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Shasta Nelson

Friendship Expert, Keynote Speaker & Author

For over 15 years, Shasta Nelson has been translating the science of human connection into actionable practices that lead to greater belonging in communities and workplaces. Her expertise activates organizations to intentionally create and accelerate high-trust and resilient relationships that lead to higher employee retention, engagement, and collaboration.

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Bio

Shasta Nelson is a friendship expert, keynote speaker, and the author of three books on the science of friendship (with a fourth arriving in 2027) who helps organizations build the workplace connection and belonging that drive trust, retention, and performance.

Shasta has spent 15 years researching what makes relationships thrive — as Chief Friendship Officer of the U.S. Chamber of Connection, author of three books on relationships and belonging (with a fourth arriving in 2027), a two-time TEDx speaker with nearly 1 million views, and a speaker with 500+ keynotes. For the past six years, she's used a diagnostic tool with organizations to actually measure relationship health — not intuition, data.

Her research has identified three behaviors that bond any two people — positivity, consistency, and vulnerability — and she translates the science behind them into frameworks that determine whether teams trust each other, cultures thrive, and conferences create real connection.

Organizations invite Shasta to speak when they want to:

  • Accelerate trust on teams so leaders collaborate faster and navigate change with resilience
  • Strengthen culture, engagement, and retention
  • Equip leaders and employees with practical relationship skills that improve belonging and performance
  • Transform conferences from passive events into connection experiences

Her clients include global companies, healthcare systems, associations, and leadership teams working to strengthen trust and culture.

Because it’s time to trust the data: when relationships get stronger, everything else works better.

The Importance of Work Friends

The New York Times featured Shasta in their 7-Day Happiness Challenge on why friendships at work matter so much to our happiness and job satisfaction.

Why Work Friends Are Worth It

The Harvard Business Review interviewed Shasta on the benefits to both the employers and the employees for fostering more friendships at work.

  • 2020 The Business of Friendship: How to Make the Most of the Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time
  • 2016 Frientimacy: How to Deepen Friendships for Lifelong Health and Happiness
  • 2013 Friendships Don't Just Happen!: The Guide to Creating a Meaningful Circle of GirlFriends

Keynotes

Featured Keynote

  • The Connected Leader: Driving Performance and Growth through Human Connection
  • Relationally Fit: The Social Secret to a Longer, Happier Life
  • Off-Site Team & Organization Belonging
  • All-Hands Gathering

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