elise Mitchell speaks on leading through change and adversity, the “journey mindset” and leading at your best, strategic thinking and turning chaos into clarity, and building high-growth companies. Her keynotes suit events on leadership, entrepreneurship, change and resilience, and women in business, for corporate, founder, and executive audiences, in person or virtually. To book Elise Mitchell as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Elise Mitchell as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Elise Mitchell as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Elise Mitchell's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Elise Mitchell or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Elise Mitchell speaking fee?
Elise Mitchell speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Elise Mitchell to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Elise Mitchell.
How can I contact Elise Mitchell?
We only work with Elise Mitchell on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Elise Mitchell and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Elise Mitchell speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Elise Mitchell for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Elise Mitchell for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Elise Mitchell is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Elise Mitchell for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
