Inspirational TEDx Speaker, Award-Winning Author and
Expert on Peak Performance Through Forgiveness
Megan Feldman Bettencourt is an award-winning writer, author and speaker. She has reported from many countries, including Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, Rwanda and the UK. Megan’s journalism has appeared in publications including The San Francisco Chronicle, Psychology Today, Salon, The Miami Herald, The Daily Beast, Glamour, Newsday, Southwest: The Magazine, 5280: The Denver Magazine, The Dallas Observer, LA Weekly and many others.
Book
Her debut book, Triumph of the Heart: Forgiveness in an Unforgiving World, explores forgiveness through science, stories and memoir. Named a “Best Book of 2015 on the Science of a Meaningful Life” by the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California at Berkeley and a finalist for the National MS Society’s Books for a Better Life Awards, it has been featured by media including The Telegraph, The Star-Tribune, PBS, HuffPo Women, as well as nationally syndicated radio shows and popular podcasts.
Education
An alumnus of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, Megan lives in Denver with her husband and son. As a keynote speaker, she frequently gives talks on how the practice of seeking and granting forgiveness enhances not only individual health and wellbeing, but also the collective health and productivity of our schools, agencies and companies.
Awards
Megan’s work has been nationally recognized. In addition to the awards for her book, her article, “What Happened to Abbey’s Mom,” in 5280, won Best Health Feature in the 2012 Society of Professional Journalists’ Top of the Rockies Awards and was named a 2012 finalist for the prestigious Livingston Awards for Young Journalists.
Journalist
Her chronicle of a doomed GOP gubernatorial candidate, also in 5280, won Best General Political Reporting in the 2011 Top of the Rockies Awards. While a staff writer at Village Voice Media’s Dallas Observer, Megan’s cover story about American Iraq War deserters seeking refuge in Canada was a finalist for the 2010 PEN Literary Award, and in 2008, her narrative about Central American migrants riding Mexico’s “death trains” 1,500 miles to reach the U.S. won Best Feature from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and made Megan a Livingston Finalist.
The Three Key Habits of Good Forgivers
You can have the sharpest business strategies in the world, but if your team members don’t get along, fail to collaborate and suffer from poor emotional and physical health, you’ll be hard-pressed to reach your goals. Research shows that people who are forgiving of others and themselves tend to be healthier and happier. They also perform better at work, provide valuable organizational leadership and are more highly rated by their relationship partners. Megan shares The Three Key Habits of Good Forgivers: authenticity, healthy boundaries and inspired purpose. We can use them to recover from tragedy, disappointment and conflict, as well as to improve health and wellbeing, relationships and professional performance.
Build a Culture of Collaboration to Guide Your Brand
Winston Churchill said, “We shape our houses, and then they shape us.” The same can be said for the cultures of our companies and institutions. They shape how we relate to others, what we do and the way others perceive us. And when it comes to fostering team members’ more collaborative tendencies, social science research provides a blueprint for building organizations that nurture the “better angles of our nature.” In this talk, Megan shares her reporting from around the world on the proven practices that prevent and diffuse conflict while fostering authentic collaboration and teamwork. From an urban Baltimore school to post-genocide Rwanda, she brings practical tools that any organization can use to diffuse conflict and fuel collaboration and inspired leadership around organizational goals.
All Megan Feldman Bettencourt Books
Triumph of the Heart: Forgiveness in an Unforgiving World
Purchase BookVeteran journalist Megan Feldman Bettencourt shows the power of forgiveness on all levels and in different situations, from a break-up to genocide. By combining scientific research with stories that can make you laugh out loud and cry, she shows us that giving up resentment has a profound physical, emotional, and mental impact on the way we live.
- | TEDx Boulder Attendee
Megan spoke at our 8th grade commencement. Her speech on forgiving yourself was not only timely for our 8th graders but struck a cord with the entire audience, adults included. She used humor and honesty to impart the importance of taking a step back from the pressures of the world and not being so hard on ourselves.
- | Assistant Principal, Highline Academy Charter School