“Most workplaces aren’t held back by bad people — but by good people operating inside unquestioned assumptions.”
“Her message resonated with our attendees, and the response to the seminar was phenomenal.” - Monica Smiley, CEO, Enterprising Women, USA
RÚNA MAGNÚSDÓTTIR
Conscious Leadership Keynote Speaker
Co-Creator of Exploring Boxes: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Creator of BeBBY-AI – The Conscious Leadership Reflector
Rúna Magnúsdóttir is an international keynote speaker who helps leaders move from boxed-in thinking to breakthrough performance — through Exploring Boxes, BeBBY-AI, and the X-Factor Method.
Helping leaders and teams move from boxed-in thinking to breakthrough performance.
Through humour, humanity, and a dash of AI.
Book Rúna for your next conference or leadership event.
WHAT ARE BOXES?
WHAT ARE BOXES?
In every workplace, there are invisible boxes — unspoken rules, habits, and “truths” that shape how people lead, collaborate, and create.
Some boxes are Good – they give structure, safety, and clarity.
Some are Bad – they limit innovation and silence new voices.
And some are Ugly – they’ve been there so long, no one even sees them… yet they quietly drain energy, trust, and creativity.
But there’s one layer that makes these boxes even more powerful — and dangerous:
our unconscious biases and unquestioned assumptions.
They’re the silent architects of many workplace boxes:
The Gender Box – where women are expected to be nurturing but not bold, and men strong but not sensitive.
The Age Box – where younger talent is seen as “not ready,” and older professionals as “past their peak.”
The Background Box – where a person’s accent, origin, or education quietly shapes how their ideas are valued.
These boxes aren’t built with bad intentions — they’re built from conditioning, from unexamined beliefs about who belongs where and what “good leadership” looks like.
But they come at a cost.
When we live and lead from the box, our energy tightens — our breath shortens, our flow hardens.
Conscious leadership is the art of re-opening that flow — within ourselves, our teams, and our systems.
Every time someone is placed in a box, a piece of their potential is left outside it.
Innovation slows. Trust erodes.
And teams lose the very diversity of thought that could make them extraordinary.
My keynotes open these boxes — not to judge
—but to explore, expand, and escape what no longer serves your culture.
Because when we release the boxes, people come alive.
Teams reconnect.
And leaders rediscover what it means to lead — consciously.
WHAT I SPEAK ABOUT
From Boxed-In to Breakthrough: Leadership for a New Era of Conscious Business
A high-energy, interactive keynote helping your people recognise the “invisible boxes” shaping their work — and how to step beyond them.
Perfect for leadership summits, conferences, and cultural transformation events.
Key takeaways:
Recognise the hidden rules driving your team culture
Explore the cost of staying boxed in
Learn the 3-step Explore–Expand–Escape method
Experience a live BeBBY-AI reflection — the first conscious AI mirror for leaders
Beyond Gender:
The Boxes That Still Divide Us
Examples of organisational boxes:
How Old Cultural Scripts Keep Men and Women Trapped in Invisible Roles — and How to Rewrite Those Stories to Unleash Authentic Leadership.
The Perfection Box:
When Excellence Turns Into Exhaustion
Why the pursuit of “flawless” kills creativity, connection, and joy at work.
How leaders can create high standards without burnout, fear, or shame.
BeBBY-AI Conscious Technology & Leadership
What happens when artificial intelligence meets conscious awareness?
BeBBY doesn’t just reflect your thoughts — she mirrors your energy in motion. It has its roots in ancient Oriental wisdom, which we've adapted for a modern world.
The patterns that drive your confidence, your clarity, and your connection.
When you see your energy clearly, you can lead from a state of flow, not force.
How BeBBY-AI helps teams reflect on what’s flowing and what’s stuck — and lead with energy, empathy, and balance.
Un-Box Your X-Factor: Branding From Energy, Not Ego
You don’t create your X-Factor — you reveal it.
This keynote connects leadership, energy, and authenticity to help you discover the power that emerges when you align who you are with how you show up.
