Speaking · Keynotes, Conferences & Association Events
You need a session people talk about in the hallway afterward.
A professional boxer who is also a health researcher makes for an unusual keynote. The stories hold a room; the neuroscience gives them somewhere to land; and the audience leaves with something they can physically do rather than a slide deck they will not reopen.
I teach the skills people wish they had five minutes earlier.
What the talk does
Safety is a difficult subject to put in front of a general audience. Done badly it frightens people, and a frightened audience does not retain anything.
The Momba approach deliberately inverts it. The talk is about capability rather than threat — about what is trainable, what the brain is actually doing when a situation turns, and why the gap between noticing something is wrong and knowing what to do about it is the gap worth closing. That framing lets a room engage with a heavy topic without leaving it anxious.
Carmen brings an unusual combination to the platform: an active professional fight record, three decades of teaching martial arts, and a postgraduate research background in how stress affects decision-making. Audiences get the story and the evidence, and the two reinforce each other rather than competing for the hour.
Her work has been published in Real Estate Agent Magazine and featured across industry podcasts including Investor Fuel, ASKITA and Our Family Invests.
Signature topics.
Each one tailors to the room. The framework holds; the examples change.
Performance & safety
The Anxiety Tax™
The hidden cost of unresolved uncertainty. What happens in the brain when a situation feels “off,” why the decision-making prefrontal cortex goes offline exactly when it is needed, and what that quietly costs in performance, turnover and liability.
Enquire about this talk →Readiness framework
Predict, Prevail, Persist
Three phases — and the two seams between them, which is where people actually come unstuck. The gap between noticing and acting, where hesitation lives. The gap between acting and carrying on afterwards, where most training simply stops. The phases are teachable; the transitions are the work.
Enquire about this talk →Women’s empowerment
Trust What You Noticed
Most women have already read the room. What gets trained out is the permission to act on it — the reflex to stay polite, not make a scene, explain away what the body flagged. This talk hands that permission back and empowers her to act on what she already knew. Empowerment isn’t a mood; it is the moment you stop overriding your own read. It also covers how the scripts doing the silencing shift between cultures while the pattern underneath holds.
Enquire about this talk →Reinvention
Strength Has No Expiration Date
Turning professional at 47. Seventeen years to citizenship. Rebuilding after loss while homeschooling three children. A talk about reinvention that happens to be told by someone with a professional fight record.
Enquire about this talk →Association chapters and sales meetings can take the DPOR-approved CE version for credit.
See the CE course →Formats and logistics.
- Keynote45–60 minutes including questions. Optional standing segment where the whole room practices one high-percentage response.
- Conference breakout30–45 minutes, spoken, sized for a standard session slot.
- Workshop90 minutes to half a day, hands-on, for groups that want skills rather than a talk.
- Association CETwo hours, DPOR-approved, course #0214031425, 2 elective credit hours for Virginia real estate licensees.
- Panels & mediaPanel participation, podcast and interview appearances on safety, resilience and performance under pressure.
- TravelRichmond metro as standard; Williamsburg, Petersburg, Charlottesville and Northern Virginia regularly; anywhere in the US and internationally.
- RequirementsA room, a microphone for larger audiences, and clear floor space if the standing segment is included. All equipment brought in.
Public workshops, series and talks — and the rooms Carmen keeps working in.
See what’s coming up →What hosts and audiences say.
I hired Carmen to provide two hours of DPOR-certified CE safety training to my agents at Williamsburg Realty. It was outstanding! Carmen is knowledgeable, experienced, organized, personable, and real estate agent-focused. I highly recommend this class.
Every now and then, you come across a person, product, or service you feel compelled to recommend—and this is absolutely one of those moments. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Carmen for several years, and during that time I’ve watched her repeatedly demonstrate a rare talent: she connects with people in a way that builds real accountability and drives meaningful change.
Carmen is a committed entrepreneur who has earned her place through passion, purpose, and a genuine desire to create solutions that meet people where they are. The foundation of the Momba Network is beyond impressive—and the best part is, it continues to evolve in all the right ways.
I’ve heard the feedback from current users firsthand, and it’s clear that this is not just another online subscription. It’s refreshing, intentional, and rooted in effective human interaction with a positive mission behind it.
Go Momba—this is only the beginning.
