Shifting Habits:
Behavior Change Powered by What Matters Most
What if changing a habit wasn’t hard—because it finally made sense?
Most habit-forming strategies focus on what to do and how to do it… but ignore the most powerful force of all: why you’re doing it in the first place.
"Dynamic, enthusiastic and powerful speaking style...captivated the room with brilliant insights."
-Jennifer Dixon, Event Planner
Public Opinion Keynote
In this powerful keynote, human values expert David Allison reveals the link between habit formation and your deepest personal values. Based on nearly a million surveys conducted in 152 languages, David’s research shows that we are biologically wired to chase what we value most—and that understanding those core drivers is the secret to creating lasting, meaningful change. When habits are aligned with our values, we don't need external motivation. We become self-propelled.
Where most behavior-change models stop, this keynote goes deeper: underneath every habit is a value. Align the two, and change becomes automatic.
What The Industry Is Saying…
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Devon Montgomery Pasha, CMP, CED
“David’s power and vulnerability build so much trust. He is one of the most powerful speakers I’ve ever heard.”
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Georgie Knox, CMH Heli Skiing
"Super informative and insightful. Life-changing. This changes how I will make decisions."
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Neil Baumgartner, Assistant Vice President, Oakland University
“This was extremely insightful and inspiring. Thank you for kicking off the conference with such an amazing talk!”
Who is it for
Organizations building a values-driven culture of high performance.
Event planners looking for a proven keynote on habit change with a more human touch.
Leadership, L&D, and wellness teams seeking a science-backed yet soulful approach.
Fans of James Clear looking for something equally powerful but more emotionally resonant.
Audience takeaways
Start with Values, Not Goals. Discover the core values that drive your decisions—and learn why values are the most powerful catalyst of behavior change.
The Three Telltale Questions. A simple, science-backed tool anyone can use to begin unearthing the values driving their team, customers, or audience—quickly and simply.
The Habit Alignment Framework. Learn how to build habits that stick by aligning them with shared values—using practical tools like the Values Thinking Process and real-world Valuegraphics data.
The Motivation Myth (and the Dopamine Shortcut) Find out why motivation fades—but values don’t. Neuroscience shows we feel better and perform better when our actions align with what matters most.
The Habit Alignment Code:
3 Science-Backed Shifts That Make Change Stick
From Cues to Core
Why external triggers fail if they don’t match internal values.
Dopamine Link
Neuroscience shows that values-aligned actions feel better—and last longer.
Redefining Identity
Sustainable change starts with knowing who you are, not who you’re told to be.
Optional Interactivity
This keynote can include interactive values diagnostics drawn from David’s proprietary global data—no two audiences experience it the same way.
About David
David Allison is the world’s leading expert on human values and how they shape our lives.
As the founder of The Valuegraphics Research Company, he created the first global dataset that identifies what people actually care about—not what their demographics suggest they care about.
His work is trusted by Google, lululemon, PayPal, and the United Nations Foundation, and he’s shared the stage with leading thinkers in behavior change, marketing, and leadership. David's keynote style is curious, smart, and just a little odd in the best way—think Douglas Coupland meets Barack Obama. Expect storytelling, data revelations, and tools your audience can use right away.
Work with David
Values are the answer.
Let’s put them to work.
Public Relations & Communications Keynote Speaker David Allison will transform how you think about yourself, the people around you, and those you hope to impact with your work. Because we are all values-driven.