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Dr. Shawn Andrews

TEDx Speaker | Inclusion Strategist | Organizational Consultant | Business School Professor | Bestselling Author

Dr. Shawn Andrews is a keynote and TEDx speaker, organizational consultant, business school professor, and author of two bestselling books, The Power of Perception and The 5 Levels of Male Allyship. Dr. Shawn's expertise centers on Leadership, Gender Dynamics, Allyship, Emotional Intelligence, and Workplace Inclusion.

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Bio

Dr. Shawn Andrews is an international keynote speaker, organizational consultant, business school professor, and author of two bestselling books. She specializes in leadership, gender dynamics, allyship, emotional intelligence and workplace inclusion.

In her first book, The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide (Morgan James Publishing, 2018), Shawn explores how perceptions shape leadership effectiveness and career advancement of women.

Her newest book, The 5 Levels of Male Allyship: A Guide to Building Better Teams Through Real Inclusion (Amplify Publishing Group, 2026), supports men and contributes to the global conversation on allyship, belonging, and creating workplaces where everyone can thrive.

Shawn’s insights have been featured in Forbes, the Chicago Tribune, and on dozens of podcasts and radio programs, including NPR. Shawn has also shared her ideas on the TEDx stage with Debunking Bias: Perceptions of Male & Female Leaders, offering research and practical strategies for addressing bias in leadership.

As a speaker and consultant, Shawn has worked with more than 100 organizations across multiple industries, including the United Nations, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Diversity Council, the Association for Talent Development, and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Before launching her consulting practice, Shawn spent more than two decades in the biopharmaceutical industry, where she developed and coached thousands of leaders through presentations, workshops, and psychological instruments. She is a licensed practitioner in the EQ-i 2.0 and EQ 360 emotional intelligence models and Insights Discovery colors, tools that help leaders better understand themselves and the people they work with.

In addition to her speaking and consulting work, Shawn serves as a professor at the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business, where she teaches courses in Diversity & Inclusion at Work, Organizational Behavior, and Business Communication.

Shawn earned her Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership and MBA from Pepperdine University and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine.

She served for six years as Board President of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Orange County and is the founder and CEO of Andrews Research International.

On a personal note, Shawn completed a long-held bucket list goal in 2025—cycling across the U.S. from Portland, OR to Portland, ME, a journey that reflects the same perseverance and curiosity she brings to her work with leaders and organizations.

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Keynotes

Featured Keynote

The 5 Levels of Male Allyship: Building Better Teams Through Real Inclusion
Male allyship is critical in attaining any kind of parity in today’s organizations. Men are a key piece of the DEI puzzle and must support both women and people of color to help close gender and racial gaps in leadership positions. However, men’s commitment spans across a wide spectrum – ranging from complete resistance to all in.

There are 5 levels of support which will be outlined in this presentation. There’s a chronic lack of allies for women, and many men are not the allies they think they are. The good news is there are several things that men can do to be better allies for their colleagues.

We’ll discuss how men can assess where they are on the allyship spectrum, what motivators drive each level, and how women can identify allies based on their needs. We’ll explore recent data, real-world examples, and dozens of strategies for personal and professional growth.

Join leadership, gender and inclusion expert, Dr. Shawn Andrews, as she explains the 5 levels of allyship and how to use these skills to foster more gender and racial inclusion and help men and women work better together.

During this interactive presentation, you will learn how to:
- Identify the 5 levels of male allyship across a wide spectrum
- Appreciate what drives and motivates men at each level
- Utilize case studies and examples of male allies in today’s world
- Apply strategies to build allyship for women and create more gender inclusion

The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Gender
The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Gender
Organizations that want to perform at the highest levels and be competitive in their industry must effectively leverage their leadership talent. Yet, in nearly all companies, a leadership gender gap persists. Pervasive and systemic barriers often keep women from advancing.

In addition, research has identified an individual's emotional intelligence (EQ) as a key aspect and driver of leadership effectiveness. EQ assessment has found men and women to be strong in different areas. These differences often advantage men and disadvantage women at work and can lead to very different outcomes.

Finally, men and women are raised in different cultures. It begins at birth and carries into the workplace as adults. As a result, we approach virtually every aspect of business differently. Different approaches result in different perceptions, which have a significant impact on promotion.