Key takeaways:
Identify your unique energetic signature with The Vitality Test
See how unconscious boxes mute your natural brand presence
Learn how to communicate from flow, not performance
Experience the BeBBY-AI X-Factor Mirror live
— Jeremy Monsen, Bi-borough Principal Educational Psychologist, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, UK
“I remember your presentation to a group of Local Authority EPs – you were ahead of your time. Years later, people still reference your talk. They said it was challenging and provocative – and ahead of its time.
Ten years later, that service became one of the most successful Local Authority psychology services in the UK, with almost all schools buying in and generating an impressive income that was reinvested to support wider services.
Thank you, Rúna.”
THE JOURNEY
FROM BOXED-IN TO BRILLIANT
Step 1: Exploring Boxes – Awareness
Understand the invisible forces shaping your culture, and how to move from unconscious bias to conscious choice.
Step 2: BeBBY-AI – Reflection
Meet the world’s first Conscious Leadership Reflector. BeBBY-AI helps you see your energetic strengths and blind spots through The Vitality Test.
Step 3: Branding Your X-Factor – Expression
When you’ve unboxed and reflected, your authentic presence becomes visible.
Your X-Factor isn’t something you invent — it’s what’s been waiting underneath the conditioning.
“You can’t brand your X-Factor until you’ve un-boxed it.”
WHY ORGANISATIONS BOOK RÚNA
✨ Over 30 years of leadership and brand experience
✨ Co-creator of the Exploring Boxes global movement
✨ Creator of BeBBY-AI – the first GPT AI-Leadership Reflector
✨ Warm, humorous, deeply human stage presence
✨ Delivers tangible transformation, not just inspiration
“Rúna doesn’t just speak about change
— she creates it in the room.”
Read the Testimonials HERE!
THE IMPACT
Audiences leave with:
A-ha moments that connect emotion, logic, and energy
Frameworks that they can apply instantly
Shared language for conscious conversations
Tools to lead with clarity, courage, and compassion
What You Get
Tangible mindset shifts
Emotional intelligence tools
AI reflection demo
Why It Matters
Immediate team impact
Stronger trust & flow
Memorable & innovative
Conferences • Corporate Retreats • Leadership Summits
Conferences • Corporate Retreats • Leadership Summits
Ready to Un-Box Your Next Event?
Invite Rúna to create an experience your audience will remember — long after the applause fades.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
FAQ:
-
They blend human storytelling, humour, and AI reflection tools to spark real transformation.
-
Absolutely — Rúna strives to craft each keynote to be tailored to your culture, audience, and outcomes.
-
BeBBY-AI is the world’s first conscious leadership reflector — a GPT-AI tool that helps leaders see and balance their energy patterns based on their vitality energy chart and the Exploring Boxes: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Methodology.
-
Forward-thinking teams ready to move beyond old structures and lead with awareness. Perfect for conferences, leadership retreats, and cultural transformation programs.
-
Keynotes typically run 40–60 minutes and Rúna loves to include live reflection exercises, BeBBY-AI demos, or short breakout discussions — depending on your event format.
-
Expect greater self-awareness, stronger team connection, and a shared language for leading consciously. Many organisations use Rúna’s frameworks long after the event to guide communication and decision-making.
THE FUTURE OF
LEADERSHIP IS CONSCIOUS
We can’t build tomorrow’s workplaces with yesterday’s boxes.
Let’s open them — together.
Every unopened box limits possibility.
Every opened box expands it.
Conscious leadership begins and ends with energy —
how you hold it, move it, and share it.
When your energy flows, your leadership glows.
Different thinking - different outcome!
Author, entrepreneur, business leader, and an overall go-getter, inspirational speaker Runa Magnusdóttir (a.k.a. Runa Magnus) can help you to inspire your team/audience with a unique message that’s stuck in their hearts and soul.
“Watch out for Runa! She’s got that extra Wow! factor,” exclaimed New York Times bestselling author Janet Bray Attwood – and there’s a good reason why.
