Mary Poffenroth, Ph.D.

A groundbreaking guide to master everyday fear and anxiety.

Mary Poffenroth, PhD, is a scientist, professor, and fear expert who has spent her career researching how we can all live more courageously, every day. With anxiety rates tripling and depression rates quadrupling since 2019, Brave New You could not be timelier as it gives readers actionable steps to navigate the underlying cause of our current mental health crisis: fear. Not fight-or-flight, but the kind of pervasive, debilitating everyday fears triggered by problems, stresses, and challenging issues we all face in our day-to-day lives.

Along with the author’s personal stories about overcoming her fears, Brave New You combines the latest research in biology and psychology to help readers identify the hidden sources of struggle while teaching them to use neurohacks that will give them all the tools and strategies they need to live a fuller, happier life.

Bronze Medal – BookFest Award for Nonfiction, Health & Wellness Category

Winner 2025 – Golden Quill Award, Best Motivational Self Help

Winner 2025 – London Book Festival, How To Category

Runner Up 2025 – Los Angeles Book Fest, How To Category

First place winner – Best Psychology 2025 Pacific Book Awards

Winner – International Impact Book Awards, Personal Growth and Development

Praise for Brave New You

“Brave New You entertains while it transforms.” ―New York Weekly

“Poffenroth flawlessly blends each concept with fascinating personal anecdotes in a way that feels both enlightening and engaging.”―Readers’ Favorite

“Brave New You is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand and transform their relationship with fear and anxiety.”―Readers’ Favorite

“Fear destroys everything good in relationships and organizations. That’s why I’m so thankful for Dr. Mary Poffenroth’s book, Brave New You. It’s full of science-backed frameworks, revelations and neurohacks that help us turn our fear into fuel that propels us forward and helps us realize our true potential.”―Matt Poepsel, PhD, talent optimization expert and author of Expand the Circle

“Whether you’re overcoming past fears or preparing for new challenges, Brave New You offers a roadmap for unlocking the fearless version of yourself you’ve always aspired to be.”―Book Viral

“Poffenroth reframes fear not as an enemy to be vanquished, but as a deeply ingrained biological mechanism that can be harnessed for personal growth.”―American Writing Awards

“Neurohacks are physical and psychological non-invasive shortcuts that will boost memory, focus, and creativity and help you feel more satisfied and powerful.” — A US Review of Books recommended read ―The US Review of Books

What Teams & Audiences Get at My Events

• Neurohacking Tools to Reduce Stress & Speed Innovation
• Authentically Deeper Connections to One Another 
  
• Expert Insights on Fear & Courage
• Boosts in Bravery, Confidence & Collaboration 
  
• Frameworks for Solving Complex Problems 
  
• Immersive, Story-Driven Interactive Experiences

Neurohacking Courage 
Keynote

Whether you’re looking to inspire your audience, help them break through barriers, or cultivate resilience during times of change, this keynote is designed to provoke thought and encourage actionable solutions, fostering both personal and professional growth.

Move from inspiration to transformation with this interactive keynote that will change how you experience everyday stress, fear, and anxiety.

This talk is ideal for anyone who wants to lead a more empowered life, from professionals seeking to excel in high-pressure environments to college students aiming to navigate their life with confidence to organizations looking to foster a culture of courage and resilience.

Why Book This Talk?

Get Unstuck: Gain a deeper understanding of how fear works in the brain, how it builds barriers to success, and how to harness this knowledge for more courage, creativity, and innovation.

Learn My Best Neurohacks: Drive personal and professional growth with easy to remember, evidence based tools and strategies for navigating day-to-day stress, fear, and anxiety.

Embrace Challenges: Whether you’re facing personal or professional obstacles, you’ll learn my best techniques for building courage that you can apply immediately to your life and career.

Who’s a Great Fit?

• Professionals seeking to advance their careers.
• Teams looking to improve collaboration, innovation, and resilience.
• Individuals interested in personal development and emotional intelligence.
• Leaders aiming to foster a positive organizational culture.

It’s not just about facing fear; it’s about thriving despite it.

Unshakable 

A Playbook for Thriving In Turbulent Times

High Impact Keynote for Leaders, Teams & Organizations Looking to Thrive

In today’s competitive business climate, fear isn’t just a personal challenge; it’s a performance killer. Left unchecked, it stifles innovation, erodes trust, and slows execution. Unshakable: Neurohacks for Resilience, Bravery & Breakthrough Thinking gives your people the science backed tools and proven strategies to turn fear into fuel, unlock untapped potential, and perform at their peak, even in uncertainty.

