Meet Mal
SPEAKER, AUTHOR, & TEDx SPEAKER
I'm Mal Wrenn Corbin, and I'm on a mission to help people break through self-limiting beliefs — not by fixing themselves, but by questioning the stories they’ve inherited about who they are and what’s possible.
My Letter to You
You're on this page because you want to know who I am — and whether what I do might matter to where you are right now.
So before the bio, before the credentials, here's what I’d love you to know:
The life I'm living today? I didn't think it was possible for someone like me.
I grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, in an environment shaped by instability and scarcity —circumstances that taught me to stay small and expect very little from life. For years, I lived that way. Every day was about surviving, not reaching for the stars.
But somewhere beneath all of that, there was a spark — a small, persistent belief that I was meant for more. And eventually, I realized something important: that quiet voice telling me I wasn't worthy of more wasn't my voice at all. It was fear, circumstance, and inherited narratives wearing a very convincing disguise.
Once I could see that, everything began to shift.
Change didn't arrive with fanfare. It didn't come wrapped in confidence or certainty. It didn't wait until I felt ready.
It came through small, uncomfortable decisions — using my voice when it felt risky, choosing possibility when fear screamed louder, and stepping forward while my hands were still shaking.
At 14, I used my voice to ask for a foster home. Later, I said yes to opportunities that seemed too big. One choice at a time, I began to rewrite the story I'd inherited about who I was and what I was allowed to want.
Those choices led me to Dartmouth College. To a career I'm proud of. To a family grounded in joy and possibility. To a life I once thought was meant for someone else.
Today, I speak to audiences across the country helping people recognize the limiting narratives they carry — whether born from hardship or handed down through expectation — and take the courageous steps to rewrite them.
But this work isn't about me.
We ALL inherit beliefs about who we are and what we're capable of. But those narratives aren't permanent — and you don't need a perfect plan, unshakeable confidence, or fearlessness to change them. You just need to decide that where you are right now isn't where you want to stay — and be willing to take one honest step forward.
If my work helps you do that — in your career, your relationships, or your sense of self — then I'm glad you're here.
Mal
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Professional Bio
Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, Mal Wrenn Corbin's early life was shaped by instability, poverty, and uncertainty. She navigated domestic violence, food insecurity, addiction in the home, and periods of homelessness — circumstances that quietly taught her to stay small and expect very little from life. At 14, she used her voice to ask for a foster home — the first of many brave decisions that would reshape her identity and her future.
She went on to graduate from Dartmouth College, build a successful career as a financial services executive, and create the grounded, joyful life she once believed was out of reach.
In 2024, she published her memoir, Raising Wrenns, which was named Runner-Up for the Indie Author Project 2024 Memoir of the Year and earned a coveted Kirkus Recommended review. Kirkus praised the book as "a poignant and resonant memoir of loss,” declaring: "OUR VERDICT: GET IT."
Today, Mal is a keynote speaker and TEDx speaker whose work helps individuals and organizations move beyond limiting beliefs and step into who they're meant to be. Her TEDx talk, "The Gratitude Problem," challenges one of our most celebrated cultural assumptions — that gratitude is always good — and introduces a framework for carrying gratitude forward without letting it hold you back.
Mal has spoken to audiences at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Education, Assumption University, and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth's Annual Fundraising Gala, among others. Her work has been featured on CBS News Boston and podcasts including Big Time Adulting, ASPIRE, and Rising to Resilience.
As someone who has lived both in survival mode and in corporate America, Mal brings a rare perspective to audiences navigating change — whether in their careers, organizations, or personal lives.
She speaks on resilience, identity, overcoming limiting beliefs, and imagining futures you once thought were meant for someone else.