MAXINE SHAPIRO

Maxine is a dynamic speaker and performer whose passion for freeing the talent within has created an international demand for her Inside the Box™ keynotes and training sessions. Mixing laughter with learning, she reveals the building blocks of improvisation and translates them to professionals in every industry who are looking to tap into the wealth of ideas and innovation just waiting to be discovered inside their organizations, their teams and themselves.

Maxine is a 25-year veteran of the business world and financial industry. She spent fifteen years at the Chicago Board of Trade, building a strong foundation of business expertise. It was there that she began seeing a need to change the channels of communication in organizations. When she temporarily left the world of finance, she ranked 12th in the country in the Customer Satisfaction Index while selling imported cars. As an accomplished actor and comedian, Maxine performed regularly in Chicago's vibrant off-loop theatre scene, and was a student of the Second City Improv Lab.

After moving to Dallas in 1995, she co-hosted a weekly financial radio show in the fifth largest media market in the country. Her highly personal approach, blending humor with down to earth analysis, brought her attention and praise from business analysts and listeners alike. She moved on to North Texas Public Radio station KERA 90.1 FM, continuing her savvy commentary on the daily "Marketplace Midday.” She was also a regular guest on Public Radio International "Marketplace Morning Report," one of the most widely heard business broadcasts in the country. Her reporting on regional, national, and international business practices and trends led to her bedrock conviction: that to remain competitive and vibrant, American businesses and organizations must access their employees' latent talents and free flow of ideas.

Maxine motivates, entertains, and transforms groups through, highly interactive, spontaneous, and powerful exercises. Her unique INSIDE THE BOX™ keynotes and workshops show people how that untapped wealth of thought can be set free and how management can tap into it. The sessions actively engage participants, raising productivity, allowing leaders to be more effective and enabling teams to be more cohesive -- all while making for a healthier and happier environment. Experience and learning go hand in hand.