VP of Communication and Marketing at Duarte, Inc. Co-creator of Adaptive Listening. TED speaker.
Maegan Stephens grew up as a competitive public speaker, joining the speech team at Ball State University, where she earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Communication Studies. She began teaching communication courses at 21 and coached the Ball State speech team before moving to The University of Texas at Austin. At UT, she earned her Ph.D. in Communication from the Moody College of Communication, with research focused on listening behavior in workplace settings. During her doctoral work, she served as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, studying civic engagement and political communication.
Before joining Duarte, Maegan built a career at the intersection of research and practice. She served as Director of Executive Communication at Quantified Communications in Austin, where she spent two and a half years analyzing data from over 100,000 presentations to coach Fortune 100 executives, TED speakers, startup founders, and business school programs. Her work at Quantified Communications was featured in ABC News. She has also been an independent communication consultant and MBA Communication Coach at the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin since 2012, a role she continues today.
In March 2016, Maegan joined Duarte, Inc. as a Content Developer and Executive Speaker Coach. Over the past decade, she advanced through five roles to her current position as VP of Communication and Marketing, where she leads a team of strategists, writers, and speaker coaches serving Fortune 500 clients. Her career at Duarte spans content development, coaching services, and strategic communication leadership.
Alongside Nicole Lowenbraun, Maegan co-created the Adaptive Listening framework and co-authored Adaptive Listening: How to Cultivate Trust and Traction at Work (Yellow Pear Press, 2024). The book has been translated into Traditional Chinese (Yuan-Liou Publishing, 2025). The framework introduces four distinct listening styles and the SAID model, giving professionals a practical system for improving how they listen at work.
In October 2025, Maegan and Nicole presented at TED 2025 in Dubai, delivering a talk on how to be a great listener. Maegan has also appeared on the FranklinCovey On Leadership podcast, Oscar Trimboli's Deep Listening podcast, the Speak with People podcast, and the Talk with Tara podcast discussing leadership communication and the science of listening.
Co-creator of the Adaptive Listening framework and SAID model. Developed through doctoral research on listening behavior at UT Austin and refined through years of corporate training at Duarte. Taught on the FranklinCovey On Leadership podcast and Oscar Trimboli's Deep Listening podcast.
Over a decade of coaching Fortune 500 executives, TED speakers, and startup founders on high-stakes communication. From board presentations to all-hands meetings, Maegan helps leaders craft strategic messages that move people to action.
13+ years coaching MBAs at the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin and executives at Duarte. Previously analyzed 100,000+ presentations at Quantified Communications to identify what separates good speakers from great ones.
Turns complex data into compelling narratives that drive decisions. Rooted in Maegan's experience at Quantified Communications, where she used data analytics from thousands of presentations to help leaders communicate with precision and impact.