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  3. Lisa Goodman-Helfand
Lisa Goodman-Helfand's picture

Lisa Goodman-Helfand

Motivational Speaker
Comfortable in My Thick Skin
Country or state 
United States (Illinois)
Available to 
North America
City 
Chicago
Fee 
Languages 
English
Volunteer
No

Personal Details

Bio

"An amazing presenter....... absolutely the best message that we could have had for our sales team. Thank you so much for inspiring all of us to remember the patient behind the sale."- Doug Bohrer, Vice President, ConvaTec

Lisa Goodman-Helfand’s interactive style, compelling content, and hilarious humor will leave your audiences inspired. Lisa is an author, speaker, consultant, educator, and founder of Comfortable in My Thick Skin. Her unique life journey has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX News networks. People Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Yahoo!, and many other media outlets around the globe have covered Lisa’s ability to approach colossal setbacks with tenacity, humor, and perspective.

Lisa has suffered from disfigurement, and serious health traumas for the past 33 years. She inspires others by sharing her uphill battle with the rare autoimmune disease; scleroderma, she was diagnosed with at age 10. After the birth of her second child, Lisa survived the loss of two organs, temporary paralysis, and eight major surgeries during a 218-day hospital stay. By sharing her story, she motivates audiences to face life’s obstacles with grit and resilience.

Lisa provides keynotes to healthcare professionals in an effort to enhance their understanding of the patient’s perspective. She also speaks to Med-Tech and pharmaceutical companies, reminding them that behind every product and sale, is a patient.

In 2015, Lisa launched a movement to promote acceptance after the Facebook Ad team rejected a photo of her bare face, stating it may draw high negative feedback. Her campaign went viral and garnered international media coverage. She shares this journey with audiences interested in conquering fears, elevating confidence, or embracing differences.

Lisa offers educational workshops/ presentations on acceptance, anti-bullying, and being an up-stander. As a public school teacher for 20 years, she blends her own childhood memories with her experiences as a mother and teacher to send a powerful message to students, parents, and educators.

An award-winning writer, Lisa is the author of Does This Hospital Gown Come with Sequins? and has been published in Cosmopolitan, Elle, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Dr. Oz, The Huffington Post, Chicago Parent, and more.

Current position (3)

Motivational Speaker

Comfortable in My Thick Skin

Writer

freelance

patient safety advocate

freelance

Achievements (1)
Number 6 on Cosmopolitan's 15 Most Epic Selfies of 2015

After the Facebook Ad Team rejected a photo of my bare face, stating it may draw high negative feedback, I launched a viral campaign to promote acceptance. The movement garnered global media attention, including coverage on major news networks, People Magazine, and #6 on Cosmo's Most Epic Selfies.

Degrees (1)
Education
University of Illinois
1992 to 1996

Presentations

Presentations (7)
Beyond the Medical Chart: Empathy in Patient Care

As a prolific healthcare consumer, Lisa offers a unique glimpse into the patient experience. She offers an honest, and interactive style that lends insight into a system often saturated in statistics and bottom lines. As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, her personal patient perspective reminds professionals that behind every number, there is a person.

After the Mistake: Patient Safety Starts When We Stop Hiding Medical Error

With a balanced perspective and respect, Lisa offers an up close look at the 218 days she spent in the hospital. Through highly engaging interactions, the audience evaluates what might have changed if medical error had been openly disclosed and examined, rather than hidden. The benefits of collaboration, open communication, and patient empathy are demonstrated in this course.

Celebrating Healthcare Professionals

Lisa celebrates the positive impact medical professionals make on the lives of their patients. She shares first-hand accounts of how her life was saved multiple times by the medical heroes who practiced the art of medicine.

Treating the Patient, Not at the Disease

An interactive workshop which builds positive communication skills. Through role play and discussion, Lisa teaches medical professionals how to talk to the patient, not at the patient.

After the Sale: Inspiring Pharmaceutical Industries to Value the Patient Behind the Product

Companies bring Lisa in to personalize the meaning behind their industry. Often a keynote to launch a sales force meeting, this engaging content invigorates audience members and recharges their excitement when they return back to their lab, or office.

