High Heels Speaking

High Heels Speaking Helping ambitious women communicate with power, lead with confidence, and stop shrinking in rooms they earned.

Author | Executive Leader | Speaker | Founder of High Heels Speaking Karen Locke is the Creator/ Founder of High Heels Speaking, a company founded to help women achieve their highest professional goals. She is a results-oriented leader, an award winning facilitator, speaker, mediator, life-coach and author and is currently the Chief Operating Officer of a 40 year old award winning non-profit agenc

y. She is responsible for providing oversight to all of the agency’s child welfare and juvenile justice programming. She has a proven track record in performance outcomes, employee development & retention, external relations, and growth & development of services. Karen has over 20 years experience serving in management and leadership positions. She has understands the difficulty women face in the work place. At 26 her successful husband, who worked on wall street died leaving her to raise 17 month old twins with no work history of her own and a GED. With the help of mentors she attended college and obtained her graduate degree. She has spent her professional life mentoring other women and developing tools and trainings to help level the playing field. Her journey has brought her to High Heels Speaking. Over 10 years ago while serving in a middle management position Karen was about to present a strategic plan to several male managers. Her boss introduced her and during the introduction he did not call her by name but instead said, “High Heels Speaking.” At the moment Karen took this as a negative but in time she came to recognize that her boss remark maybe have not been an insult but just ignorance. She eventually came to recognize the “power of highheels. “

Karen’s workshops and keynotes are geared toward the unique challenges of women in the workplace. She believes, the playing field may not be level as yet but with the right tools women can achieve at the same level as men.

Don’t let anyone steal your spark…
08/26/2026

Don’t let anyone steal your spark…

Once you recognize you made a mistake … move away from it.
08/22/2026

Once you recognize you made a mistake … move away from it.

Karma doesn’t always arrive quickly. Sometimes it takes the scenic route. Sometimes it sits quietly while people lie, ma...
08/18/2026

Karma doesn’t always arrive quickly. Sometimes it takes the scenic route. Sometimes it sits quietly while people lie, manipulate, mistreat others, and convince themselves they got away with it.

But eventually, choices have consequences.

That’s why I’ve learned not to waste my energy trying to get even. I don’t need revenge, and I don’t need to fight every battle. I can protect my peace, set my boundaries, keep moving forward, and allow people to eventually meet the consequences of the decisions they made.

Karma may be patient, but accountability has a way of catching up.

So keep your hands clean, your heart right, and your heels moving forward. 👠

08/11/2026

SOME WOMEN AREN’T STRUGGLING WITH LEADERSHIP. THEY’RE STRUGGLING WITH PERMISSION. 👠

Permission to say no without explaining.

Permission to disagree without apologizing.

Permission to stop doing everyone else’s job just because they know you’ll get it done.

Permission to walk away from tables where their expertise is welcomed but their voice is ignored.

At some point in your leadership journey, you have to stop asking, “Will they like me?” and start asking, “Am I leading with integrity, courage, and purpose?”

You can be kind without being a pushover.

You can be collaborative without surrendering your authority.

You can have boundaries without being difficult.

And you can be powerful without becoming someone you don’t recognize.

Women, we have spent enough time shrinking to fit into rooms we were qualified to lead.

Stop waiting for permission.

Pull up the chair.
Speak clearly.
Set the boundary.
Make the decision.

And lead. 👠🔥

Happy Saturday…
07/25/2026

Happy Saturday…

👠 Your data impresses people. Your story stays with them.Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker found that people remember st...
06/21/2026

👠 Your data impresses people. Your story stays with them.

Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker found that people remember stories 22 times better than facts alone.

Think about that.

You can share statistics, credentials, and accomplishments all day long. People may nod and move on.

But tell a story about a challenge you faced, a lesson you learned, or a moment that changed you—and people remember.

Facts inform.

Stories connect.

If you want to lead, influence, inspire, or sell an idea, don’t just share what happened.

Share the story behind it.

People may forget your facts. They rarely forget how your story made them feel.

👠 High Heels Speaking

You’re qualified.Experienced.Capable.So why are you still second-guessing yourself before speaking up in the room?Too ma...
05/24/2026

You’re qualified.
Experienced.
Capable.

So why are you still second-guessing yourself before speaking up in the room?

Too many powerful women are leading quietly…
Working harder than everyone else…
Carrying organizations on their backs…
While watching less qualified people take the opportunities they deserve.

That stops now.

At High Heels Speaking, I coach women leaders to:

• Speak with authority
• Command respect without apologizing
• Navigate difficult leadership dynamics
• Increase executive presence
• Communicate with confidence under pressure
• Stop minimizing themselves in rooms they earned the right to be in

This isn’t “feel good” coaching.

This is real leadership development for women who are ready to rise, influence, and lead at the next level.

If you’re ready to stop playing small, message me the word “LEAD.”

Your voice was never meant to stay quiet.

Coming soon…
05/08/2026

Coming soon…

Power is what you stop carrying.You weren’t promoted to carry everything.You were promoted to decide what not to carry.T...
03/27/2026

Power is what you stop carrying.

You weren’t promoted to carry everything.

You were promoted to decide what not to carry.

That’s the shift.

That’s authority.

Which leadership style do you see?Most people answer fast.But strong leaders… pause.Because this isn’t about what you se...
03/22/2026

Which leadership style do you see?

Most people answer fast.
But strong leaders… pause.

Because this isn’t about what you see.
It’s about what you build.

1️⃣ Function – The work gets done
2️⃣ Independent – People operate on their own
3️⃣ Connected – Relationships are visible
4️⃣ Prepared – Stability and foresight lead

Here’s the truth:

👉 Function without connection creates burnout
👉 Independence without alignment creates silos
👉 Connection without accountability creates weakness
👉 Preparation without presence creates distance

Real leadership isn’t one style. It’s integration.

👠 The most powerful leaders know when to:
✔️ Step in
✔️ Step back
✔️ Lean in
✔️ Plan ahead

Because when the pressure hits…

Your team doesn’t need one version of you.
They need the right version of you.

So I’ll ask again—

Which leadership style do you see… and which one are you missing?

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Melbourne, FL
32935

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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