Lead when the plan changes.
Keynotes, workshops, and moderated conversations for leaders navigating uncertainty. Woody connects more than two decades of military and strategic experience with practical tools your audience can use.
Speaking & Media Highlights
A 59-second look at Woody’s perspective on leadership, technology, and adapting to change. Highlights from Defense News and The Washington Times.
Give your leaders more than motivation.
Woody helps teams turn uncertainty into action — with a practical framework they can use Monday morning.
On Stage
Washington Times influencer series
Mike “Woody” Woodhouse speaking on a defense panel during his U.S. Army service.
Woody in conversation with fellow defense and military panelists.
Woody sharing his perspective at an industry panel after his military service.
Choose the conversation your team needs.
Lead When the Plan Changes
For: Executive teams and organizations navigating change.
Connect strategy with execution using SEAM: Strategize, Execute, Assess, Modify. Explore how to establish direction, learn through action, and adjust as the situation demands.
Attendees leave with: A flexible framework for making progress through uncertainty, plus practical questions to apply to their own work.
Decide Under Pressure
For: Managers, project leaders, and operational teams.
Examine how leaders establish priorities, challenge assumptions, and act when time and information are limited. Draw lessons from military leadership and apply them to everyday decisions.
Attendees leave with: A clearer way to distinguish what matters now, what needs assessment, and what can change.
Find Strength in the Seams
For: Cross-functional teams and leadership-development programs.
Explore the handoffs, relationships, and communication gaps that shape performance. Identify where friction can become an opportunity to improve how people work together.
Attendees leave with: A way to examine their team’s seams and identify a useful next change.
KEYNOTE TOPICS
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How leaders can build resilience and thrive when the future is unpredictable.
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Practical frameworks drawn from military and corporate strategy to drive success.
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A proven, adaptive system for making strategy actionable and sustainable.
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How to cultivate cultures of accountability, agility, and trust in any organization.
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Tools and mindsets to lead decisively when the stakes are high.
Speaking engagements
Latest conversation · AUSA Annual 2026
Stopping the Swarm
Woody joins Defense News for a conversation on layered counter-drone defense, lessons from Ukraine, and protecting military forces and the homeland.
October 2026 · 6:59 · Defense News
Presented by Leonardo DRS
Featured keynote
Shabtai Shavit International Counterterrorism Conference · ICT26
October 2026 · Reichman University, Israel
Watch Woody’s presentation on YouTube →
Conference day-two recording. Woody’s presentation begins at 6:50:00.
Selected past engagements
- Up/Link: The SpaceTech Business Summit
October 20–21, 2026 · New York City - Niagara University
- University of North Alabama
- National Fire Control Symposium — Woody serves on the event’s advisory board
- INFOPAC 26 — “Deterrence Through the Contested Spectrum”
- IEEE Military Communications Conference 2023
- AIAA DEFENSE Forum 2025
- Hypersonic Technology & Systems Conference (HTSC) 2025
- GLAC AUSA — SPACE: Enabling Multi-Domain Operations (2024, 2025, 2026)
- Guest speaking engagements for elementary and middle school audiences
Built around your audience.
A pre-event conversation about your goals and challenges.
A tailored keynote, typically 45–60 minutes.
Time for audience questions.
Optional book signing and SEAM workshop formats.
Speaker information and promotional materials for your planning team.
Choose your format.
Keynotes: In-person or virtual presentations tailored to your audience.
Workshops: 60–120 minutes to apply SEAM to your team’s challenges.
Moderated conversations: Fireside chats, panels, and audience Q&A.
Share your event date, audience, and goals to discuss scope, availability, and fees. All fees are quoted in USD.
If that's you, start the conversation.
Short Bio
Woody is the author of SEAM: The Adaptive Strategy Framework for Leaders. Drawing on two decades of experience in military and corporate strategy, Woody equips organizations with practical frameworks to thrive in uncertainty, adapt under pressure, and build resilient teams.
Suggested stage introduction
Please welcome Mike “Woody” Woodhouse: retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, strategist, and author of SEAM: The Adaptive Strategy Framework for Leaders. His experience spans military operations, NATO planning, space development, and defense industry leadership. Woody helps leaders turn uncertainty into action, adapt under pressure, and make progress when the plan changes.
Mike 'Woody' Woodhouse is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 20+ years in integrated air and missile defense, counter-UAS, and coalition warfighting. He served as the senior U.S. space and missile defense planner at NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and directed the round-the-clock air and missile defense of CENTCOM assets from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. At the Space Development Agency, he led the first operational demo of space-based Link 16 and helped shape $10B+ in joint acquisition decisions. He currently serves as VP for Space, Air & Missile Defense at Leonardo DRS in Huntsville, Alabama. Woody is the award-winning author of SEAM: The Adaptive Strategy Framework for Leaders (Amplify Publishing).
Event planner resources
Download Woody’s speaker information and headshot for your event materials.