Understanding the power of perception can dramatically improve your career advancement and help men and women work better together. Building on her best-selling book, The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide, Dr. Andrews will address the latest research on these topics and share practical strategies you can apply to boost your career.

During this interactive presentation, you will learn how to:

Examine barriers that contribute to the leadership gender gap

Identify emotional intelligence attributes and their impact on leadership

Leverage gender differences (hard-wired & socialized) which show up every day at work and home

Apply knowledge and tactics to improve career advancement
The 7 Superpowers of Men and Women at Work
The 7 Superpowers of Men and Women at Work
Want to thrive in your career? Be promoted? Be in a leadership role? Turns out, there are 7 key qualities distinct to each gender that serve them well. These qualities stem from how our brains are hard-wired and how we're socialized to behave as men and women in society.

These 7 superpowers can help you bring the right skills and mindset to the job - and help power your career. Fortunately, most of these skills are innate. Even if some are not your strong suit, the good news is that ALL can be developed and leveraged.

Join leadership and gender expert, Dr. Shawn Andrews, as she explains the 7 superpowers specific to men and women:

Women -- transformational leadership, divergent problem solving, communication skills, empathy, interpersonal relationships, intuition, and grit/resilience.

Men -- transactional leadership, risk-taking, confidence, assertiveness, stress tolerance, convergent problem solving, and decisiveness.

During this interactive presentation, you will learn how to:

Identify the 7 superpowers of both men and women at work

Explore what they are and how they contribute to success

Leverage the benefits of each and capitalize on your natural strengths and abilities

Apply these superpowers to enhance both your work and life
How to Build EQ in the Age of AI
How to Build EQ in the Age of AI
With digital transformation and artificial intelligence adoption at an all-time high, companies need soft skills and leadership training now more than ever to help future-proof their workforce.

Research has identified an individual’s emotional intelligence (EQ) as a key aspect and driver of leadership effectiveness. But it does not just stop at leaders. EQ has been shown to be a key differentiator between good and great performance for both individuals and teams, and unlike IQ, EQ can be improved.

A systematic and committed approach is necessary to build emotionally competent organizations. A strategic cycle of assessment, learning, practice, and feedback over time will enable employees to build competencies that can help develop high-performing teams and leaders.

During this interactive presentation, you will learn how to:

Examine the importance of EQ in the context of AI

Appreciate differences in EQ and gender

Leverage neuroscience and psychological safety to impact teams

Explore the impact of EQ on leadership

Apply practical strategies to improve your EQ competencies
Driving DEI: Inclusive Workplace Strategies
Driving DEI: Inclusive Workplace Strategies
As a global society, we are becoming more diverse every day. Today, many companies are striving to be more diverse and inclusive but are falling short. Why? Because most companies are not doing the right kinds of activities, not doing enough activities, or are only addressing one piece of the issue.

DEI initiatives can be compared to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Diversity awareness starts at the bottom and sets the foundation, then as organization’s progress they move to active diversity management and evolve to become inclusive at the top of the pyramid. If an organization sets out to be inclusive and equitable from the start, then diversity will naturally follow.

This presentation is focused on helping organizations leverage inclusion to get the benefits of diversity. Neuroscience aspects to creating inclusion and building safe teams will be discussed, as well as helping people understand the power of microaggressions.

During this interactive presentation, you will learn how to:

Appreciate the difference between diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

Explore the impact of microaggressions

Learn how inclusion and psychological safety impacts teams

Apply proven strategies to develop an inclusive culture
Overcoming Hidden Biases that Hinder Our Success
Overcoming Hidden Biases that Hinder Our Success
By now, most of us know that unconscious biases affect the workplace. These hidden, reflexive preferences shape our world views and can profoundly affect how welcoming and open a workplace is to different people and ideas. These predispositions shape the decisions we make by affecting the way we interpret information and how we interact with others—significantly impacting a whole host of organizational processes from recruitment to retention.

At the same time, we are experiencing significant shifts in global demographic trends which impact age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and LGBTQ employees. There is no doubt that our workplace is becoming more diverse, which increases the potential for more biases towards our colleagues and clients.

Customized bias scenarios (based on your audience) and real-world cases and examples will be discussed. Several individual and organizational strategies to minimize bias will be provided.

