Tamsen Webster

Empowering Keynote Speaker and Presentation Strategist

I change how people see.

I'm Tamsen.

I’m part keynote speaker, part message strategist -- and all about building big ideas. I combined 20 years in marketing, 13 years as a Weight Watchers leader, and four years as a TEDx Executive Producer into a simple way to change how people see, and what they do as a result.

It’s called The Red Thread®, and it’s what makes your Big Ideas even bigger than you think.

tw_illus_microscope

PART STRATEGIST

PART STRATEGIST

Want to build your big idea? I’ll show you how to find your Red Thread.

TELL ME MORE

PART SPEAKER

PART SPEAKER

Want attendees to turn ideas into impact?
I help audiences change how people see.

TELL ME MORE

EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT SPEAKING, PEOPLE, AND CHANGE, 
 I LEARNED AT WEIGHT WATCHERS. TRUE STORY.

Need a bio? Here you go:

LONGER

Tamsen Webster has spent the last twenty years helping experts drive action from their ideas. Part message strategist, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, her work focuses on how to find and build the stories partners, investors, clients, and customers will tell themselves—and others.

Tamsen honed her expertise through work in and for major companies and organizations like Johnson & Johnson, Harvard Medical School, and Intel, as well as with startups that represent the next wave of innovation in life science, biotech, climate tech, fintech, and pharma. She’s a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and a mentor for the Harvard Innovation Labs. She’s also served for over eight years as executive producer and idea strategist for one of the oldest independently organized TED Talk events in the world (TEDxCambridge). Most recently, Tamsen was named to the Thinkers50 Radar thinkers to watch class of 2022. She published her first book, Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible, in 2021.  

She was a reluctant marathoner... twice, is a champion ballroom dancer (in her mind), and learned everything she knows about messages, people, and change as a Weight Watchers leader. True story.

SHORTER

Part strategist, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, Tamsen Webster helps experts drive action with their ideas. Tamsen honed her trademark Red Thread approach in and for major organizations like Johnson & Johnson, Harvard Medical School, and Intel, as well as with hundreds of individual founders, academics, and thought leaders. She's a former TEDx Executive Producer and current Idea Strategist. Most recently, Tamsen was named to the Thinkers50 Radar thinkers to watch class of 2022. She's also the author of Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible.

Want to go beyond the bio? Read on, brave soul.

Where did you grow up?
Mostly Virginia Beach, but I’m a Navy kid, so that’s not a simple question.

Where do you live now?
Boston, Massachusetts.

How long have you lived there?
Long enough to have a Boston-accented alter ego named Karen O’Sullivan.

What made you decide to do the work you do?
I wanted to make it easier for other people to do the work they do.

What animal’s daily existence best describes you?
A magpie. Black and white. Can recognize itself in a mirror. Finds what shines.

Married?
Delightfully so. He’s my partner, my other half. He’s a market researcher, and a speaker, too. Our conversations are filled with actionable takeaways.

Kids?
Two curious boys who challenge everything I *think* I know about making ideas irresistible.

What’s one thing you can do that might surprise other people?
Score a baseball game.

If you could only ask ONE question to learn as much about someone as you possibly could, what would it be?
“What proverb or quote best describes your approach to life?”

What’s your answer to that question?
“A stitch in time saves nine.”

What was your most unusual job?
Perfumer’s apprentice.

What one thing do you do every single day/week/month/year to maintain your sanity?
Dark chocolate after lunch.

What’s your theme song?
Edith Piaf: “Non, je ne regrette rien”

What always has a place in your medicine cabinet? In your pocket? In your junk drawer?
Lip balm. It’s in all three.

The Red Thread® Newsletter

Stories, examples, images, and data you can use to help bring your ideas and messages to life.
The best ideas aren’t found — they’re built. Get a weekly dose of strategies, studies, and stories — direct to your inbox from me — to help you make your ideas strong enough to build change on.