The way we treat each other shapes the world we build.

I teach purpose-driven leaders and organizations how to deepen relationships and create cultures where leaders, teams, and communities thrive.

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Credit list of where Dr. Beri has spoken

  • "Dr. Beri is absolutely outstanding. Working with her was full of professionalism; she went above and beyond to connect with us multiple times prior to the talk, and she delivered. Her talk resonated so much with our audience, people continuously asking questions, taking so many notes, approaching her after the keynote and Dr. Beri graciously finding the time to talk to each member of our audience. Highly recommend Dr. Beri for future speaking engagements.""

    —David, COO of TAB (The Alternative Board)

  • “Dr. Payal Beri spoke at three of our Event Conferences. She brought a fantastic perspective on the importance of emotional intelligence as a leader. She artfully engaged the audience through her session talk and moderation of interactive table discussions. Payal brought an energy into the room that both lightened the day and deepened the discussion. She was a fantastic addition to the summit!”

    —Jesse Friedl, Global Head of Events at Key Media

  • "Dr. Beri an exceptional thought leader in this space. It was wonderful to hear her speak about how to bring empathy into the workplace and balance it with accountability for better results, empower not just business leaders but their teams and people."

    —Flavia, Participant at TAB

  • “Payal brought authenticity and such power with her story, creating vulnerability in the room and consistently bringing high energy and a can-do attitude as we continue to learn and evolve to our audience's needs in this fast-changing landscape. I’m looking forward to continue working with Payal and RK Empathy for years to come!”

    — Paraag, Program Manager  for SASE (Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers)

  • “Payal created an incredible experience for our talent across all agencies to learn how to tap into empathy to add value, create influence and advocate for self in remote work environments. We had everyone from early career to senior leadership attend her immersive experience, with an attendance that has surpassed any of our former engagements. The feedback from the participants has been of positivity, motivated and ready to apply her strategies immediately. We’ve had senior leaders who are already seeing the benefits of her teaching after simply one month. In fact, senior leaders are ready to bring Payal in for recurring work with our agencies and ensure talent continues to apply her strategies as it’s enhancing the culture we’ve already built of trust and innovation.”

    — Naimah Bhuruku, Program Manager at NASA

  • “If you have not had the pleasure of Payal Beri talking to your leadership team, you are missing out on having a stronger team that uses the power of empathy. The passion and power of her words hit the core of our humanity. Thank you Payal for your voice, your courage, your passion and your service. I look forward to your next talk with us."

    — Charmm’d Foundation

Venn diagram graphic showing "Compassion for self, empathy for others, accountability for both" in three intersecting circles, and a center circle displaying "YOU" in text

There is a real epidemic of loneliness and disconnection in our society—a starvation for relationships that build trust in our leadership, communities, and our world. Relationships activated by empathy, trust, and accountability drive business success, community engagement, and the building of movements. 

The pain of emotional instability is leading to bad decisions, divisive communities and deeply embedded fear that prevents action. 

  • Customers are leaving companies they once trusted 

  • Teams are disengaging 

  • Leaders are taking action out of reaction 

It’s time to deepen our relationships. Cultivate community. Activate our purpose. 

Fear is an age-old strategy to create reactive chaos and divide to win. Fear is what got us here. Relationships activated by empathy are what will get us out and build thriving communities, workplaces, and a world, once again. 

Relationships grounded in a framework that elevates our emotional self-awareness, builds empathy that fosters trust, and promotes mutual accountability for an emotionally mature, trusted society.

Book Dr. Beri to speak
Watch Dr. Beri's talks
Dr. Payal Beri speaking in a yellow dress on stage

Hi, I’m Dr. Payal Beri,

an organizational psychologist, former clinical therapist, speaker, and the founder of RK Empathy — a relationship-first experiential organization reshaping leadership, communication, and culture. 

A proud third culture woman raised across the Middle East, U.S., and Australia, my worldview is shaped by global movement, science-backed frameworks, and a deep understanding of human behavior across systems.

As a speaker, I leave audiences with language they didn’t know they needed, frameworks they’ll reference for years, and a new way of seeing themselves and each other within the construct of community, leadership, and social change. 

I’ve spoken at NASA, Google, Betterment, Tenable, Carerev, and the University of Chicago, and organizations across industries that are ready to reimagine what leadership, connection, and culture can look like.

Event hosts choose Dr. Beri for:

Thought leadership

Her talks don’t hype. They expand. Payal offers frameworks, language, and insight that last—no buzzwords, no fluff.

Emotionally resonant and strategically clear

She brings the heart and the “how.” Audiences leave moved and equipped.

A globally-rich perspective

As a third culture woman and former therapist, she speaks to identity, humanity, and nuance—from the personal to the systemic.

Empathy is her edge

Her signature framework (Compassion for Self, Empathy for Others, Accountability for Both) reshapes the way people lead, connect, and show up in the world.

Book Dr. Beri for:

Dr. Payal Beri, PhD, speaking in front of a crowd with a projection of a slide deck that says "how to be a compassionate leader"

Workshops

Intentionally designed workshops that strengthen communication and collaboration internally while improving how teams engage customers, clients, and communities.

Keynote Talks

Strategic, high-impact talks for organizations where how people feel directly influences performance, culture, and long-term impact.

Dr. Beri speaks at associations, conferences, and across tech, healthcare, education, retail, and hospitality organizations.

