Applied neuroscience keynote speaker · Leadership · TEDx

Mindset outweighs tools.
Every. Single. Time.

I educate, demystify and humanise the brain — and make it genuinely useful in the real world. With scientific rigour, warmth, and a strictly non-negotiable amount of fun. Based in Madrid, speaking worldwide.

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Applied neuroscience keynote speaker Sam Hernández García on the TEDx stage

74 countries and counting

Brains travel well. Ideas travel better.

Every boardroom, classroom and stage teaches me something new about how humans think, decide and lead.

World map highlighting the 74 countries Sam Hernández García has visited, with Madrid as home base

Brains met so far
Home base: Madrid

12,500+
Hours of programmes delivered
74
Countries and counting
50+
Keynotes on stages worldwide
57,500+
People trained & inspired

Brains I’ve had the pleasure of working with

About me

“Living inside our heads is the most convincing illusion of control.”

Proudly shaped by many cultures, languages and cities across four continents — all of which I’m lucky to call home in different ways. These days, home is Madrid, a city that feeds my heart and soul.

For more than 19 years, the last ten in applied neuroscience, I’ve been endlessly fascinated by how we change, decide, relate and lead. My work sits between research labs, boardrooms, global stages, classrooms, prison cells — including preparing high-security inmates for reintegration — and the beautifully messy reality of being human.

Off stage, I’m probably polishing my Arabic, climbing a mountain, jumping out of a plane (parachute firmly on) or twenty metres underwater looking for the next big creature.

Sam Hernández García running a workshop in which participants wear colourful blindfolds

No, it’s not a nap. It’s neuroscience.

Signature keynotes

Talks for brains that are tired of being lectured.

Stories, hands-on exercises and evidence you can act on — tailored to your audience. People leave thinking differently, not just inspired until Tuesday.

01
Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions
Your IQ won’t save you. This will.
How the brain really decides, the biases that quietly hijack it, and why knowing isn’t doing. Audiences leave with practical tools to decide better under pressure.
02
Leading Humans
They don’t come with a manual. Neuroscience is the next best thing.
What brains actually need to trust, perform and change, and how leaders can create it, from the boardroom to the front line.
03
Brains Under Pressure
What high-security prisons and twenty metres underwater taught me about performance.
Lessons from extreme environments on how the brain handles stress, fear and high stakes, and how to stay clear-headed when it matters most.
04
What AI Can’t Replace
The most human skills are about to become the most valuable.
Judgement, empathy, creativity and connection are the new competitive edge. The neuroscience of staying irreplaceable in an AI-powered world.

Every keynote is tailored to your audience, industry and goals.Need a topic that isn’t here? Let’s build it together.

Let’s talk

Formats

Conference keynotes · Executive masterclasses · Leadership programmes · Interactive workshops · Facilitation · Executive retreats · Panels & fireside chats

Delivered in

English · Spanish · French · Italian (Arabic: work in progress)

Watch my TEDx talkOpens on YouTube

“She challenges you deeply, makes you laugh hysterically, and even brings out a few tears. She holds up the mirror to drive real leadership change.”

“Sam has this rare ability to make complex neuroscience feel human, relevant, and transformational.”

“An astute professional, an unfalteringly safe pair of hands, an expert in her field and a delight to work with.”

In the room

Sam on stage at IE University presenting “Work smarter, not harder”

Sam presenting “Neuroscience of Bias in Global Strategy”

Sam guiding a participant through a hands-on exercise with a ball of yarn

Sam speaking on a panel at the Global Bridges Forum

Sam on stage presenting “Our evolutionary journey”

Sam asking an audience how conscious we really are

What a session feels like

Nobody sits still for long. Brains learn better when bodies get involved.

In the media

Podcasts & media

Conversations, interviews and articles on the brain, leadership and being human, for when you want the science on your commute.

Media and interview requests: hola@samhernandezgarcia.com

Consulting & advisory

Brainologie

Inclusive, brain-friendly cultures — where humans think clearly, regulate better, decide wiser, and lead without burning out or boring out.

Sam facilitating a team session on what makes the team work at its best

Leadership programmes
Deeply experiential development, from first-time managers to the C-suite.
Executive neurocoaching
One-to-one coaching grounded in how the brain actually changes. Hogan certified.
Facilitation
Offsites, strategy sessions and leadership summits designed around how brains think, align and decide together. The room leaves with decisions, not just sticky notes.
Executive retreats
Immersive retreats away from the noise, where leaders reflect deeply, reconnect and turn insight into concrete action.
Strategic advisory
A neuroscientist in the room when the decisions get big, from people strategy to how change is designed and rolled out.
Culture & experience design
Inclusive ways of working, and experiences that land at an emotional and sensory level.

Sam Hernández García lecturing on how the brain makes decisions to a full university lecture hall

Academia & scientific boards

Teaching leaders to think about how they think.

Adjunct Faculty and Academic Director at IE University, and visiting faculty in the Middle East and Latin America, teaching executive leadership, decision-making and behavioural change. I also sit on the scientific boards of behavioural and talent-tech startups, keeping their tools honestly evidence-based.

Adjunct Faculty & Academic Director

Visiting Faculty

Scientific committees

Member of the Scientific Committee, Pack

Academic background

MSc Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuropsychology & Biopsychology
Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona
Master of Science & Master in European Business
ESCP Business School, Paris
Master’s in International Coaching
World Coaching Organization, Helsinki
BA Translation, Conference Interpreting & International Affairs
Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid
Hogan Assessments
Certified