The Ownership Instinct
People protect what they feel connected to. Leadership lessons from the wild for founders, executives, and teams on engagement, trust, change, and retention, from a speaker who spent two decades in corporate leadership.
Keynotes & Workshops
Talks that turn caring into protecting
Carrie blends personal story, field experience from South Africa's rhino sanctuaries, the jungles of Costa Rica, and Uganda's gorilla forests, and a short guided practice, so people don't just hear about connection, they feel it in the room.
From Tourist to Conservationist
How a tourist became a rhino caregiver and a Care for Wild board member, and how lodges and tourism companies can design stays that turn guests into returning guardians of the land, the wildlife, and the community.
Lessons in Symbiosis
Fungal networks that feed young trees, acacias that warn each other on the wind, elephants that speak through the ground, and a Ugandan village that keeps gorillas out of its crops with a border of tea. Nature's case that nothing survives alone.
Healing Is Remembering
Why burnout and environmental loss share one root. If we don't love the wild, we won't understand it, and if we don't understand it, we won't protect it. Includes a short guided practice.
KeynotePanelWorkshopGuided breathwork & meditationFireside conversation
What audiences say
“You don’t just listen to Carrie, you experience her message and her storytelling.”
Watching Carrie command a stage is nothing short of a masterclass in communication. Whether addressing a packed auditorium or leading an intimate workshop, she has that rare ability to make an audience of hundreds feel like a one-on-one conversation. Her storytelling is vivid and dynamic, she effortlessly balances infectious energy with a grounded, comfortable stage presence that instantly earns trust.
For Event Organizers
Speaker kit
Everything you need for your program and promotion. High-resolution headshots are available on request.
Short bio
Carrie Barnes is a speaker, author, and conservation advocate who helps people turn caring about the planet into protecting it. After more than two decades as a commercial leader in corporate healthcare, a personal loss led her into the wild, from a volcanic river valley in Costa Rica to the rhino orphanage at Care for Wild in South Africa, where she now serves on the board. She is the founder of MedaSyn, is building a healing retreat beside Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and is the author of the forthcoming book Whi(t)ch: A Journey of Restorative Connection (2027).
Formats
Keynote (30–60 min) · Workshop (90 min to half day) · Panel · Fireside conversation
Signature topics
The Ownership Instinct: People Protect What They Feel Connected To (corporate and leadership) · From Tourist to Conservationist (lodges and tourism)
Also available
Lessons in Symbiosis · Healing Is Remembering · Wild Connection and Healer Residency briefings for lodge teams
Travel
Available for events in person worldwide and virtually
How It Works
Three steps to bring connection to your people
1
Tell Carrie about your people
Fill out the short booking form about your event, team, or property. You'll hear back within a few days.
2
Get a tailored plan
Carrie shapes the keynote, workshop, or program around your goals, your audience, and your place.
3
Watch connection take root
Your people leave moved, clear on what to do next, and more committed to what you're protecting together.
Take the First Step
People protect what they feel connected to. Let's help yours connect.
Tell Carrie about your event, team, or property. The booking form takes about two minutes and covers keynotes, workshops, Wild Connection, and the Healer Residency.
Let's ConnectPrefer email or Instagram? Or save Carrie to your phone.
On a laptop?Scan with your phone's camera to save Carrie's contact.