Speaking Inquiries

Meg Jay has had the pleasure of speaking with companies, universities, think tanks, associations and conference groups around the globe. Some of her clients have included: Sundance, Aspen Ideas Fest, Merrill Lynch, MTV, Cosmopolitan, Family Action Network, The New Yorker, Yale University, Fidelity Investments, University of Chicago, Young Presidents Organization, the Council of Independent Colleges, the How To Academy, and the U.S. government’s Office of Personnel Management. Her 2013 TED Talk, “Why 30 Is Not the New 20” is one of the most-watched to date, with more than 10 million views.

Have Dr. Jay engage with your organization about one of her books…

The Defining Decade: Why 30 is Not the New 20

Did you know that 80% of life’s most defining moments take place before age 35? That the brain changes more in our 20s than at any other time in adulthood? That personality changes more in our 20s than at any other time in life? That over half of us are married or are dating or living with our future partner by the age of 30? That the first ten years of work have an exponential impact on success?

Our “thirty-is-the-new-twenty” culture tells us that the our 20s don’t matter. Some say they are an extended adolescence. Others call them an emerging adulthood. Meanwhile, Dr. Meg Jay argues, many twentysomethings have been caught in a swirl of hype and misinformation that has trivialized what is actually the most transformative period of our adult lives.

In this inspiring and practical talk, Dr. Jay makes clear just how much our 20s do matter and how you—or your twentysomething students, workers or children—can make the most of them now. With authority, humor and compassion, she shares the unique power of the twentysomething years and how they change our lives.

  • Why “Who am I?” is a question best answered not with a protracted identity crisis, but with one or two good pieces of something called identity capital
  • How joining the world of work can make us feel better, not worse
  • Why it’s the people we hardly know, and not our closest friends, who will change our lives for the better
  • How the twentysomething brain gives us our best chance to change who we are
  • Why living together may not be the best way to test a relationship
  • How we pick our families and not just our friends

The Defining Decade is a talk—and a developmental sweetspot—you don’t want to miss.

Supernormal: The Secret World of the Family Hero

Whether it is bullying, the loss of a parent to divorce or death, an alcoholic parent, a mentally ill parent or sibling, domestic violence or neglect, or emotional, physical or sexual abuse, early adversities are experienced by nearly 75% of us. Yet, often such experiences are kept secret, as are our courageous battles to overcome them.

In this compelling and compassionate talk, Dr. Jay reveals the secret world of the family hero: those who soar to unexpected heights after early adversity. These are “the strong ones” in families, the everyday superheroes who have made a life out of dodging bullets and leaping over obstacles, even as they hide in plain sight as students, entrepreneurs, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, actors, athletes, parents, and more. Naturally, we are amazed by those who rise above their pasts, yet as we have focused on “How do they do it?” we have forgotten also to ask, “How does it feel?”

These are some of the questions that Dr. Jay takes up:

  • What fear does to the brain, how this results in keeping secrets, and what secrets do to our health over time
  • How chronic stress leaves our fight-or-flight mechanisms switched on, how this contributes to determination and courage, and how this affects our health over time, too
  • How, as children, family heroes escape danger without leaving their homes or neighborhoods, and how, as adults, they use second-chance opportunities to get away for good
  • Why fighting for justice is good for us, and why putting down the cape is sometimes necessary too
  • Why love might be the strongest superpower of all, and why relationships can be the most difficult places to be brave

Hearing about Supernormal will change the way you think about yourself and those you love.

Meg Jay Speaks at UVA Commencement.

Meg Jay Speaks at UVA Commencement.

To inquire about a speaking engagement, please complete the form below.

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