Sense of Place Keynotes:
Reconnect with Your Stories, Your Purpose and The Power of Place
Experience a Keynote
Journey that Recharges, Reconnects, and Inspires.
Today’s world is overflowing with information, motivational tips and artificiality. Most people are craving something more. They are yearning for:
✓Grounding
✓Meaning
✓Purpose
✓Authenticity
✓Well-Being
In my keynotes, people come home to what matters. I take audiences on a journey of song, story, and conversation that reconnects them with who they are, where they are, and the deeper purpose behind the work they do.
Audience Takeaways:
A renewed sense of purpose, belonging and well-being
Inspiration for narratives that deepen their sense of place and enrich their personal and professional work
Recharged energy, clarity, and passion for their work, mission, and community
For Tourism Organizations:
Elevate Tourism
Tap into the demand for authentic and unique travel experiences so you can fully engage visitors and drive sustainable growth. Gain inspiration to harness the power of place and bring your region’s stories to life.
Get the tools you need to craft stories that resonate, build connection, and set your destination apart. You’ll leave being able to share the true character of your region with the real stories that deepen visitor connection and loyalty.
Signature Keynote:
Elevate Your Narratives With a Sense of Place: From Destination Marketing to Journey Marketing
For Parks, Museums, and Heritage Organizations
See the Familiar Through New Eyes
Revitalize your narratives with a sense of place perspective. Uncover fresh ideas to reframe the stories you share. Understand the deeper reasons visitors journey to your site. Leave with tools and inspiration to craft stories and programs that enrich a sense of place and belonging.
Signature Keynote:
Reimagine Visitor Experiences: Using a Sense of Place to See with New Eyes
For Community Organizations:
Cultivating Belonging and Well Being
In a time where more people are disconnected from each other and their surroundings, this keynote offers a way back to a sense of place and belonging that is deeply needed in the world today. This keynote will evoke stories and experiences that can be just the medicine people need. Attendees will leave with tools and inspiration to find and share stories that reconnect us to ourselves, each other, and our surroundings.
Signature Keynote
Place Medicine: Curing the Epidemic of Disconnect Through Meaningful Sense of Place Stories
"You are missing out if you aren't trying to book Erica for your upcoming workshop or training event. Her work with the ‘sense of place’ concept through her Soulful Landscape workshop provides excellent hands-on exercises in an area that is so often perceived as intangible, while her keynote was just the dose of inspiration we needed.”
— Chief of Interpretation, Arkansas State Parks and Tourism
Prior Keynotes Include :
American Horticultural Society Youth and Garden Symposium
Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism
Arkansas State Parks Spring Training
Association of National Park Rangers Rendezvous (ANPR)
BioBliz, National Geographic, National Mall
Festival of the Cranes, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge
Idaho State Parks and Recreation Conference
Partners in the Parks Celebration, Howard County Parks and Recreation
Maryland Land Trust Alliance
Montana State Parks and Recreation Conference
National Association for Interpretation Annual Workshop (NAI)
National Association for Interpretation Region 2
National Association of State Park Directors Conference (NASPD)
National Association of State Park Volunteer Coordinators
National Park Service Founders Day, National Mall
National Religious Partnership for the Environment
New Mexico Governor’s Conference on Tourism
New Mexico Council on Aging Conference
Parks Ontario Spring Training
Social Venture Network Conference
TEDx, Shelburne Falls
Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism
Let’s Work Together
Whether you're gathering to re-imagine tourism, inspire stewardship, or to deepen a sense of community, or to get a personal or professional recharge, my keynotes will inspire, engage, and bring the mission and message of your event to life.
PRACTICAL & TRANSFORMATIVE
Participants leave with new perspectives, actionable tools, and creative energy that they can apply immediately.
PROVEN RESULTS
Trusted by parks, museums, heritage sites, and organizations nationwide to deliver programs that spark transformation, engagement, and care.
RELEVANT & RELATABLE
A unique, warm, creative and accessible approach to sense of place narratives and meaning-making as a way to foster belonging, purpose, leadership skills and well-being.
About Erica (Offical Bio)
TEDx speaker, National Park Service interpretation trainer, award-winning songwriter, and creative mentor Erica Wheeler has spent decades bringing people and places together through the power of story, song, and place-based connections.
Erica has inspired thousands through events for conferences, parks, museums, tourism organizations, and community gatherings.
Known for her warmth, humor, and insight, her programs provide a unique blend of artistry, practical expertise, and transformative presence — awakening the heart of your mission and helping audiences recharge, realign, and reconnect with what matters most.
Her work is dedicated to cultivating personal connections between people and place, so that both people and places can thrive.
Let’s Get Started
Book a call so we can review your audience, your mission, and how a Sense of Place keynote can bring your event goals to life. I’ll tailor the experience to meet your needs and create a memorable, meaningful event. Contact me to schedule a call or Zoom conversation.