ALYSSA DVER

Confidence isn't what you think. It's how.

We’ve radically underestimated what confidence does. It changes how we think, make decisions, connect and perform because confidence happens in the brain, not in our personalities.

Alyssa Dver turned her obsession with understanding confidence into an evidence-based body of work that now powers two companies to bring Real Confidence, Real Belonging and Real Business Impact to people and organizations around the world.

Alyssa has been trusted to train 350,000+ people in corporate, academic and non-profit organizations 

Most people who end up in the confidence space got here because they read a book, took a course, or built a following by being relatable. Alyssa got here because her son was going to be paralyzed and she refused to accept that.

In 2008, Alyssa's son Zak was diagnosed with dystonia, a neurological condition that stumped even the most accomplished specialists, who offered few answers and a devastating prognosis. Alyssa is not someone who accepts "we just don't know."

Armed with a marketing background and maternal ferocity, she went where credentialed experts wouldn't, across neurology, psychology, sociology, Eastern medicine, and Western research.

The experts didn't just confirm she was right. They started calling her for answers.

What she found wasn't a hack. It was a measurable brain function nobody in the confidence industry had bothered to study properly. And she'd lost all patience for the nonsense that industry sells instead.

That research became the foundation of the American Confidence Institute, where Alyssa turned what she learned about the brain into a science-backed approach to building confidence. Today, ACI brings that work to individuals and organizations through speaking, training and certification.

Learn more about ACI
Credentials

Not just a speaker. A researched, recognized authority.

And the roles behind the work
Founder & CEO, American Confidence Institute
Founder & Chair, ERG Leadership Alliance
Confidence Educator, IT Cosmetics
Host, Real Confidence Podcast
Advisor, MIT Entrepreneurial Center
Instructor, Wharton Innovation Center
Chief Navigators Top 10 Pioneering Women Leader
Former CMO, enterprise tech
From Confidence to Belonging
Alyssa saw the same human dynamics playing out at work.

One level up, those dynamics were showing up inside the employee resource groups (ERGs) organizations build so people find community at work. When those groups are left to run on volunteer goodwill instead of real support, belonging doesn’t fade on its own. It gets taken from people the same way confidence does. So in 2019, Alyssa founded ERG Leadership Alliance to give those groups the training and structure they need to turn good intentions into real belonging and business impact.

25,000+ organizations in the ELA network worldwide
2.5M+ ERG champions supported
Learn more about ELA →
WATCH HER BRING THE SCIENCE TO THE STAGE

See What Happens When Alyssa Gets In the Room

Speaker Sheet Keynotes, credentials and the essential details for event planners
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ACI Speaker Reel

See Alyssa doing what she does best: challenging assumptions, making brain science accessible and keeping a room with her from the first idea to the last.

Confidence Is a Choice — TEDx

Alyssa takes one of our most familiar assumptions about confidence and turns it on its head, using science to show why confidence is more changeable than most people think.

Women's Leadership Conference

See how Alyssa brings confidence science into a room full of women leaders with candor, humor and the kind of challenge that gets people thinking differently about themselves.

From Ideas to Action

Choose confidence. Strengthen belonging. Make a greater impact.

Alyssa's work begins with the science of confidence and extends into how people connect, contribute and perform. From keynotes that challenge conventional thinking to hands-on training and ERG leadership development, organizations can put that science to work in different ways.
Real Confidence

Help Your People Think Better

Confidence changes how people think, decide and contribute. Alyssa brings the brain science to life, challenging what we’ve been taught about confidence and showing what becomes possible when we understand how it actually works.

Put the Science to Work

Interactive workshops turn the science of confidence into practical skills people can use at work, from confident pitching to coaching and everyday decision-making.

Real Belonging

Make Belonging Everyone’s Business

Belonging changes what people are willing to risk, contribute and say out loud. Alyssa brings the brain science and business case together to show why belonging is something everyone helps create.

Take the Guesswork Out of Executive Sponsorship

Alyssa gives executives the science, strategy and straight talk they need to understand their role, support ERG leaders and become more effective sponsors.

Real Business Impact

Go Beyond Engagement

Confidence and belonging don’t stop at engagement. Alyssa brings the data that connects what happens in the brain to productivity, customer loyalty, profitability and the outcomes organizations measure.

Give People a Reason to Say Yes

Great pitches do more than persuade. They create confidence. Alyssa combines brain science, presentation strategy and her signature tough-love feedback to teach people how to do both.

BRING ALYSSA TO YOUR ORGANIZATION

Expect More Than Applause.

A few uncomfortable truths. Some surprising science. And people who leave knowing more about what they're capable of, what they can accomplish together and how to make both happen.