PROGRAMS

Programs that Make High Performance More Human

From mental health to peak performance, Kara Hardin delivers research-driven talks that meet your team where they are—and move them forward with insight, clarity, and care.

Trusted by over 100 Global Organizations
Programming for a lasting impact

Rooted in science. Designed for performance.

Kara brings a rare combination of credentials and connection to every stage she steps onto. Her programs are shaped by her unique path—from practicing law to practicing therapy—and years spent working at the intersection of mental health and high performance.

  • Former corporate lawyer and Registered Psychotherapist with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology
  • Expert in corporate peak performance, mental health, and the hidden drivers behind success
  • Trusted speaker for AM100 law firms, Fortune 500 companies, universities, and social impact organizations
  • Available for keynotes, retreats, and leadership development programs
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100+
Organizations Served
From Fortune 500s to high growth startups
10K+
Program Attendees
Equipping individuals and teams with practical tools for better well-being and performance
4.9
Average Client Rating
Consistently praised for impact, relevance, and transformative delivery
SIGNATURE PROGRAMS

Explore Kara’s Signature Programs

Categories

Peak Performance: Reimagining WorkBuilding Common GroundMental Health Awareness
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Peak Performance: Reimagining Work

The Path Back to Delight
Reclaiming Joy at Work
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The Path Back to Delight: Reclaiming Joy at Work

In high-pressure environments, we often become disconnected from what makes us feel delighted, joyful, satisfied and alive. The relentless pursuit of doing more, achieving more, and meeting expectations can leave us feeling depleted, even as we accomplish more than we ever imagined.

Participant Takeaways

  • Identifying Strengths and Sources of Joy: Explore strengths and recognize the activities and moments at work that result in delight, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
  • Processing and Integrating Challenges: Acknowledge recent stressors and setbacks, and develop strategies for moving through challenges in ways that foster renewal.
  • Clarifying What Sustains Meaningful Work: Gain clarity on the values, habits, and practices that energize participants rooted in the latest evidence based research.
  • Creating Intentional Practices for Joy: Walk away with personalized, practical strategies to intentionally cultivate more ease, joy, and meaning in your workday.
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Driven but Drained
Breaking Free from Urgency and Overwhelm
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Driven but Drained: Breaking Free from Urgency and Overwhelm

Many high achievers live life in a constant state of urgency— everything feels important, overwhelming, and in need of immediate attention. This state of "always on" isn’t a personal failing: it’s a physiological response rooted in the nervous system's stress cycle.

Participant Takeaways

  • Understanding the Stress Response: Learn how the nervous system’s fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses contribute to feelings of overwhelm and urgency.
  • Exploring the Window of Tolerance: Understand the idea of “regulation”, and be able to identify your personal "window of tolerance" and when you’re operating outside of it.
  • Recognizing Activation Triggers: Build self-awareness of the specific stressors that lead to emotional and physical overactivation at work.
  • Building Regulation Skills: Practice evidence-based techniques for working with your nervous system during high-stress moments.
  • Creating Daily Practices: Develop small, actionable habits to expand your window of tolerance and foster equanimity in your daily work life.
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Reimagining Work
Reclaiming Effort, Success, and Productivity
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Reimagining Work: Reclaiming Effort, Success, and Productivity

Our beliefs about work shape every part of our day—from how we write emails to whether we pursue certain career opportunities. These beliefs, rooted in ideas of efficiency, accomplishment, and productivity, influence what we expect from ourselves, our communities, and our workplaces. Yet, many of the stories we’ve internalized about "getting things done" and "what success looks like" are based on outdated or flawed assumptions.

Participant Takeaways

  • Identifying Pervasive Beliefs: Reflect on the beliefs and narratives you’ve internalized about effort, productivity, and accomplishment.
  • Debunking Productivity Myths: Explore common assumptions—like "busy equals productive" and "success precedes fulfillment"—and learn why they often fall short.
  • Building Intentional Work Practices: Develop strategies for prioritizing meaningful work and shifting away from habits driven by guilt, busyness, or external validation.
  • Redefining Achievement: Walk away with a renewed sense of what success means for you and practical steps to reshape your day-to-day approach to work.
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When Striving Keeps you Stuck
The Performance Paradox
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When Striving Keeps you Stuck: The Performance Paradox

In today’s workplace, achievement is pursued relentlessly—but the relief we expect from success rarely arrives. The need to excel can create overwhelming pressure—to say 'yes' constantly, overextend, aim for perfection, and push harder to be right and get it all done. Ironically, the harder we strive, the more stuck we feel—trapped in cycles of perfectionism, guilt, and overwhelm that disconnect us from ourselves and what matters most.

