Shasta Nelson
Social Relationships Expert, Three-Time Author, Popular Media Resource and In-Demand Keynote Speaker
Shasta Nelson is a friendship expert, keynote speaker, and the author of four books on the science of friendship who helps organizations build the workplace connection and belonging that drive trust, retention, and performance.
For more than 15 years, Shasta has translated the science of friendship into frameworks that work in the real world — for adults trying to build deeper friendships, and for organizations trying to build cultures where people actually stay. Her signature framework, the Frientimacy Triangle, identifies the three requirements every healthy relationship needs: Positivity, Consistency, and Vulnerability. It’s the kind of research that makes you immediately think of three people you need to call.
A two-time TEDx speaker with nearly 1 million views, Shasta has delivered 500+ keynotes for organizations including Google, Walmart, LinkedIn, and Chick-fil-A, across healthcare, tech, finance, associations, and education. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, TIME, Forbes, and on The Today Show and The Steve Harvey Show.
Her four books — Friendships Don’t Just Happen, Frientimacy, The Business of Friendship, and The Friends You Always Wanted (2027) — take on how friendship is built, deepened, and carried into the workplace. The fourth shares the research that the people who are socially thriving have six different kinds of relationship in their lives, and no one friendship can be all six.
As Chief Friendship Officer at the U.S. Chamber of Connection — yes, that’s a real title, and yes, she’s as committed to it as it sounds — Shasta leads national strategies for reversing the decline of social connection and trust across America.
She lives in Grass Valley, California, with her husband Greg, and believes with her whole heart that your future best friend is already in the room. You just haven’t invited them to lunch yet.
THE SCIENCE OF FRIENDSHIP AT WORK
Accelerating High-Trust, Resilient, and Rewarding Relationships
Employees with a best friend at work are seven times more engaged — yet 61% of the workforce feels lonely on the job on a regular basis. That gap shows up as turnover, absenteeism, disengagement, and weaker customer service. In this research-backed, interactive keynote, Shasta teaches the 3 Requirements of Relationships™ as a practical, teachable framework for building the trust high-performing teams run on.
FOR LEADERS WHO WANT TO strengthen culture & retention · accelerate trust on teams · give employees a shared language for connection
AUDIENCES LEAVE WITH a framework to evaluate their team's connection · research-backed strategies to build it · a shared vocabulary for trust at work
THE CONNECTED LEADER
Why Leaders Need Strong Relationships Too
60% of CEOs report feeling lonely in their role — and most were never taught that leading well requires realrelationships, not just authority. Shasta names the isolation that comes with leading and gives leaders a practical way through it: building supportive relationships without compromising fairness, and navigating the real fears that keep leaders at arm's length.
FOR LEADERS WHO WANT TO invest in leadership development that goes beyond skills · reduce isolation & burnout in management · model the connection they ask of teams
AUDIENCES LEAVE WITH strategies for supportive leader relationships · a way to navigate favoritism & confidentiality · permission to lead as a connected leader
RELATIONALLY FIT
The Social Secret to a Longer, Happier Life
Chronic loneliness carries a health risk comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day —yet most wellness conversations skip relationships entirely. Shasta connects the science of social health directly to physical health and gives audiences a simple framework to assess their own relational fitness, the same way they'd assess physicalfitness.
FOR LEADERS WHO WANT TO round out wellness programming with the social dimension of health · address burnout as a health issue, not a soft skill · give tools people use beyond work
AUDIENCES LEAVE WITH a framework to assess their own social health · research connecting loneliness to health outcomes · practical steps to build relational fitness
Who gets a standing ovation after teaching a full day seminar????
NO ONE. No one, that is, except Shasta Nelson. Shasta was INCREDIBLE.
Jennifer Lier — Event Planner
Shasta is a powerhouse speaker and educator! Shasta hosted an incredible virtual session on the business of belonging & relationships for my Marketing team at Google. She left the team with incredible insights & thinking tools that are just so valuable for a mindset change. Our event with Shasta felt like a warm but productive hug.
Supriya Gujral — Senior Director, Global Partner Marketing, Google
Shasta is a powerhouse speaker & educator! While we were still coming out of the pandemic and learning new ways to lean on each other, Shasta hosted an incredible virtual session on the Business of Belonging & Relationships for my marketing team at Google. She left the team with incredible insights & thinking tools for a mindset change that are just so valuable. Our event with Shasta felt like a warm but productive hug with a focus on being intentional about the experiences people are creating for each other.
Global Partner Marketing, Google
Shasta was outstanding. Of all our Leadership and Development speakers, she was one of the best we’ve had. With the stress and risk of burnout many leaders face in today’s world, her presentation provided us with knowledge and tools in a way that was engaging, informative, transformational and unforgettable.
President, Adventist Health + Rideout Hospital
I had the amazing opportunity to ask Shasta to return for a second year in a rowto host a session on BuildingFriendships for our employee culture day here at LinkedIn! I would highly recommend working with her at your organization to bring powerful, energizing, and impactful expertise around relationships!
Sr. Customer Success Manager, LinkedIn
Our half-day workshop with Shasta far surpassed my already-high expectations and my only possible area for improvement is just that I wish we could've spent even more time with her! The impact of Shasta’s work is immeasurable and in a whole other category of its own, one with a value arguably more foundational and important than so many other topics we consider to be “hard skills." My team left the session with Shasta feeling inspired, connected and grateful for each other, and having learned about themselves as people. Shasta’s workshop was so powerfully effective and moving that it felt like it immediately established trust in my leadership and goodwill with my team, especially with my leadership team, in a way that I could tangibly feel after the session.
Director of Marketing Operations, Gilead Sciences
I would recommend Shasta 100 out of 100 times!Beyond being a warm and inviting person, Shasta delivered two incredible presentations at our recent recognition events. She is thoughtful, well poised, energetic and approachable. Her topics cover current issues that should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Her information is digestible and actionable and will leave a lasting impression on your audience.
AVP of Meetings and Events, Kestra Holdings
Shasta was a fantastic keynote speaker for our annual conference. She was engaging with the audience and connected to their experiences. She received glowing reviews from our attendees.One said "This was likely my favorite presentation this year. I made lots of notes to take home with me! I would highly recommend her for your next conference.
Conference Manager, ConferenceManagers
The Business of Friendship: Making the Most of Our Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time
Frientimacy: How to Deepen Friendships for Lifelong Health and Happiness
Friendships Don't Just Happen!: The Guide to Creating a Meaningful Circle of GirlFriends
