Signature Keynote

The Adventure Mindset

A breakthrough 4-step innovation framework to accelerate adaptability, elevate and reskill talent, and pioneer new markets.

  • “Barry’s ability to create innovative ideas with clients, partners, and colleagues is one of his greatest strengths. He is very skillful at transforming raw concepts into valuable insights and assets. He is personable, professional, and a great communicator. Barry will bring a wealth of experience and vision to any project.”
    ~ Christopher Lee Allen

  • “Barry has a great ability to see the big picture and strategize effectively. He led Questis through pieces of Blue Ocean Strategy and then helped brainstorm and explore new business models. Barry also demonstrated the ability to manage and implement scrum techniques and the agile philosophy at a high level.”
    ~ James Carlson

  • “I had the absolute pleasure of working with Barry for the last year on a global gaming project. Barry was an incredible product manager that worked tirelessly to bring our product from ideation to one of the largest new income streams for our business. It was an honor and a privilege to work with Barry.”
    ~ Natasha K. Stone

  • “You had such confidence while speaking, and the way you worked with the entire room with such passion was very inspiring.”

     ~ Garrett

  • “Barry is an extremely thoughtful leader who executes with precision and diligence. He brings a breadth of skills and capacities to his work, and his integrity is matched equally by his perseverance. In my experience, Barry employs a depth of consciousness that is rare in leaders who are able to get things done at the pace and with the accuracy that he does.”

    ~ Sam Roberts

  • “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work alongside Barry on behalf of Senior Management to research and propose recommendations for programs to cultivate innovation. Working alongside Barry I came to appreciate his passion for innovation and his experience with different product management methodologies and practices. Barry would be a tremendous asset to any organization.”
    ~ Rich Conte

  • “Barry did an amazing job of developing business strategy and navigating us through an important organizational transition. Barry is quick to act and get things done and moving forward. He puts in 200% give it his all and is really dedicated to a job well done. I highly recommend him.”
    ~ Sean Esbjorn-Hargens

  • “…Barry’s had an immediate positive impact on the diverse team on the ground in Australia. He also led the business development planning for a major sustainability venture which required coordination with teams in the UK, Switzerland, Australia, and Austria. Throughout, his work has been impeccable and most impressively at a pace and quality that others can rarely achieve."
    ~ Christopher Cooke

  • “Barry pushes the envelope. He understands the complexity of the challenges we face and is able to break them down and come up with creative solutions. He is passionate, focused and results oriented and will do right by providing you with the service you need - absolutely, hands down, one of the best.”
    ~ Joe Starinchak

  • “Barry’s passion for asking questions, proposing solutions and engaging in dialogue (all with his unbridled infectious enthusiasm) nurtures an environment of synergistic change and results. He is a creative and strategic thinker who is uninhibited by barriers that for others would be daunting obstacles.”
    ~ Rob Hallam

  • “With a tireless work ethic and a buoyant soul Barry keeps projects moving, exciting, and focused. I learned an immense amount from Barry, and anyone working with him will come away equal measures wiser and inspired. He is a true friend, a talented individual, and a key asset to any organization.”
    ~ Timothy McGee

“Uncertainty is going to be the norm. It's going to be there for some time.”

Janet Truncale, EY CEO, 6/25

 Are You Reacting to Change or

Leading the Adventure?

Speed and uncertainty have become the new normal in business and careers, but most companies are stuck because they were built for the idea of somehow predictable markets. Companies adapting quickly discover new ways to create customer value and growth, while others risk obsolescence.

The real bottleneck isn’t technological, it’s organizational. Too many companies still operate with leadership playbooks and mindsets built for predictable markets, while new competitors disrupt at unprecedented speed.

While leaders grasp the impact and urgency to change, most lack the mindsets, organizational frameworks, and committed teams to execute transformation at the required velocity. Strategic paralysis is disguised as planning, and innovation remains trapped in approval cycles designed for an obsolete world.

Then there’s the great disconnect — only 23% of CEOs see talent/people issues as a risk for their business, but the data shows a very different story.

  • Employee engagement is at a decade low of 31%

  • Over 70% do not have someone at work who encourages their development

  • 50% are watching for or actively seeking a new job

  • Less than half of U.S. employees enow what's expected of them at work

  • 70% of employees do not feel a connection between the company’s Mission/ Purpose and their job.

And yet, there is a bigger picture of these challenges…

Modern systems—from corporate hierarchies to standardized education—prioritize conformity and predictability. Trading time for labor was designed for industrial efficiency, not human growth and fulfillment. Standardized education, and subsequently most work environments, prioritize compliance over autonomy, memorization over experimentation, and the right answer over critical and creative thinking. One wide reaching result is that the innate human drive for adventure has been stifled.

