Dorie Clark

Name: Dorie Clark

Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She was honored as the #1 Communication Coach in the world by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards, and one of the Top 10 Communication Professionals in the World by Global Gurus. She is a keynote speaker and teaches executive education for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School. She is the author of Entrepreneurial You, as well as Reinventing You and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine. Clark has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and you can download her free Entrepreneurial You self-assessment workbook at dorieclark.com/entrepreneur.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?: Napping on a bed with cats, and a loving partner, while being recognized as a globally influential thinker. :)

Which living person do you most admire?: Gloria Steinem. She's been fighting the good fight for 50 years, and is still as passionate and articulate as ever.

What is your greatest extravagance?: When I bought my first condo in 2007, I also bought a fancy massage chair. I had wanted one since I was a kid, and used to see them at the mall and in airports.

What is your current state of mind?: Focused on growth and opportunity. I know I sound way too American.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?: Humility. It can be painfully close to self-righteousness.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?: "Let's wargame it."

Which talent would you most like to have?: Sightreading music.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?: I do wish my sinuses would let me breathe more easily.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?: Writing my three books. (I'm working on a new one now!)

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?: A cat in a loving household.

Where would you most like to live?: If not NYC (where I am now), maybe Santa Monica, CA.

What is your most treasured possession?: I still have my baby blankets from when I was young, and now my cats like to sleep with them.

What is your favorite occupation?: I love giving keynote talks and connecting with an audience in real time. That is in short supply during covid lockdown!

What is your most marked characteristic?: The Venn diagram of ambition and friendliness.

What do you most value in your friends?: Loyalty, intellect, caring, and professional drive.

Who are your heroes in real life?: Tegan and Sara, and Andrew Carnegie.

What is it that you most dislike?: Cliquishness.