Shelley Brown 

Shelley Brown is a speaker, artist and author who sees the world in colors and possibility. She imagines a place where everyone feels safe to be themselves.

Shelley’s approach to life has always been, “Who can I make friends with today?” So it’s only natural she found the perfect home in the hospitality industry, beginning at the front desk, then earning her membership to the prestigious Les Clefs D’Or USA as Concierge, and then ultimately growing her career as an enterprise sales leader with top hospitality and meeting-management technology companies. 

But the growing pressure of her corporate journey shifted her focus from relationships to achievement, and the relentless pursuit of success pushed her closer to the edge of a professional and personal cliff. One terrible morning, it finally pushed her over. 

In 2012, Shelley woke up to excruciating pain from a collapsed vertebra. Years of marathon and ultra-marathon running had taken its toll on her body, and the pressure to perform professionally had forced her to ignore all the signs.

She was laid up for over a year, during which time she lost nearly everything. But in the middle of the pain and the grief, she remembered who she was and what mattered to her most: belonging. That value now permeates and guides every area of her life.

Personal, professional, and organizational success can only happen when people experience a sense of belonging that’s connected to their unique, individual expression. It’s part of Shelley’s Belonging Equation: safety + choice = belonging. Shelley’s mission as a professional speaker is working with organizations to create environments that fosters a continuous culture of belonging, where people feel safe to choose their level of authenticity at work.

Shelley speaks around the United States and beyond, sharing her high-content, motivational-style keynotes and earning high praise from industry-leading companies and organizations, including UPS, Benchmark Electronics and Marriott.

Award Winning Motivational Speaker, Author, Belonging Expert

BIZCATALYST 360°

Columnist and Featured Contributor

ROI Mindfulness

Sales can be hard.

I know. I lived the corporate lifestyle for 25 years.

My name is Shelley Brown. 

At ROI Mindfulness, I share mindfulness and meditation practices with leaders and teams so they cultivate the skills to align with their values and "Walk their Talk".

For stuff like this, you may expect someone who looks like a yogi.
Maybe you expect a hint of patchouli wafting as I walk by.
Perhaps you even expect a gong.

Nope. That’s definitely not my style, let alone my story.

What is?

I’m a corporate sales veteran with 25 years as a bag-carrying, quota-crushing machine. (At least that’s what I looked like on the outside.)

Inside? I was crushed by stress.

Meditation and mindfulness literally saved my life. 

Now I invite leaders & teams to mitigate the stress only corporate pros know through meditation and mindfulness. 

What can the results look like?
A stronger corporate culture
Better relationships with clients and colleagues
Increased wellbeing and engagement
Positive impact on the bottom line

Look...I get it. Mindfulness and meditation are hip these days. Lots of people are trying it, talking it, selling it.

And, you might think this is the latest fad to get your team focused on what matters for effective performance. You might also be one of those people that think meditation and mindfulness is hip, cool, or otherwise trendy .

I don’t help your team be hip. I invite your people to transform.

This is what ROI Mindfulness is all about. 

Contact me at shelleybrown@roimindfulness.com. 

Let’s find out how this might help your organization align with their values and postively impact the bottom line!

Speaker | Mindfulness Workshop Facilitator/ One on One Mindfulness Mentor

Travelport

Travel! Yes, TRAVEL! This one little word inspires so many thoughts, memories and emotions. 

As a young girl, I was mesmerized by travel and hotels. As I grew older, I pursued the passion, spending much of my early career in the hotel industry until I learned how technology was becoming a disruption. (They didn’t call it disruption back then!)

At Travelport I combined my love for the hospitality industry with my passion for travel, technology, and (of course!) Sales!

I achieved 100% of my goals for 2018...I took a deep breath...and then I jumped.

I left Travelport to launch my mindfulness and meditation business. 

I left to help more sales people mitigate stress and close more deals.

Digital Media Solutions- Business Development Manager

National Restaurant Association

This was it.

The culmination of a successful career in Sales.

At the National Restaurant Association, I was THE National Account Manager. I was booking business...I was spreading Association love...I was living what I considered a privileged lifestyle. 

And I was a wreck.

This is where the culmination of stress finally wore me down.

You might even say this stop on my career was my pivot point...my transformation one way or another had to happen. I broke.

After National Restaurant Association, I picked up the pieces through mindfulness and meditation. I learned the ins and outs. I saw what stress had done to and for me...And I adapted.

This experience, while difficult, was the most important of my career. And, I appreciate the opportunity immensely.

National Account Manager

Cvent, Inc.

You know those experiences in your career when you just killed it? You were golden...working hard, playing hard, and delivering again and again…

Thats me at Cvent.

