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Michele Rigby Assad

  • Former CIA officer, focused on counterterrorism and lie detection
  • Author of Get Off the X (2025) & Breaking Cover (2018)
  • Served five tours, mostly in the Middle East
  • Co-founder of SITE Advisors, global consulting firm
Fee Range*
$20,000 - $25,000
Traveling From
Orlando, Florida

Michele Rigby Assad has a rare combination of strengths–She is a former undercover CIA intelligence officer who excelled in counterterrorism and counterintelligence missions in the Arab World, while also being a skilled communicator. Michele has a lot of cleared material from the CIA (from her two best-selling books), so is able to include stories from her unconventional...

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Michele Rigby Assad has a rare combination of strengths–She is a former undercover CIA intelligence officer who excelled in counterterrorism and counterintelligence missions in the Arab World, while also being a skilled communicator. Michele has a lot of cleared material from the CIA (from her two best-selling books), so is able to include stories from her unconventional career dealing with terrorists and double agents. She’ll leave your audience in awe and wanting more. They’ll feel like they had a unique experience that is both fascinating, insightful and wildly encouraging.

Her career began in Washington, D.C. working for an international relief and development agency in its government relations department. Michele joined the CIA in January 2002 and spent a decade serving as an undercover intelligence officer in the Directorate of Operations. Specializing in counterterrorism, counterintelligence and lie detection, Michele spent the majority of her career in the Middle East. She had five overseas tours, to include Iraq and other secret locations.

Since leaving the CIA, Michele and her husband Joseph have run an international consulting firm that provides support to Western and not-native companies working in the Arabian Gulf, the wider Middle East, and several countries in Asia and Europe (SITE Advisors). She is also a keynote speaker, trainer, and author.

Her bestselling book Breaking Cover: My Secret Life in the CIA and What it Taught Me About What’s Worth Fighting For, was published in February 2018 (Tyndale Momentum). Her second book Get Off the X: CIA Secrets for Conquering Obstacles and Achieving Your Life’s Mission will be released January 2025 (Dexterity). Michele holds a master’s degree in Contemporary Arab Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a political science degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She and her husband, Joseph, live in Central Florida.

 

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“Struggle can become a skill builder, pain a motivator, and confusion a clarifier.”

Michele Rigby Assad in Media

Speaker Programs

Get Off the X
This keynote is both the name of Michele’s latest book, but is also her most popular speaking topic. The keynote is designed around the well-known security concept, “Get Off the X,” a phrase designed to ...more
This keynote is both the name of Michele’s latest book, but is also her most popular speaking topic. The keynote is designed around the well-known security concept, “Get Off the X,” a phrase designed to help people react appropriately when their life is on the line, to move away from danger instead of freezing when under attack. Michele has taken this concept and applied it to a better understanding of how to get “unstuck” in one’s personal life and career.  ...less
Security & Risk
Michele Rigby Assad has a rare combination of strengths--She is a former undercover CIA intelligence officer who excelled in counterterrorism and counterintelligence missions in the Arab World, while also being a skilled communicator. Michele has ...more
Michele Rigby Assad has a rare combination of strengths--She is a former undercover CIA intelligence officer who excelled in counterterrorism and counterintelligence missions in the Arab World, while also being a skilled communicator. Michele has a lot of cleared material from the CIA (from her two best-selling books), so is able to include stories from her unconventional career dealing with terrorists and double agents. She'll leave your audience in awe and wanting more. They'll feel like they had a unique experience that is both fascinating, insightful and wildly encouraging. ...less
The Life Altering Power of Grit
Michele uses stories from her CIA experience to illustrate the power of grit, the power of perseverance and determination to learn and grow—no matter what. Instead of focusing on the challenges and negativity presented to ...more
Michele uses stories from her CIA experience to illustrate the power of grit, the power of perseverance and determination to learn and grow—no matter what. Instead of focusing on the challenges and negativity presented to her, Michele demonstrates how focusing on mastering a skill, learning new material, and pushing to grow is what transformed her life and career. • Your mindset is the most important thing. • Grit trumps natural talent. • What worked before may not work when the storms of life sweep in. Stay flexible to respond to the challenge. ...less
The POWER of PERSEVERANCE: Lessons from the CIA to maintain your FOCUS and sustain your MOMENTUM during times of change
Having the right mindset in life is critical. If you think it should be a straight line or without significant obstacles, you may find yourself giving up before you arrive. But if you enter challenges ...more
Having the right mindset in life is critical. If you think it should be a straight line or without significant obstacles, you may find yourself giving up before you arrive. But if you enter challenges with the proper mindset, knowing it will be jarring, you won’t let fear or surprise dictate your emotions and behavior. Sharing stories from her time in the CIA, Michele talks about how to use perseverance to get through times of change. As you become skilled at transitions, moving, learning, and adjusting, you become an expert at things that scare others. If you are willing to do what others don’t want to, and go places that makes others uncomfortable, something magical happens—you become AMAZING at what you do. It’s PERSEVERANCE, FOCUS, AND WILLINGNESS TO DO THE HARD THINGS that makes the difference between being average and amazing. ...less
What Dealing with Terrorists Taught Me About Bias
I’m used to assumptions. I’ve dealt with them my entire life. It is hard for people to merge the two seemingly different versions of me: an outgoing and kind person who cares very much about ...more
I’m used to assumptions. I’ve dealt with them my entire life. It is hard for people to merge the two seemingly different versions of me: an outgoing and kind person who cares very much about others-with the counterterrorism and Middle East expert. Most human beings are conditioned to associate a leader with someone who wields power in a more forceful manner. Those with sunny dispositions are often relegated to the second tier or the back row. This cognitive dissonance is a product of an Unconscious bias that sets our expectations of people’s strengths, weaknesses, personality and interests. Our assumptions are based on a lifetime’s worth of input, so this happens without our cognizance. We are not aware that this process is occurring. In the workplace, subconscious bias affects internal processes such as hiring, promotions, leadership development, training decisions, and project management. In terms of operations, subconscious bias affects our marketing and sales strategies, product design, prioritization of projects, and so much more. Learn the first steps to knocking down the walls to unconscious bias and creating a culture of strong leaders: • How to build rapport using intelligence profiling secrets–You can’t sell to someone unless you understand them. • My ninja strategy for upending conscious or unconscious bias in five minutes or less. • Learn to bring the best of yourself into operations to transform average into amazing. ...less

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