Veronica Llorca-Smith 🍋

Want to find a speaker for your next leadership event?

I design customized keynotes and workshops to motivate and build high-performing teams and help develop new leadership skills.

Blending my 20-year corporate experience (Apple, Estée Lauder), my personal experience living in 9 countries and my journey as an amateur triathlete, I create engaging sessions that bring both inspiration and actionable frameworks. 

Topics:

Inclusive leadership
Unconscious Bias
Cultural Agility
Inclusive Language
Allyship

Growth Mindset: 
An Athlete's Mindset
Becoming Your Best Ambassador

Previous clients: UBS, AIA, ManpowerGroup, BioRad, Native Union, UK Cabinet, Michael Page, DASH...

Motivational Speaker & Author: DEI & growth mindset

🎙Public Speaking: I create customized presentations and workshops for organizations and events. My content leverages my 15-year corporate experience (Apple, Estée Lauder) as well as my personal experience as a triathlete and an author. 

🎓 Topics:

- Cultural agility as a competitive advantage in the workplace

- Inclusive leadership: mindset, behavior and processes

- Inclusive language as a catalyst for inclusion 

- An athlete's mindset: mental frameworks to get results 
  
- Thriving as a woman in the workplace

- Maximizing your influence with a personal brand

Languages available: English, Spanish, French, Italian & Portuguese

Veronica Llorca-Smith 💎

At 40, I was unemployed.

At 41, I started writing.

At 42, I published my first book.

At 43, I got a publisher deal with Penguin for book #4 and became a Substack Bestseller.

At 44, I spoke for the EU, and traveled overseas (India, Australia, Singapore) as a keynote speaker and author.

This is 45. 

Next month I have a packed agenda with speaking engagements for International Women’s Day.

And I’m doing an Ironman 70.3 in China.

I’m just getting to started. 

And I’m taking my community with me.

Buckle up.

13,000 writers, authors and solopreneurs are already on board turning their creativity into their lifestyle.

Let’s take off.

The Lemon Tree Mindset 🌳🍋

https://lnkd.in/gpkMixx6

Veronica Llorca-Smith🎤

Your speaker for International Women’s Day | Inclusive Leadership, DEI, Communication & Cultural Agility (ex Apple, Estée Lauder) | 6 languages Penguin Author | Ironman Triathlete | CEM (Chief Executive Mom)

Woman at a plane smiling. Blue top and sunnies.

There are 4 generations in this picture.

But it'll take more than that to bridge the gender gap:

123 years.

As a mom of two young daughters, I get goosebumps because they won't get to see a world with full equity. 

123 years to reach full equity across pay, leadership representaiton, political empowerment and education according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025.

What does this mean?

Women's workforce participation globally is 44% (men is 74%)

Women earn 83 cents for every dollar men earn (globally)

Women hold 28% of senior leadership roles worldwide and 35.5% of local government position. 

The top countries leading gender equity:

🇮🇸 Iceland 
🇫🇮 Finland 
🇳🇴 Norway
🇬🇧 United Kingdom 
🇳🇿 New Zealand

Not a single one has reached it. 

This month I'm delivering several workshops, keynotes and webinars on International Women's Day.

The topic is "Give To Gain: Empowering Women for a Win-Win Culture."
 
Because yes, we ALL win with a more equitable society (not talking just gender here). 

And I get it:

Celebrating women one day isn't going to change this picture BUT...

it’s an OPPORTUNITY to challenge the status quo:

🎓 AWARENESS: learning about the issue
🏆 CELEBRATION: of change-makers & trailblazers
🫶🏻 ALLYSHIP: bringing men on board
💪🏼 ADVOCACY: amplifying women's voices
🔥 ACTION: taking measures to drive change

We need International Women's Day so that one day,
the new women on these stairs no longer need it.

PS: I publish this picture every single year since 2018. Grandma is 92 and still ticking along strong ❤️

PSS: sources in comments ↓

Photo of 9 women, ranging from a grandma to mums and babies. all wearing white on stairs. 

Every single day, leadership gets lost in translation. 

I just spoke at the Mumbai HRD Congress (the largest event I’ve ever spoken at). 

The topic was "The Future of Work" and my keynote was about Cultural Agility for future-proof leadership. 

The workplace has never been more multicultural. Think about it:

Leading Teams across 4 continents 
5 generations working side by side 
Managing 10 time zones without burning out
Creating an efficient communication system (hint: Asia always gets the bad end of the stick)
Different languages, cultures, traditions.

