Conversations Emma can speak to
Emma Churchman, MDiv.
SPEAKER. AUTHOR. WRITER.
Helping leaders stay steady when the ground shifts
Emma Churchman is a nationally certified trauma chaplain, 3x bestselling author, writer, and nationally recognized speaker who brings more than 25 years of experience in crisis, disaster recovery, trauma, and leadership to the stage.
She speaks to what happens when the plan changes, the pressure rises, and people are looking to leaders for answers.
Her keynotes help audiences lead through uncertainty, communicate with clarity, navigate the human impact of crisis, and move forward with greater resilience.
"I've had the privilege of hearing Emma speak at several events locally here in Western North Carolina, and every time I get a front-row view of what she does: she walks into a room and makes it hers - not by demanding attention, but by earning it.
Emma is a three-time bestselling author, a nationally certified trauma chaplain, and someone with 25 years of real experience in disaster response and crisis recovery. That depth comes through the moment she starts speaking.
She doesn't lecture her audiences; she engages them. I've watched it happen in rooms of all sizes, with all kinds of people, and the result is always the same: people leave seen, heard, and transformed. There aren't many speakers I can say that about."
~ Lynne Russo, Candidate, NC State Representative District 117
Keynotes • Plenaries • Workshops • Author Events • Media
25+ YEARS IN CRISIS &
DISASTER RECOVERY
3x BESTSELLING AUTHOR
NATIONAL KEYNOTE &
PLENARY SPEAKER
NATIONALLY CERTIFIED
TRAUMA CHAPLAIN
Featured By
When the Ground Shifts, Leadership Changes
Crisis doesn't just disrupt plans.
It changes how people think, communicate, make decisions, trust one another, and move forward.
Emma Churchman's work explores what happens at the intersection of leadership, uncertainty, trauma, disaster, and recovery.
Drawing on more than 25 years of real-world experience, Emma helps audiences understand what crisis does to people - and what resilient leadership looks like when the old playbook no longer works.
Her work sits at the intersection of:
LEADERSHIP
Making clear decisions when certainty disappears.
RESILIENCE
Staying grounded when pressure rises.
CRISIS & DISASTER
Understanding what happens before, during, and long after the emergency.
HUMAN RECOVERY
Recognizing what people carry when the headlines fade.
Bring Emma To Your Stage
Keynotes that change the way audiences think about crisis, leadership, and resilience.
Emma speaks to corporate, nonprofit, association, government, disaster-response, higher education, and faith-based audiences.
Her presentations combine compelling storytelling, real-world experience, trauma expertise, and practical leadership frameworks that audiences can put to work immediately.
Featured Keynotes
Leading In The Deep End
Resilient Leadership When the Rules Change
What happens when leaders are expected to make decisions before they have all the answers? Emma gives audiences practical tools for navigating uncertainty, communicating clearly, maintaining trust, and taking the next right step under pressure.
THE PEOPLE AFTER THE DISASTER
What Happens When the Headlines Fade
The emergency may last days. Recovery can last years. Emma explores the human impact of prolonged crisis on leaders, frontline workers, volunteers, organizations, and communities - and why recovery requires a different kind of leadership.
THE HIDDEN COST OF UNADDRESSED TRAUMA
The Leadership Problem Organizations Don't See Coming
Trauma doesn't always announce itself. It can appear as conflict, disengagement, poor communication, turnover, reactivity, and leadership breakdown. Emma helps organizations recognize what is happening beneath the surface - and respond differently.
TRAUMA-RESILIENT TEAMS
Building Organizations That Can Recover Without Losing Their People
Most organizations have emergency plans. Far fewer have plans for the people carrying the recovery. Emma explores how leaders can build cultures and systems that support people through sustained high-stress work.
WHEN THE HEADLINES FADE
Leading the Long Tail of Crisis
Crisis attracts attention. Recovery rarely does. Emma examines what leaders need to understand about the months and years after a major disruption - and how organizations can emerge with greater wisdom, capacity, and connection.
"Emma Churchman brought research-backed clarity on why disaster survivors are so much more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, and practical tools we could implement immediately. Her data on the neurological reality of chronic dysregulation reframed how I think about the populations we serve.
What struck me most was her insistence that a dysregulated survivor cannot execute a safety plan - and that building nervous system capacity isn't in competition with legal processes, it's what makes them possible. She left our frontline workers with real techniques, and specific language for asking survivors about what they're experiencing. Emma speaks with the authority of someone who has done this work in the field, and she gave us a framework we can actually use."
~ Whitney Bailey, Disaster Response Project Director, Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky
When People Hear Emma Speak, They Lean In.
She Knows How To Hold A Room
“Emma delivered her keynote over lunch to a room with 700 people in it. Her message was so poignant that people stopped eating. You could hear a pin drop.”
~ Kevin King, Executive Director, Mennonite Disaster Service
"Emma’s honesty, vulnerability, and practical guidance resonated throughout our community, leaving attendees feeling understood, supported, and empowered to move forward with greater resilience and confidence.”
~ BoWynn Ashforth, Women’s Business Enterprise Council WEST
“Emma Churchman brought depth, clarity, and practical takeaways to WBEC Metro NY and Greater DMV’s WEtalks audience. Her session, Leading in the Deep End, offered women business owners a thoughtful framework for navigating disruption, communicating with clarity and care, and taking the next right step in high-pressure moments.”
