Poppy Harlow

What happens when your worst day becomes your best? For nearly twenty years at CNN, Poppy Harlow had her dream job. She was a key anchor and host of the network’s flagship morning show. Out of the blue, her show was canceled, and she was left to make a crucial decision: would she take a leap of faith? Little did she know at the time, the following day, her day two, would be the beginning of a remarkable adventure and set the course of her future. She would move to Paris with her family and learn how strong she really was and what she wanted most in her life. In this talk, Harlow shows us that we all have a day two. For some of us – it is planned. For others – it’s unplanned. Harlow shares the valuable lessons learned when your life gets upended and how what we do with those days tells us everything about who we really are, what we’re made of, and what we really want.

Poppy Harlow has had a front-row seat to history for two decades as an award-winning journalist. She has conducted headline interviews with many of the greatest leaders of our time – both in business and in politics. In this keynote, she shares the unique and unexpected lessons she has learned from leaders including Warren Buffett, Melinda French Gates, Jamie Dimon and Indra Nooyi. 

• You can ask anything with a smile: Why getting candid and compelling answers is all about how you ask a question.
• The power of the handwritten note: Warren Buffett taught Harlow the importance of writing handwritten thank you notes after their first interview together.
• The power of brevity: Why saying less often leaves you with more. 
• Early is on-time: Why treating other people’s time as their most precious asset is key to winning. 
• Let your heart break: Why empathy is a superpower in negotiation and conversation. As Melinda French Gates taught Harlow, you must let your heart break.
• Get in the kitchen: How kicking off your shoes and getting in the proverbial kitchen helps create key bonds in business and life.

Poppy Harlow is an award-winning journalist who was an anchor and correspondent at CNN for nearly 20 years. Her decades in journalism have taught her the power of curiosity and of asking the right questions at the right time. In this talk, Harlow explores how she went from asking lengthy, detailed questions to learning that “tell me more” is often the most powerful question one can ask. Harlow presents the key elements of forming the best questions for key moments in work and life. Teams get better and stronger when we learn how to ask each other the most important questions with empathy, understanding and candor. Questions are powerful tools to unite. Harlow guides the audience in the art of questioning.

*NOTE: This keynote topic can also be made into a corresponding interactive workshop with conference attendees where we explore how to ask the best questions at the right time.

What happens when your worst day becomes your best? For nearly twenty years at CNN, Poppy Harlow had her dream job. She was a top anchor and host of the network’s flagship morning show. Out of the blue, her show was canceled and she was left to make a crucial decision: would she take a leap of faith? Little did she know at the time, the following day, her day two, would be the beginning of a remarkable adventure and set the course of her future. In this talk, Harlow shows us that we all have a day two. For some of us – it is planned. For others – it’s unplanned. Harlow shares the valuable lessons learned when your life gets upended and how what we do with those days tells us everything about who we really are, what we’re made of, and what we really want.

Award winning journalist Poppy Harlow brings her extensive interview experience to the stage as a moderator. Having facilitated panels at major industry events like the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Microsoft CEO Summit, TIME 100, and the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, she provokes discussion, summarizes insights, and leads thoughtful Q&A with her signature journalistic polish and expertise.

As a former CNN anchor, Poppy Harlow stood on the front lines of breaking news each day. In this talk, she draws on her years of journalistic experience to make sense of the latest in global events, business, and economic news. With insider access from interviews with newsmakers and business leaders, she looks at the stories driving our daily conversations, offering her analysis and sharing her outlook for the future.