

ICE CREAM SOCIAL WORK
Keynotes | Workshops | Team Building
Personal & Professional Development
Why "Ice Cream Social Work?"
Keynotes | Workshops | Team Building | Personal & Professional Development
I started Ice Cream Social Work because I was tired of watching good people burn out - both professionally and personally.
I've worked with incredible supervisors who made me feel empowered, seen, and supported. I've had others who made me feel lower than low - unseen, unheard, and undervalued. Those experienced shape how I lead and speak.
I know how much of ourselves we pour into our work - and it feels truly terrible when that work leaves us depleted instead of fulfilled. I've been there (many times!) and I like to loving refer to those periods in my life as my "doom spirals." :)
During one of those doom spirals, I found PsychoGeometrics (also referred to as "Shapes" or "Shapes for Effective Communication"). Something clicked for me. This wasn't just another communication model - it gave me real, immediate insight into how my colleagues operated, how I showed up (and am perceived), and why certain dynamics felt impossible to overcome. Shapes gave me a language I didn't know I needed. I found myself being more authentic at work and home - building stronger relationships, providing better feedback, and successfully managing varying styles under stress. Shapes has truly changed the way I interact with the world. And it inspired me to share it with you.
Story time!
I introduced shapes at a state association conference, and five years later, a colleague ran up to me at a regional association conference exlaiming, "squiggle! squiggle! squiggle!" They remembered their shapes, my shapes, and shared how they've been using this shared language at work and home ever since. That's the power of this tool: it sticks!
My signature keynotes and workshops are built to engage, energize, and equip. I want you to laugh, reflect, and walk away with practical tools that are immediately useful - tools that make real change in how we communicate, lead, and collaborate.
Organizations are actively applying the strategies I've shared and seeing positive shifts in their team's culture. That's what makes my little social work heart the happiest!
We spend so much of our lives at work - and so much of that time collaborating with others. This isn't another surface-level wellness talk. It is real, research-backed, and lasting. I would love nothing more than to teach it to your team.
We all deserve to feel seen, heard, and valued at work. And with the right tools - we can. Book me to speak and let's make it happen!
Keynotes & Workshops I Love to Faciliate
The most fun you can have while talking about burnout, communication woes and workplace wellness!
✨Signature Keynote✨Workplace Wellness: It’s Like WiFi - When It’s Down, Everything’s a Struggle
Interactive. Practical. Light-Hearted.
Have you ever caught yourself saying, 'I'm fine'... but in reality, your next snack (or cup of coffee) is the only thing standing between you and a meltdown? This session is for you. Together, we will celebrate small victories (like finally responding to that email without overthinking it!), and explore why it's everyone’s responsibility—no matter your job title—to help create a workplace culture that fosters wellness. Forget the clichés of hot baths and smelling essential oils (though we love those too!)—this session is all about practical, actionable strategies to improve your mental health, refresh your energy, and make work more enjoyable - one small victory at a time!
Key takeaways:
✨ Real-life examples of workplace culture done right
✨ A renewed sense of how to champion healthy culture - no matter your role!
✨ Practical ways to reduce burnout and increase connection, morale and well-being
✨Signature Workshop✨Shapes for Effective Communication
Interactive. Memorable. Transformative.
Make the hard conversations easier, less awkward, and more productive with shapes.
A triangle, a squiggle, and a circle walk into a meeting… I help your team make sense of what happens next. This interactive, high impact workshop uses the PsychoGeometrics® "shapes" model to decode how we communicate, handle stress, and collaborate at work. This isn’t just another personality test. It’s a research-backed, instantly applicable, exceptionally fun-to-learn tool for fixing miscommunication, improving collaboration, and turning personality differences into team strengths.
