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Vanessa Hellebuyck

Speaker Vanessa Hellebuyck Non-verbal communication, emotions and winning instinct

A WSOP 2010 world poker champion, Vanessa Hellebuyck brings the lessons of high-level poker into business: emotional self-control, reading weak signals, posture, confidence and decision-making under pressure.

Languages
English, French
Duration
30 to 90 minutes
Formats
Talk, Keynote, Interactive talk, Workshop, Training session, Panel discussion, Remote session

Biography

Speaker, trainer, facilitator and co-founder of KOMYU, Vanessa Hellebuyck helps organizations better understand what is at stake in human interactions: emotions, silence, posture, weak signals and decisions made under pressure.

A journey through stage performance, digital creation and poker

Her career began on stage. A professional singer from her teenage years, pianist and music teacher, she developed an early sensitivity to listening, rhythm, presence and emotions. Trained in multimedia and communication, she then worked in web design and art direction, particularly in media and digital environments.

A world champion shaped by pressure

In 2008, she discovered online poker and then live tournaments. Her results quickly took her onto major European circuits and to Las Vegas. In 2010, she won the Ladies Event at the World Series of Poker and became the first French woman to win a WSOP bracelet. This victory deeply shaped her relationship with stress, intuition, risk and strategy.

Reading people without caricature

Naturally empathetic, she realized that poker had taught her far more than a game: observing without judging, controlling reactions, reading emotions, accepting uncertainty, deciding quickly and adjusting posture to different interlocutors. She then deepened her work on non-verbal communication, emotional intelligence, cooperation and gamification.

Interactive and actionable talks

Today, Vanessa Hellebuyck designs interactive, actionable talks for companies. Her sessions combine storytelling, observation exercises, humor, role play and concrete tools to help managers, sales teams, leaders and employees communicate better in high-stakes moments.

Game-based learning as an engagement lever

Passionate about games and an expert in gamification, learning through play and serious games, she uses play as a tool for learning, cohesion and transformation. She also works on transformation, innovation and leadership development programs.

Body language is a superpower we all use… often without realizing it.

— Vanessa Hellebuyck
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Conferences

Vanessa Hellebuyck delivers highly engaging talks based on her experience as a world poker champion, musician and facilitator. She turns emotional language, posture and decision-making under pressure into concrete, useful and immediately applicable business skills.

01

Poker Face and Winning Instinct

Mastering emotions when the stakes are high.

In this signature talk, Vanessa Hellebuyck shows how poker situations reveal our emotional mechanisms: fear, impatience, doubt, overconfidence, intuition or the need for control. She explains how to develop a stronger poker face without disconnecting from emotions. Participants discover tools to regulate stress, sharpen observation and make better decisions under pressure.

  • Regulate stress and reactions more effectively
  • Sharpen observation of weak signals
  • Make clearer decisions under pressure
Ideal for Managers, sales teams, negotiators, recruiters and leaders
Format Talk or Keynote · 30 to 60 min
02

Body Language and Empathic Communication

Decode what is not said in order to cooperate better.

A major part of our relational impact comes from the consistency between words, posture, eye contact and reactions. Vanessa Hellebuyck helps audiences detect weak signals, micro-changes in attitude and emotional cues that influence interactions, without falling into the cliché of "lie detection".

  • Observe without judging
  • Build more reliable and constructive communication
  • Adjust posture to different interlocutors
Ideal for Managers, HR, customer relations, sales and collaborative teams
Format Interactive talk or Workshop · 45 to 75 min
03

Decision-Making Under Pressure

Poker lessons for business.

In poker as in business, decisions are rarely made with complete information. You must arbitrate quickly, accept uncertainty, assess risk and prevent emotions from taking over. Vanessa Hellebuyck shares the reflexes that helped her remain lucid in decisive moments.

  • Balance risk and opportunity
  • Remain lucid in uncertainty
  • Bounce back after a poor decision
Ideal for Executive committees, project teams, sales teams and leaders under pressure
Format Talk · 45 to 75 min
04

Mindset and Tips of a Poker Player Champion

Develop a champion mindset to handle pressure, decide and adapt.

