Maria Keckler
Facilitator @The Leadership Edge
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WORK HISTORY
Facilitator @The Leadership Edge
San Diego, US
As a facilitator with The Leadership Edge, I focus on leadership and communication, helping individuals and teams craft clear, compelling messages and deliver them with confidence. I guide participants in strengthening both what they say and how they say it, turning communication into a practical leadership advantage.The Leadership Edge is known for its expertise in organizational development and its highly engaging, application-driven approach. Through small cohorts, peer accountability, and learning over time, our programs help leaders apply new skills in real time. Grounded in values of integrity, teamwork, growth, and professionalism—with room for humor along the way—we create an environment where people build capability, connection, and lasting impact.
EDUCATION
San Diego State University
Ph.D.
Claremont Graduate University
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Transdisciplinary Education
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Master's degree, English Language and Literature, General
Allan Hancock College
General Education Studies, English
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Bachelor's degree, English - Applied Linguistics
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Certificate: TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
SKILLS
ABOUT MARIA KECKLER
Professional OverviewMaria Keckler, PhD, is co-founder of Pivotal Empathy, Inc. and the Healthcare EmpathyRx Lab at San Diego State University, where patient stories are transformed into evidence-based tools and technologies that prevent clinician burnout and improve patient outcomes.A storyteller, speaker, transdisciplinary behavioral researcher, and executive advisor, she translates neuroscience, narrative medicine, and behavioral science into interventions that work at the point of care—where the stakes are highest.With more than 20 years advising leaders across healthcare, technology, and education, Maria brings a perspective that is research-rigorous, operationally grounded, and urgently relevant. Her work bridges empathy, behavioral science, and cultural intelligence to develop more empathetic practitioners and more effective leaders.She holds a PhD from Claremont Graduate University, publishes The Empathy Pivot on LinkedIn and The Structural Skills Project on Medium, is a bestselling author featured in Inc, and is recognized as one of San Diego\'s 50 Most Influential Latino Leaders. A Pivotal Slice of my Story (First Person)Two healthcare events nearly cost me my life, and ultimately became the foundation for Pivotal Empathy, Inc.The first was disorienting and disempowering. I spent months in excruciating pain without answers, treated like a problem to triage rather than a human in crisis. I didn’t know I could advocate for myself until a friend’s eerily similar experience gave me the courage to speak up.The second brought me to the brink of septic shock, though no one knew it at first. All attention was on a possible cardiac event. But this time, my care team kept asking questions. Again and again.“Tell me one more time what brought you here,” the ER attending said. As he compared notes with his team, he suddenly ran back into my room, ordered one more test, and then the treatment that saved my life.Had I faced that second event with my first set of providers, I wouldn’t be here to tell this story. That contrast sparked a question I couldn’t let go of, and eventually, the research that shaped my career.Today, through Pivotal Empathy, I help transform how we care for both patients and providers—because the questions we ask, or fail to ask, can mean everything.
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