Speaking
Grief Doesn’t Clock Out
Why We Need to Make Space for Sorrow in Our Workplaces and Campuses
When loss enters our lives, deadlines don’t disappear, classes still meet, and meetings still happen. In this powerful keynote, Diandra Ford-Wing challenges the unspoken expectation that grief should stay private, invisible, or neatly timed.
Drawing from personal experience and professional insight, Diandra explores how grief shows up in performance, leadership, learning, and relationships—and why ignoring it costs more than acknowledging it. Audiences leave with a deeper understanding of grief as an ongoing human experience and practical ways institutions and organizations can respond with compassion, clarity, and accountability.
Audience takeaways:
A reframed understanding of grief beyond bereavement policies
Language for naming grief without overexposing or oversharing
Practical ways to support others while maintaining standards and performance
Diandra’s talks center on grief, emotional intelligence, and the often-unspoken emotional realities people carry into classrooms, offices, and leadership spaces.
Drawing from lived experience, research, and years of navigating high-performance environments, Diandra challenges the belief that grief is something to “get over” or leave at the door. Instead, she invites audiences to see grief as an ongoing human experience—one that shapes how we learn, lead, collaborate, and show up for one another.
Her work resonates deeply with college students, faculty, staff, executives, and HR leaders alike, offering language for what many feel but struggle to name. With warmth, clarity, and practical insight, Diandra creates space for honest reflection while equipping audiences with tools to build more humane, emotionally intelligent cultures—without sacrificing excellence, ambition, or accountability.
Each talk blends storytelling with actionable takeaways, leaving audiences feeling seen, grounded, and better prepared to support themselves and others through life’s hardest moments.
Speaking Topics
Pouring From an Honest Cup
Grief, Ambition, and the Pressure to Keep Going
High-achieving environments reward resilience, grit, and constant output—but rarely make room for emotional truth. In this deeply resonant talk, Diandra invites audiences to examine what happens when ambition collides with grief and the expectation to keep pouring into others.
Through storytelling and reflection, she challenges hustle culture narratives and introduces the concept of the “honest cup”—one that acknowledges depletion without shame. This talk offers permission to slow down, reassess, and lead with integrity rather than exhaustion.
Audience takeaways:
Insight into the hidden emotional labor of high performers
Tools for recognizing burnout masked as resilience
A healthier framework for ambition that includes rest, boundaries, and humanity
Naming the Unspoken
Why Language Matters When We’re Hurting
Many people don’t struggle because they’re unwilling to talk about grief—they struggle because they don’t have the language. This talk explores how silence, avoidance, and vague platitudes can unintentionally deepen isolation.
Diandra helps audiences build a shared vocabulary for grief, loss, and emotional strain—one that fosters connection without forcing vulnerability. Ideal for campuses and organizations seeking to improve culture, communication, and belonging.
Audience takeaways:
Common phrases that unintentionally shut conversations down
Language that creates safety, dignity, and trust
Tools for having hard conversations without fear of “saying the wrong thing”