Public Speaking

“What if I told you about

these wild things that inhabit

untamable landscapes –

the ones around us,

the ones within us. If I just

let my voice go…”

~ Excerpt from Untamed. Written and performed for Season 3 of the television series, UNTAMED (2021).

Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) on a tree branch in Shenandoah National Park

Click on the Untamed button to access a program excerpt.

Speaker Biography

Jamie has over 40 years of public speaking experience. She was just ten years old when she took the stage for the first time, entering public speaking competitions to educate audiences on environmental issues and drive donations to local charities. She has since engaged, enthralled, and educated audiences worldwide. Jamie is an avid keynote speaker, panelist, podcaster, trainer, and educator across academic and informal learning contexts. She has appeared at formal events, diplomatic engagements, professional conferences, arts and music festivals, and community gatherings.

Jamie gives voice to the arts and the sciences on topics at the interface of Nature and human nature. She welcomes speaking invitations that explore intriguing, courageous, generative aspects of the question, “How do we love ourselves back into the world to the extent that we recognize ourselves as a part of Nature, rather than apart from Nature?”

Jamie K. Reaser reciting poetry at the Arctic Biodiversity Congress in Rovaniemi, Finland

Arctic Biodiversity Congress, Rovaniemi, Finland (2018).

Philosophy

Jamie thrives in relational public speaking contexts that actively facilitate interaction and co-learning – whether the room holds thousands of people or fewer than 100. Although public speakers commonly “do the circuit” with a single, flashy one-size-fits-all presentation and message, Jamie tailors public speaking engagements to each audience’s interests and needs. She listens and observes before she speaks. She approaches public speaking as an opportunity to share in a profound collective experience. Whatever the topic, Jamie’s words go to the heart of the matter.

Paul Stamets, Michael Gelobter, Jamie K. Reaser, Jonathan Gelbard, and Michael Kang

“Reclaim your place as part of Nature, rather than a part from Nature. Root locally. Take responsibility for your sustenance. Come to understand and support the ecosystems that support you. Let this define your relationships.”

~ Excerpt from remarks as a Think Tank panelist at the Rothbury Music Festival, Rothbury, Michigan (2009).

"Jamie lit up the room. She brought clarity to a complex subject while inspiring the audience into enthusiastic conversation. I've never seen the group so excited by a professional seminar."

~ Kathryn R.
"Jamie brought a poet's soul, inspiration, and wise, evidence-based perspective to her excellent keynote, Presence: Perspectives in the Face of Collective Trauma and Earth Systems Change, in 2022, during the global lockdown. She offered a thought-provoking presentation at our international conference, inviting us to reflect upon and deepen our perceptions and relationship to the natural world. Jamie's skill in connecting with the audience during the follow up question and answer session was exceptional. We hope to invite her back in a future conference."

~ Lisa Anselme RN, BLS, HN-BC, CHTP/I
Executive Director, Healing Beyond Borders
"As a speaker, Jamie beautifully weaves the knowledge of a leading scientist with the grace of a poet — integrating ecology, psychology, and poetry into moving transdisciplinary stories that inspire an audience to action.”

~ Jonathan Gelbard
"Jamie's keynote had the attention of everyone in the room. She was able to keep a very diverse audience transfixed. People we so moved, they admitted to feeling literally speechless when it came to the Q & A period. "

~ Thomas R.
"I've been running this training program for nearly a decade. I've never before seen a standing ovation for a trainer. That says it all."

~ Larry R.

Mission

About Jamie

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