Speaker Proof of Performance

Paya Sample, MA, Ed.S · CEO & Founder, Peak Leaders Collective
Trust at Work™ practitioner

Executive coach and learning designer helping mid-level and senior leaders turn relational friction into clear accountability, radical trust, and execution that holds.

Industries served

Learning and leadership sessions across schools, public health, real estate, banking, universities, and large-district operations.

SchoolsPublic healthReal estateBankingUniversitiesLarge-district operations

Signature talks

Accountability as Care: Moving Beyond Hope to Lead with Clarity and Intention
Communication That Builds Accountability
Trust Isn’t Soft. It’s the Engine of Performance
Your Leadership Story: From Internal Clarity to Cultures of Trust

Session evaluations

Across Peak Leaders Collective's facilitated learning sessions, participants rate:

4.74 / 5 overall session quality
4.62 / 5 for increased knowledge and understanding
"Paya, you practice what you preach. It’s helpful to see you model your presentation in the way that you present to us about your content."
"WONDERFUL speaker! Great connections with the staff… Please come back!"
"I appreciate Paya’s intellect and professionalism!!!"
"This is Nicole: you did a wonderful job keeping folks on the rails and narrowing the focus… you guided and advised with competence, care, and sincerity."
"This was one of my favorite PD sessions and was SO needed. I just hope the work doesn't stop here and that admin will support continued work in this area."
"I don’t always leave PD feeling like it was applicable to me or feeling so optimistic, so thank you for making this both actionable and giving me hope for the upcoming school year!"
"Thank you! The most useful PD I’ve been part of!"
"Advocate for Paya to speak to all KSD staff at an upcoming PD day."

Commerce Bank · October 15, 2026

Your Leadership Story: From Internal Clarity to Cultures of Trust

Leadership program session: Your Leadership Story: From Internal Clarity to Cultures of Trust. Participant ratings that day: four 5/5 responses and one 4/4.

"I loved how this session tied to the competencies from other sessions. This session really felt like the bow to all of the other sessions."

Invited back for a deeper full-day trust scenarios workshop in Kansas City.

What clients say

"Paya was great to work with from start to finish! From our very first virtual meeting I felt confident that she would bring valuable insights to our attendees; and the positive feedback I received after the event proved that to be true!"Sabriana Price, Associate Real Estate Manager, CBRE | Property Management (brought Peak in for IREM)
"Each session was deeply impactful and sparked meaningful collaboration. Paya’s facilitation transformed how our team builds trust. We were given actionable tools that immediately leveled up our leadership."Justin, Director of Operations
"The content was actionable, digestible, and delivered in a way that helped people engage without putting their guard up. It wasn’t just about feelings. The data and research behind it gave everything a clear, logical foundation."
"I stopped waiting for permission or external validation. Coaching gave me the structural tools to build real trust with my team and lead from a place of clear values and accountability."Sherri, Operational Leader
"We went from two competing factions operating in silos to one unified leadership team. Peak Leaders Collective helped us have the conversations we were terrified to have, without breaking our relationships."Executive Director, Horizons Solutions Group

Watch a session clip

Conversations for Leading WholeThe Neuroscience of Connection

Sample presentation materials

Commerce Bank Leadership Session (slides)Lincoln County Health Department (People-Centered Leadership sample)Your Leadership Story handout sample (2 pages)

Podcast

She Lift Project Podcast #74: Leadership is Human Work

Paya joins Cynthia Kirkpatrick on trust, belonging, feedback, and leading people as humans, not cogs.

Listen to the episode
Peak Leaders Collective · peakleaderscollective.com · Unlisted page for conference reviewers