~ Women's Business Enterprise Council: Metro NY & Greater DMV
"I was on the edge of my seat the entire time Emma spoke."
“Her ability to understand our unique business challenges is remarkable.”
Recently On Stage
Emma has spoken to audiences across disaster response, business, professional associations, higher education, human services, and community organizations.
Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
National Conference • From Crisis to Wisdom • Plenary Speaker
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD)
National Conference • Plenary Speaker
Greater Women's Business Council
Accelerate Series • Leading in the Deep End • Keynote Speaker
Women’s Business Enterprise Council Metro NY + Greater DMV
Leading in the Deep End • Keynote Speaker
Mennonite Disaster
Service
75th Anniversary Celebration • Keynote Speaker
Women's Business Enterprise Council WEST
Leading in the Deep End • Keynote Speaker Celebration • Keynote Speaker
Warren Wilson
College
Recovery, Rebuilding & Rethinking Post-Helene • Keynote Speaker
Domestic Violence and
Elder Abuse Conference
Panel discussion on the long tail of disaster recovery
Three Books. Three Ways Into The Deep End.
Emma Churchman's books explore leadership, resilience, recovery, trauma, hope, and the stories we carry through difficult seasons
The Deep end of hope
In the Wake of Hurricane Helene
A firsthand account of disaster, community, faith, and the long road toward recovery.
Unshattered
Surviving My Mother's 123 Personalities and Transforming a Legacy of Abuse
A deeply personal story about trauma, survival, identity, and the possibility of transforming the stories we inherit.
Navigating the Deep End
Resilient Leadership in a Volatile World
A leadership book for people responsible for others when certainty disappears, pressure rises, and the old playbook no longer works.
Words That Keep The Conversation Going
Emma writes about what happens to people when the world changes - and what leaders can do about it.
Her articles explore leadership under pressure, crisis, disaster recovery, trauma, resilience, entrepreneurship, and the human realities that often get overlooked when organizations focus only on the plan.
Beyond Wellness Programs: Building Trauma-Resilient Organizations
Success Magazine, Jun 2025
We Were Not Prepared
Three weeks in a small town devastated by Hurricane Helene
The Guardian, Oct 2025
Post-Helene, The Buck Has to Stop Somewhere
Mountain Xpress, Aug 2026
My Story Doesn't Start in a Boardroom, It Starts in a Crisis
VoyageLA, Jun 2026
What Happens After the Headlines Fade
The overlooked human realities of long-term disaster recovery.
Trauma-Resilient Organizations
What organizations need beyond traditional wellness programs.
Resilience, Recovery & Transformation
Why "bouncing back" isn't always the goal.
Leadership When You Don't Have All the Answers
How uncertainty changes decision-making, communication, and organizational culture.
The Human Side of Crisis Leadership
How uncertainty changes decision-making, communication, and organizational culture.
Looking For An Expert Voice?
Emma is available for interviews, podcasts, panels, articles, and commentary on leadership, crisis, disaster recovery, resilience, and the human impact of uncertainty.
Meet Emma
Emma M. Churchman, MDiv
Emma Churchman is a nationally certified trauma chaplain, three-time bestselling author, writer, and keynote speaker who helps leaders and organizations navigate uncertainty, disruption, and high-stakes change.
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in crisis, disaster recovery, trauma, and leadership, she translates complex human dynamics into practical strategies for clearer decision-making, stronger communication, sustained trust, and more resilient teams.
Emma brings a distinctive combination of real-world experience, compelling storytelling, and actionable leadership frameworks to the stage—helping organizations protect their people, strengthen performance, and move forward when the old playbook no longer works.
SHE HAS LIVED & WORKED IN THE DEEP END.
Emma is the founder of the Trauma Recovery Certification program, a groundbreaking training for professionals who want to address trauma at its roots—not just manage symptoms. Her teachings blend clinical understanding with soul-deep wisdom, making her a sought-after speaker for those ready to engage in real, raw healing.
Her bestselling book, The Deep End of Hope in the Wake of Hurricane Helene (GracePoint, 2025), takes readers on an unforgettable journey of spiritual resilience during one of nature’s most recent catastrophic events.
Her forthcoming memoir, Unshattered: Surviving My Mother’s 123 Personalities and Transforming a Legacy of Abuse (GracePoint, October 2025), is a bold invitation to rewrite the stories we inherit.
Her third book, The Deep End: Resilient Leadership in a Volatile World, explores navigating leadership in crisis (GracePoint, June 2026).
Recovery in Real Time
Building a better future for the people who respond to crisis.
Emma is also the founder of The Chrysalis Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening trauma recovery capacity among frontline disaster and recovery workers.Through its Trauma Recovery Certification Program, The Chrysalis Alliance works with organizations that serve communities before, during, and after disaster.
Bring Emma to Your Stage
Keynote • Plenary • Workshop • Author Event
Whether you're planning a corporate conference, nonprofit gathering, professional association meeting, leadership summit, disaster-response conference, or special event, Emma brings a message that is timely, substantive, and deeply human.
Not Planning An Event?
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