LISA PERTOSO BIO

​Lisa Pertoso is a learning experience designer, comedian and writer. Ten years ago, she founded Follow the Fear, a leadership development studio, to supercharge leaders into more adaptable humans so that they can thrive at work and life.

Her improv-based experiences—workshops, classes, and talks—focus on adaptability, creative problem-solving, public speaking and well-being. Lisa believes that our most vital human skills are developed through experiences, and the experiences that scare us the most are our biggest teachers.

Throughout her 20+ year career, Lisa has brought human-centered learning experiences to thousands of business leaders and students across U.S, Asia, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the EU inside design and advertising agencies, tech and law firms, non-profit and government organizations. Past clients include BMW Group, Brooklyn Public Library, Con Edison, Equinox, NYC Health, and TBWA.

In her previous roles, Lisa served as Director of Executive Education Programs at Hyper Island, a leadership coach at The Flatiron School and Teal, and designed experiences for human rights NGOs in New York and DC. She has a Master’s in International Relations, and is a published humor and essayist with work appearing in Glamour, Business Insider, and McSweeney’s.

Lisa follows her fears every day as an improv comedy performer and parent. Learn more and connect with Lisa on Linkedin and her Substack.