During this interactive presentation, you will learn how to:

Identify different types, causes, and impact of bias at work

Explore the impact of global demographic trends on diversity and bias

Utilize case studies, scenarios, and stories to communicate potential biases

Apply individual and organizational strategies to minimize bias
Color Your Impact: Understanding What Drives Us at Work
Color Your Impact: Understanding What Drives Us at Work
The origins of personality trait theory date back to ancient Greece and Hippocrates. Hippocrates observed four distinct groups of characteristics, which he labeled the ‘four humours’. He determined that once he could identify what type of ‘humour’ a person had, he could predict their likely behavior.

Many researchers have subsequently expanded on this knowledge, and Insights has built on the extensive work of Swiss Psychologist Dr. Carl Jung to develop the Insights Discovery Learning System.

This system uses four distinct color energies (Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green, and Cool Blue) which you can apply in your daily life to help you understand why you behave in the way you do, and why other people might behave differently. This foundational training workshop is designed to help you improve your effectiveness as an individual, in teams, in organizations, and in leadership.

I have had the opportunity of participating in other major personality trait-based learning programs (Myers-Briggs, Social Styles, and DiSC) and have found Insights Discovery Colors to be the most practical, applicable, and easy to use on a daily basis.

During this interactive workshop, you will learn how to:

Recognize differences and identify the unique culture of your team

Explore team goals, challenges, communication styles, and values

Focus on individual team member strengths (not on weaknesses)

Apply practical uses of colors, such as non-verbal communication, interactions, work environment, listening, and emailing

Appreciate your team’s color diversity

Show

Topics

Emotional Intelligence Trending
Leadership Trending

Women's Empowerment

TEDxUCIrvine - Dr. Shawn Andrews

Dr. Shawn Andrews 2020 Speaker Highlight Reel

Dr. Shawn Andrews 2019 Speaker Highlight Reel

Insights Colors Communication Workshop

Dr. Shawn Andrews' Articles

Browse Shawn's selected articles and published pieces in national and industry outlets

2026 The 5 Levels of Male Allyship: A Guide to Building Better Teams Through Real Inclusion
2018 The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide

“Shawn's level of professionalism and communication is excellent, and her methods of sharing & teaching skills to others is very clear, logical and effective. I highly recommend Shawn; she is an exceptional professional with excellent skills that would benefit any top tier organization.”

Arlene Lum, Clinical Scientist, Allergan

“I wanted to send you a note to say WOW! You absolutely blew me away with your presentation last night. You are so at one with your data and your speech. The audience was completely engaged, and you were absolutely amazing. Congratulations!”

Christy Fleurat, Director, Oncology Project Manager & Submission Group, Pfizer

FAO Learning and Performance Branch of the United Nations contracted Dr. Shawn Andrews to deliver a Zoom in on Learning session on the topic of “How to Leverage Emotional Intelligence During COVID”. We targeted the entire Organization and reached a total number of 324 participants. This was the most refreshing and positive virtual session that I have had in a long time. The session was very well prepared, and although we do not ask participants to fill out a formal evaluation, the verbal feedback received after the session was excellent. Dr. Shawn Andrews proved to be authentic in her way of delivery and in approaching the subject. She came across as knowledgeable, highly professional and committed to her work. Her session was engaging, innovative and thought-provoking. I would highly recommend her.

Cristina Pelazza, FAO Human Resources Officer, Learning and Performance Branch, United Nations

Great find on the speaker – I must be honest, out of all the speakers thus far, including Condoleezza Rice and Amy Cuddy, Dr. Shawn Andrews gave the most concrete action items for us to work on. I love her addition of the “Emotional Intelligence Team Effectiveness Questionnaire” at the end. Really well, thought-out!

Dawn Wilson, PharmD, Director, Medical Capabilities and Learning-Respiratory, GSK Medical Affairs

“Thank you for a great presentation on Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Gender. Your research and delivery far exceeded my expectations, and you presented the data in a way I've never heard before.”

Jennifer Aversano, Director, Learning & Development, Merck

“Dr. Andrews' presentation was phenomenal! Everyone was engaged and I really enjoyed the discussion and content that she prepared for the audience. I'd highly recommend her as an expert on these topics.”

