Melanie
bowden Simón
AUTHOR ◆ SPEAKER ◆ BRIDGE BUILDER
It’s simple:
Leaders make their biggest impact when they stay open — open to themselves, to others and to the unexpected moments that shape who they become.
When we lead from that place, we navigate uncertainty with steadier hands, build deeper trust and create cultures where people feel seen, valued and energized to contribute their best.
But staying open isn’t always easy. Change, pressure and fear can push us into hiding or into the armor that keeps us from being fully present.
In my keynote, “The Courage to Stay Open,” I bring story, candor and the power of strategic vulnerability to help people reconnect with the most authentic parts of who they are. I give leaders practical ways to break through barriers — cultural, generational, departmental and personal — so they can build bridges where walls used to exist.
Through my work as a speaker, writer, memoir coach and host of the Leadership Series, I help people uncover the story behind the story — the deeper truth that clarifies purpose, strengthens connection and fuels meaningful leadership. In a world crowded with noise, performance and AI-generated polish, authenticity is magnetic.
When leaders choose to stay open, they build trust, deepen collaboration, and create cultures where people feel energized to contribute their best — at work and in life.
“I teach strategic choices that turn life’s greatest challenges into your most powerful tools for authentic connection.”
Meet Melanie Bowden Simón,
a bestselling author, keynote speaker, storyteller and memoir coach whose work illuminates the connection between identity, voice and courageous leadership.
Her acclaimed bestselling book, La Americana: A Memoir — named a #1 Kindle and Top 15 Amazon Bestseller — was praised by NPR as “a fascinating and important read” and selected by Bustle as one of the “21 Best Nonfiction Books of Summer 2016.” The book is currently being developed into a feature film, where Melanie serves as a producer.
Melanie’s follow-up book, Leopold’s Ice Cream: A Century of Tasty Memories, featuring a foreword by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, was a finalist in four International Book Awards, including Biography, Business, General History and U.S. History.
As the creator and host of the Leadership Series, Melanie leads intimate conversations with global leaders — executives, diplomats and trailblazing women — on authenticity, resilience and the power of story in modern leadership.
Through her signature Memoir Suite, Melanie helps leaders, professionals and storytellers uncover “the story behind the story” and step into their next chapter with clarity, courage and grace.
Her keynote, “The Courage to Stay Open,” brings warmth, candor and strategic vulnerability to audiences seeking stronger connection, deeper trust and more grounded leadership in times of rapid change.
Melanie holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and was named a 2016 “35 Over 35” Debut Author, as featured in HuffPost.
la americana
a memoir
“WOW! Luis and Melanie will steal your heart!”
“A romance, an adventure tale, and a raw depiction of loss that transcends place and time. The fact that this story is set in Cuba, though, makes for a fascinating and important read at this pivotal moment in US-Cuba relations.”
— NPR“Bowden Simón’s travels and struggles are beautifully rendered in this evocative valentine to her mother, Cuba, and the power of love in the unlikeliest of places to heal a broken heart and spirit.”
— Publisher's Weekly“Melanie Bowden Simón recounts her real-life love story in La Americana. This is no cut-and-dry romance, though; her memoir tells how she fell in love while on vacation abroad and explores the obstacles she and her now-husband overcame to make their cross-cultural relationship work. Castro’s Cuba serves as a particularly interesting backdrop.”
— Bustle
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