Yet no one prepares employees for that level of diversity. It's just expected with the promotion, the international assignment and the job title. 

Most companies expect their employees to manage international teams, work overseas and be fluent across cultures yet they provide zero training and development tools. 

But expectation without guidance is not a strategy: it's a gap. 

And that gap leads to miscommunication, stereotypes, cultural missteps and micro-aggressions that hinder innovation, inclusion and ultimately performance. 

Because cultural diversity is hard before it becomes easy.

If you'd like to equip your teams with training, tools and a framework to develop cultural agility, let's talk.

Woman speaking at an event with a white jacket and a mic 

This is why I have Chief Executive Mum on my LinkedIn profile:

When I became a mum and went back to work, I had to pretend nothing had changed, even though my body (and life) had experienced the biggest transformation ever. I had just made a human being!! 

Because while I had changed, the system hadn't and that creates a lot of guilt and pressure for both moms and dads.

Guilt for asking for a day off to look after a sick child.
Guilt for saying no to after-work drinks because we want to tuck the little one in bed.
Guilt for going for a promotion or saying yes to a business trip because that makes you a "selfish mom."

It's time we normalize parenting in the workplace so that we can make it more inclusive and make room for people to bring their full selves to work (not just the convenient part) and thrive. 

When we design for parents, we design for humanity. 

***

PS: I deliver keynotes and corporate training on inclusive leadership and cultural agility for global organizations. If you are looking for a speaker for your next event or training, let' talk..

Signed, CEM Veronica.

Woman on a beach with a girl running towards her.

8 Things I NEVER do before speaking in public (and maybe you shouldn’t either)

1. Last-minute changes: You never wear new shoes on race day 

2. Have a huge meal: I love croissants but make sure you have time to digest 

3. Have cold drinks: Warm water helps you moisten your vocal cords and smooth your throat 

4. Spend time on screens: go outside, get some fresh air, exercise, be present 

5. Fight with the clicker: that thing has a life of its own. Let it be.

6. Obsessing over every detail: focus on what you can control 

7. Chitchatting: Find some me-time to focus, do a visualization exercise and some positive self-talk (Let's rock it!) 

8. Copy other speakers: It might be tempting to adopt the previous speakers’ style but stick to your personality. 

Master being yourself because no one can beat you at that. 

What tips help you when you speak in meetings or in public?

-----------

 Hi, I'm Veronica and I deliver keynotes and masterclasses for global organizations on inclusive leadership, communication and cultural agility. My sessions have the energy of a triathlete, the experience of a former F500 leader (Apple and Estée Lauder) and the care of a CEM (Chief Executive Mom). 

If you are still looking for a speaker for IWD or your next event, visit my website to see my portfolio and let's talk.

https://lnkd.in/gjJBiFq7

Woman on stage with a white jacket and black pants

This is what publishing with a “Big Five” did for my book:


Honestly, not much (although I’m very grateful).

This is what moved the needle instead:

Showing up.

Earning reviews.

Speaking in events.

Speaking on podcasts.

Pitching to literary festivals. 

Creating a book launch club.

Promoting it on social media. 

Turning your book into a keynote. 

Partnering with your local bookstores.

Building your book squad team (this is mine ❤️)

Remember this: It’s your book.

It doesn’t matter how you publish it. It’s up to you to make it a success and find your readers.

From author to author, you’ve got it.

📍The Anti-Procrastinator

PS: If you want to join a community of 13,000 writers, creators and solopreneurs to grow, collaborate and turn your hobby into your lifestyle, check out The Lemon Tree Mindset 🌳🍋

https://lnkd.in/guuE6ggr

If you think 1:1 coaching is not scalable:


You are 99% correct.

Because scaling is not always about volume and profit.

Sometimes it’s about supporting someone’s vision and being a (tiny) part of something bigger.

My new coaching client Jonathan Tonkin built a community to advocate for the planet. 

And he’s turning that community into a movement.

16,000 subscribers and counting (I’m one of them!).

In our strategy session, we talked about how to reach many more and get members involved through the power of:

Writing
Public speaking and
Human connection 

Scaling can take different shapes. It can be less about money and more about impact and purpose. 

Check out his newsletter Predirections, where you become part of the solution 🌎 

PS: If you want to scale the right way, let's talk. 

10,800+ solopreneurs have already joined my community The Lemon Tree Mindset 🌳🍋 to turn their creativity into their lifestyle.
 