This talk shows how the skills of a world poker champion apply directly to leadership. Beyond strategy, success relies on self-confidence, adaptation, emotional control and active observation. Instinct is presented as the result of experience: the more expertise and confidence are developed, the more instinct becomes an asset for deciding and acting effectively.

  • Develop confidence, posture and adaptability
  • Avoid tilt and keep a cool head
  • Read emotions and behaviors to decide better
Ideal for Leadership, transformation, sales teams and teams in uncertain environments
Format Talk or Keynote · 30 to 60 min
05

Play the Surprise Card

Step out of the comfort zone to innovate differently.

Surprise can be uncomfortable, threatening or a powerful driver of learning. Vanessa Hellebuyck invites participants to let themselves be surprised, to surprise others and to surprise themselves in order to open up new possibilities. Through stories, short exercises and small-group interactions, the talk explores delegation, collective intelligence, creativity and the ability to widen one’s circle.

  • Dare to step out of the comfort zone
  • Stimulate collective creativity
  • Turn surprise into a driver of learning
Ideal for Transformation programs, team seminars and innovation days
Format Interactive talk or Workshop · 45 to 90 min
06

Gamification and Collective Intelligence

Use game mechanics to create engagement.

Vanessa Hellebuyck shows how play can become a serious tool for learning, cooperation and behaviour change. Training, e-learning, change management, internal communication and user experience can all benefit from gamification to create attention, buy-in and lasting retention of the message.

  • Create attention and buy-in
  • Use play to anchor messages
  • Stimulate cooperation and experimentation
Ideal for HR, training, transformation, internal communication and innovation
Format Talk or Workshop · 45 to 90 min
07

Change Course, Change the Game

Inside the mind of high-level competitors.

A poker/sailing duo format with Charlie Ageneau. Vanessa Hellebuyck compares competition days, outsider moments, unconventional decisions, setbacks and comebacks. The debrief gives participants practical keys to apply this mindset to their own managerial challenges.

  • Identify common skills behind performance
  • Connect preparation, decision-making and resilience
  • Turn outsider status into an advantage
Ideal for Leadership, resilience, managers and internal conventions
Format Duo keynote · 30 to 60 min

For which events?

Vanessa Hellebuyck speaks at the key moments where people, performance and impact matter.

  • Seminars and conventions
  • Leadership committees and strategic talks
  • Product launches
  • CSR and climate events
  • Institutions, schools and universities

Possible formats

Formats adaptable to your goals and context.

  • Inspiring talk
  • Impactful keynote
  • Participative workshop
  • Panel
  • Webinar

Why choose them?

A unique experience serving strong, useful messages.

  • Field experience backing the message
  • Authentic and inspiring stories
  • Human, demanding and accessible approach
  • Tailored content aligned with your stakes
Would you like to invite Vanessa Hellebuyck to your event?

Videos

Watch Vanessa Hellebuyck in action through talks, TEDx videos and excerpts illustrating her approach to body language, emotional self-control and winning instinct.

Looking for more content or a specific clip? Contact us
Behind the Scenes of Body and Emotional Communication – USI 2025 16:36
Conference clip

Behind the Scenes of Body and Emotional Communication – USI 2025

Vanessa Hellebuyck draws on her experience as a world poker champion to show how to master your emotions, gain courage and sharpen your reading of body language in high-stakes situations.

Watch video
Poker Faces et instinct gagnant ! 01:14
Conference clip

Poker Faces et instinct gagnant !

Vanessa Hellebuyck shows how reading others better leads to sounder decisions.
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Reading Others: Profiles, Emotions and Weak Signals 11:42
Conference clip

Reading Others: Profiles, Emotions and Weak Signals

Vanessa Hellebuyck shows how active observation of body language helps you better understand others and adjust your communication.
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Poker Face: Mastering Your Emotions and Reading Weak Signals 47:01
Conference clip

Poker Face: Mastering Your Emotions and Reading Weak Signals

Vanessa Hellebuyck shows how body language helps you keep better control of yourself, observe others more closely and make better decisions.
Watch video

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