Culture Keynotes
Culture is a story we share.
It’s not an offering or a perk; it’s a shared experience shaped by the interactions people have with an organization and its leadership — and how those interactions inspire motivation, connection, meaning, and action. And results!
But culture isn’t easy to talk about. That’s what we’re here for.
Organizations that are serious about using culture to drive strategy need a way to take the conversation deeper. And at the same time, make it fun, real, and human.
At CultureTalk, our approach to organizational culture is founded on storytelling. Story is a powerfully simple mechanism for getting people to lean in and align around ideas.
When we speak to audiences on things like workplace culture, employee wellbeing and team cohesion, we leverage storytelling to make these topics more personal, relatable, understandable, and memorable.
And we’d love to do this for your organization.
Speaker Bios
First, here’s our story.
Theresa Agresta and Cynthia Forstmann are sisters on a quest to sharpen our innate human intelligence and apply it to more connected, meaningful, and results-oriented workplace experiences.
They are two of ten children whose upbringings were full of belonging and positive group dynamics. These early experiences shaped their careers as entrepreneurs, communications experts and organizational psychology experts.
They are the co-founders of CultureTalk, a modern platform that empowers teams to build and transform vibrant cultures through storytelling. Their team has certified almost 200 practitioners in 24 countries to use their story-based framework to develop people and build culture with intention. Clients include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Coca Cola, Starbucks, Slalom Consulting, Airbus, Skidmore College, and Boise State University.
Prior to CultureTalk they co-founded and ran Allegory, an agency that specialized in culture-driven rebrands that won industry and 3 international REBRANDⓇ Awards.
Cynthia Forstmann
Cynthia holds a BA in Psychology from Villanova, an MA in Positive Psychology from Marymount, and an Inner MBA certificate from MindfulNYU. She is a volunteer for DisruptHR Denver and an alumni of the Denver ScaleUp Network. In her free time, she enjoys rollerblading, skiing, yoga, hosting dinner parties, and following stories of children overcoming adversity.
Theresa Agresta
Theresa holds a BA in Communications from Ramapo College. Prior to founding two businesses, she was an integral part of the PR teams for the Windows on the World and Einhorn Yaffee Prescott. She is a past board chair of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. She spends her summers boating Lake George and winters skiing mountains in New York, Vermont and Colorado.
Together they:
- Work with clients to measure and shift cultures that stand up to modern demands for transparency and truth.
- Lead focus groups, training and development programs and change initiatives that enhance self-awareness, emotional intelligence, leadership, and conflict resolution.
- Speak to diverse audiences about the future of work and the power of story in creating culture, inspiring purpose, and building profit.
Speaking Topics
All too often, the gains to be made on organizational culture go unrealized. A growing body of research confirms the bottom-line impact of culture work, but it can be hard to know where to start.
Your organization already has a culture and, in this talk, we’ll give you 5 steps for shaping it with intention.Â
We’ll define Organizational Culture: what it is and isn’t and, through a surprising and simple analogy, you’ll learn how to capitalize on the potential of your culture by turning it into a tangible asset.Â
 You’ll have a chance to consider where you are on your culture journey and where your strategy has gaps. Cynthia and Theresa bring their expertise and expressive storytelling approach to make this sometimes confusing topic exciting and accessible.Â
Your team will leave with insights they can start applying right away and renewed enthusiasm for achieving results.
Our signature Team Storytelling Workshop is a powerful half-day experience that enhances speed-to-connection, fosters trust and vulnerability, and creates team cohesion.
Cynthia and Theresa Participants uncover and share their personal storylines through a framework that catalyzes deeper, more authentic dialog.
It turns out stories around the fire (or the water cooler) served a deep-seated place in our cultural connections and understanding!
Perfect for your next leadership offsite, team retreat, or annual event, the experience can be adapted to deliver online or on-stage with audiences of 10 to 10,000.Â
This workshop is built around the CultureTalk for Individuals assessment, a 72-question survey that uncovers alignment with 12 human story patterns called Archetypes. All participants take the assessment, validate their profiles and exchange stories in small groups.
As team members develop aptitude with Archetype storylines, they learn to apply the framework to improve interactions and outcomes. They are coached how to address potential conflicts real-time, transforming conflict into self-awareness and forward motion. Participants will learn how to analyze conflict through the lens of Archetypes. By identifying a conflict, revisiting their Story Profiles, and leveraging narrative intelligence, participants will develop action plans for productive dialogue and stronger collaborations. The group will also practice a team process for navigating potential conflicts.
In this 2-hour workshop, participants address the challenges of change and uncertainty, which can amplify existing cracks in team culture. They will explore how different Archetype patterns respond to change, identify their own change triggers, take accountability for reactive behaviors, and learn strategies to tap into their innate motivations for positive outcomes amidst evolving work environments
