$33M
Earnings she added to
company‘s bottom line in just 3 years as CEO
413K
Views of her TEDx Talk,
a Top 20 most-viewed TEDx Talk of 2021
280
Episodes of the
Top 2% Globally-Ranked podcast, b Cause
Work Doesn't Have
to Suck,
1
Number of times her underwear peaked out
while speaking on stage
(at least on video)
"She's an up-and-coming Mel Robbins."
Gina Davilla,
Founder of The Keynote Shop
Erin's authentic story.
I decided to attend college at Western Michigan University to pursue my lifelong (i.e., I read about it once) dream of being a paper engineer.
After one “C” and a trip to a stinky papermill, I left that dream on the cutting room floor. I continued to take math classes though, simply because
not many people were good at math ... and
out-uniqueing has always been my thing.
I grew up in a small town in Northern Michigan. Think one traffic light and the nearest highway was an hour away.
My first "Employee":
MY BROTHER, GENE
The infamous amy
When one day my roommate flew through our apartment door and told me she’d just heard about the perfect career for me. She said, “It’s high pay, low stress, and you just have to be good at math. It’s called ... an Actuary!”
Not one to pass up on lots of money with limited effort, I looked for all the books I could find on this thing called an “Actuary.” Except, there weren’t any.
But I did find one beige 4x6 pamphlet that told me the names, addresses, and phone numbers of companies that hired Actuaries.
A few phone calls, several interviews,
and perhaps a little white lie later,
I landed a job in Aetna's esteemed Actuarial program.
Over the next three years I took seven actuarial exams ... and I failed seven actuarial exams. I also learned that my personality was a lone wolf in the Actuarial Myers-Brigg matrix (literally, I was in my own quadrant).
But luckily, Aetna was a big company and I was able to bob-and-weave my way into several exciting roles, most of which I was highly unqualified to do.
ME AND some of the
actuarial interns
MY OFFICIAL ACTUARIAL PICTURE
(THAT THEY GIVE BACK TO YOU WHEN
YOU FAIL OUT OF THE PROGRAM)
The company was struggling - big time - and I didn’t necessarily have some grandiose strategy to fix it. But after three years leading the company, we were able to triple earnings from $17M to $50M. Employee engagement went up 15%. We went from the poopheads of the larger parent company to the darlings.
In 2016, I had bobbed and weaved myself into the CEO role for one of Aetna’s subsidiary companies, PayFlex (now Inspira Financial). But it wasn’t all glamorous.
MY MOVE INTO THE WORLD OF
Professional speaking
OBLIGATORY CEO GLAM SHOT
Yet, despite me feeling at the top of my game, I decided I was ready for a new challenge. When I announced my retirement, people kept saying the same thing, “We’ll miss your authenticity.“
That’s when I finally put two-and-two together. I did have a strategy. In fact, it was the same “strategy” I’d been using my entire career. I had used authenticity as my, and our company’s, strategic advantage.
I realized I had to go out and talk about this. Research it. Write about it. Speak about it. Obsesses over it.
Since that epiphany in 2018, I haven’t stopped
obsessing about authenticity as a strategy.
I've written two books on the topic, done a TEDx Talk, conducted primary research, written thousands of articles and social media posts, and done over 280 podcast episodes ... all aimed at helping others unlock the power of strategic authenticity.
MY CUtie Patootie family
at MY 2nd book launch
"She is real. No pretense. Just hard core reality dispensed about how we can be more effective in our organizations."
Tim Cowden, President
Kansas City Area Development Council
Her buttoned-up bio.
Erin Hatzikostas is a former Corporate CEO turned Authenticity Aficionado.
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Erin Hatzikostas is a former Corporate CEO turned Authenticity Aficionado.
Often referred to as “The Mel Robbins for business,” Erin Hatzikostas is an internationally recognized leader on the impact of authenticity in the workplace.
The CEO and founder of b Authentic Inc,
Erin is a global keynote speaker, author of two books, You Do You(ish) and The 50% Rule, the co-host of the podcast, b Cause Work Doesn’t Have to Suck, and Differentiation Consultant. Her TEDx Talk was one of the
Top 20 globally most viewed TEDx Talks released in 2021.
Her talks have reached hundreds of thousands of people, and her thought leadership has been featured on ABC,
CBS and published in Business Insider,
Fast Company, Well+Good, among several others. Her company also conducted a
first-of-its-kind national study on the
impact of authenticity in the workplace.
Don’t conform to the norm.
Transform the norm.
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"I've seen good speakers, but Erin was truly exceptional!"
“Her engaging approach, use of props and visuals, and ability to connect to our specific audience captivated our attention! I’ve seen good speakers, but Erin was truly exceptional”
Anonymous Participant
