NEW FOR 2027 ENGAGEMENTS
Connection Changes Everything
How everyday interactions drive performance, retention, and revenue.
An unforgettable customized keynote built on remarkable true stories, and the business lessons hiding in the moments we almost miss.
Speaker Reel
Watch Rachel in Action
Rachel Mahoney (formerly Rachel DeAlto) keynote speaker demo highlighting communication, leadership, and human connection in today’s workplace.
THE IDEA / THE BUSINESS CASE
The moments people remember shape the results organizations achieve.
A single conversation can change a relationship. A small gesture can change someone's commitment. Being understood can change a customer's decision.
The world is filled with noise. The moments that make people feel noticed, valued, and connected stand out. Rachel turns remarkable true stories into practical insights for the way people work, lead, and serve.
TRUST
COLLABORATION
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
RESILIENCE
INNOVATION
TRUST COLLABORATION EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE RESILIENCE INNOVATION
THE KEYNOTES
TEAMS
The Team Everyone Wants to Be On: How Connection Builds Stronger Collaboration, Greater Engagement, and Better Results
Create the kind of team where people feel valued, communicate effectively, and genuinely want to contribute.
The questions underneath:
Can I count on you?
Can I ask you for help?
Are we on the same side?
COLLABORATION · ENGAGEMENT · Communication
Every Connection Has a Question Underneath It.
The questions people are asking but never say out loud.
Your team, your customers, the people you lead. They’re all quietly asking something.
Can I trust you? Do you understand me? Why you?
Nobody says it in a meeting. But the way those questions get answered, in a hundred small moments, decides whether people stay, buy in, and bring their best.
How Rachel builds every keynote: Before she writes a word, Rachel finds the questions your people are carrying. She starts with a planning call with you and, whenever possible, a pre-event survey of your audience. Then she builds the keynote around answering them. True stories that make the room feel the question, and practical ways to answer it back at work.
Different rooms. Different questions. One idea….Connection changes everything.
LEADERS
Be the Leader They Believe In: Build Trust, Inspire Commitment, and Bring Out the Best in Others
Discover how everyday leadership moments shape credibility, motivation, and the willingness of people to give their best.
The questions underneath:
Can I trust you?
Do you see what I’m capable of?
Does my work matter here?
TRUST · COMMITMENT · PERFORMANCE
SALES
Why They Choose You: How Connection Creates Customer Loyalty, Repeat Business, and Revenue
Learn how to stand apart in a competitive market by understanding what customers really need and creating experiences they remember.
The questions underneath:
Will you tell me the truth?
Do you understand what matters to me?
Will you still be here after the sale?
DIFFERENTIATION · LOYALTY · GROWTH
A DIFFERENT KIND OF KEYNOTE
Stories they feel. Lessons they use.
A handbag. A promise. A bottle of water.
What could any of these possibly teach us about business?
More than you'd expect.
Through remarkable true stories, humor, and unexpected insights, Rachel takes audiences on an experience they don't just remember. They feel.
And they leave knowing exactly how to put those lessons to work.
BEYOND THE KEYNOTE
There's Always More to the Story.
SEEN with Rachel Mahoney is an original conversation series that reveals the human stories behind the titles, assumptions, and first impressions. Through candid interviews, unexpected revelations, and a surprise appearance from someone who truly knows the guest, SEEN reminds us that there is always far more to people than we realize.
What happens when the stories onstage are your own?
Rachel brings SEEN to your event through a bespoke, emotionally resonant experience designed around your leaders, employees, or audience. A bookable standalone experience, or a powerful addition to the keynote.
Your people. Their stories. Connection that makes an impact.
The SEEN Experience:
Behind the Title
The person behind the position.
A revealing, thoughtfully produced conversation with your CEO or senior leader that goes beyond the usual fireside chat. Through prepared questions, meaningful stories, and the perspectives of people who know them best, Rachel introduces audiences to a side of their leader they've rarely seen.
Beyond the Role
The extraordinary people hiding in plain sight.
Imagine discovering something remarkable about someone you've worked alongside for years. Through carefully selected employee stories, pre-recorded reveals, and intimate onstage conversations, Rachel brings the people behind the job titles into the spotlight—creating moments of recognition colleagues won't soon forget.
The Room Revealed
You think you know the people in this room. Think again.
What if the most extraordinary stories at your event came from the audience itself? Using voluntarily shared stories collected before and during the event, Rachel guides a series of unexpected discoveries, revealing the experiences and perspectives hiding behind familiar faces. An audience-wide experience that transforms spectators into participants.
MEET YOUR SPEAKER
Rachel Mahoney
JD · CSP · SPEAKER · AUTHOR
Rachel Mahoney is a communication and human connection expert who brings remarkable true stories, humor, and practical insights to the stage. She creates keynote experiences that move audiences, change perspectives, and make business lessons memorable.
4.5 MILLION VIEWS IN 90 DAYS
Rachel's stories of human connection have captured millions of views across social media, demonstrating how powerful real stories can be in capturing attention, stirring emotion, and inspiring reflection.
Now imagine bringing that power into a room.
Bring connection to the center of your event.
