About Joe Serio

Keynote Speaker • Trainer • Author

Dr. Joe Serio is a popular and entertaining keynote speaker and trainer on communication, culture, and leadership. Through his flagship keynotes: Be an Inspired Leader; When Leaders Listen: The Power to Connect, Inspire, and Lead; and A Complaint-Free World: Rising to the Challenge, he motivates and inspires his audiences while providing proven, actionable techniques.

CULTURE · COMMUNICATION · LEADERSHIP · WELLNESS

book joe

"My view of the world has been shaped by some unlikely experiences."

01 / Where it Started ↓‍

02 / Around the Globe ↓‍

03 / Experiences Into Insight ↓

04 / Today ↓

MY #1 TAKEAWAY

Money. Peace. Success.

Poor communication quietly drains all three — at home and at work. It’s costing you money, peace, and success.

It’s keeping you from getting what you really want – as an individual and as an organization.

Poor communication is a bigger problem than you realize.

Lake George, NY 1970

01 / WHERE IT STARTED

On The Home Front

I was the 9th of 12 kids growing up in New York. In a family that size, you learn quickly that communication isn’t about talking louder.

I started observing.

Why were we kids interacting the way we were? What could I learn about my parents by the way they communicated with each other and with us?

Malaga, Spain

1982

02 / AROUND THE GLOBE

Exploring the World

After college, I started observing interactions between colleagues in the workplace. Over the years, I held positions in public and private organizations: retail, religious, higher education, corporate, and government.

I started traveling internationally at 18 years old, eventually living in Russia for nearly 10 years, working in China and England, and traveling throughout Europe and parts of Central America.

I was always observing in order to understand why people did what they did.

Soviet Georgia

1987

Chinese Countryside

1988

Suzhou, China

1988

03 / EXPERIENCES INTO INSIGHT

A Different Kind of Classroom

Those experiences served me well when I investigated the Russian Mafia and worked for the CIA.

Some of the most memorable lessons happened far beyond a classroom. These experiences became part of the perspective I bring to my work today.

With Undercover Narcotics Detective, Moscow

1993

With Clients on Red Square, Moscow

1999

With Former KGB Operatives, Moscow

1999

04 / TODAY’S WORK

Combining Experience and Training

After my unique experiences around the world, I returned to the States to pursue a Ph.D., focusing on Leadership and Organizational Behavior.

More recently, I have become a Certified Complaint-Free Trainer under the guidance of the world’s leading expert on complaining, international bestselling author and speaker, Will Bowen.

In early 2027, I will be a certified trainer in the world-famous TED* curriculum: The Empowerment Dynamic.

This transformational material provides a framework for changing lives and organizations.

WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT

I’ve spent my life pursuing the answer to one question:

How can people communicate more effectively, connect more deeply, and lead with inspiration?

I want you to have more fruitful conversations, to move yourself and your organization forward, to reach your goals and live your dreams.

THE APPROACH

Driving Meaningful Change

That’s why I developed a different approach to speaking and training, an approach designed to:

✓ Put people at ease but never leave them too comfortable.
✓ Capture their attention but challenge their assumptions.
✓ Engage in an entertaining way but never lose sight of the seriousness of the mission.

That’s the work I do. I help organizations unlock the power of engagement through communication.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Your organization doesn’t need another bottleneck.

It needs people who think.
People who act.
People who take ownership.

People who move the mission forward.

If you’re ready to build that kind of team—and develop leaders at every level of your organization—let’s talk. Because your next level of leadership doesn’t start with another boring, ineffective seminar.

It starts with a conversation.

LET'S TALK

Your Path to Unlocking Your Potential

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  • This well-written, very readable work [Investigating the Russian Mafia] is extremely well documented.

    L.L. Vucic, CHOICE Magazine

  • Serio provides a road map to the Russian criminal mind set. Required reading for ALL law enforcement!

    Detective Douglas Fell, Vancouver B.C. Police Department, Co-Founder Western Association of Eastern European Organized Crime Investigators

  • New analysis of the development and character of organized crime in Russia. A superb book!

    Graham H. Turbiville, Jr., Senior Fellow and Consultant, Department of Defense military and intelligence programs

  • Clear, precise, accessible…. I read Investigating the Russian Mafia with great pleasure.

    Andre Bossard, Secretary General (ret.), Interpol

  • This is an important book because it gives insight into things popular history is content to pass over.

    John Lehman, BookReview.com

  • I finished Vodka, Hookers, and the Russian Mafia. The last 100 pages I was reading with my mouth half open!

    Juliet Brown, Dispatcher, Chicopee, MA