Not to toot my own horn, but I rocked it in Cvent sales...even in the face of having to learn a complex technology platform at an explosive, high-growth company.

What’s that look like? This:

► Reached 137% of quota in 2016
► Created a sales pipeline of high 6 figures for 2017
► Closed hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales
► Signed 37 new logos within the first 8 months on the job

And many, many more.

That’s the good. That’s the picture every sales pro wants to paint. And, it’s real.

And, for me at Cvent, the other thing that was real? This:

► Continual fear I’d lose a deal
► Stress about what would happen if I missed quota
► Worry about keeping the pipeline growing
► Unfounded doubt that I could continue my great performance

The fact is, this is the perfect picture of life as a sales pro.

For me it was a constant rollercoaster of ups and downs. It was always about my internal buzz...the thoughts I woke up with every day, trying to be this sales superstar.

My experience at Cvent was a good one...and still, it lay the groundwork for what was to come….

Senior Sales Executive / Sr. Account Executive- Enterprise

Phocuswright, Inc.

To me, powering sales is about touching clients on a deeper level. It’s about energizing them with a powerful message, and mobilizing them to take action.

This is what ignited sales for me in my role at Phocuswright, selling subscription, research, and reports to destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and thought leadership opportunities for travel technology providers.

By fortifying client relationships and repositioning Phocuswright’s value proposition as a critical business enabler, I:

►Produced >$380K in sales opportunities

►Landed 50% more program subscribers within a previously elusive client base

► Created a $300K sales pipeline in 8 months 

►Catapulted Phocuswright’s industry visibility

► Powered a 50% increase in domestic DMO subscribers

► Closed deals with SDL, Moxie Software, Boston Consulting Group, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Wanderable, and more

► Even boosted overall webinar attendance 40% after taking over as moderator

I continued rocking out sales at Phocuswright. And, I continued to feel the stress. 

I learned the answers to these tough questions every sales person experiences:

What happens mentally when you lose a big deal...one you’ve bent over backwards to win?
How do you handle it when you lose the sale, but have another sales call five minutes later?
What does it mean when you don't make your quarter?
What does it mean when you get your goal for the year?
What do you do with that number?
What do you make it mean?
What's the narrative you play in your head?

I thought all these things. And, I was one of the successful sales people. What happens when you’re not?

Business Development - Research and Thought Leadership Sales

Plannernet

I’ve always delivered beyond expectations and trusted my instincts when it comes to business.

This approach earned me the trust of a former boss, who offered a custom-made position...just for me.

I came on board and quickly got excited by the mission.

Have you ever been at the starting line with all these grand aspirations, and then you learn you have to plot your path from scratch?

If so, you know sometimes on your path to make it all happen you risk hitting a wall.

Thanks to my running background -- I’ve finished 26 marathons -- I know one of life’s truths: If you train and strategize intelligently, you’ll get to the finish line. 

At Plannernet, I exploited my creativity to define their promise of value. I created their new marketing collateral. And, I tuned and drove the sales engine.

With a telephone, laptop, and an occasional plane ticket (50 miles is where I stop running and use alternate forms of transportation):

► I boosted revenues 322%

► I paved the way for ~$5M in future revenue by growing the corporate client base from zero

► I won enterprise contracts with 15 diverse Fortune-ranked clients


I had a mentor who hired me...a key part of building something amazing.

I was running five marathons a year.

I was a star sales director, and a ultra-competitive distance runner.

I traveled around, met with Fortune 500 companies to introduce a service, which most of them bought.

I thought I had it all. But, I had a secret: I was running on nerves. I hit a wall. Almost literally.

I had to get a spinal fusion as a result of all the running...all the travel...all the stress that I was causing myself.

Director, Corporate Sales

Various Companies

Clef's d'Or Concierge to Regional and National Sales Various Hotels and Event Tech Companies

Give them what they NEED, so you get what you WANT. That's my motto!

I am on a mission to help organizations create their greatest culture. As an award-winning international speaker, pop artist, and mindfulness educator, I work tirelessly to champion cultural cohesion. As a Belongingologist, I am dedicated to the study of connection and inclusion through embracing our own authenticity and each other’s.

In my corporate career, I held positions in hospitality, travel and event tech as a regional and national director of sales for 17 years. I am a certified mindfulness educator and earned the elite title of Les Clefs d’Or USA.

I have inspired audiences around the world including the Dallas Mavericks, United Airlines, Marriott Hotels, UPS, Accor Hotels, Global Business Travel Association, Meeting Planner International, National Tour Association, Benchmark Electronics, National Credit Union Administration, BCD Travel and Women Leading Travel and Hospitality. I am the author of “Weird Girl Adventures” and is a 26-time ultra-marathoner and marathoner.

Contact me at shelley@shelleybrownofficial.com

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