Whether you're bringing a team together, inspiring leaders, or energizing your sales organization, Rachel delivers a keynote that moves people, and gives them something meaningful to take back to work.
Or bring your own people's stories to life with a custom SEEN Experience.
Testimonials
“Intelligent, witty, engaging, passionate, and relatable…just a few of the ways our staff described Rachel following her keynote during our annual ALL IN meeting. From the start of her keynote, Rachel brought our team together. Rachel helped everyone learn how building relationships can be their superpower with each other, clients, family, and friends. Don’t wait - hire Rachel today!”
“Rachel should be your next speaker! I’ve been creating conferences and events for over 25 years. I’ve had the privilege of working with some very big name talent over the years. I’ve also worked with new speakers and let’s be honest, even some not so great speakers. Rachel is a speaker I would encourage all my fellow meeting planners to book! She may not be a household name yet, but she’s on her way. She is smart, funny, and passionate. She is easy to work with and will make sure to take the time to learn about your group and their needs! Which as most planners know is not easy to find. Her career is focused on communication and connection! These are topics that every group needs. I guarantee she will engage and connect with your audience.”
“As a finance company, we try to focus on one aspect of our business to improve each quarter. The topic of this meeting was communication. Rachel came highly recommended, and she did not disappoint. She tailored her presentation to address the topics she and I had discussed weeks earlier. She was entertaining, relatable to all in attendance, and thought-provoking. We have had speakers in the past that have ranged from business leaders to Navy Seals to professional athletes - Rachel’s presentation received the best reviews from our team to date. I’m thankful to have met Rachel and would highly recommend her to any company.
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FAQs
Who is Rachel Mahoney (formerly Rachel DeAlto) the right keynote speaker for?
Rachel is a leadership and communication keynote speaker who helps organizations build trust, workplace connection, and engaged teams. She is a strong fit for events where leaders and teams are facing disengagement, disconnection, burnout, or change and need both inspiration and practical tools. Rachel is especially effective with frontline and mid‑level leaders, sales and client‑facing teams, people managers, and association audiences who want to communicate more effectively and feel more connected at work.
What topics does Rachel typically speak on?
Rachel’s work sits at the intersection of leadership, communication, and human connection. Her keynotes focus on building better leaders, creating cultures of connection, improving everyday communication, and strengthening relationships across teams and departments. Every program is designed to give audiences actionable strategies they can use immediately to communicate with more clarity, empathy, and confidence.
What types of events does Rachel speak at?
Rachel regularly speaks at annual meetings, sales kickoffs, leadership conferences, association events, client conferences, and internal culture or engagement summits. She is frequently brought in for opening or closing keynotes when organizations want to set the tone around connection, communication, and culture. Rachel is comfortable on big stages, in ballroom settings, in more intimate leadership retreats, and in virtual or hybrid environments.
What are Rachel’s signature keynotes?
Rachel offers three customized keynotes, each built around the questions a different audience is asking:
The Team Everyone Wants to Be On (teams): Can I count on you? Can I ask you for help? Are we on the same side?
Be the Leader They Believe In (leaders): Can I trust you? Do you see what I’m capable of? Does my work matter here?
Why They Choose You (sales and client-facing teams): Will you tell me the truth? Do you understand what matters to me? Will you still be here after the sale?
Each one blends true stories, research-backed insights, and practical lessons on human connection and communication.
Rachel has extensive experience with financial services, insurance, healthcare, professional services, direct sales, and association audiences. She has worked with executives, people leaders, sales teams, frontline staff, and member‑based organizations. Because her content is grounded in human behavior and connection, it translates effectively across industries while still feeling specific to each group.
Which industries and audiences does Rachel know best?
If we’re looking for a speaker to address disengagement and disconnection, how does Rachel help?
Rachel specializes in helping leaders and teams tackle disengagement, disconnection, and burnout by focusing on human connection and improving leadership. Her keynotes give leaders and team members simple, repeatable behaviors they can use to make others feel seen, heard, and valued. She ties these behaviors directly to outcomes like performance, retention, and customer experience so audiences understand both the human and business impact.
How does Rachel customize her keynotes for each event?
Every keynote starts with the questions your people are already asking. Rachel begins with a planning call to understand your goals, audience, and culture and, whenever possible, a short pre-event survey of your attendees. From there she identifies the three unspoken questions your group is carrying, like “Can I ask you for help?” for a team or “Does my work matter here?” for the people a leader manages. She builds the keynote around answering them, using your internal language, themes, and current challenges so the message feels specific to your room, not canned.
What makes Rachel's keynotes different?
Most keynotes start with a framework. Rachel starts with the questions people never say out loud: Can I trust you? Do you understand me? Why you? She uses remarkable true stories to make the audience feel those questions, with humor, emotion, and moments of discovery, then connects each one to practical actions they can use in their work, leadership, and customer relationships.
What outcomes can we expect from Rachel’s keynote?
Clients bring Rachel in to increase connection, improve communication, and boost engagement and belonging across their teams. Audiences leave with practical, research‑backed tools they can apply immediately to lead more effectively, navigate difficult conversations, and build stronger relationships at work.