Ingrid Hu Dahl

Ingrid Hu Dahl Speaking Topics

• The Transformational Power of Women Leaders: Leading Change with Heart, Rebellion, and Allyship

  In times of great change, uncertainty, and disruption, women have historically stepped forward—leading movements and driving progress with resilience, empathy and vision. Today, as we navigate complex global shifts, women have an opportunity to lead from a place of deep power—one that is rooted in heart, rebellion, and collective action.

  This fireside chat will explore how women leaders can harness these qualities to drive meaningful change. We will discuss how leadership is evolving, why women are uniquely positioned to lead in times of transformation, and how curiosity, empathy, and courageous action can create lasting impact. The time for bold leadership is now.

  Key Discussion Points:

  • How leading with authenticity, compassion, and emotional intelligence fosters trust, innovation, and resilience in teams and communities
  • How collaboration, allyship, and lifting others up accelerate change on a systemic level
  • How to remain focused on impact while navigating resistance and uncertainty

• Celebrating Identity, Living Boldly, and Leading Inclusively

  Event Goals:

  • To amplify the voices of individuals who are part of both the Asian, mixed-race, and LGBTQ+ communities, celebrating their diverse and powerful identities.
  • To inspire attendees to embrace who they are, live boldly, and create inclusive spaces where everyone feels seen.
  • To help people better understand how identity, culture, and sexuality intersect and why that makes our communities stronger.

  Potential Discussion Points and Questions:

  Navigating Intersectionality: The Asian and LGBTQ+ Experience

  • Growing up with a mixed-race background, how did that shape the way you saw yourself in both the Asian community and the LGBTQ+ community?
  • Can you share a moment when you realized how complicated it can be to juggle both of these identities, and how you handled that situation?
  • How can we make space for people to fully embrace both their cultural heritage and their LGBTQ+ identity without feeling like they have to choose?

  Living Boldly: Overcoming Challenges and Defying Expectations

  • What does “living boldly” mean to you as someone with both an Asian and LGBTQ identity, especially when faced with people or spaces that might not fully get you?
  • How has your mixed-race identity influenced your ability to push back against society’s expectations?
  • For someone struggling to be their true self, what’s one piece of advice you’d give them to help them live more boldly?

  Leading Inclusively: Building Bridges and Advocating for Change

  • In your work, how do you bring people together and give a voice to others with similar identities who might not always have a platform?
  • How can the Asian and LGBTQ+ communities collaborate to create a more inclusive world?
  • What’s one big barrier you’ve faced in advocating for both Asian and LGBTQ+ rights, and how do you think we can break that down?

  The Power of Representation and Storytelling

  • Why do you think representation is so important for young people who might see themselves in your work, and how can storytelling help them feel empowered?
  • As an author, how do you use your writing to challenge stereotypes and offer a fresh perspective on the intersection of Asian and LGBTQ+ identities?
  • How do you think literature and art can help fight cultural stigma and build a more open-minded society?

  Pride, Heritage, and the Future

  • As we celebrate both PRIDE and Asian Heritage Month, how can we make these celebrations more inclusive of the different ways people experience cultural pride and LGBTQ+ identity?
  • Looking ahead, what changes do you hope to see in the way both the Asian and LGBTQ+ communities are represented in literature and society?

Lead Yourself, Lead Your Team, Lead the Business: Scaling Leadership Development with Purpose and Humanity

In today’s dynamic workplace, organizations must equip leaders not only to drive performance, but to build trust, foster inclusion, and lead with emotional intelligence. This session will explore how Ingrid Hu Dahl scaled human-centered leadership development across a global organization—reaching 86,000 employees through an integrated strategy rooted in coaching, psychological safety, and inclusive leadership.

Drawing from firsthand experience leading Gap Inc.’s enterprise-wide leadership development strategy, Dahl will share practical insights, frameworks, and tools that bridge people and performance. Participants will learn how to design programs that move beyond compliance training and instead catalyze culture change, develop leadership capability, and enable teams to thrive.

