Workshops + Events
Kara Richardson Whitely is an award-winning keynote speaker, author and inclusion strategist who inspires audiences to confront barriers, build resilience, and keep climbing on their own terms.
Best known for her powerful Moving Mountains keynote, Kara draws from her experience summiting Mount Kilimanjaro three times while navigating life in a larger body and recovering from binge eating disorder. Her talks resonate deeply with corporate audiences, conferences, and college campuses seeking meaningful conversations about resilience, body image, mental health, and human potential.
The New York Times
Weight Watchers
Backpacker
Good Housekeeping
People
Kara Richardson Whitely has been on The Today Show, Good Morning America and Oprah’s Lifeclass, and her story has been featured here:
CNN
Bustle
Modern Hiker
The Star-Ledger
Inside Jersey
She Knows
Library Journal
The Rumpus
Huffington Post
Good Day NY
Conferences & Organizations
Ready to Book Kara for Your Event?
Let's discuss how Kara's message can inspire and empower your audience.
Moving Mountains: A Journey of Resilience and Triumph
Join Kara Richardson Whitely as she shares her extraordinary journey of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro three times while navigating life in a larger body and battling stigma. Through powerful storytelling from the world's highest peaks, Kara illustrates how we all face our own mountains—whether they're personal struggles, professional challenges, or societal barriers.
This inspirational keynote explores the universal themes of perseverance, self-acceptance, and the courage to keep climbing even when the path seems impossible. Kara's authentic narrative demonstrates that our greatest obstacles often become our most profound teachers, and that transformation happens one step at a time.
Audiences will leave motivated to:
Embrace their own challenging journeys with renewed determination
Reframe setbacks as opportunities for growth
Find strength in vulnerability and authenticity
Take the next step toward their personal summit, whatever it may be
Ideal for: Corporate events, leadership conferences, DEI initiatives, women's conferences, wellness programs, and professional associations.
Meeting planner note: This keynote works beautifully as an opening or closing session and consistently receives high audience engagement scores.
“An amazing and inspiring reminder to set our sights high and tackle that big goal you have been wanting to accomplish, ignore any self doubt, and, as Kara said, “bet on your own success!”
“We had the pleasure of having Kara as our keynote speaker for Nuveen’s Women’ History Month event right after most of the US went under ‘stay at home’ orders. Kara navigated the event with grace and ease. Not only were we thrilled she was able to turn the event into a virtual fireside chat, but the grit, perseverance and resilience of her story was even more compelling given the current global pandemic. The event far surpassed anything we could have imagined – over 500 employees and clients participated in this moving story. She inspired us all and set an example of someone who was able to overcome challenges that seem insurmountable. ”
Virtual Moving Mountains Events
Inspire and Unite Teams from Anywhere
Bring the power of Moving Mountains to your virtual or hybrid event. Kara's keynote translates beautifully to digital platforms, creating meaningful connections and shared inspiration—no matter where your team is located.
Organizations like TIAA and Smuckers have chosen virtual Moving Mountains events to bridge distances, uplift distributed teams, and create memorable moments of connection during challenging times.
Virtual events are ideal for:
Remote and hybrid teams seeking connection and inspiration
Organizations with multiple office locations
Companies looking for meaningful all-hands experiences
Teams navigating change, transition, or growth
Budget-conscious events without travel constraints
Virtual delivery includes: Professional production quality, interactive Q&A capabilities, engaging visual storytelling, and the same powerful message that resonates in person. Sessions can be recorded for future viewing.
Colleges & Universities
“Kara was the 2024 Distinguished Guest Speaker for the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Idaho and captivated our room of students, community members, faculty and staff.
She opened the doors for us to learn about her lived experience in a larger body and connected her story to struggles we all face. We all came out of her keynote inspired to think deeply about inclusivity and to be kinder to ourselves and one another. It was an absolute delight and honor to work with Kara and we are grateful for the depth of her work.”
Moving Mountains: Navigating Body Image and Mental Health on Campus
Designed specifically for college audiences, this powerful presentation combines Kara Richardson Whitely's inspiring Kilimanjaro expeditions with critical conversations about body image, eating disorders, and mental health in academic environments.
Kara candidly shares her personal struggles with binge eating disorder while accomplishing extraordinary physical feats, creating a safe space to discuss the often-hidden challenges students face. She addresses the unique pressures of campus life, social media comparison culture, and the intersection of mental health with academic success.
Students will gain insights on:
Recognizing signs of disordered eating in themselves and peers
Breaking the silence around binge eating disorder and food addiction
Building resilience during the most challenging years of self-discovery
Accessing support systems and resources on campus
Cultivating self-compassion while pursuing ambitious goals
This talk empowers students to seek help, support one another, and understand that their worth isn't determined by their appearance or the number on a scale. Kara's story proves that healing and achievement can coexist, and that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Ideal for: NEDAW (National Eating Disorders Awareness Week), Women's History Month, orientation programs, counseling and wellness initiatives, student leadership events, and first-year experience programming. thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.
Ready to Book Kara for Your Event?
Let's discuss how Kara's message can inspire and empower your audience.
Customer Journey Workshop:
Understanding the Plus-Size Market
Kara leads interactive workshops for brands and organizations seeking to better engage the plus-size consumer. These sessions help teams identify hidden friction points, improve customer experience, and build trust with an often-overlooked audience.
Drawing from her lived experience and extensive research, Kara guides participants through the unique challenges plus-size customers face throughout their buying journey—from discovery and consideration to purchase and loyalty.
Teams will learn to:
Identify and eliminate barriers in the customer experience
Develop more inclusive marketing and product strategies
Build authentic connections with plus-size consumers
Create environments where all customers feel welcomed and valued
Ideal for: Retail brands, fashion and apparel companies, marketing teams, product development departments, as well as travel, health care, fitness and human resource organizations committed to inclusive business practices.
Testimonials
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The Rise of the Body-Inclusive Economy: The $40 Billion Buying Power You May Be Missing
Learn how you can tap into the soon-to-be $1 trillion plus-size industry with authentic connection and welcome more folks into your brand through understanding what your plus-size audience is seeing, feeling, experiencing and sharing.
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All Bodies Corporate Training
Discover how to create genuine connection with an entirely new demographic so you can attract and retain the best talent.
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Your Plus-Size Customer Journey
Discover how to optimize your plus-size customer journey in this interactive workshop, where you will learn the most common mistakes brands make when attempting to engage this market, and how your brand can lead the way to body appreciation.
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Moving Mountains
Empower your team to conquer any obstacle by embracing the power of living in the now and finding joy in the journey, instead of waiting for the “perfect” time to take action.
Size Discrimination Law
As of November 2023, NYC mandated strict adherence to laws banning size discrimination, and many other cities and states are following suit — but most people are unaware of their own biases against people in diverse bodies, making it difficult to know what changes must be made to prevent discrimination.
The Gorgeous Agency offers industry-specific workshops designed to help you protect your company and create a brand where all bodies are welcome.