Nataly Kogan

Nataly Kogan is a keynote speaker, bestselling author and artist. She also describes herself as a serial entrepreneur and an advisor to founders and leaders. She came to the United States at 13 as a refugee from the Soviet Union, with no English and no money.

She spent two decades building. She started at McKinsey & Company in New York, then moved into venture capital and startups. She co-founded a publishing company that Penguin later acquired, built the online community Work It, Mom!, and worked on consumer technology at Microsoft's innovation lab and at a mobile startup acquired by PayPal. Her gratitude app, Happier, grew out of her own experience of practicing gratitude. After years of running on pressure, she hit a severe burnout.

Recovery began with a paintbrush, which she picked up at 40 because painting made her feel alive. She says it taught her that reinvention is about becoming more of who you already are. Her books Happier Now and The Awesome Human Project, along with the Awesome Human Journal, grew from this work. She now teaches the REINVENT•ABILITY™ framework, which treats change as a catalyst for growth.

Today she delivers keynotes and leadership experiences, and she leads art-fueled workshops and retreats from her art studio in Boston. These blend painting, reflection and facilitation, and they need no art experience. She also hosts the DARE YOURSELF podcast, with short solo episodes and conversations about what it takes to create something new.