Meet Karen
Karen Donaldson is a Celebrity Communication and Body Language Expert, Certified Confidence Coach, Senior Executive Public Speaking Coach, International Speaker, and award-winning documentary Consulting Producer. Known by many of her clients as “The Communication and Confidence Disruptor,” Karen has spent more than 20 years helping high-performing leaders, executives, celebrities, politicians, entrepreneurs, and professionals communicate with authority, own their voice, and perform with confidence when the stakes are high.
Recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in communication, confidence, body language, and public speaking, Karen is the secret weapon behind high-profile professionals and corporate leaders across Canada, the United States, Africa, and the United Kingdom. Her clients have included senior executives, CEOs, SVP’s, celebrities, politicians, and successful entrepreneurs, as well as teams and organizations including ING Direct, the University of Toronto, Procter & Gamble, Manulife Financial, and the Government of Canada, University of Toronto ++.
Karen’s expertise has made her a sought-after media expert on communication, confidence, leadership, human behaviour, and body language. She has appeared on NBC, ABC, FOX, CTV, Breakfast Television, and CTV News Channel, and has contributed her expertise to Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, Bustle, HuffPost, The Globe and Mail, and other major media platforms. Her work and commentary have been syndicated worldwide.
She is also an award-winning, three-time bestselling author of Speak Like You Breathe: 30 Lessons to Become a Naturally Confident Speaker, Living a Life with No Excuses, and Speak Like You Breathe: Straight Talk to Say What You Mean, Be Heard and Get Noticed.
Beyond the stage, boardroom, and media, Karen has expanded her expertise into film as an award-winning Consulting Producer of the documentary LIMITLESS: The Dr. Chester Pierce Story, bringing her expertise in communication, and visibility to filmmaking.
Karen is the founder and owner of Karen Donaldson Inc. and the brands Speak & Get Booked and The Global Confidence Academy, through which she equips leaders, experts, and speakers with the communication, confidence, and performance skills needed to increase their influence, amplify their impact, and command the rooms they are meant to be in.
Whether she is preparing an executive for a high-stakes presentation, coaching a public figure for the media, helping a speaker own the stage, or teaching an audience how to communicate with greater confidence and credibility, Karen’s work is rooted in one belief: your voice has power, but only when you know how to use it.
Two principles have shaped Karen’s life and her work:
“Good things don’t come to those who wait, good things come to those who go out and get it.” “Words of other don’t define you, You define you”
Above are more than quotes, they are the foundation of how Karen coaches, speaks and leads.
Karen reminds people that confidence is not an emotion, it’s a skillset and a behaviour, it’s something you build by knowing who you are, recognizing what you bring to the table and taking action before you have everyone else’s permission. Her direct, high-energy approach challenges people to stop shrinking, second-guessing and allowing other people to determine their value.
That philosophy was built through experience. Becoming a mother at 20, Karen pursued her university degree while navigating the expectations and stereotypes placed on young mothers. She refused to allow circumstance, or anyone else’s opinion to determine what was possible for her. She earned her Bachelor of Applied Science in Health Promotion from former Ryerson University while simultaneously speaking, facilitating workshops and helping others strengthen their confidence, leadership and communication skills.
Long before communication and confidence became the center of her global brand, Karen was building leaders, organizations and communities. Her career has included developing public-private partnerships, leading major community initiatives, working within the charitable sector and spearheading community development efforts connected to the transformation of one of Canada’s first public housing developments into a vibrant mixed-income community.
She also became an entrepreneur in her early twenties, launching Panache Choreography and Productions in Toronto, an early indication of the drive, creativity and willingness to create opportunities rather than wait for them.
Those experiences continue to shape Karen’s work today. Whether she is coaching a CEO before a high-stakes conversation, speaking on a stage herself, preparing an executive to command a stage, helping a public figure navigate the media, operating as a producer for a film, or challenging an audience to stop playing small, her message remains the same: Know who you are, own what you bring, use your voice, and stop waiting for permission to become who you already know you are capable of being.
#1 Best Selling Author
Celebrity Communication and Body Language Expert // Certified Confidence & Peak Performance Coach
Executive Public Speaking Coach
International Speaker
Body Language Expert for Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health Magazine
KTLA, NBC, FOX, CTV, BT Toronto Guest Communication, Confidence & Peak Performance Expert
Karen’s feature in Entrepreneur Magazine >> Read Now >>
Karen’s latest interview on NBC; “How to Handle Tough Conversations with Style and Grace” >>Watch Now>>
Karen on Breakfast Television talking about; “Virtual Office Meeting Etiquette” >>Watch Now >>