Dr. Mary Poffenroth blends cutting edge neuroscience with unforgettable storytelling to deliver an interactive experience that doesn’t just inspire, it transforms. Your audience will walk away with practical, easy-to-implement “neurohacks” that hardwire courage, sharpen decision-making, and accelerate results across your organization.

Why Top Organizations Book This Keynote

• Break Performance Barriers: Learn how the brain processes fear and how to rewire it for greater execution.
• Unlock Creativity & Innovation by dismantling fear driven barriers. 
  
• Gain Ready to Use Tools: Walk away with a personal toolkit of evidence based “neurohacks” for overcoming stress, fear, and anxiety in real time.
• Drive Measurable Impact: Translate psychological breakthroughs into tangible business results, from improved collaboration to faster problem-solving.
• Foster a Courage First Culture: Equip leaders and teams with the skills to navigate disruption with confidence and agility.

Ideal For:

• High performance teams in competitive or disruptive markets.
• Organizations seeking to strengthen resilience and adaptability.
• Leadership development and culture building initiatives.
• C-Suite and senior leaders driving transformation.

Brave New Solutions 
Innovation & Ideation Workshops

Communicate Across Silos. Connect Diverse Thinkers. Collaborate Inclusively.

Want to increase creativity, decrease stress and generate more innovative solutions? Then you need an evidence-based framework to provide strategies and understanding so you can move from reactive fear to courageous exploration.

These events build and empower tightly bonded, innovative, high performing teams that have complex problems to solve sooner rather than later. 

One of the traits that separates incredibly high performing leaders like Pixar’s Ed Catmull and Virgin’s Richard Branson from everyone else is their constant and blatant use of the F word: Fear. It’s one of our most basic human emotions and keeps us safe, but it can really get in the way of our goals and desires. When we’re in the throes of even a mild fear response, the intellectual part of our brain where all our brilliant thoughts and ideas come from shuts down as we go into survival mode. Learn how to short circuit this response from the everyday stressors of life to cultivate a personal and organizational culture that supports a healthy relationship with fear for success.

This workshop combines my best neurohacks with the LEGO Serious Play and Design Thinking methodologies for a unique and bespoke workshop based on your needs. Run time is 3 to 7 hours and is best for teams of 15 or less.

Business

• Why fear-based leadership is silently costing companies talent, creativity, and innovation
• How unaddressed fear impacts performance and retention, and how organizations can neurohack a culture of courage

Tech

• Why building emotional intelligence is the next big upgrade tech leaders need—but can’t automate

Creative

• Why managing fear—not talent—is the secret to consistent creative output
• How fear blocks creativity and how creators can use practical neurohacks to unblock it

Psychology

• Why treating everyday fear like a disorder is keeping people stuck
• Reframing fear as a normal biological process and how to work with it instead of against it

Science

• Why understanding the biology of fear is key to solving the mental health crisis
• Why physiological fear is a response to modern stress and burnout

Women

• Why women are still punished for their fear—and how that keeps us playing small
• How societal expectations shape women’s relationship with fear and how to break out of that narrative

Education

• Why teaching students how to think about fear may matter more than test scores
• How helping students navigate fear builds resilience and deeper learning

Lifestyle

• Why ‘just do it’ is bad advice—and what to do instead when fear gets in the way
• How lifestyle-oriented neurohacks offer actionable alternatives to the toxic positivity of hustle culture

Human Interest

• Why overcoming fear is rarely a one-time moment—and how to keep going when no one sees your bravery

Mental Health

• Why the root of anxiety might not be anxiety—and how naming your fear changes everything
• How many symptoms of anxiety stem from unresolved or unrecognized fear, and how to create a new framework for healing

Graduation Season (May–June)

Perfect for: segments about courage, fear of the unknown, and finding direction post-graduation.

Back-to-School (August–September)

Perfect for: parents, teachers, students navigating anxiety, identity shifts, and overwhelm.

Mental Health Awareness Month (May)

Perfect for: discussions on non-traditional mental health tools, accessible science-based strategies, and personal stories.

Women’s History Month (March)

Perfect for: exploring how women are conditioned to suppress or hide fear, and how to reclaim it.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science (Feb 11)

Perfect for: Mary’s role as a female scientist challenging outdated narratives about fear, emotion, and science.

New Year / January “Fresh Start” Season

Perfect for: reframing resolutions and tackling fear-based procrastination or perfectionism.

Election Season / Political Cycles

Perfect for: discussions about media fear tactics, decision-making under pressure, and social division.

World Mental Health Day (October 10)

Perfect for: interviews, panels, and articles on practical solutions for anxiety and fear in daily life.

National Women’s Small Business Month (October)

Perfect for: encouraging women to face fear in business decisions and leadership.