Available to book
Celia Orsini
Strengthen belonging, trust, and connection at work with Dr Celia Orsini, archaeologist and workplace wellbeing speaker. Celia applies an archaeological lens to identity, leadership, and community, drawing on a decade of fieldwork and PhD from Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne.
Dr Celia Orsini applies archaeology to modern working life, showing that identity, belonging, and community are layered, built over time, and capable of being consciously strengthened.
Having completed her PhD in Early Medieval Archaeology at Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne and her postdoctorate and subsequent work at Durham University, Celia founded Archaeology for Wellbeing to translate a decade of fieldwork into practical insights for leaders. Her methodology is built around three leadership tools: Contact, Choice, and Construct.
In her keynotes, Celia treats identity the way archaeologists treat a site: as layers of experience, history, and social meaning rather than a fixed label. She shows that belonging is social and measurable, that attachment to place shapes wellbeing and behaviour, and that surface problems such as silence, conflict, or disengagement usually reflect deeper structures of identity and power. Reading those layers, she argues, is how leaders build cultures of trust and how communities form through repeated acts of care, participation, and shared experience.
Audiences leave with tools they can use immediately. Connection Hooks give leaders a repeatable system for rebuilding relationships, Grounding and Belonging practices reduce stress and strengthen psychological safety, and optional pulse checks with a 14-day ritual challenge let organisations track measurable shifts in calm, communication, and connection.
Working across Europe in English and French, Celia brings archaeology's long view to today's workplace challenges. Book Celia for a session that turns identity, belonging, and connection into practical leadership skills.
Topics, sessions and talks
What if archaeology were not just a study of the past but a practical tool for building belonging in the present? Dr Celia Orsini reframes the discipline beyond dust and ruins, showing that identity forms in layers, that belonging is social, measurable, and can be strengthened, and that place, memory, and shared meaning shape connection. The result is a perspective shift for anyone who has felt out of place, and a case for empathy and wellbeing as practical foundations.
High-performing teams rarely struggle for lack of talent; they struggle when communication thins, silos form, and colleagues stop feeling connected. Dr Celia Orsini uses archaeology as a safe, intelligent doorway into conversations about identity, stress, belonging, and collaboration. Starting from a human theme such as care, food, or place, she links archaeological stories and objects to today's workplace challenges, closing with practical steps for better communication and optional pulse checks to measure the shift.
How did power, hierarchy, and care shape the earliest human groups, and what can that teach today's organisations? Dr Celia Orsini draws on archaeological evidence to show how empathy can be practised rather than assumed, offering tools for noticing, listening, and creating safer connection. She examines how belonging forms through place, memory, and shared meaning, and how understanding these deeper patterns helps leaders use power thoughtfully and build groups where people feel recognised and included.
Testimonials
often considered together
Dean Leak
Workplace Culture
High Performance
Team Building
Crystal Kadakia
Leadership Development
Emotional Intelligence
Team Building
Chloe Carmichael
Communication
Conflict Resolution
Stress Management
frequently asked questions
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To book Celia Orsini, email celia.orsini@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Celia's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.
Dr Celia Orsini structures sessions around a thematic anchor drawn from universal human experiences — such as care, food, or place — then maps archaeological evidence onto present-day workplace challenges. She closes with three named leadership tools (Contact, Choice, and Construct), practical Connection Hooks, and optional pulse checks paired with a 14-day ritual challenge to allow organisations to track measurable shifts in communication and belonging.
Dr Celia Orsini's sessions address belonging and identity in the workplace, team communication and collaboration, and the relationship between empathy, power, and leadership. She holds a PhD in Early Medieval Archaeology from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and founded Archaeology for Wellbeing following postdoctoral work at Durham University, applying a decade of fieldwork to practical leadership methodology.
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