With the rise of Social Media and Technology, this generation is proving to be one with unique challenges and one that is connected to the world around them in a way that we have yet to truly understand.
From Mental Health and motivation to advocacy and innovation, our most sought-after speakers deliver inspirational and motivational presentations and workshops that will equip your students with the practical tools they will need to navigate through every aspect of their lives.
To hear more about any of these speakers send us an enquiry here and we will be in touch within 24 hours to discuss your event in more detail.
Julie Hirsch - Award-Winning Entrepreneur, Innovator & Advocate for Fairer Business
Julie Hirsch is Co-Founder and COO of Eloments Natural Vitamin Tea, a world-first 100% natural vitamin tea and overnight success securing shelf space in 2000 stores across the globe in just over a year, and represents the 1% of businesses started by a female entrepreneur under 30.
Julie was named Telstra’s Victorian Business Woman of the Year and listed in Forbes 30 Under 30. Julie is an engaging and interactive young leader who has a presentation specifically tailored to inspire the next young innovator, entrepreneur, and social impact leader, for VCE Year 11 / 12 Students in Business Management, or Secondary Students building their 21st Century Skills.
Peter Bol OLY - Two-time Olympian
Born in Sudan, Peter Bol and his family fled the civil war, spending four years in Egypt.
At the age of 10 he stepped off a plane in Toowoomba; an experience that Peter describes as indescribable and comparable only to qualifying for the Olympic Games.
In 2016, Peter wore our national colours - the green and gold as he faced the immensely difficult task of competing at his first Olympic Games in Rio.
In 2021, Peter looked to add to his Olympic story and became the first Australian in 53 years to qualify for the Men’s 800m Final on the track.
A well-accomplished public speaker talking to corporates and schools, Peter covers topics including goal setting, overcoming adversity, teamwork, balance and peak performance.
Nick Pearce - Co-Founder & CEO of HoMie
Nick is the Co-founder + CEO of Melbourne based HoMie - a clothing brand that provides not just clothing but training + job opportunities for people experiencing homelessness.
Since then, Nick has launched REBORN by HoMie their upcycling label where they repurpose old clothing into one of a kind products. It's been exciting working further with manufacturing, production, pattern making + sourcing etc. + looking for opportunities for the people in our program within these areas.
Rosie Thomas - Anti-bullying activist & CEO of ProjectRockit
Rosie Thomas OAM is considered one of Australia’s brightest change-makers and social innovators.
She has spent the last 15 years building Australia’s first and biggest youth-driven movement against (cyber)bullying, hate and prejudice. What started as a simple idea has now impacted half a million young Aussies. Having started the social business straight out of high school, Rosie knows exactly what it’s like to be underestimated as both a young person and a woman and she is committed to providing totally innovative opportunities for people to realise their purpose and potential.
Dr Jordan Nguyen - Thought leader on the intersection between technology & humanity
Dr Jordan Nguyen is one of Australia’s most innovative engineers, who is committed to improving the lives of as many people as possible, and to help become a driving force behind both human and technological evolution as we move into the future.
An internationally renowned engineer for humanity, Jordan designs life-changing technologies to transform the lives of people with disabilities and the elderly through his role as founder of Psykinetic, a social business committed to bringing positive, sustainable and life-altering change and shares his adventures through documentaries across the world. Inspired by human endeavour, Jordan has big ambitions to see our world step consciously and creatively into a better future.
Tahnee Bridson - Leader in Mental Health Advocacy, Research & Education
Dr. Tahnee Bridson is best known for her work to reduce stigma, improve help-seeking and promote mental well-being as the founder of Hand-n-Hand Peer Support Inc.
Tahnee experienced shame and stigma firsthand when she was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa as a university student. She rose through adversity and defied the odds by graduating top of her class.
Her personal experiences were the inspiration behind Hand-n-Hand - so that no one would ever need to go through this alone again.
Natalie Kyriacou - Social Entrepreneur, CEO & Corporate Advisor on the intersection of Environmental & Social Issues
Natalie Kyriacou OAM is an award-winning social entrepreneur, CEO, Board Advisor, and Environmental and Social Growth Driver at PwC. Highly regarded for her authentic leadership in the environmental and social spaces, her passion and expertise lie in exploring the intersection of environmental, social, commercial and economic issues. Natalie advises world leaders on environmental and social policy and driven the expansion, growth and impact of a range of social enterprises and non-profits around the world.
