Brittany Martin Déjean
Brittany Martin Déjean
What's the cost of overthinking?
FOMU (Fear of Messing Up) is stealing time from your high performers and putting them on a path to burnout.
Overthinking. Rewriting emails. Second-guessing decisions. All of it has a cost, even if no one is talking about it.
I help leaders interrupt the FOMU cycle to build stronger teams, reclaim time, and enable aligned action.
Facing FOMU:
Unlocking innovation, talent, and trust.
High performers produce results, but underneath, FOMU (Fear of Messing Up) has them on a fast track to burnout. In this keynote, Brittany draws from her work coaching leaders and her own lived experience to name the FOMU cycle that undermines culture and performance, exploring:
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How FOMU shows up in high-performance culture
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Why psychological safety initiatives can miss the root pattern
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What's possible when courageous innovation replaces fear-driven hesitation
Beyond Awkward:
Building psychological safety with disability inclusion.
When people are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing, good intentions stall. Avoidance takes root, exclusion follows, and the cultures we're trying to build never quite take. In this interactive keynote, Brittany uses disability inclusion as the lens to explore this costly dynamic, exploring:
- Why even well-intentioned leaders freeze around disability
- How to interrupt FOMU (Fear of Messing Up) that's blocking inclusive action
- What changes when connection is prioritized over perfection
Signature Keynotes
The Fear of Messing Up (FOMU) leads to disconnection, missed opportunities, and stagnation in individuals and organizations. Through powerful stories and real-world scenarios, Brittany brings practical strategies for psychological safety to create cultures where it's safe to speak up, take risks and innovate.
Brittany Martin Déjean is a keynote speaker and coach who helps high achievers interrupt FOMU (Fear Of Messing Up) - the pattern of overthinking, second-guessing and self-criticism before, during and after a mistake. She works with high achievers who look like they have it all figured out on the outside, but who spiral in shame on the inside. She helps them see and interrupt the cycle and reclaim their time, energy, and peace.
Her path started in disability inclusion, including 6.5 years at Airbnb, where she trained over 1,000 employees and hosts. She coined FOMU to name the fear that kept well-intentioned people from engaging comfortably with disability. As a recovering perfectionist and Harvard alum herself, she began to recognize how FOMU had been running on autopilot in her own life for years. Once she learned to interrupt her own cycle, she found purpose in helping others do the same. In addition to reframing their relationship to mistakes, her clients have reduced time lost to FOMU each week by an average of 73%. She’s spoken for organizations including Andersen, NBC Universal and Deutsche Bank.
When she’s not challenging her own FOMU by testing her comfort zone, you can find her writing, reading, or trying out a new baking recipe.
About Brittany
What Clients Say...
“Brittany was thoughtful in her preparation, responsive throughout the planning process, and incredibly easy to collaborate with. She is one of those speakers who just ‘gets it’. On the day of the event, she showed up with warmth, authenticity, and a presence that put everyone at ease.”
Won Shin
Managing Director at Andersen
“Brittany propelled me and our team to new levels of understanding and competence. She walked with us without judgment, but with humility, patience and the expertise which she shared with us. Brittany has a unique way of cutting through people's hesitation and discomfort and getting to the heart of what matters.”
Melissa Thomas-Hunt
former Global Head of Diversity & Belonging at Airbnb