Participant Takeaways

  • Recognizing the Performance Paradox: Understand how the drive to achieve can lead to feelings of guilt, overwhelm, and disconnection—and why this cycle makes sense.
  • Identifying Personal Triggers: Reflect on the moments that activate perfectionism and overwork, and explore how they show up in your decision-making.
  • Challenging Unhelpful Beliefs: Learn strategies to reframe limiting beliefs about success, productivity, and worthiness.
  • Practicing Self-Compassion: Build tools to meet moments of self-criticism and pressure with empathy instead of judgment.
  • Making Deliberate Choices: Gain confidence in making and deliberate choices, especially when you are conflicted about them.
  • Reclaiming a Sense of "Enough": Develop practices to foster a sustainable sense of accomplishment that supports both well-being and performance.
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Additional Topics Available Include:

  • Better Sleep, Better Days: Your Questions on Sleep, Answered
  • Unplugged: How to Reset and Rest in a Hyperconnected World

Building Common Ground

Connection in Complexity
Understanding How We Show Up When It Matters Most
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Connection in Complexity: Understanding How We Show Up When It Matters Most

In challenging times—whether driven by personal, local or global events—our ability to connect with one another is often tested. Stress, context and our sense of the stakes, can shift how we communicate and perceive others, making it harder to listen, empathize, and hold space for complexity.

Participant Takeaways

  • Self-Awareness in Difficult Moments: Reflect on your personal stress patterns and how they influence
  • your approach to connection. Practicing Self-Regulation: Gain evidence-based techniques, to use during complex conversations.
  • Fostering Empathy and Curiosity: Explore ways to create a sense of safety and trust, even during moments of disagreement or emotional intensity.
  • Strengthening Connection Under Stress: Develop tools to hold space for both your own experiences and those of others, fostering deeper understanding and collaboration.
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Intergenerational Advantage
Understanding Generational Context and Collaboration at Work
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Intergenerational Advantage: Understanding Generational Context and Collaboration at Work

Today’s workplace is shaped by multiple generations, each influenced by unique historical and cultural experiences. These generational differences can spark innovation and creativity—or lead to miscommunication and missed opportunities.

Participant Takeaways

  • Awareness of Generational Context: Recognize how historical and cultural contexts shape each generation’s approach to work, communication, and leadership.
  • Navigating Assumptions and Biases: Learn to identify and challenge generational stereotypes, biases and assumptions that can undermine trust and collaboration.
  • Framework for Development: Practice a clear framework for moments when they notice intergenerational friction.
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Steady Under Pressure
How Stress Shapes What We Say and How We Listen
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Steady Under Pressure: How Stress Shapes What We Say and How We Listen

Stress impacts not only how we feel internally, but also how we connect, respond, and collaborate with others. When we're under pressure, our communication can become reactive, unclear, or overly defensive—sometimes without us even realizing it.

Participant Takeaways

  • Understanding Stress and Communication: Learn how the body’s stress response impacts tone, listening, and the ability to communicate effectively.
  • Recognizing Your Stress Patterns: Participants reflect on their own communication tendencies under stress, and identify key triggers that affect how they show up.
  • Building Regulation Strategies: Practice simple, evidence-based techniques to use in stressful interactions.
  • Responding Instead of Reacting: Gain strategies for shifting from reactive communication to thoughtful, intentional responses.
  • Strengthening Connection Under Pressure: Learn tools for fostering trust, curiosity, and mutual understanding, even during moments of heightened stress.
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The Power of Understanding
Connecting Across Communication Styles
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The Power of Understanding: Connecting Across Communication Styles

In every workplace, we bring unique communication styles that reflect how we process information, navigate conflict, and express ideas. These differences can strengthen collaboration—or create misunderstandings.

Participant Takeaways

  • Recognizing Communication Styles: Learn how different communication styles influence workplace dynamics, collaboration, and conflict.
  • Self-Awareness in Communication: Reflect on communication tendencies and how they may impact interactions with others.
  • Bridging Communication Differences: Develop practical strategies to adapt your communication style when working with differing approaches.
  • Strengthening Connection: Practice techniques for fostering trust, clarity, and connection through understanding and curiosity.
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Mental Health Awareness

Staying Grounded
Mental Health Strategies for an Unpredictable World
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Staying Grounded: Mental Health Strategies for an Unpredictable World

In times of global unrest and rapid change, staying grounded requires both awareness and action. High-pressure environments can amplify feelings of uncertainty, making it harder to stay present, focused, and well.

Participant Takeaways

  • Regulation Techniques: Learn how to identify and regulate your emotional state in real time, even during high-stress moments.
  • Practical Self-Care Strategies: Explore simple, actionable practices for calming your nervous system and staying centered amid uncertainty.
  • Breaking Down Challenges: Develop strategies to break large, overwhelming challenges into smaller, manageable steps.
  • Navigating Unpredictability: Leave with practice to help ground and support yourself and others through times of instability
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From Awareness to Action
Supporting Mental Health at Work
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From Awareness to Action: Supporting Mental Health at Work

Mental health touches all of us, yet we often find ourselves unsure how to understand and support our own well-being. How can we build the tools and self-awareness to navigate mental health challenges in the context ever pressing demands and responsibilities?

