Julie Shifman
Julie Shifman is an inspirational and award winning speaker, author and business owner who believes in every woman’s ability to challenge herself and grow.
Julie started her career as a professional ballet dancer, before becoming a highly successful lawyer in New York City, and then in Cincinnati. She founded her company Act Three in 2008. Julie is also a certified coach and an adjunct professor of business law at Xavier University in Cincinnati.
Julie speaks with passion, humor, and heart as she uses her own personal story of imagining and changing from ballerina, to law partner, to stay at home mother, to business owner, in order to challenge women to imagine what’s next for them, and start their journey by taking that first step towards making their dreams reality. Each audience member is encouraged to leave with a written commitment to move forward towards achieving their goals.
Topic Categories
- Motivation, Inspiration
- Women-specific
- Personal Empowerment/Mastery
- Feminist Perspectives
Accomplishments
- Julie is the founder and President of Act Three, an organization that helps women to define their next stage of life and to create their own personal action plan for actually living out that life.
- Julie is the author of the book Imagine…Then Do It which illustrates the Act Three process using the stories and life lessons of remarkable women she interviewed across the country. Julie has also created a documentary film featuring many of these incredible women.
- Julie recently received the prestigious Athena award by Cincy Magazine and was named as a 2011 Woman to Watch by The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Key Notes
Fee Range: 5,000 to 5,000 Lives In: Cincinnati, OhioVideos
Presentation Titles
- Get in Change Shape and Build Change Muscles --
We all know that it’s impossible to wake up one day and just decide to run a marathon... Our bodies would give up in the first few miles because our muscles simply weren’t in shape to tackle this challenge. And yet, we expect to be able to tackle major change in our lives with no practice, no training, or no preparation. So when some major change happens to us - and it always does in today’s fast-paced world - we struggle just like a couch-potato-turned-marathoner.
By sharing her own personal stories, and the stories of inspiring women she has interviewed for her book, articles, and documentary film, Julie helps us get back into 'Change Shape' and 'Build our Change Muscles' to handle life's changes with confidence, ease and grace. Her talk illustrates that change – well managed and well trained for – is exciting and energizing, and helps us to grow and live our best lives.
- Imagine…Then Do It --
In Julie’s signature talk she challenges women to open their minds to the endless possibilities that can result in a fulfilling next act by granting them permission to dream again, and providing practical advice on how to actually begin the journey towards fulfilling those dreams so they can imagine the possibilities, and make their dreams reality. As Julie says “Imagining without the doing is just daydreaming.”
Using her own personal story, interspersed with the video stories of the many remarkable women she has interviewed, she challenges women to take a personal inventory and initiate the change that will ultimately result in a richer, and more fulfilling life.
Testimonials
- “All I have to say is "WOW"! It seems as though everything is aligning in my life since I began my journey after your talk.... so much has been accomplished just when I thought I couldn't see the light of the very next day. I'm so very happy to see that you are offering the DVD of your talk!!! It's nice to have a bit of "Imagine" when we need it!" -- Melanie Drury
- “We received numerous praises from your presentation. I’m so pleased we had this opportunity to provide this meaningful program to our alumnae. Thank you so much for graciously offering to share your experience with these women; it was wonderful to watch them all putting your advice into action.” -- Lauren Carrescia: New York University Career Director
- “This morning made us all feel as if we CAN do anything if we believe, if we risk and if we dream. This is my belief as well, but always good to be reminded of our purpose. The ladies I sat with at my table were moved to tears several times and I was also glad for some tissues in my purse.” -- Meg Graham