Melanie Tran - Thought leader in the intersection of Design Innovation, Disability, Technology & Social Impact
Melanie is a thought leader in the intersection of design innovation, disability, technology & social impact. With the purpose to rebuild a society that's designed for inclusion, Melanie's work has produced internationally recognized social change.
Melanie will help you to embrace unique perspectives and redefine social norms to ensure the creation of a society built for inclusion.
Isaiah Dawe - From Foster Kid to CEO & Founder ID. Know Yourself
At 17, Isaiah Dawe was travelling back to boarding school after the holidays when his foster carer sent him a text saying he was no longer able to live with them.
When the time came to complete his Higher School Certificate exams, Isaiah wasn’t able to focus on the exam, he was thinking about where he was going to live and how he was going to survive.
This was the genesis for Isaiah to create ID. Know Yourself, the first Aboriginal led organisation delivering 1:1 mentoring and support coordination to Aboriginal children and young people in contact with the Out of Home Care and Juvenile Justice system in New South Wales. As Founder and CEO of ID. Know Yourself, Isaiah is determined to impact the lives of the 22,000 Aboriginal children in Out of Home Care, their purpose is to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and disadvantage by establishing belonging, discovering purpose and empowering positive choices.
Victoria Devine - Host of the She's on the Money Podcast & Financial Adviser
Victoria will help audiences learn how to be more secure, independent and informed with their money - with clear steps on how to budget, clear debts, build savings, start investing, buy property and much more. And along with all the practical information, Victoria will guide audiences through the sometimes-tricky psychology surrounding money so they can establish the values, habits and confidence that will help them build their wealth long-term.
Lucy Thomas - Co-Founder and CEO of PROJECT ROCKIT
Lucy is internationally recognised as a thought-leader in online safety and participation, serving on the global Safety Advisory Boards of Facebook and Instagram, as well as Twitter's Trust and Safety Council. Throughout her career, Lucy has personally worked with hundreds of thousands of young Aussies, building a precious ability to connect with any audience.
As CEO of PROJECT ROCKIT, Lucy’s work has been honoured by UNICEF, the global Family Online Safety Institute, and she has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her service to youth and the issue of bullying.
But after building her career tackling bullying, Lucy’s life was fundamentally changed when she became the target of an extended pattern of bullying herself. Instead of hiding away, Lucy took this as a call to connect with even young Aussies and launch herself into advocating for her LGBTIQA+ community.
Alex Noble - Elite Athlete, Motivational Speaker & Fighter
Alex Noble is a wise 19yr old, who experienced a traumatic life-changing injury when he broke his neck playing rugby in 2018 leaving him a permanent quadriplegic.
Alex’s impressive self-esteem, self-worth, and self-love are demonstrated through his continual approach to conquer life as an extreme athlete. Sports such as skydiving, jet skiing, surfing, sailing, canoeing, and cliff jumping are just some of the things that inspire the nation to live their one and only life as best as possible and realise that the only restrictions there are in life are the ones set within people’s minds.
Louka Parry - Education Futurist & Learning Strategist
Louka Parry is an award-winning Educator, Speaker, Facilitator and Adventurer with a powerful ability to communicate ideas with clarity.
Louka works across the globe with changemakers, teams, schools and organisations speaking on leadership, wellbeing, innovation and the future of learning and work.
As CEO of The Learning Future, he is committed to transforming learning structures, systems and societies so that we better unlock curiosity and empower individuals to develop the key human capabilities that matter most now and into the future.
Marita Cheng - Engineering visionary and 2012 Young Australian of the Year.
Marita Cheng is founder and CEO of aubot and the founder of Robogals a student-run organisation that provides free engineering and technology workshops to encourage primary and secondary school girls.
Marita was named the 2012 Young Australian of the Year and in Marita was made a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to science and technology, particularly to robotics. her company aubot makes a telepresence robot, Teleport, for kids with cancer in hospital to attend school, people with a disability to attend work and to monitor and socialise with elderly people. As well as telepresence robots, Aubot does research and development in robotic arms, virtual reality and autonomous mapping and navigation.
Adam McCurdie and Joshua Ross - Social entrepreneurs behind Humanitix
Adam McCurdie and Joshua Ross are some of Australia’s most successful social entrepreneurs under the age of 30.
They are the co-founders and co-managing directors of the social enterprise Humanitix, which is now selling in excess of $10m in tickets per annum, disrupting the online ticketing industry and redirecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in ‘annoying’ booking fees to help end global poverty and education gaps.