Key takeaways:
✨ A better understanding of your natural communication style
✨ Tools to flex and adapt when working with diverse communication styles
✨ Actionable strategies and a shared language for team collaboration
✨ Fresh insight into how stress impacts behavior — and how to respond productivelyThis workshop fits beautifully before or after my keynote, as a pre-conference session, or as a standalone session for team building, conferences, retreats, leadership events, or webinars. If you’re planning a culture, leadership, communication, or wellness track—I belong on your agenda :)
Meet Manda: Founder of Ice Cream Social Work
🤝 Relationship Builder
🎙️ Podcast Enthusiast
🎃 Themed Party Host
📷 Memory Capturer
🌍 Adventure Seeker
🪴 Green Thumb
🤓 Theater Nerd
🐕 Beagle Mom
👩🏻🍳 Foodie
Roles Held
🟪 National Scholarship + Academic Data Manager
🟨 Financial Aid Coordinator, Advisor, Case Manager
🟪 Keynote, Adjunct Faculty, Trainer, Facilitator
🟨 Event Coordinator, Social Media Manager
🟪 Program Manager, Relations Manager
🟨 Delegate-at-Large, Committee Chair
Education and Facilitator Certifications
🎓 Master of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Focuses in College Teaching and Student Affairs
🎓 Bachelor of Social Work
Focuses in Help-Seeking Behavior and Mental Health
📜 PsychoGeometrics® Certified Facilitator
📜 Mental Health First Aid® Adult Instructor
Public Speaking Engagements
🟨 University of Missouri
🟪 Gateway Technical College
🟨 Southeast Missouri State University
🟪 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
🟨 Missouri Suicide Prevention Project
🟪 National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
🟨 Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
🟪 Wisconsin Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
🟨 Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel
🟪 Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
Achievements
🌟Awarded Volunteer Service Award from President Obama for work in suicide prevention
🌟Awarded Outstanding Service Award from Missouri's Department of Mental Health
🌟 Awarded Outstanding New Professional of the Year from both the Midwest Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) and Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personell (MASFAP)
🌟 First financial aid administrator in Missouri to earn all 17 NASFAA credentials
🌟Received highest distinction at the National Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors Research Competition for research and tool development on “Overcoming Barriers to Student Help-Seeking Behavior"
🌟 Written into Missouri Governor’s Proclamation establishing September as Suicide Prevention Month in Missouri
What are colleagues saying?
I am consistently blown away every time I get to listen to Manda speak. When you book Manda, you're not getting a typical lecture—you're getting an experience that feels more like a stand-up show meets a masterclass. She has a rare gift for immediately connecting with an audience, putting everyone at ease and drawing them into even the most challenging topics.
One of the most valuable things about her approach is how she breaks down complex, sensitive topics into clear, relatable, and actionable insights that really stick. I've had the pleasure of attending several of Manda's presentations, but most recently, my workplace brought her in for a session on mental health. The impact was clear almost immediately. Colleagues started referencing her insights in meetings, and we've begun to shift our day-to-day culture in small but meaningful ways. Her presentation helped us move from just talking about mental health to actively supporting it in the workplace.
If you're looking for a speaker who can deliver high-impact, heartfelt sessions that actually stick with people, I cannot recommend Ice Cream Social Work and Manda's public speaking services highly enough! Manda is an absolute rockstar who brings warmth, clarity, and just the right amount of humor to every room she walks into.- Ethan M. | Assistant Director of Operations
I can’t say enough great things about Manda Riley. She is an incredibly talented speaker and trainer who brings both expertise and energy to every setting. I’ve had the opportunity to see Manda shine in many roles—leading breakout sessions at conferences, delivering compelling keynotes, and facilitating team trainings. In every one of those spaces, she’s been exceptional.
What sets Manda apart is her ability to truly connect with her audience. She has a natural presence that draws people in, makes complex topics accessible, and keeps everyone engaged. Her sessions aren’t just inspiring—they’re packed with actionable tools and strategies that you can take back and implement right away.
Whether she's speaking to a room of hundreds or working with a small team, Manda brings enthusiasm, insight, and authenticity. If you're looking for someone who can motivate, educate, and energize your audience, I wholeheartedly recommend Manda Riley.— Keri G. | Associate Vice President of Analytics and Compliance
When I see that Manda is featured as a Keynote Speaker at a conference I am attending, I am giddy with excitement. Manda has a presence about her that draws you in immediately and brings you into a world of comical and relatable insight that could otherwise be deemed mundane. She encourages you to see another perspective and offers real, actionable advice and tips on how to employ a more positive, uplifting workplace and even personal life.
She is a natural in front of a crowd and truly keeps her audiences engaged. Manda is inspiring and knows how to motivate her audience in a way that you walk away feeling revived, positive and ready to take on the world. She truly was made for this role, and I applaud her continued endeavors and success. I highly recommend Manda for your next conference!- Katie M.
I've had the benefit of attending 3 versions of Manda's presentations on Psychogeometrics. I found incredible value and new insights in all 3 sessions. After participating twice at professional events, I hired her to lead our 12-person team in a workshop for our staff retreat. We brought Manda in virtually and she was incredibly engaging and effective in managing our group despire our inability to bring her to us physically.
My team was able to gain personal and professional insights about themselves, connect to their coworkers, and give me, their supervisor, valuable tools to manage each individual more effectively. One year later, our staff still reference what we've learned, we assign projects better suited to folks' natural strengths and celebrate the successes folks find when they operate outside of those natural strengths. Thank you, Manda, for giving us a shared understanding of each other and the vocabulary we needed to relate meaningfully across our diverse team.
— Casey R. | Director of Student Financial Service Center
Thoughts, Musings & Good Ol' Mandafesting
Once upon a campus, I had the sweet gig of working less than five minutes away from a dangerously...LET'S CONNECT!
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