Participant Takeaways

  • Understanding Mental Health Concepts: Gain a clear understanding of the core concepts of mental health and mental illness and how they manifest in high-pressure environments.
  • Building Self-Awareness: Participants reflect on their wellbeing and develop tools to check in with themselves over time.
  • Developing Practical Support Strategies: Learn evidence-based practices to support your mental health amidst ongoing demands and responsibilities.
  • Empowerment for Meaningful Action: Participants leave with actionable steps to engage in their own mental health journey with confidence and care.
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The Art of Showing Up
Being a Supportive Colleague
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The Art of Showing Up: Being a Supportive Colleague

Mental health and well-being are central to thriving workplaces, yet even the most supportive colleagues can feel unsure about how to engage meaningfully. Knowing what to say—or when to step in—can feel overwhelming, especially in high-performance environments where excellence is the baseline.

Participant Takeaways

  • Recognizing Signs and Symptoms: Understand key indicators of mental health challenges and how they may present at work and beyond.
  • Engagement Framework: Use a simple, effective framework to approach sensitive conversations with care and confidence.
  • Practical Scenarios: Apply strategies to real-life situations to build comfort in navigating complex dynamics with colleagues and clients.
  • Self-Care Strategies: Learn specific practices to support and sustain your mental well-being, even during peak demands.
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The Hidden Influence of Trauma
How Our Past Shapes How We Show Up
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The Hidden Influence of Trauma: How Our Past Shapes How We Show Up

The ways we show up at work—how we respond to feedback, manage stress, or navigate conflict—are often shaped by our earliest experiences growing up. Our early developmental years, whether we recognize them or not, influence how we process challenges, relate to others, and regulate our emotions in high-pressure environments.

Participant Takeaways

  • Understanding Early Influences: Recognize how developmental experiences shape responses to feedback, stress, and conflict in professional settings.
  • Identifying Patterns: Develop self-awareness to identify recurring emotional and behavioral patterns that impact workplace interactions.
  • Building Emotional Regulation Skills: Participants learn body-based techniques to calm their nervous systems and respond thoughtfully under pressure.
  • Strengthening Agency: Gain practical strategies to shift from reactive habits to intentional actions that align with values and goals
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Additional Topics Available Include:

  • Being Human: Engaging Meaningfully with Suicide
  • Caring for the Caregivers: Strengthening Well-Being
  • Making Space for Grief: Navigating Loss and Healing at Work
Modern Webinars for Modern Organizations

Virtual Talks Done Differently

Live, anonymous polling capabilities

Flexible with all webinar and meeting platforms

Asynchronous Video Capabilities

Professional A/V Studio & Equipment

Testimonials

Real Words from Real Clients

"Kara's intentionality and thoughtfulness for the leadership development in our organization has led to our leaders being more open to taking risks and trying new ideas/methods for feedback with their teams.”

“Her approach to instruction is highly effective”

Melissa Lewis
Facing History & Ourselves
"She captivated our audience and set the perfect tone for the day. The feedback from our guests was overwhelmingly positive, with many citing Kara's keynote as a highlight of their Summit experience.”

“If you're looking for a dynamic, engaging, and impactful speaker, I highly recommend Kara!"

Avi Weiss
Counselwell
"Working with Kara Hardin was a transformative experience for our team at Uber. From her group training sessions to her one-on-one consults, Kara was able to drive a shared understanding of mental health and its impact on performance amongst our team, all delivered in a fun and engaging way."

“Working with Kara Hardin was a transformative experience”

Faye Pang
UberEats
"She brings a practical and pragmatic approach to her training sessions and participants leave with ideas to start implementing right away. She understands the daily demands a busy legal professional is under and is able to relate to her audience in a warm, empathetic manner"

“Kara is a true subject matter expert in the area of mental health and wellness.”

Katrina Henn
WeirFoulds LLP
"If you care about the health of you and your team, and you work in a start-up or high-growth organization, you have to work with Kara. She tackles serious ideas with actionable practices, take-aways, much-needed warmth, and lots of humour. I can’t recommend her work with The Practice Lab enough."

“Her thinking is transforming the way we understand mental health at work.”

Brittany Reardon
Clio
"Kara is a joy to work with. She cares deeply about helping others, and brings extensive knowledge, passion, and humor to her work. Kara is an engaging presenter, able to capture and keep the attention of both large and small groups, in person or virtually. Kara has the unique ability to address sensitive topics in a caring, practical manner and create a judgment-free environment."

“Kara is a joy to work with”

Ryan Baker
Bereskin & Parr LLP
"She knows how to make others comfortable, priming them for ultimate self-reflection and realization. She combines research, her own personal experiences and a bit of humor to reach her audience in a way that is deeply compelling."

“Kara was able to connect with people at every level of the organization”

Jaimie DeRight
FreddieMac
"Kara’s deep knowledge combined with her genuine desire to help people navigate the complexity and messiness of modern life make her a compelling presenter. Her practical tips and takeaways are gamechangers when it comes to putting her strategies into action."

“Our team left Kara’s session inspired”

Suzanne Thomas
Dentons
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Peak Performance: Reimagining WorkBuilding Common GroundMental Health Awareness
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