Adam and Josh are engaging and insightful speakers who inspire audiences to challenge the status quo and are guaranteed to resonate with students around Australia.
Jess and Stef Dadon - Co-Founders of Twoobs, How Two Live
Australian sisters Jess and Stef Dadon are designers, creative directors, and entrepreneurs. They first launched How Two Live as a daily diary in 2012, and it has since grown into a global platform with a tribe of loyal fans.
In 2016 the duo created TWOOBS; a line of comfortable, fashion-forward, and animal- friendly sandals that regularly sell out. Through their label, they also offer The Two Grant, which gives female entrepreneurs grants of up to $5000 along with mentorships, in line with the sisters’ goal of encouraging more women to run their own businesses. They are passionate advocates for sustainable, purpose-led businesses.
Most recently the pair debuted How Two Live: The Podcast, interviewing strong female mentors, with a goal to empower women with positive and inspiring content.
Nick Bracks - Mental Health Advocate
Nick Bracks has spent the last decade as a passionate advocate for mental health issues, speaking at some of Australia’s largest organisations. In his presentation, Nick candidly shares his story and recounts his mental health struggles since age 11, including a particularly difficult period when injury forced an early end to his dream career as a professional athlete.
Nick's goal is to be part of changing the way we view mental health. He believes that by formally educating children about mental health we can create a healthier and more sustainable future.
Tarang Chawla - Gender Equality & Mental Health Advocate
Tarang Chawla is a writer, gender equality, and mental health advocate. In 2015 Tarang Chawla’s sister, Nikita was just 23 when she was murdered by her partner while she slept. Ever since, Tarang has been campaigning to end violence against women and their children with a particular focus on ensuring that survivors’ stories are shared in a safe, sensitive, and responsible way.
Yasmin Poole - Award-Winning Youth Advocate
Yasmin is an award-winning speaker, writer and youth advocate. Named one of Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women by the Australian Financial Review, Yasmin’s work focuses on why diversity is necessary to ignite social change.
Yasmin developed a strong sense of justice at a young age. After growing up in a low-income family in country Victoria, she was instilled with the desire to stand up for the disadvantaged and create a fairer Australia. She has since gone on to become a powerful representative for the youth voice. She is Plan International's National Ambassador and the Non-Executive Board Director of OzHarvest, Australia’s leading food rescue charity.
Hunter Johnson - CEO at The Man Cave & STUFF™
Hunter is the Founder & CEO of two purpose-driven organisations; The Man Cave, an emotional intelligence charity that has impacted the lives of 20,000 young men across Australia and STUFF™, a men's personal care brand that champions healthy masculinity.
An engaging and motivating public speaker, Hunter has delivered keynote presentations to people across the world - from local level grassroots sporting clubs and Year 12 Graduation Ceremonies, right through to the Sydney Opera House and the United Nations.
Macinley Butson - Young Inventor, Award Winning STEM Leader and 2018 NSW Young Australian of the Year.
Macinley Butson is one of Australia’s foremost young inventors who devotes herself to improving the world through STEM and, being an inspirational voice to youth and industry urging them to work towards solutions for global challenges by asking big questions.
Macinley has developed many devices which have aided humanity across a number of sectors including, cancer treatment, water sanitation and, renewable energy. She is Recognised as one of Australia’s top young scientists, Macinley is a passionate ambassador for STEM education amongst girls and representative for the inclusion of young generations. Alongside studying at university, she brings a personal understanding when speaking to students encouraging the pursuit of STEM and their own curiosity.
Corey Tutt - Founder & CEO of DeadlyScience
Corey Tutt is a proud Kamilaroi man and Young Australian of the Year for NSW 2020. He is the CEO and founder of the charity DeadlyScience, which provides science resources, mentoring and training to over 110 remote and regional schools across Australia with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Corey’s passion for Indigenous education has also been recognised through various awards including the CSIRO Indigenous STEM Champion 2019; AMP Tomorrow Maker 2019 and ABC Trailblazer 2019, 2020 Eureka prize finalist.
Lisy Kane - Co-Founder of Girl Geek Academy
Lisy Kane is the co-founder of Girl Geek Academy and a video games producer making waves in the industry. Lisy’s gaming industry insights have seen her curate and produce sell-out events for the academy, including #SheMakesGames 2015 - Australia’s first all-women game-making day - which was such a hit it has been made an annual event.
