Karen Hough is the Founder and CEO of ImprovEdge and has been using improvisation as a catalyst for business training and consulting for over 20 years. ImprovEdge won the silver International Stevie Award for “Most Innovative Company of the Year” and is in the top 1% of US women-owned businesses. Karen won the WNBA Inspiring Woman Award and is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post.

Karen is a #1 Amazon best-selling author and 800-CEO-Read Top 25 Business Books recipient for The Improvisation Edge: Secrets to Building Trust and Radical Collaboration at Work. Her second award-winning book, Be the Best Bad Presenter Ever: Break the Rules, Make Mistakes, and Win Them Over, is available in four languages and won the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for video content in an ebook. Her third book, Go With It: Embrace the Unexpected to Drive Change, was published by the Association for Talent Development in 2017. Karen is a national conference keynote speaker on topics such as negotiation, executive presence, presentation skills, leadership, and business development. She is also a graduate of Yale University and La Sorbonne in Paris and is deeply committed to philanthropic work. She lives in Ohio with her husband and three children.

In this episode…

Many things can happen unexpectedly and cause chaos and confusion. In such cases, how can you improvise to emerge stronger and more empowered?

To successfully step into the unknown, you have to be willing to embrace change. Do the things that make you uncomfortable, whether at work, in your family, or in relationships. The fear of change can make you uneasy and prevent you from living your best life, but you can take baby steps toward your goals. When things happen unexpectedly, you don't need to have all the answers. Karen Hough's advice is to take a pause to calm down and allow yourself to reflect and think about the next steps.

In this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Karen Hough, the Founder and CEO of ImprovEdge, to talk about the power of improvisation in business and in life. They also discuss breaking presentation rules to connect with an audience better, how to embrace the unexpected to drive change, and how Karen uses improv skills to serve her clients.