The Art of Resilience: From Trauma to Triumph

Everyone faces obstacles in life, it’s how we confront them that define us. Living with a chronic disease for more than 30 years, nearly dying at the age of 31, undergoing intensive physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy to regain the ability to walk, eat, speak and breathe again, has taught Lisa the art of resilience. She shares her story with honesty, humor and a simple message; we all need to take a dip in the pity pool once in a while, but we don’t want to spend our lives training for a misery marathon.

Redefining Beauty: Celebrating our Reflection

How do we find a balance between taking pride in our appearance and placing too much emphasis on material items or outer beauty? Lisa’s writing on this issue has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post , Chicago Parent, Dr. Oz, and many other publications. Lisa explores how our perceptions of beauty influence our life.

Past talks (10)
Beyond the Sales Pitch: Enhancing Sales with Patient Stories
Convatec's National Sales Force Meeting
Orlando, Florida
January 17, 2017
Be the Author of Your Own Life Story: Overcoming Obstacles with Grit
Montana Youth in Transitions Annual Conference
Billings, Montana
November 13, 2017
Beyond Bags and Gauze: The True Impact of a WOCN
WOCN Nurse Appreciation Dinner
Salt Lake City, Utah
May 15, 2017
Patient Considerations in the Pharmaceutical Industry
CORBETT Healthcare Communication Corporation
Chicago- Live streamed in New York and San Francisco
October 13, 2015
Not Just Surviving, but Thriving With Scleroderma
Scleroderma Research Foundation Benefit
San Francisco, California
June 6, 2016
Navigating the Healthcare System - A Patient’s Perspective
Patient-to-Patient Symposium
Los Angeles, California
November 12, 2016
PTSD: When Care Providers Need to Seek Care
Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois
June 7, 2017
After the Mistake- Examining Medical Error
Connecticut Hospital Association’s Patient Safety Summit
Wallingford, Connecticut
March 23, 2015
Blending the Heart and Science of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
North Chicago, Illinois
August 29, 2017
Embracing All Campers
JCC Camping
Chicago, Illinois
June 18, 2018
  • All (2)
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Slides (1)
  • Press information (1)
This speaker hasn't uploaded any videos yet.
This speaker hasn't uploaded any photos yet.
Does This Hospital Gown Come With Sequins?
This speaker hasn't uploaded any one sheet yet.
Media and Published Articles

Books & Articles (6)

Does This Hospital Gown Come With Sequins?
Amazon,
2015
I've Hidden My True Appearance for 3 Decades- Cosmopolitan Magazine
I Was Tormented by Hallucinations During a 218-Day Hospital Stay- Good Housekeeping
To Anyone Who Has Ever Illegally Parked in a Handicap Spot- Yahoo!
Medical mistakes happen. It’s what doesn’t follow that is unforgivable.- Kevin MD
Chicago mom with autoimmune disease challenges perceptions of beauty- Chicago Parent

Expertise (31)

Health & Well-being
Education
Social & Political
Expert Patient Patient Advocacy Empowering Patients Patient Care patient education Healthcare Motivational speaker Body Image Body Empowerment Building Self-Esteem Believe in Yourself Overcome obstacles Overcome Life Challanges disability awareness Disability issues Developing Inner Strength Resilience How to Empower Woman mothers and daughters motherhood mothers and sons Parenting Rare Diseases AutoImmune Disease Anti-bullying Body Acceptance Self-Acceptance high school speaker

Awards & certifications (5)

Great Comebacks Award
Convatec
2015
Scleroderma Foundation Messenger of Hope Award
Scleroderma Foundation
2016
Editorial Award for Personal Essay
Parenting Media Association
2017
Marjorie Wedell Outstanding Educator
School District 69
2013
Educator of the Year
School District 69
2008
Recommendations
Why choose me? 

Doctors kept me alive, but humor brought me back to life. I share my journey from trauma to triumph.

Social media
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