As one of the sought-after female motivational speakers in Europe and North America, the founder & CEO of The Change Makers, creator of BeBBY-AI and co-creator of Exploring Boxes: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, the methodology and movement, Runa gives your audience a powerful onstage presence that is instantly electric and unforgettable.
Rúna has a unique experience in personal branding for entrepreneurs, politicians and thought leaders. Her take on gender equity has made the media headlines, which she discusses more deeply in her talks and her last book, Beyond Gender: The New Rules of Leadership.
Runa is here to inspire your audience to stop procrastinating and take the necessary steps to build an internal culture of diversity and inclusion that thrives.
Through energetic, timely, and often humorous speeches that shape, move, and stir hearts and minds, Runa shines a spotlight on what matters in a way that is both original and insightful.
“Runa is simply brilliant and one of the most authentic, wonderful people I know...her presentations are superb and engaging...I highly, highly recommend all aspects of Runa’s work. She is making her mark globally.
”
Speaking Appearances by Rúna Magnúsdóttir
Media Mentions and Interviews for Runa Magnusdóttir
Who is Runa Magnusdóttir?
An Imaginative and Resourceful Speaker Who Takes Your Audience On an Inspirational Journey Out-Of-Their Boxes and into a World of New Possibilities.
Profoundly passionate about her life’s work, and always an Icelander at heart, Runa Magnusdóttir (a.k.a. Rúna Magnús) packs a mighty punch as an entrepreneur, business leader, author, and speaker.
Known for her palpable humour and incisive business acumen, Runa helps leaders, entrepreneurs, and organisations discover why one of their biggest problems is hidden in plain sight –.
She has created two EU-Awarded Leadership and Personal Branding Programs, she is the author of three books; “Branding Your X-Factor, How the Secret to Your Success is Already Right in front of Your…” and “The Story of Boxes, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” and her latest book, “Beyond Gender: The New Rules of Leadership”, she is the co-founder of #NoMoreBoxes The Transformational Movement, Methodology & Lifestyle, the antidote to division and black & white thinking.
By playing a pivotal role in Iceland’s National Assembly of 2009 – where the nation’s leaders came together to reinvigorate the country following the economic crash – she helped to transform and reshape the island’s economic standing.
But that’s not all. Runa is the co-founder of NASKAR Investments (a woman-only investment group), and the past vice-president for FKA, the Icelandic Associations of Women Business Leaders. She is also the Global Ambassador for IWIB (International Women in Business). And she has spoken onstage at conferences such as; HubSpot’s famous Inbound conference, keynoted by Chelsea Clinton, Daniel Pink, Brené Brown, Enterprising Women Magazine Awards, JUMP, Small Business Branding Day and other luminaries.
How Runa Magnusdóttir can help your audience?
Are you looking for a speaker to inspire your team or audience on topics related to leadership in the new era and/or the future of genders?
Backed by years of relevant experience, Runa Magnus is here to help your company by delivering actionable conference speeches that crackle with deep insight and reverberate with wit, charm, and warm Icelandic humour.
Known for having audiences “on our feet, laughing and inspired” (well, that’s what the host of Techno Granny said about Runa’s speech, anyway), Runa has received multiple international awards in branding and entrepreneurship – and is widely acclaimed for these traits as a speaker:
Crafting and delivering speeches with a fresh, human appeal. With audacious honesty and fearless humour, Runa keeps her audience riveted and engaged, stimulated and moved – strengthening your brand’s positive reputation.
A capacity for clarity. A talent for grasping an audience’s frame of reference means that Runa Magnus infuses her speeches with complete clarity – she breaks down concepts, ideas, and methods in a way that every conference attendee can understand.
“.. she can convey a message in a clear and entertaining manner...by communicating an important and relevant message in a convincing and entertaining way, which makes her delivery an experience that remains with the listener.”