Dr. Yudo
VP, Doctorate in Healthcare Administration, Certified Nutritionist, Behavior Change Coach, Stress Management Specialist, CTTS, Sleep Science Certified
I really enjoyed this course! It provided practical safety tips and real world strategies. Carmen was knowledgeable, engaging, and did an excellent job bringing the material to life through real-life examples and practical advice, making the course informative and enjoyable.
Awesomeeee Woman of power and strength. Carmen was absolutely phenomenal during our Women’s Situational Awareness & Safety Training at SYWO Security Academy.
She delivered self-defense techniques in a way that was clear, practical, and empowering. Her confidence and passion made every woman in the room feel more capable and prepared.
We are truly grateful for her impact and look forward to working with her again. Thank you, Carmen & Momba, for helping us empower and protect our community! It’s an honor to know you.
Thessa H.
Marine, Founder, SYWO Security Academy
Training with Carmen has been an incredible experience. She brings the perfect mix of technical skill, motivation, and real-world practicality to every session. Her background in boxing and self-defense shows — she breaks down techniques clearly, pushes you to improve, and makes every workout both challenging and empowering.
What really stands out is how she creates a welcoming and supportive environment, especially for beginners who might feel intimidated stepping into combat sports. I have gained not just strength and endurance, but genuine confidence. If you’re looking for a skilled, encouraging, and professional instructor, Carmen is the real deal!
They say it’s not about how you fall, but how you get up. But when life really hits, those sayings don’t help much. That’s where Carmen comes in.
I met her over fifteen years ago when she trained one of my sons in taekwondo, the other in Combat Hapkido, and I was immediately struck by her rare mix of calm authority and deep compassion. Later, in her women’s self-defense class, I saw it again — she pushes you to grow but never lets you feel alone.
Since then, I’ve watched her live what she teaches: grace under pressure, resilience through loss, strength through discipline. She’s walked through real storms and somehow turned each one into purpose.
When I went through my own hard season, she didn’t offer clichés — she offered presence, belief, and tools to rebuild. That’s her gift: she sees your strength long before you do.
Carmen doesn’t just teach resilience — she embodies it. Working with her isn’t about “being strong.” It’s about remembering that you already are.
Irina H.
Finance Professional, MBA, CMA, CSCA
Carmen led a self-defense class at my all-women’s gym, Empower, and it was so informative and equipping! Our members were very grateful to have gained such valuable information.
When life knocks you flat, Carmen’s the one who helps you find your footing again. I first met her over 20 years ago, and what’s always stood out is her strength. She doesn’t just talk about it — she lives it.
Her strength is contagious and I always leave her space motivated and uplifted.
Carmen led a women’s self defense class for our non-profit and her level of expertise and ability to connect with her students is incredible!
She’s an excellent teacher, coach, and encourager, offering ways to improve while remaining patient. She is great at seeing what I am doing wrong and how to correct. She takes my reasons for coming seriously. I can’t begin to say how much that means to me. […] I highly recommend Carmen.
Sarah B.
Registered Life Planner®, Financial Advisor
I am still riding the feeling of being excited about learning! I’m really pumped and passionate about continuing. I want to be able to protect myself and my family and I’m one step closer to attaining that. Thank you for being a passionate role model.
Booking questions.
What size audience do you speak to?
A thirty-person association chapter, a conference ballroom, or whatever is larger than that — give me a microphone and the talk scales. What changes with room size is the hands-on portion, which is added or removed depending on the space and the time available, not the material.
How long is a typical keynote?
Forty-five to sixty minutes is standard, including questions. Breakout and workshop versions run ninety minutes to half a day, and a short-form version fits a thirty-minute conference slot.
Do you tailor the talk to our audience?
Always. The framework stays the same; the examples do not. A room of realtors gets showings, lockboxes and open houses. A room of healthcare staff gets wards, car parks and late shifts.
Is there a physical component?
Optional. A keynote can be purely spoken, or can include a short standing segment where the whole room practices one simple, high-percentage response. The standing segment is what people talk about afterwards.
Do you travel outside the Richmond area?
Yes. Engagements run regularly across Virginia, including Williamsburg, Petersburg, Charlottesville and Northern Virginia, and Carmen travels anywhere in the US and internationally — including Germany in 2026.
Check availability.
Dates, format and audience fit in fifteen minutes.