Madison Butler
DEI Truth Teller, HR Change Maker
Madison Butler is an unapologetic advocate for authenticity, vulnerability, and creating workplaces where people feel safe to show up as their true selves. Known for building bold, ethical and authentic brands through storytelling, tough empathy and data, Madison facilitates conversations that many shy away from—conversations about mental health, trauma, and the courage it takes to be vulnerable at work. She has been recognized by Linkedin as a top Black voice to follow and her first book, “Let Them See You: Empowering Change Through Authenticity,” will be released in Summer 2025.
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Madison Butler's 2025 biography
Meet Madison Butler
Madison Butler is an unapologetic advocate for authenticity, vulnerability, and creating workplaces where people feel safe to show up as their true selves. A New Englander turned Austinite since 2017, Madison is passionate about helping organizations embrace the power of human connection and psychological safety as the cornerstones of a thriving culture. As the founder of Blue Haired Unicorn, she focuses on designing spaces and crafting scalable strategies with this intention in mind.
Known for building bold, ethical and authentic brands through storytelling, tough empathy and data, Madison facilitates conversations that many shy away from—conversations about mental health, trauma, and the courage it takes to be vulnerable at work. She believes that embracing humanity in leadership isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a business tenet. Humanity is the key to building resilient teams and sustainable organizations that empower people to show up fully.
Madison partners with companies to break free from outdated norms and build environments rooted in trust, transparency, and authenticity. Her mission is to help individuals and teams unlock their potential by creating spaces where they can live, work, and exist out loud.
Her work and thought leadership have been featured in prominent outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Yahoo, Rolling Stone, and many others. She has been recognized by Linkedin as a top Black voice to follow and also as Austin’s rising star by DivInc in 2021. Her first book, “Let Them See You: Empowering Change Through Authenticity,” will be released in Summer 2025, offering a powerful guide to fostering change and creating space for people to show up fully.
As a start-up enthusiast, Madison thrives on building intentional cultures from the ground up. She is committed to redefining what it means to be “human at work,” challenging the status quo, and empowering leaders to lead with compassion, authenticity and truth.
Madison Butler's 2025 talks & topics
Authentic Leadership: Vulnerability First
Leaders are often expected to project confidence and certainty, but in today’s workplace, authenticity has become the defining characteristic of impactful leadership. Vulnerability is no longer a liability—it’s a strength that fosters trust, deepens relationships, and drives real connection.
Yet, many leaders hesitate to embrace vulnerability, fearing it may make them seem weak. The truth? Your authenticity is your strength. Being open and authentic makes you human, and will allow your teams to feel human too. If you want teams who feel safe, we must be willing to put down your own walls first.
This keynote will provide the insights and tools leaders need to make vulnerability and safety a cornerstone of their leadership style. By honoring their own humanity, leaders will empower themselves and their teams to tackle challenges with trust, safety and humanity.
Leave this session inspired to lead from the heart and embrace the power of who you really are, not who you think you have to be.
Key Learnings:
- Understand why vulnerability is essential for authentic leadership and long-term success.
- Learn techniques to foster trust, openness, and accountability within teams.
- Discover how to balance vulnerability with confidence to build stronger, more engaged teams.
- Gain strategies to model authenticity and create a culture where everyone feels seen, valued, and empowered.
The Future of Work: Designing Your Organization for Scale
In today’s fast-moving world, organizations often chase short-term wins at the expense of long-term success. But building for longevity requires a different mindset—one that prioritizes people, purpose, and adaptability. Happy people stay with our organizations, and happy requires safety.
When leaders embrace human-centered design, they create environments that are not only sustainable but also empowering. By focusing on the well-being and growth of individuals, organizations can foster safety, resilience, drive innovation, and achieve meaningful, lasting impact.
To design our organizations for longevity, we must design for humans, not resumes. People are people, and the future of work requires us to prioritize people over all else.
This conversation arms leaders with actionable strategies to align human needs with organizational goals, creating systems that endure and evolve in an ever-changing landscape and dive into how to connect with our teams as humans, and not just peers or managers.
Leave inspired to design for longevity and lead with purpose, empathy, and a vision for the future.
Key Learnings:
- Understand the principles of human-centered design and their role in fostering sustainable success.
- Discover how to integrate empathy and purpose into leadership practices to drive long-term impact.
- Learn how to build adaptable teams that thrive amid change and uncertainty.
- Explore strategies to balance performance and well-being for greater organizational longevity.
Build For You: Authentic Personal Branding
Your network is your net worth, but your personal brand is your asset. Everyone wants to build a brand, but too often they want a brand that leans to trends and algorithms, instead of one that leans inward. You have to be your biggest fan, your brand has to be a brand you would want to consume. True success lies in building a brand that reflects who you genuinely are, not just who you think the world wants you to be.
Authentic personal branding is about aligning your values, strengths, and vision to create a powerful and memorable message. You have to paint a picture that looks like the person you see in the mirror. You are your super power. Everyone can make recyclable content, but no one can tell your story. This keynote will guide you through the process of building a brand that empowers you, helps you find your voice, and honors your individuality.
You will walk away empowered to show up as exactly who you are and ready to share it with the world around us.
Key Learnings:
- Discover the core elements of authentic personal branding and why it matters in today’s world.
- Learn how to identify and communicate your unique strengths, values, and vision effectively.
- Gain tools to create a personal brand that feels aligned, purposeful, and impactful.
- Explore strategies to maintain authenticity while growing your influence and visibility.
Coloring Outside of the Lines: Living Your Life for You
This talk will focus on the process and liberation in breaking away from societal expectations. It is easy to feel trapped when society creates a mold for you to stay within, but life is beautiful when you determine what it looks like. Madison Butler is a fierce advocate for being human at work, and this talk centers on just that- being human without expectations of those around us but being you for you.