A room full of many round tables, each with people seated and interacting with each other in a workshop

Strategic Thought Partner Advisory

A strategic partnership for executives at purpose-driven organizations, nonprofits, and foundations to intentionally design relationship experiences that elevate the connection and engagement of customers and the community.

Most requested keynotes:

  • We live in a time where products can be copied, services can be outsourced, and marketing can be automated. What cannot be replicated is how people experience you.

    Today’s customers, employees, and community members are deeply perceptive. They are paying attention not just to what you say you value, but to how you live it. They are no longer impressed by mission statements alone. They want to feel seen, respected, and invested in. They want to know that alignment is real, not performative.

    In the Relationship Economy, loyalty is no longer driven by convenience or incentives. It is built through trust, consistency, and emotional integrity. People commit to organizations, brands, and leaders who demonstrate care through action, not language.

    Dr. Payal Beri reframes growth through a human lens. She shows how thriving businesses, impactful organizations, and enduring communities are built by deepening relationships across all stakeholders. Customers, employees, partners, and the broader community are not audiences to manage. They are relationships to nurture.

    At the heart of this work is empathy as a strategic practice. When empathy is activated intentionally, it transforms how organizations listen, make decisions, and create experiences. It turns customers into loyalists, teams into culture carriers, and communities into movements.

    In this keynote, participants will explore how to:

    • Build trust and loyalty with customers, employees, and communities

    • Move from transactional engagement to transformational relationships

    • Use emotional intelligence to connect with the root of your clients' desires

    • Create communities that foster belonging, advocacy, and long-term loyalty

    This keynote is designed for organizations and teams ready to replace hustle culture with human connection and prove that relationships will always outperform tactics.

  • Most organizations talk about their mission. But talking is no longer enough. To create real impact, your mission needs to be experienced—felt—by the very people you want to serve, mobilize, or influence.

    In this keynote, Dr. Payal Beri challenges traditional engagement strategies and introduces a human-centered model rooted in immersive experience design. When communities are invited to step inside your work—not just hear about it—they stop seeing your mission as a concept and start understanding it as a lived reality.

    This shift is what turns passive observers into active champions. When empathy is no longer theoretical, but embodied, people don’t just understand what you do—they feel compelled to be part of it.

    In this keynote, you’ll learn how to:

    ✔ Move beyond messaging to create emotionally resonant experiences
    ✔ Help communities feel the real impact of your work
    ✔ Design immersive moments that build deeper trust and long-term buy-in
    ✔ Embed empathy as a strategy for connection, movement, and momentum

    This keynote is for mission-driven organizations ready to turn values into visceral experiences—and mobilize people through meaning, not marketing.

  • In a world that rewards urgency and instant results, what would happen if we paused—not to hesitate, but to lead with clarity?

    In this transformative keynote, Dr. Payal Beri invites leaders to shift from knee-jerk reactions to grounded responses. Drawing from her experience as an organizational psychologist and former therapist, she explores what happens when leadership is fueled by empathy, not ego,curiosity, or control.

    This talk is your call to slow down, reflect, and rewire how you lead under pressure—so you can show up with presence, power, and perspective in even the most chaotic moments.

    In this keynote, your audience will learn how to:

    Identify when fear is shaping decisions and shift into an emotionally regulated response

    Transform emotional triggers into tools for insight and action

    Navigate high-pressure situations with emotional precision and presence

    Build teams and cultures rooted in trust, not tension.

  • For generations, women have been told to lead with less, less emotion, less intensity, less ambition. We’ve internalized those expectations, learned to self-edit, and been rewarded for fitting into a leadership mold that was never built for us in the first place.

    Dr. Payal Beri invites women to do something radical: stop apologizing for being powerful.

    In this transformative keynote, Dr. Beri challenges the cultural and systemic narratives that have kept women from fully owning their voice, their presence, and their impact. She unpacks how those patterns show up subtly, in negotiations, in boardrooms, in client meetings and how to dismantle them with confidence and clarity.

    This isn’t about leaning in. It’s about standing tall.


    Because power isn’t something women need to earn. It’s something we reclaim.

    In this keynote, you’ll learn how to:


    ✔ Rewrite the internal and external narratives that keep you playing small
    ✔ Step into leadership from a place of alignment and unapologetic clarity
    ✔ Move from approval-seeking to impact-making with confidence
    ✔ Foster cultures of collective empowerment where women rise together, not compete for space

    This talk is designed for organizations committed to equity, leadership development, and creating spaces where women don’t shrink to succeed but rise by being fully themselves.

Cover art for "Reframing Perspectives with Dr. Payal Beri, PhD" podcast

Listen to the Reframing Perspectives Podcast

Whether navigating life’s challenges, rethinking what success means, or unlearning inherited beliefs, these conversations reveal how powerful shifts in perspective can change how we connect with ourselves, others, and our communities.

Through Payal’s personal reflections and intimate dialogues with changemakers, creatives, and purpose-driven leaders, you’ll be challenged to expand your lens and engage with the world more thoughtfully.

Because when we change how we see, we change how we live and lead.

Subscribe Now. Join to find out why…

Weekly ponders & thoughts

The world feels disconnected. We get to change that.

Every week, I share raw stories, research-backed insights, and powerful reframes to help you navigate relationships, leadership, and identity with more clarity, curiosity, and connection.

It’s for anyone committed to navigating this world without losing who they are.

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