Employee resignations rarely happen suddenly—they develop through a series of subtle signals that are often missed until it’s too late. In this keynote, Theresa Chilcoat, HR strategist and author of Surviving the Toxic Workplace, reveals the “Resignation Timeline,” a pattern employees move through as they slowly disconnect from their work and organization. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in human resources, Theresa uncovers the four critical signals employees send when they are deciding whether to stay or leave. Participants will learn how shifts in energy, psychological safety, recognition, and ownership can quietly indicate deeper disengagement within teams. The session also challenges leaders and HR professionals to develop greater awareness of how leadership behaviors and workplace culture influence employee retention. By recognizing these signals earlier, organizations can interrupt disengagement before it becomes resignation. This talk reframes retention as a leadership skill—one that begins with the ability to see what employees are experiencing long before they decide to walk away.

Theresa Chilcoat is the founder of Inner Authority Co. and a seasoned human resources strategist with over 15 years of experience in employee relations and leadership development. Her career began with day-to-day coaching and organizational support, evolving into a mission to help individuals and organizations reclaim their power, peace, and happiness from within.

Drawing on her extensive experience, Theresa has guided executives, managers, and employees through complex workplace challenges; including conflict resolution, culture transformation, and burnout recovery; always with the goal of creating environments where people don’t just endure but excel.

Her signature keynote, Engage, Retain, Excel: The Hidden Power of Happiness in the Workplace, challenges conventional thinking about workplace well-being by showing leaders and teams how to build resilience, engagement, and sustainable performance from the inside out. Drawing from her book, Surviving the Toxic Workplace from an HR Insider: A Roadmap to Power, Peace, and Happiness, the keynote integrates real-world case studies, practical strategies, and research-based insights to help professionals address disengagement, reduce burnout, and thrive at work.

She also delivers her BOLD Roadmap workshop, which equips audiences with practical tools for self-awareness, authentic leadership, and long-term, sustainable success.

Theresa holds a Master of Science in Strategic Human Resources from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of La Verne. She has been an active member of DallasHR since 2015 and maintains professional certifications from both HRCI and SHRM.