Why Runa Magnusdottir’ Approach Gives You the Confidence that Your Audience Will Be Inspired To Take Their Steps Out-Of-Their Boxes – Exactly as You Want It To
Praise for Runa
“There are three things you can be sure Rúna will ALWAYS bring to the table in every project or task she’s involved with:
1) The passion which motivates and inspires the people around her;
2) Out-of-the-box thinking and solutions to the challenges we face; and
3) Clear and well thought out actions steps to achieve the desired results. Her branding wisdom, insights, and talents as a leading European Transformational Personal Branding Speaker and Strategist are not only transformative but are also easy to understand to implement.
She’ll get you out in the world in a way that is authentic and aligned with who you are and what you stand for.”
“Runa’s expertise on branding was shared with our attendees at the Enterprising Women of the Year Awards event during our Connect, Grow & Inspire Workshop series. Her message resonated with our attendees and the response to the seminar was phenomenal. If you are looking for a speaker who connects with her audience, look no further than Runa.”
“Thanks so very, very much - your presentation to a public sector audience was very well received; people commented on your authenticity, realness, knowledge, but overall your joy in life - living and being the person you can be.”
To Those Looking for a Highly-Qualified, Engaging Speaker to Take Your Audience Out-Of-Their Box Based Mindset - Here’s a Personal Message from Runa Magnus to You
Why am I doing this?
As it turns out, I’ve attended and spoken at dozens of conferences all over the world. Most often around the topics of Leadership in the new era, Personal Branding and her vision for the future of gender equality.
Give your audience real food for their thoughts, tips, insights, tools and stories designed to inspire them to look at their own ability to grow, become the change they want to see in their world.
I believe endlessly in the power of human beings. I also believe each and every one of us can become the change we want to have more of in our world, whether it’s a big or small change.
If you are looking for a speaker that can give your audience space to look deep inside for their inner strength and ability to make a difference in their lives. How to live more from their soul’s calling, less from their social conditions. Contact my team, let’s find time to speak.
Rúna Magnúsdóttir BIO
ABOUT RÚNA MAGNÚSDÓTTIR
Born, raised and living in her native country Iceland. A lifetime entrepreneur, since 1988. First, in partnership with her role model in life, her mother, in a wholesale company, Bergís. A business that she sold in 2006 and transformed her career into the personal development and leadership world.
Since 2007 she has been dedicating her work to the personal leadership and development field—supporting entrepreneurs, leaders and politicians as their personal life and leadership coach.
She is the founder and creator of Connected-Women, one of the first global online community sites for women entrepreneurs and co-creator of the EU-WIIN Personal Branding Boutique and Program, BRANDit.
Rúna has written and published three books, The Personal Branding Book and Programs, Branding Your X-Factor, co-author of The Story Of Boxes, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, with Nicholas Haines, and Beyond Gender: The New Rules of Leadership.
Rúna is the founder of The Change Makers, co-founder of The Network for Transformational Leaders and co-creator of Exploring Boxes: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, The Transformational Movement, Methodology and Lifestyle - and co-creator of the MANIFESTO for The New Paradigm of Gender Equality, along with her business partner Nicholas Haines.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Finalist for The Transformational Leadership - A Change Maker Awards 2025 TechWomen4Boards UK
Listed on Forbes.com as one of the international businesswomen to follow on Twitter
Selected as one of 100 women in the world making a difference by The International Alliance of Women
Received the Leadership Award of the Year 2019 by The Network for Transformational Leaders
Received the EU-WIIN Awards for Capacity Building 2011
Received the WEF (Women Economic Forum) Awards for Excellence in Entrepreneurship 2022
Interviewed and mentioned in the international press such as Huffington Post, The Times, Telegraph, The Entrepreneur, and Psychology Today, to mention a few.
INTERNATIONAL SOUGHT-AFTER SPEAKER
RÚNA MAGNÚSDÓTTIR - HEADSHOTS
Photographer: Bjarney Ludviksdottir, Eyjafilm
Runa Magnúsdóttir, Iceland | Photographer: Ralph Reutimann