FRANCESCA ZAMPAGLIONE
About Francesca Zampaglione
Francesca Zampaglione still remembers walking into a room full of Ivy League heavy-hitters and feeling like she did not belong. Most of us know that feeling, because it shows up every time we level up into a new environment, and most of us respond the same way: we sit down, stay quiet and wait for our chance to prove ourselves. Francesca spent more than a decade learning that the chance was already there. Today she is a leadership keynote speaker and executive presence coach who helps high-performing leaders command the room, stay composed under pressure and move decisions forward.
Before she ever stepped on a stage, Francesca spent more than ten years as an executive at Deloitte, where she began her career as a CPA and spent her days alongside some of the highest-performing leaders at one of the most recognized firms in the world. What she saw there became the thesis of her work. The leaders who rose were not the ones waiting for the big opportunity. They were the ones who owned the moments they already had, in every meeting, every conversation and every commitment. The problem was never a lack of opportunity. It was a lack of ownership.
That idea became The ACT Method™, her framework for executive presence: Appearance, how you carry yourself before you ever speak; Composure, how you respond and lead through pressure instead of reacting to it; and Trust, how a reputation is built by what you consistently deliver rather than what you promise. Most development programs teach one of these. Francesca teaches all three together, because appearance without composure is a costume, and composure without trust never compounds.
Her own story is proof of it. A few years ago she flew across the country to deliver a keynote while her partner was in the hospital recovering from a health crisis, and she stood on that stage anyway. The composure she needed that day was not summoned in the moment. It had been built in advance, in all the ordinary days before it mattered. Her Stress Shield program carries the same lesson into how leaders manage pressure, with a 1% Framework that asks for just 14 minutes a day and a playful, whoopee-cushion-and-all delivery that one CPA association says its CEO still talks about.
Francesca has brought her work to CPA societies, law firms, banks, wealth advisors, universities and women's leadership communities, including the Washington Society of CPAs, the Michigan Association of CPAs, Jackson Lewis, Boyer & Ritter, Firstrust Bank, the Risk Management Association Philadelphia Chapter, Temple University, Drexel University and Rowan University. She also hosts the podcast Office Flip Flops with Francesca Zampaglione. Francesca spent most of her career working in Philadelphia and is based in the Philadelphia area, and she speaks at conferences, leadership summits and sales kickoffs across the country.
- Former Deloitte executive with more than a decade inside one of the world's most recognized firms
- CPA by training, which makes her a natural fit for accounting, finance and professional services audiences
- Creator of The ACT Method™: Appearance, Composure and Trust
- Creator of The Stress Shield and its 1% Framework, built on 14 minutes a day
- Executive presence coach to Fortune 500 leaders and emerging executives
- Host of the Office Flip Flops podcast
- Trusted by the Washington Society of CPAs, Michigan Association of CPAs, Jackson Lewis, Firstrust Bank, Temple, Drexel and Rowan
Watch Francesca In Action
Speaking Topics
Executive Presence • Leadership • Influence. Built for general sessions, leadership summits and sales kickoffs with high-performing leaders and emerging executives.
The opportunity you are waiting for is already in front of you.
Most people are sitting on more opportunity than they realize, and they pass it by because the moment in front of them does not feel big enough. Drawing on more than a decade at Deloitte, Francesca shows audiences that executive presence is not built in life's biggest moments. It is practiced in the everyday ones. Through The ACT Method™, leaders learn how to own the room they are already in, so the influence is there when the big moment finally arrives. For sales teams, the same framework turns the relationships already on their desk into trust, and trust into business.
Program Takeaways
- Appearance: carry yourself in a way that signals credibility before you say a word
- Composure: respond and lead through pressure instead of reacting to it
- Trust: build a reputation on what you consistently deliver, not what you promise
- Own the everyday moments that open doors, rather than waiting to be chosen
Stress Management • Burnout • Resilience. Ideal for leaders, managers and teams working at a relentless pace, and for organizations that want to keep their best people energized for the long haul.
Beat stress before it beats you.
High performance has a hidden cost, and most leaders are paying it without realizing it. Most stress programs teach people to react once stress has already hit. Francesca takes the opposite approach and treats resilience like insurance, something you build before you need it, because waiting for a crisis to learn stress management is like waiting until you are drowning to learn how to swim. Drawing on behavioral science and her own years in high-pressure environments, she gives audiences a simple daily practice they can start the same day, delivered with the kind of humor that keeps a room laughing while it learns.
Program Takeaways
- Understand how stress actually works and why conventional advice often backfires
- Apply the 1% Framework, a personalized way to build resilience in just 14 minutes a day
- Interrupt stress cycles before they become burnout, with simple resets for high-pressure moments
- Set boundaries that protect energy without compromising authority
- Commit to sustainable high performance by mastering the basics
Leadership Development • Resilience • Presence. Designed for leadership programs and executive teams preparing people for bigger roles.
Complete leadership has two variables. Most training teaches one.
High-performing leaders are trained to develop the visible skills: leadership, influence and strategic thinking. Internal fortitude is simply assumed, until a high-stakes promotion, an unexpected crisis or the steady pressure of balancing career and life reveals that it was never built. Francesca's Complete Leadership Formula solves for both halves of the equation: the internal fortitude to stay composed under pressure and the visible authority to command every room you walk into, because a leader who has one without the other is vulnerable.
