What if part of being a great leader meant you didn’t have to wear a mask of perfection or pretend like you had all the answers? What if the first and greatest requirement for good leadership came from having the courage to show up as a human being first? In this smart, funny, and highly practical keynote, speaker, educator, and stand-up comic Joshua Rivedal invites leaders to take a fresh look at how vulnerability and authenticity shape culture, communication, and performance inside organizations and within themselves. Drawing from his background in counseling, emotional intelligence training, and over a decade of work with teams across industries, Joshua shows how leaders who lead with honesty earn trust faster, retain people longer, and build teams that actually talk to each other before problems boil over into performance issues, turnover, or HR and EAP concerns.

Through storytelling, standup comedy and light humor, and interactive moments that feel more like conversation than lecture, we’ll explore how authenticity improves accountability, how self-awareness strengthens decision-making, and how vulnerability creates psychological safety that helps leaders and teams thrive. Participants will leave with practical leadership tools they can use in one-on-ones, team meetings, hiring conversations, and crisis moments, along with a clearer understanding of how their own behavior sets the emotional tone for the people they lead.

Equal parts grounded and energizing, Leading Without the Mask helps organizations strengthen trust, reduce burnout, and develop leaders who are steady under pressure, honest in communication, and human in a way that drives results.

Save the mask for Halloween…if you’re looking to master showing up as your authentic self as a leader and a human, then this sesh is for you.