Valarie Bush is an author, speaker, business strategist, and former Fortune 100 technology executive who helps people discover what's next in their lives and work. Her unconventional journey has included becoming the first female auto mechanic at Sears, working as an aircraft mechanic, earning her pilot's license, writing for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and leading large technology organizations.
Today, Valarie speaks about reinvention, lifelong learning, practical uses of artificial intelligence, and what our own stories can teach us about who we are and where we might go next. She has a particular gift for making complex or intimidating ideas understandable and useful to everyday people. Her talks combine personal stories, practical insights, humor, and more than four decades of leadership and business experience. She welcomes keynotes, workshops, interviews, panels, podcasts, and conversations where audiences are invited to think, discover, and take action.
Presentations
These are example talks for Valarie Bush
What does it really mean to become “The Woman Who Learned to Finish”?
Valarie Bush has always loved beginnings—fresh ideas, new challenges, and the next “starry object.” But after recognizing a pattern of starting things she didn't finish, something unexpected happened: for a time, she became reluctant to start at all.
Over a lifetime of beginnings, setbacks, accomplishments, and some very satisfying finishes, Valarie discovered that the answer wasn't to stop being curious—or to finish everything she started.
She gets to choose.
In this conversation, Valarie shares what she's learned about curiosity, perfectionism, commitment, and self-trust—and how she now decides which possibilities are simply interesting, which deserve her time and focus, and which receive a heartfelt “not now.”
Because learning to finish isn't about finishing everything.
It's about choosing what deserves your finish.
Artificial intelligence does not have to be intimidating—or reserved for technology experts. In this practical and encouraging presentation, Valarie Bush helps everyday people understand how AI can become a useful assistant for thinking, learning, writing, organizing ideas, solving problems, and preserving personal stories.
Drawing from her forty-year career in technology and her own experience as an author and small business strategist, Valarie demonstrates AI in plain language, without hype or technical jargon. Participants discover approachable ways to begin using AI while protecting their privacy, judgment, and authentic voice.
No technical background is required. Bring your curiosity—and perhaps something you have been meaning to begin, understand, organize, or finish.