Upgrade the organizational mindset by reawakening the thirst for adventure, and newfound momentum takes over.

 from fear and

uncertainty

to The Adventure 

Mindset 

For humans to truly thrive, we need connection, growth, purpose, autonomy - and some adventure. We’re naturally attuned to change and adaptability, but we’ve over-indexed on repetition and predictability.

What today’s world demands is a new kind of human-centered leadership built for the rapid change and real-world uncertainty of today.

Welcome to The Adventure Mindset.

The Adventure Mindset is a breakthrough, 4-step innovation framework designed to accelerate adaptability, elevate and reskill talent, and pioneer new markets.

Keynote Speaker Barry Patterson has built startups, led enterprise innovation teams, consulted for dozens of organizations across every industry vertical, almost died twice, and spoken to thousands of people. What he’s learned and lived, and now teaches, is that a shift in mindset can transform fear and uncertainty into adaptability, increased engagement, and can take innovation to the next level.

Audiences leave Barry’s presentations inspired with a clear action plan to create the future.

5 Ways
Barry’s
Keynotes
Create a Defining Moment
for Your Organization

05. "One of Us"

Barry is a active in the marketplace, doing the work inside his own company (and on himself). When he joins your team for the day, audiences feel seen, heard, and understood and often feel he is “one of us.”

04. Monday Morning

The most important moment of your event is the next Monday Morning. Barry sparks real change by giving audiences an Action Framework to integrate what they’ve learned and take immediate action on their ideas.

03. Increased Momentum

Growth is a process, not an event. Barry is a long-term partner, sharing insights and educational resources that ensure momentum continues to build, long after the meeting ends.

02. Dynamic Storytelling

Barry’s blend of high energy, vulnerability, and relevant storytelling inspires teams to engage and listen. His approach is designed to keep the audience off of their phones and immersed in a shared, impactful experience.

01. Relevant and Emotionally Resonant

Barry draws not only on his own story, but also on a comprehensive portfolio of research, case studies, and stories from others, to share how he is able to consistently catalyze change, awaken curiosity, and inspire adventure. And he shows how you can, too.

  • “The next evolution of growth requires a radical, human-centered approach. Human-centered organizations deliver higher revenue than traditional organizations by 32% and outperform the S&P 500 by 211%.”

    -IBM

  • “Innovation is an adventure into the unknown,
    not a formula.”

    — Clayton Christensen, Author and Innovation Expert, HBS

  • “To succeed today, organizations will need the trust of their people, so leaders must create an environment where people can do work they love in a way that supports innovation and growth." 

    —Accenture

Barry's Keynote & Workshop for Educational Organizations & Associations

Chart Your Own Path

We live in a world where disconnection and disengagement are at all time highs, and the future of many careers is uncertain. Barry created Chart Your Own Path to highlight alternative and innovative routes that university and high school students, and anyone reinventing themselves, can take to create a livelihood rich with meaning and fulfillment.

Chart Your Own Path guides students to discover where and how to begin their career journey. Barry’s insights inform, but they also ignite a spark that awakens people to their authenticity, the spirt of adventure, and a new level of power and purpose.

"Barry’s Chart Your Own Path workshop was a game-changer for our MBA cohort at the College of Charleston! His unique approach challenged us to think critically about our values, strengths, and career goals in a way that felt both engaging and inspiring. If you're looking for a workshop that does more than share tips and resources, this is it!"

Erin O'Dea Halford,
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS | COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

“We all search for meaning in our lives, and many of us find it through our work. In fact, research shows that meaningfulness is more important to us than any other aspect of our jobs — including pay and rewards, opportunities for promotion, and working conditions. When we experience our work as meaningful, we’re more engaged, committed, and satisfied. When we don’t, we’re more willing to quit, and this is especially true for younger workers.”

                                    ~ HBR, 12/23

Transformation Starts
Here.

Let’s do this.

Keynote Speaker | Workshop Facilitator | Advisor

About 
Barry Patterson

Barry has taken an adventurous approach to his livelihood since his early 20’s, when he co-led the underwater research for the University of Hawaii’s Humpback Whale Project for two years. His experience spans leading innovation, strategy, organizational change, and growth initiatives across the fields of:

  • Technology

  • Sustainability and the Environment

  • Healthcare and Wellness

  • Marine Biology (humpback whale research)

Barry has built tech and sustainability start-ups, and a non-profit environmental education organization. He has consulted in sustainability, tech, and healthcare; trained over 100 MD’s, nurses and clinic staff in emotional and stress management; and has given Keynotes and spoken to thousands of people.

What has driven his interesting career is the decisions that he made when he survived death, twice. Reflecting on his breadth of experience, extensive research, case studies, and stories from others, Barry created The Adventure Mindset - an innovation framework to help leaders and organizations accelerate adaptability, elevate and reskill talent, and pioneer new markets.

Contact us to learn how Barry can help your organization.