Join for FREE today 👇🏽

Zoom session of a man and a woman. Both smiling. 

Everybody knows Netflix but not everybody knows its origin story…

It actually started as a DVD-by-mail service back in 1998, delivering movies in red envelopes before it started streaming and disrupting an entire industry. 

They were brave, bold and took risks. 

The rest is history.

What are you doing to stay ahead?

PS: This post is not about movies.

I identified 6 types of procrastinators while researching for my book…here is one:

Some people would rather die than go LIVE. I used to be one of them.

I was TERRIFIED of what people would think, so I procrastinated on taking the step. 

But now I go live every week in English and Spanish, sometimes in front of 100+ strangers.

And guess what...I have FUN while growing my business. 

It's helping me gain new clients. 

Nurture my community.

Scale my message faster. 

But more importantly, it's building my confidence and helping me grow as a speaker and a person. 

Because when something feels scary or daunting, it's often a sign to leave what feels comfortable and safe and stretch yourself. 

And look, you don't "win", or "lose." You just grow.

So if you are procrastinating on taking that step, I've got you. 

In this video, I share 6 types of procrastinators. Watch the full recording ↓

Which type are you? 

🎯 The Anti-Procrastinator
🐧 Penguin Random House 
📍 Available on Amazon

LVMH

Head of Europe and Africa TR, responsible of a network of +250 airports and more than 1.5k POS. Accountable for the long-term vision of the channel, and for developing the commercial strategy and its implementation across KAs. Full P&L responsibility with a clear objective to improve both operating profit and contribution margin. In charge of building and achieving the division’s results: revenues, sell-out, market share and ranking, while ensuring a distribution compliant with the high standards of the maison, and a flawless execution in the POS. Lead a team of 3 KAMs and 7 Retail Managers.

Sales Director TR EU&A - Bulgari

Full accountability for the sales’ strategy in the assigned region, and for creating and achieving yearly budget (sell-in & sell-out), OP goals and market share growth. Own full P&L and innovation forecast. Lead team of Retail Managers and Beauty Advisors. Drive negotiation of commercial conditions, marketing plan and opening of new accounts. Responsible for brand image and equity. Build collaborative relationship with clients, suppliers and other departments within the organization.

Area Sales Manager - Bulgari

Estee Lauder Group of Companies

Development of brand equity, sales, profit and market share in the territory within company guidelines and strategies. Adapt marketing, investment, HR and distribution strategy to local needs. Full Profit and Loss responsibility. Budget preparation. Responsible for the achievement of budget goals: sales, OPEX, OP. Responsible for the brand image and highest possible standards utilizing existing guidelines. Responsible for the management of Account Coordinators and Beauty Advisors. Preparation of marketing calendar and marketing support negotiations.

Area Sales Manager

Vidrepur of America

Product: luxury glass mosaics. Create and implement sales and marketing expansion strategy for the US. Prepare annual budget and forecast. Follow up its implementation and analyse sales. Open new markets. Managing and training outside sales reps. Develop relationship with clients, assisting and visiting main accounts. Supervision of the administrative activities of the office and warehouse, with focus on implementing new procedures and structure. Coordinate Vidrepur’s attendance to trade shows (Coverings Orlando, CHIC, ASCTEX Chicago, AIA California). Reporting to headquarters in Spain.

Regional Sales Manager

Spanish Trade Commission in Shanghai

Provide & develop market research analysis to Spanish enterprises in the exportation of commercial goods into the Chinese market, with guidance to those firms wishing to settle in China. In addition, activities include: press and media relationship, events organization and public relations (i.e.: Shanghai Spanish Footwear Exhibition), answering market enquiries, visiting trade shows, interviewing Chinese manufacturers and distributors, and writing market researches, examples: “The Chinese Furniture Market”, “The Chinese Lighting Market”, “The Chinese Tile Market” and “The Chinese Natural Stone Market” (published by ICEX – Spanish Institute of International Trade).

Trade Officer - Department of Economic & Commercial Business

Enterprising, results-oriented senior executive specialized in international trade and business administration, with 18 years sales experience in the European, African, American and Chinese markets. Extensive knowledge of travel retail, working for leading luxury groups and key accounts: Dufry, WDFG, Aerianta, Lagardère, Kappe and Heinemann. Good command of 6 languages. Self-starter and solution driven personality with the ability to build, manage, motivate and engage teams in a common vision. Great energy, persuasive, and with outstanding interpersonal and negotiation skills.

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