Cady Coleman

Topics

• Mission-Driven Leadership: Leading with Purpose in Times of Uncertainty

  In the high-stakes world of space exploration, where split-second decisions mean the difference between life and death, mission-driven leadership is the key to success. As a NASA astronaut, Cady Coleman relied on a clear sense of purpose to help guide her teams through critical moments—whether navigating mechanical failures seconds after launch or executing complex robotic maneuvers aboard the Space Station.

  In this engaging talk, Cady draws parallels between her extraordinary experiences and the challenges leaders in every industry face in today’s fast-paced, uncertain environment. She shares how staying focused on a shared mission enables leaders to prioritize effectively, make tough decisions under pressure, and inspire their teams to deliver results. Through compelling stories and actionable insights, Cady equips leaders with the tools to foster trust, resilience, and clarity of purpose—empowering organizations to adapt to change, navigate uncertainty, and achieve their most ambitious goals.

• One Team, One Mission: Teamwork in High-Stakes Environments

  Imagine launching into space and spending six months on the International Space Station (ISS) with a team you didn’t choose and may barely know. In space, success is about every individual playing their role to the fullest and contributing to something bigger than themselves. Drawing from her six months aboard the ISS and two high-stakes Space Shuttle missions, Cady Coleman shares how a shared mission, trust, and individual accountability can transform a team into a force for extraordinary achievement.

  Through powerful and relatable stories, Cady demonstrates that your impact on a team is not defined by a title—it’s about being brave enough to show your strengths and open enough to recognize the strengths that others bring to achieve a common goal. Audiences will leave inspired by the potential for their individual contributions to drive collective success.

• Sharing Space: Breaking Barriers to Pave the Way

  What do you do when the tools for success aren’t designed with you in mind? Do you adapt, press for change—or both? This was a challenge Cady Coleman faced repeatedly in her 24-year career as an astronaut. When NASA discontinued the small spacewalking suit, the decision disproportionately impacted women, grounding many skilled astronauts and putting Cady’s dream of living and working on the Space Station at risk. Determined not to let systemic barriers limit her, she forged ahead to master highly technical and physically grueling tasks in a 300-lb suit designed for someone much larger.

  Drawing on her remarkable career, Cady shares how she turned obstacles into opportunities, using her experiences to advocate for systemic change and pave the way for greater inclusion at NASA. Her journey of resilience, ingenuity, and advocacy offers powerful insights for anyone navigating systems not built for them. Audiences will leave inspired to break through barriers, embrace innovation, and lead the way toward more inclusive environments in their own worlds.

• Astronomical Innovation: How Space Science Is Revolutionizing Sustainability & Technology

  For six months, Dr. Cady Coleman lived on the International Space Station with limited resources and little room for waste. On a small spaceship, getting rid of waste is a challenge, and it forces one to rethink the way we use and discard everything — from food and water to tools and packaging. Much like life aboard a spaceship, our supplies on earth are limited and our waste must be managed. According to Dr. Coleman, the technology required for life on our resource-constrained planet is not so different from preparing for life in space or even life on Mars. As sustainable technologies devised by NASA often find themselves repurposed for everyday use, space exploration is a fantastic “technology accelerator.” With her unique orbital perspective, Dr. Coleman shares her insights and vision for achieving our sustainability goals. “Recycling our air, our water, learning how to grow plants in a place where it’s hard to do that — those are steps getting us ready to go to Mars, but they are also very important for sustaining us here on Earth,” Coleman says. Basic necessities, food, water, tools, and electricity could all be working in a “closed loop.” Cady also draws from her work in public-private partnership efforts to share the ways businesses across the world are already operating in a closed-loop — eliminating waste through repurposing and recycling — with hopes of being greener and cutting costs. As space exploration hinges on sustainability and the most innovative ideas often come from constraints, Dr. Coleman makes the case for space science as a fundamental field for sparking innovation and sustainability.

• Teamwork: You’re Only As Good As Your Crew

  In many aspects of our lives, we don’t get to pick our crew. As a result, each member of a team brings unique perspectives, skills, and goals. According to former astronaut Cady Coleman, that’s true of space teams as well, despite the misconception that NASA selects crews based on personal chemistry. Because the mission is of the utmost importance, space crews are put together almost solely based on skill. When the stakes are so high, we don’t let our differences derail our success; they often become the reason for it. In this talk, Cady draws from her time at NASA and her mission to the International Space Station (ISS) to share what makes a high-performing team. As Dr. Coleman lays out, learning your teammates’ stories, looking for commonalities, and helping each other — as well as being open to help from others — are all necessary to make a successful crew. Coleman illustrates how these elements are key to building any relationship, and will also increase the success of collaborations, and establish a trust that carries you through times of crisis. Although we don’t always pick our teams, Cady shows how we can maximize their performance, in part by celebrating what everyone brings to the table.

• Going To Extremes: Connections Between Space and Earth

  Cady Coleman is no stranger to isolation. A retired NASA astronaut, Cady flew on two space shuttle missions and spent six months aboard the International Space Station as the lead robotics and lead science officer. Cady’s extreme “remote work” experiences also include an Antarctic meteorite collecting expedition — living in a tent 200 miles from the South Pole – and living and working for 11 days in an underwater habitat. Cady’s years of experience as a member of isolated teams connected remotely to critical on-the-ground support teams have given her rare expertise. Cady shares her insights into establishing trust, collaboratively solving problems, and maintaining close connections from afar – when failure is not an option. Cady’s adventure stories will spark the imagination, give new context to the idea of mission-driven, and inspire your teams to find new ways to collaborate

• Making Space For All: The Case For Diversity & Inclusion

  One of the greatest lessons from human spaceflight has come from the opportunity to view the earth from space — seeing the absence of boundaries between countries, continents, and peoples make it clear that Earth – and space— belong to all of us. Having lived for six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Dr. Cady Coleman has been privileged to see the world from that perspective. Back on earth, Coleman shares her experiences and her view that our planet is really a giant spaceship – and we are its crew. Cady envisions a future where people around the world work together to solve problems that impact all of us. This is the kind of successful collaboration that resulted in the construction of the International Space Station (ISS), now approaching its 20th year of operation. With 16 countries working together in space and on the ground – day and night – it has been home to people from all over the world, with different languages, beliefs, perspectives, and goals. Sharing this and other real-world experiences to show the impressive results of diverse and inclusive collaboration, Dr. Coleman shows how working together, with people we might not ordinarily have thought to work with, is essential to overcoming some of our greatest challenges.