Program Takeaways
- Recognize why internal fortitude is the half of leadership most development programs skip
- Build the composure to stay steady through promotions, crises and competing demands
- Pair that inner strength with the visible authority that earns trust and influence
Professional Image • Confidence • Imposter Syndrome. For accomplished leaders and entrepreneurs who want their presence to match their expertise.
The best leaders don't hope people see their value. They make it undeniable.
You have done the work and earned the title, but if the way you show up does not match what you know, influence and opportunities get left on the table. Many capable leaders dismiss professional image as surface level and then watch others advance ahead of them. Francesca shows audiences why how you show up matters as much as what you know, how external confidence and internal strength feed each other, and how to quiet imposter syndrome through intentional preparation. Commanding the room is not about being perfect. It is about being prepared.
Program Takeaways
- Understand why professional image is strategic, not superficial, and how it shapes credibility
- Build self-confidence that translates into productivity
- Overcome imposter syndrome through intentional presentation
- Command respect and authority with strategies they can use immediately
Breakouts • Half-Day Workshops • Executive Teams. For organizations that want to take the keynote from concept to practice.
A great keynote opens the door. The workshop walks people through it.
In The ACT Method™ Workshop, leadership teams work through Appearance, Composure and Trust, find where their presence holds and where it cracks under pressure, and build a daily practice across all three. In The Balance Sheet Method, a framework inspired by her Deloitte CPA days, participants build a personal leadership ledger that weighs what fuels their performance, like rest, energy and strategic focus, against what quietly drains it, like sleep debt, overcommitment and constant multitasking. It makes invisible patterns visible and gives leaders the clarity to manage their energy with the same rigor they bring to managing budgets.
Formats
- Keynote (45 to 60 minutes) for conferences, leadership summits and corporate events
- Breakout session (90 minutes) with deeper interactive discussion and Q&A
- Half-day workshop where participants leave with a personalized action plan
Every engagement starts with a real conversation about your audience, your goals and the leadership challenges your organization is facing right now, and Francesca customizes the framework, examples and takeaways to fit your industry and the people in your seats.
What Event Organizers Say
Francesca Zampaglione delivered a memorable and impactful presentation at our Women to Watch event. Her stress shield strategies were practical and inspiring, and her "1% of your day" concept—just 14 minutes—made a lasting impression, even with our CEO, who still talks about it. Francesca's unique use of humor and creativity, including whoopee cushions, brought energy and engagement we hadn't seen before. She left our audience refreshed, laughing, and motivated.
Dan Kolasinski, Learning and Content Development Director, Michigan Association of CPAsHer ability to hold a room — to make each person in a crowd of hundreds feel individually seen — is rare. She brought her full, authentic self to Power and Purpose, my community of exceptional women leaders, and not once did I see someone check their phone. Book her. You won't regret it.
Ginny Palmieri, Founder & CEO, myNextoryFrancesca's energy and enthusiasm are contagious! She ended the day with a session that entertained and engaged our audience of over 100 CPAs. I know we will be bringing her back.
Kimberly Scott, CAE, President & CEO, Washington Society of CPAsFrancesca's poise, energy, and mission will leave you and your team feeling empowered on so many levels! She is relatable, intelligent, passionate, and very motivating—her content will exceed your expectations!
Christina Wilson, CEO & VP, East West Label CompanyI've heard many speakers and none have impacted me the way you have. Hearing you speak twice was the catalyst for real changes in my work and home life. You make big life wins feel achievable, without ever losing the audience.
Krista Gagliardi, Former Director, Prelude SolutionsFrancesca's keynote is unforgettable. She provided so many thought-provoking ideas that I know will support me in my work and personal life. I will stand in a long line so that I can see her again.
Katie Niemeyer, Public Speaker, CRNA, PhilanthropistI highly recommend connecting with Francesca as she truly sees each and every one of us as a unique person, with the opportunity to grow. I cannot thank her enough for helping a small town, blue-collar guy, feel much more comfortable and confident in my future.
Mark Banks, CPA, CFE, Boyer & Ritter LLCFrancesca is a very engaging speaker! Everyone walked away with great tips, insights and a message of positivity. I would ask Francesca to speak at another event!
Beth N. Packel, Senior Vice President, Firstrust BankYour presentation was interesting, informative and hilarious! You are an amazing presenter and entertainer!
Blythe Seese, Client Development, Kreischer MillerFrancesca's keynote was so good I want to see it again and again. I want to put Francesca in my pocket and take her home with me!
Tara Butler Floch, Founder & Principal, The Broadview GroupPodcast and Resources
Read the feature: She Spent a Decade at Deloitte Watching Who Rose. It Was Never the People Waiting for Their Chance.
Francesca hosts Office Flip Flops with Francesca Zampaglione, and her YouTube channel collects her speaker reel, interviews and practical ideas leaders can use long after the event.
Where Francesca Appears
Explore Francesca Zampaglione and more Amplify Speakers rosters for events like yours: