Keynote Speakers

Wayne M. Sotile, Ph.D.

Dr. Sotile is recognized as a pioneer in the fields of health psychology and resilience for busy professionals and as a national thought leader on ways to transform the busy workplace into a positive interpersonal culture.

He is one of the most sought-after motivational speakers and workshop leaders today. He and his associates have counseled more that 25,000 high-achieving individuals and couples and he has delivered more than 10,000 invited addresses to a client list that includes the Million Dollar Round Table, a wide range of Fortune 500 insurance and financial service companies, the American Medical Association Leadership Conference, the Entrepreneurship Institute, the American Academy of Medical Administrators, and more.

Dr. Sotile is the author of nine books including his ground-breaking Letting Go of What’s Holding You Back! (2007). His pioneering work in the fields of health psychology, marriage and family life, and organizational dynamics is featured frequently in the international media including appearances on the Good Morning America, CBS Morning, and Dateline national television shows.

With his wife, Mary, Wayne co-directs Real Talk, Inc. in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he also serves as Director of Psychological Services for the Wake Forest University Healthy Exercise and Lifestyles Program. He is a special consultant in behavioral and organizational health for the Carolinas Medical Center, in Charlotte, North Carolina and for numerous organizations throughout the country.

Dr. Sotile has received lifetime career achievement awards from the American Academy of Medical Administrators, the North Carolina Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Society, and the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

A former faculty member of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Dr. Sotile currently serves as Director of Psychological Services for the Wake Forest University Healthy Exercise and Lifestyles Programs and as a clinical assistant professor at the Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Since 1979, he has served as Co-Director of Sotile Psychological Associates and Real Talk, Inc., in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Dr. Sotile earned a B.S. degree in psychology from Louisiana State University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Carolina. He completed his clinical training in Medical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center. He is an Approved Supervisor in the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and a Fellow in the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

Karyn Buxman, RN, MSN, CSP, CPAE

A highly sought humorist and internationally recognized expert in applied and therapeutic humor, Karyn Buxman, RN, MSN, CSP, CPAE shows people how to harness the power of thought (Amazed) and the spirit of humor (Amused). Through her years of research and experience, she’s determined that humor and its powerful consequences offer benefits in the workplace that can be the catalyst for change that will move groups forward and allow individuals to live more positive, productive and happier lives. Clients range from the Mayo Clinic to the Million Dollar Round Table and they hire Karyn to entertain, educate and inspire their audiences over and over again.

Karyn holds a distinguished position in the world of speaking. She has earned the National Speakers Association’s (NSA) Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation (held by less than 7% of professional speakers), and is one of only 176 experts (30 women) in the world awarded admission into the NSA Speaker Hall of Fame (CPAE). She’s received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor and is currently president of this international organization. She serves on the advisory board of NurseTogether.com, the Invisible Disabilities Association, and the American Happiness Association. She has appeared in journals such as Woman’s Day, Shape, Marie Claire as well as American Journal of Nursing, AACN Clinical Issues and Journal of Psychosocial Nursing. She’s a contributing author for Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul, and for Humor Me, co-author of The Service Prescription: Healthcare the Way It Was Meant to Be, author of Amazed & Amused, and is the publisher of The Journal of Nursing Jocularity, (the only humor magazine ever published for healthcare professionals).