Emotional openness and creativity are directly correlated in Beth Inglish’s eyes. Yet, as the keynote speaker, artist, and community leader knows from her own experience, burnout can hinder access to creative thinking. It’s almost impossible to generate innovative ideas, collaborate, and develop strong connections if you are feeling overwhelmed. Inglish teaches audiences how to be successful by honoring and overcoming their sufferings. Triumph over trauma has always been the crux of the speaker’s own story.

The artist, who is originally from Port Arthur, Texas, grew up dabbling in almost every creative outlet to escape from childhood trauma. However, it wasn’t until her twenties that she took her artistic abilities seriously when she started to realize how cathartic art could be. While going through trauma recovery, Inglish was also healing through abstract painting. It became her way of channeling complex emotions. However, most significant to Inglish was when buyers began to explain that they saw their own stories reflected in her art.

“A CEO explained one day that a painting of mine reminded him of his path of perseverance, which was the first time I realized that by connecting to myself I could create substantial connections with others,” she explains. From there, any time Inglish picked up a paint brush she was reminded that it is her means to drive important conversations.

In conjunction with building her own artistic career, Inglish also founded The Nashville Creative Group in 2012. The physical and virtual community, which has since grown to nearly 10,000 members, arose out of her desire to have a support system where artists could talk about process, projects, and the industry. After years of leading artists in Middle Tennessee, she then began speaking about creativity and leadership at corporations. By rallying attendees around the common cause of becoming more curious about their inner lives, and those of their coworkers, Inglish believes they can also transition from suffering to a place of success.

In developing her framework, Inglish looked to her own step-by-step process for developing self-awareness and handling stress with ease. “The end goal is for attendees to know how to get through stress without burning out,” she explains. By connecting on a human level with their colleagues, they leave more empathetic, excited to collaborate, and inspired by one another. Her hope is that through sharing, attendees will see the bigger picture around their situation and find a pathway out of it. From there, they will be free to think more creatively, communicate with ease, and express themselves to the highest degree. The end result of these authentic connections is greater innovation, retention, and most importantly, joy. “I sincerely believe that people create the best work and be as successful as possible by moving through setbacks that have been stopping them,” she says.