To the average educator, risk can be an uncomfortable word.  It can be a reminder of irresponsible risk taking.  It can provoke feelings of loss, failure and regret.  And recent events---from terrorism to corporate scandals---can do little to encourage the notion of taking chances. Saying “no” to risk is comfortable.  It’s safe.  But it’s not the way to personal or professional success.

Cathy Griggs Newton will flip your thinking on risk. Cathy is a motivational speaker, workshop facilitator, and author who helps educators take on challenge, improve performance and regain energy through purposeful risk taking.

A former school district Wellness & Student Assistance Coordinator, teacher and coach, Cathy knows how to instruct, involve, and inspire audiences.  Through her dynamic programs and infectious enthusiasm, Cathy motivates audiences to stretch themselves farther---handling performance challenges, personal wellness, teambuilding or organizational change with confidence.

She is author of the practical guide entitled  RISK IT! Empowering Young People to Become Positive Risk Takers in the Classroom and In Life  (Incentive Publications, Nashville TN 1996) and  It Takes Character, a teen guidebook for success (Incentive Publications, Inc. 2003)

Areas of Expertise: 

Educator groups:                                            Student groups:

Well Being                                                        Purposeful Risk Taking

Teambuilding                                                    Leadership

Motivation for Teaching                                    Character

Stress/Emotional Fitness

 

Top 3 reasons to have Cathy Newton at your next event:

Cathy has 25 years of experience and insight into the important issues facing 

educators and youth.

 

 Cathy has an innovative style of engaging the audience with quick and fun interactive  interactive challenges.  She contributes practical, useful strategies for positive action.

Cathy is easy to work with and wants to add value to your event.  In addition to keynotes, she offers in depth breakout sessions.

Fee Range:
$1,500-$2,500     In home area (KS or MO) 15% reduction of fee

Cathy's Most Requested Programs:

Educator Presentations

·        Renew Your Commitment:  The TRUTH About Teaching   Teaching is a high calling, but with it comes high pressure.  Revisit the reasons for being an educator: 1) Love of Learning.  2) Legacy ---I touch the future, I teach. 3) Those incredible, positive HITS of emotion that come from making a positive difference.  Learn effective strategies for renewing your commitment to teaching. 

·        Get Back in the Swing:  Taking RISKS for Well-being   A negative view of risk can put blinders on your perception of personal wellness and performance improvement.  Get a power charge to propel you “back in the swing” of purposeful risk taking to improve your MIND, BODY, MOOD and SPIRIT

·        Catch the WAVE:  Taking RISKS for Energizing and Effective Teamwork    Understanding how to work together and how to achieve results are essential skills for the balanced professional.  Take the right risks to motivate yourself and others, perform up to par, leverage behavioral differences and keep your cool under pressure. Catch the WAVE and expand your teambuilding assets.

·        Keep Your Cool:  Taking RISKS for Emotional Stability In a Crazy World    Rudyard Kipling said it best:  “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…”  This is the first tenet of emotional stability:  keeping your head, not losing your head! It’s a vital asset when coping with the risky business of stress, change, negative feelings and self-control.  Learn effective strategies to: 1) Acquire a new mind-set on workplace conditions.  2) Learn positive techniques to buffer STRESS.  3) Make time for relaxation.

Student Presentations:

·        Risk It:  Building Positive Risk Taking Skills     Don’t you like to push it to the limit, to see how far you can go, to seek peak experiences?  Get a power charge to revitalize the most important factor for personal growth and success:  Positive Risk Taking!  Exercise your “risk taking” muscles through a variety of social, intellectual, and creative challenges.

·        Leadership:  Catch the WAVE     Hungry for the thrill and responsibility of leadership?  Catch the leadership WAVE: W = Wet & Wild attitude, A = Action, V = Vision, and E = Emotional Stability. Understand and improve your personal style for effective leadership and positive action.

·        Character RROCKS!      Anchor your understanding of character to all the important aspects of life such relationships, school success, performance in sports/activities, and having fun. Understand the important character traits of Respect, Responsibility, Open-mindedness, Calm-cool-collected-ness, Kindness, and Safety.   

Testimonials:
 

“Your keynote “Get Back in the Swing’ provided our members with valuable information they can utilize in their personal lives as well as in their schools….You most definitely set a very positive tone and helped us have one of our most successful Spring Conferences.”  Dave Backer, MO Association of Secondary School Principals

“Thank you for your wonderful keynote address and workshops you presented at our National TREND Youth Leadership Conference.  You are an excellent resource for middle school, high school and adult audiences and we were very fortunate to feature you at our annual conference.”  Ginny Shaller, TREND Coordinator, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

“ISACS was most fortunate to have you present a session on risk taking at our annual conference.  Comments from participants were extremely positive…without hesitation I would enthusiastically recommend you as a speaker to other organizations.”  Marcia E. Millar, Independent Schools Association of the Central States

“We very much appreciated that you organized your keynote and break-out session around the coordinated school health conference theme. Your energy and enthusiasm as you addressed current issues helped to make your points interesting.”  -Darlene Huff, RN, Coordinated School Health Coalition

“For the last six years, we have been looking for a dynamic speaker who can motivate young high school students at our RYLA conference…..You are the right person for this job!”  -Bob Gaw, Rotary Youth Leading America