HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Who’s actually making the decisions here?
Our brains make thousands of decisions every day, in milliseconds, before we even realize it.
My keynote speeches explore the question:
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Why our brains would rather make the wrong decision than none at all—and what our bodies have to do with it.
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How these lightning-fast assumptions shape our reactions, biases, and leadership behavior.
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And how thinking about thinking changes everything.
Welcome to Brain Affairs!
What happens to trust when there is no empathy? How much energy do we waste to protect ourselves? What happens to people when they are afraid to speak up? What if success comes at the cost of exhaustion? Does leadership behaviour match the intention?
LEADERSHIP CHANGE
Knowledge alone doesn’t change anything.
After every training session, we leave with the best of intentions and a wealth of knowledge. So why do old patterns and biases resurface the next time we’re under stress?
Because when under pressure, our brain automatically falls back on what it already knows and has firmly established as reliable.
If we want to change the leadership culture in our company, we don’t need even more knowledge, we need a continuous process to develop new rituals, structures, and systems together with our employees.
KEYNOTES
BRAIN AFFAIRS
Leadership & Human Behaviour
Your brain makes thousands of decisions every day — many of them in milliseconds, long before you’re consciously aware of them.
This keynote takes a closer look at what sits behind every decision: your brain. What it needs, how it responds under pressure, and why it will often choose a familiar option over an uncertain one.
What will the audience take away?
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What your brain needs, and how those needs shape your behavior before you consciously make a choice
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Why you fall back on familiar patterns under pressure, and what your body has to do with it
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How to interrupt automatic patterns using implementation intentions and emotion regulation
Where does it fit?
Conferences, conventions, executive events and leadership gatherings.
Duration: 45–60 minutes · DE / EN
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You think you know your team. Do you?
Our brains make snap judgments about people: How competent, trustworthy, likeable, or promising they seem. We then act on those judgments as if they were facts.
But our perception is never neutral. What we see in others is shaped by our own experiences, expectations, needs, and biases.
Beyond Teamwork explores leadership bias and the hidden patterns that influence how we see, judge, and lead our teams. Because better leadership starts with understanding not only the people around us, but also the brain making the judgments.
What will the audience take away?
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How leadership bias develops — and why even self-aware leaders can fall into it
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Why we misread our team’s behavior when we don’t recognize our own needs, assumptions, and blind spots
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How changing behaviors, relationships, and team routines can create the conditions for better decisions
Where does it fit?
Leadership conferences, company retreats, diversity and culture initiatives, HR events, and internal change programs.
Duration: 45–60 minutes · DE / EN
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AI doesn’t just change technology. It changes how we work, who makes decisions, and where we feel in control.
For the human brain, uncertainty can feel like a threat. When AI starts changing roles, responsibilities, and decision-making, people may question their expertise, their relevance, or their future, and resistance can follow, even when they understand the potential benefits.
This keynote explores what happens in the brain when AI enters the workplace and how leaders can create the conditions for engaging with change rather than resisting it.
What will the audience take away?
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Why our brains can react defensively to AI, even when we see its potential
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Which fundamental human needs are challenged when AI changes roles, control, and decision-making
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What leaders can do to build trust, create clarity, and make AI adoption possible
Where does it fit?
Digital transformation conferences, corporate events, executive gatherings, leadership events, and internal transformation programs.
Duration: 45–60 minutes · DE / EN
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WORKSHOPS
IF WE KNOW BETTER,
WHY DON’T WE DO BETTER?
From understanding to change.
Why do we make judgments without even realizing we’re making them? How do those judgments shape our decisions? And what needs to change in the way we lead?
This workshop uses neuroscience and behavioral science to uncover the patterns behind leadership behavior and turn insight into action.
We work on five practical topics:
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Recognize bias before it shapes a decision
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Strengthen belonging and recognition through shared behaviors
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Build psychological safety through open communication
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Create clarity and control through clear rules and expectations
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Align people and systems so both can evolve together
Leadership culture changes when new behaviors and structures become part of everyday practice.
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Every human interaction involves rapid judgments: Who do I listen to? Who do I trust? Who do I turn to when something needs to get done?
Most of these judgments happen automatically. And they quietly shape how a team communicates, collaborates, and performs.
In this workshop, we focus on four areas:
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Identify bias before it gets in the way of collaboration
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Strengthen belonging and mutual recognition
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Create psychological safety so people can speak openly
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Build shared routines and rules that create clarity and fairness
High-performing teams need more than openness and good intentions. They need clear agreements and shared rules. Otherwise, openness can quickly turn into blame, and silence into disengagement.
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You have the technology. You have the budget. But your people aren’t on board.
For the human brain, uncertainty can feel like a threat. When AI changes roles, status, control, or security, resistance can follow. Even when the benefits seem obvious.
That’s where leadership matters.
This workshop focuses on three practical topics:
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Involve people early so those affected become active participants
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Build confidence and capability so no one has to fear getting it wrong
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Define clear roles and boundaries for AI so uncertainty doesn’t fill the gaps
Technology is only part of the equation. Whether AI succeeds in an organization is ultimately shaped by people.
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Vita
Hi, I’m Peggy
My keynotes and workshops explore one of the most complicated relationships we have: the one with our own brain. It shapes how we see ourselves, how we judge others, and how we behave with one another. So why is changing our biases and leadership behaviors so difficult? Because our brains are constantly evaluating, interpreting, predicting, and filling in the gaps. Much of it automatically. But automatic doesn’t mean unchangeable. We can learn to recognize our automatic judgments, question our assumptions, and create structures that make better decisions easier. I grew up in Germany, studied in the U.S., and started my career in corporate IT. After ten years, I decided I wanted to choose for myself what I was responsible for — so I founded my own marketing and communications agency. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my real fascination wasn’t marketing. It was people: how they behave, how they make decisions, and what happens when things get complicated. Because here’s what I find endlessly fascinating: People can be highly intelligent, exceptionally well educated, and genuinely well intentioned — and still behave completely irrationally. Especially when stress kicks in. When someone disagrees with us. Or when our ego gets involved. At some point, I wanted to understand why. So I started digging deeper. Over the past 15 years, that curiosity has taken me through more than 30 training and professional development programs, including systemic business coaching, mental coaching, behavioral science, and applied neuroscience. Since 2014, I’ve worked with executives and teams, guiding more than 1,000 people through workshops and online programs. And one thing has become increasingly clear to me: You can’t understand human behavior by looking at the brain alone. We are a complex system of brain, body, experience, relationships, and environment. The brain evaluates. The body reacts. Our experiences shape us. Other people influence us. Circumstances change the conditions. And somewhere in the middle of all that, we still believe we’re making a completely rational decision. That’s where Brain Affairs was born. Because we’re in a relationship with our brain that we simply can’t leave. We can’t ghost it. We can’t block it. And we can’t just decide that next time we’ll react differently and expect our brain to cooperate. So we might as well understand how the relationship works.