Jennifer Wolfgram, Vice President, Commercial Education, Roche

“I wanted to reach out to thank you for your presentation at ATD. It was hands-down my favorite session and I walked away with valuable information to bring back to my organization.”

Kate Anderson, Sales Training Developer, Roche Diagnostics

“Thank you for presenting to our Women's Innovation Network. You are hilarious, knowledgeable, and one of the best speakers I've ever heard.”

Lori McCarthy, Senior Territory Business Manager, Biogen

“I was totally unaware of all the issues that Dr. Andrews highlighted from her research. I now have a new respect for women in the workplace, and firmly believe that we need to do more in our organization to increase diversity at all levels.”

Michael Delmage, Director, Organizational Development, Meda Pharmaceuticals

Our company is committed to DEI and as a woman of color, I am personally dedicated to ensuring me, and my leadership team, are aware of our biases and how they may impact the bottom line for our business. Shawn's dynamic, interactive and well-researched workshop kept us engaged, and challenged us to be more aware and accountable to building diverse and inclusive teams whose perspectives are valued and lead to better decisions. We look forward to partnering with her again soon, as we continue our journey as leaders, committed to doing better.

Terri Phillips, MD, Chief Medical Affairs Officer, Merz Aesthetics

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Dr. Shawn Andrews

Bio

Keynotes

The 5 Levels of Male Allyship: Building Better Teams Through Real Inclusion

Topics

“Shawn's level of professionalism and communication is excellent, and her methods of sharing & teaching skills to others is very clear, logical and effective. I highly recommend Shawn; she is an exceptional professional with excellent skills that would benefit any top tier organization.”

“I wanted to send you a note to say WOW! You absolutely blew me away with your presentation last night. You are so at one with your data and your speech. The audience was completely engaged, and you were absolutely amazing. Congratulations!”

“Thank you for a great presentation on Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Gender. Your research and delivery far exceeded my expectations, and you presented the data in a way I've never heard before.”

“Dr. Andrews' presentation was phenomenal! Everyone was engaged and I really enjoyed the discussion and content that she prepared for the audience. I'd highly recommend her as an expert on these topics.”

“I wanted to reach out to thank you for your presentation at ATD. It was hands-down my favorite session and I walked away with valuable information to bring back to my organization.”

“Thank you for presenting to our Women's Innovation Network. You are hilarious, knowledgeable, and one of the best speakers I've ever heard.”

“I was totally unaware of all the issues that Dr. Andrews highlighted from her research. I now have a new respect for women in the workplace, and firmly believe that we need to do more in our organization to increase diversity at all levels.”

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Dr. Shawn Andrews

Bio

Keynotes

The 5 Levels of Male Allyship: Building Better Teams Through Real Inclusion

The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Gender

The 7 Superpowers of Men and Women at Work

How to Build EQ in the Age of AI

Driving DEI: Inclusive Workplace Strategies

Overcoming Hidden Biases that Hinder Our Success

Color Your Impact: Understanding What Drives Us at Work

Topics

“Shawn's level of professionalism and communication is excellent, and her methods of sharing & teaching skills to others is very clear, logical and effective. I highly recommend Shawn; she is an exceptional professional with excellent skills that would benefit any top tier organization.”

“I wanted to send you a note to say WOW! You absolutely blew me away with your presentation last night. You are so at one with your data and your speech. The audience was completely engaged, and you were absolutely amazing. Congratulations!”

“Thank you for a great presentation on Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Gender. Your research and delivery far exceeded my expectations, and you presented the data in a way I've never heard before.”

“Dr. Andrews' presentation was phenomenal! Everyone was engaged and I really enjoyed the discussion and content that she prepared for the audience. I'd highly recommend her as an expert on these topics.”

“I wanted to reach out to thank you for your presentation at ATD. It was hands-down my favorite session and I walked away with valuable information to bring back to my organization.”

“Thank you for presenting to our Women's Innovation Network. You are hilarious, knowledgeable, and one of the best speakers I've ever heard.”

“I was totally unaware of all the issues that Dr. Andrews highlighted from her research. I now have a new respect for women in the workplace, and firmly believe that we need to do more in our organization to increase diversity at all levels.”

Let's find your perfect speaker!

Explore

Quick Links

Keep Up To Date