I ask the questions that have not been asked out loud yet, I name what is missing from the dominant narrative, I go deeper because we cannot afford to stay where things feel comfortable and reassuring.
And I do this in a way that does not leave you feeling like it is too big to do anything about.
How I Work
Speaking, to me, is like an asynchronous conversation that takes place at a pace that gives both parties time to think, prepare and integrate their contributions to the conversation.
I do not see a talk as just a way for me to get my message across. As a speaker my first job is to listen to you and understand why you want a speaker in the first place. What is it that you need someone to bring that is not already in your audience?
Before the event, I try to understand who will be in the room, what they already know and what their questions are. When speaking, I pay attention to the audience and do not stay on script for the sake of it. We use the time together to speak about those things that are hard to name, but need saying. In doing this together, the things holding us back gradually lose power over us. Speaking is the step toward feeling like agents of the change we want to see.
After the Talk
I prefer to agree a way to gather feedback, not just of how the talk landed on the day, but also on what followed. We can design what this looks like together.
What I Bring to Any Brief
Many speakers bring you expertise, what I bring is a framework that allows us to take an outsider's perspective to your unique context or situation.
Wherever I go, people are faced with barriers. Some are immovable and some are strong and exist more as a result of legacy than intentional design. It is this second type of barrier that we examine together, because it is these that stop us from growing further than we thought possible.
I take this approach because I know the frustration felt when external experts attempt to sell solutions in an hour, through a re-usable package, that moves people emotionally in the room but loses them on the way home. I know that most of what you need to solve your problem, to change your situation, to innovate in your context is already in your organisation. It is in those you already employ.
My job is not to replace what they bring, but to augment it, to facilitate the thinking and conversations so that what follows the talk looks different from what preceded it. And in order to do this, I do not need to be an expert, but I do need to be real, to have lived, to have worked, to have enough breadth so that I can listen and translate across job functions and people experiences. So that together, we can practice the art of perspective taking and consider things that seem nonsensical at first.
Who Books Me
I speak for professional bodies, conference organisers and organisations who want their audiences to leave differently from how they arrived.
My talks resonate particularly with leaders and managers who feel the expectations others place on them are endless and increasingly untenable, with leaders who want to imagine a different future, and professionals in accounting, tax and finance as well as professional services because I know these contexts well. I am available for external conferences, internal leadership days (virtually or in person), and inclusion calendar events.
If you need a speaker who can hold the nuance, complexity and still be pragmatic, get in touch.
Formats
Keynote: A talk shaped around your audience and brief. Typically 30 to 60 minutes. Designed to open thinking rather than close it.
Panel discussion: I bring a perspective that challenges the consensus rather than confirming it. Best used when you want the audience to hear something they have not heard before.
Fireside chat: A conversational format that goes deeper than a prepared talk allows. Works well when the audience needs to feel the thinking happen in real time.
Workshop: A facilitated session where the audience does the work. I hold the process and the questions. They bring the thinking and the context.
Lunch and learn: A shorter, more informal session. Good for internal teams who want to explore a topic without committing to a full event.
Podcast guest: A long form conversation that allows ideas to develop at a slower pace than live speaking. I enjoy the format because it gives both the host and the audience time to think.
If you are looking for a speaker to fill a slot, I am probably not the right fit.
If you want your audience to leave differently from how they arrived, and you are ready to think about what happens after the talk as well as during it, get in touch. Tell me about your event, your audience, and what you hope the talk makes possible.