As seen in
Dr. Shadé Zahrai is a leadership ‘alchemist’ known for her superhuman ability to translate the latest in neuroscience and psychology research into practical and actionable strategies that drive mindset shifts and behavioral change in a systemic way.
Dr. Shadé is a dynamic speaker, scholar-practitioner, and award-winning leadership strategist whose work sits at the intersection of psychology, business, and human performance. Drawing on her PhD research in leadership and career performance, and years of experience consulting to Fortune 500 companies around the world, she translates cutting-edge insights into commercially sound strategies that put emotional intelligence and humanness at the core.​
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Her practical, science-backed insights have empowered over 7 million students on LinkedIn Learning, and her viral content has generated more than 300 million views globally. A former commercial lawyer who quickly realized contracts weren’t nearly as exciting as people, Shadé moved into banking and strategy consulting before finding her true calling in leadership and human performance. She now runs Influenceo Global with her husband Fayçal – an international leadership development and research firm trusted by the world’s top companies, including Deloitte, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, LVMH, and JP Morgan, to elevate their leaders and cultures.
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She has become a bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and was named Adweek’s Careers Creator of the Year. She has built a global community of over 3 million followers on social media and her thought leadership has been featured by The New York Times, Adweek, Fast company, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk. She is also a contributor for CNBC, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age, and a former member of the Forbes Coaches Council.​​ And fun fact – she never set out to be a content creator. The “over 5 million followers” thing happened by accident during the pandemic… proving that sometimes the best strategies aren’t strategies at all.
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Dr. Shadé’s multidisciplinary approach – blending deep academic understanding of the art and science of peak performance with commercial acumen, data-driven insights, and captivating storytelling – makes her an in-demand global speaker. Her keynotes are characterized by authenticity, practicality, and lasting impact. She also has a passion for designing programs that empower women in leadership to maximize confidence and supercharge success.
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Shadé is also a 3x Australian champion Latin dancer, so salsa lessons may just be an added perk.
Companies inspired by Shadé
Latin Dance
Shadé’s love of dance was fueled by a two-fold drive: to challenge herself to push beyond what she thought possible, and to spark transformation in her students by helping them build confidence and unlock new levels of creativity and expression.
Becoming a highly sought after dance duo, Shadé and dance partner Juan Ruiz performed and taught at festivals and events all around the country and were international guests artists at the World Bachata Festival in Malaysia 2015. They won three Australian Latin Dance Championships between 2015-16.
Shadé also represented Australia at the World Salsa Open in Puerto Rico in 2014, placed 1st the Portland Salsa Congress the same year and has contributed as an instructor to international dance retreats.
In 2017 she was invited by TED Institute to perform in Australia’s first TED conference, dancing alongside Aric Yegudken from Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance.
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Why have we included this here? Because honestly, Because honestly… how cool is that?