How do you scale leadership development in a way that is practical, human-centered, and deeply aligned to company values?

Learn how Dahl designed and implemented key programs, including:

• A Leader as Coach model emphasizing listening to understand (not just respond) and asking open-ended “What” questions to drive performance and growth.
• A company-wide live training, Leading Inclusively, grounded in emotional intelligence, trust building, and psychological safety—developed in direct response to employee data and business needs.
• Tailoring Leadership, a program designed for new people leaders to navigate the mindset shift from individual contributor to leader and create empowering team environments.
• The strategic use of microlearning tools (Big Think+) and Leader Lab experiences to support ongoing development across all leadership levels.

Participants will walk away with actionable ideas to:

• Create leadership development frameworks grounded in purpose, inclusivity, and human connection.
• Build scalable tools that empower leaders to coach, connect, and cultivate trust.
• Use employee data to inform programs that reflect real needs and drive business outcomes.
• Align HR, leadership development, and business strategies to support organizational culture.

Whether you’re a talent leader, learning designer, coach, or executive, this session will offer inspiration and practical guidance for elevating leadership in a way that’s both scalable and deeply human.

Leading Inclusively: Turning Trust, Safety, and Emotional Intelligence into Scalable Leadership Practices

Inclusive leadership isn’t just a value—it’s a business imperative. Yet many organizations struggle to move beyond awareness into action.

How do you help leaders create a culture of trust, safety, and inclusion—at scale?

In this session, Ingrid Hu Dahl, former Director of Leadership Development at Gap Inc., shares the story behind the development and implementation of Leading Inclusively, a live training experience built to equip leaders with the practical skills to foster inclusive, psychologically safe environments.

• Deepen self-awareness and understand how their behavior shapes team dynamics.
• Practice inclusive coaching techniques, including listening to understand and asking exploratory, open-ended “What” questions.
• Recognize how psychological safety fuels innovation, retention, and engagement.
• Build trust as a leadership currency, especially in hybrid, distributed, and high-change environments.

Participants will leave with:

• A practical toolkit to build inclusion and trust into everyday leadership practices.
• A scalable approach to designing inclusive leadership programs grounded in real data and business impact.
• Inspiration for shaping a culture where every team member feels seen, heard, and empowered to thrive.

Sun Shining on Morning Snow: Stillness, Presence, and the Inner Journey of Leadership

In a fast-moving world filled with constant noise, pressure, and performance, we often lose touch with the quiet truths within us—the stillness, the softness, and the clarity that guide authentic leadership and meaningful connection. This talk invites participants to explore a more human, heart-centered approach to life and leadership, rooted in the themes of the memoir, "Sun Shining on Morning Snow."

Through personal stories, reflective practices, and poetic insight, Ingrid Hu Dahl will offer a powerful exploration of what it means to pause, listen deeply, and lead with presence—not just in our organizations, but in our lives. This session is a call to return to the wisdom within, to notice the moments we often overlook, and to lead from the inside out.

Session Description:

What if our greatest source of leadership wasn’t our strategy, speed, or certainty—but our presence?

In this deeply personal session, Ingrid Hu Dahl, author of "Sun Shining on Morning Snow," invites participants to slow down and reconnect with the inner dimensions of leadership—those often overlooked in the pursuit of outcomes and external success. Drawing on stories, poetic reflections, and practical insight, this talk explores how clarity, emotional depth, and presence can transform not only how we lead, but how we live.

Themes include:

• The power of pause: creating space for reflection and deeper wisdom.
• Noticing the unnoticed: seeing people, moments, and ourselves more clearly.
• Leading from wholeness: integrating head, heart, and spirit in how we show up.
• Cultivating inner clarity amidst complexity and change.
• Embracing softness and strength—at the same time.

Whether you’re a leader, coach, creative, or simply a human navigating a complex world, this session offers a grounding, restorative experience that reconnects you to what matters most.