Girl Geek Academy was founded in 2014 with the mission to teach 1 million women to get into tech and launch their own startups by 2025. Girl Geek Academy is behind Australia's first all-women hackathon, #SheHacks, and the world’s first hackathon for girls aged five to eight, #MissMakesCode.
Jahin Tanvir - Award-Winning Speaker, Author, & Multicultural Youth Advocate
Jahin Tanvir is an award-winning keynote and TEDx speaker, author, board director, and multicultural youth advocate.
At 21-years-old, Jahin is a Diversity and Inclusion leader having been involved in several youth-led and multicultural organisations to champion youth empowerment, healthcare, and education for all young people.
Scott Millar - The young entrepreneur taking the world by storm
Scott Millar is the tech-head prodigy behind BOP Industries and young entrepreneur taking the world by storm. At 19, Scott has been named one of Australia’s top 30 under 30 in business, Asia Pacific’s Inspiring Youth Leader for 2019 and an LGBT advocate and leader in Australia and overseas.
BOP Industries is a Brisbane based technology and education company on the mission to inspire the next generation of digital creators, showing students around the world how they can do amazing things at any age from anywhere. With a focus on entrepreneurship, technology and the future of work, Scott and his team are working to build a generation of change-makers.
Nas Campanella - Disability Affairs Reporter for the ABC
Nas Campanella is the ABC's disability affairs reporter. Nas started her career at the ABC as a cadet journalist in Sydney in 2011 before working as a regional reporter in Bega. She then spent seven years working as a newsreader, reporter and senior producer for triple j and other ABC platforms. Nas has also undertaken projects with ABC International Development, running initiatives for people living with disability across the Pacific.
Billie Murphy - An Empowering Educator
Billie Murphy is an educator and experienced facilitator who specialises in working with our partners to deliver an exceptional program that enhances wellbeing and broadens their understanding of global citizenship and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Billie is the General Manager of SolarBuddy, a not-for-profit with the goal of gifting 6 million solar lights to children living in energy poverty by 2030. Billie is an accomplished keynote Speaker and is passionate about educating others and empowering them to become change-makers and have a positive impact in the world.
Allira Potter - Trained Energy Healer, Psychic & Mediation Guide, Author & Social Media Game Changer
Allira Potter is a proud Yorta Yorta, a trained reiki practitioner, intuitive reader, energy healer, life coach, and meditation guide.
Allira’s practice is fully immersed around culture, cultural awareness, and education, with a focus on debunking the wellness narrative to ensure diverse representation and decolonisation of white-dominated wellness space.
Orange Sky Laundry - World-first free mobile laundry & showers for the homeless
In October 2014, two best mates had a crazy idea to put two washing machines and two dryers in the back of a van, and wash and dry clothes for free.
From there Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett, the 2016 Young Australians of the Year, founded Orange Sky - a world-first, free mobile laundry service for people experiencing homelessness. On a mission to improve hygiene standards. Orange Sky now has 29 laundry and shower services operating across the country, with thousands of volunteers giving their time each week to help positively connect some of the 116,000 Australians doing it tough. The focus is on creating a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for people who are too often ignored or feel disconnected from the community.
Yasmin London - Cyber Safety and Digital Wellbeing Expert
Yasmin London is the Executive Director of ySafe, Australia's largest online safety education organisation. Yasmin ignites social change through education and courageous conversations.
Yasmin London is an in-demand communication powerhouse whose mission is to equip people with the skills and knowledge to ensure technology enhances their modern day lives, rather than detracts from it.
As the Executive Director of ySafe, Australia’s largest provider of cyber safety education, Yasmin has collaboratively overseen the team’s delivery of online safety education to 500,000 kids since its inception, 100,000 parents and 50,000 school staff educating on multiple aspects of digital wellbeing and online safety.
Solli Raphael - Australia's youngest ever Poetry Slam champion and author of Limelight.
Solli is a budding humanitarian and environmental conservationist who uses original work to instigate conversations about issues that affect future generations.
Having performed as a slam poet and keynote speaker at national and international conferences, corporate, lifestyle and charity events, literary festivals, in countless schools as well as on TV shows such as The Project, Q&A, Studio10 and ABC Breakfast News, Solli has found himself receiving accolades for his inspirational input into the lives of youth and adults alike.
View his TEDx presentation.
Ashleigh Streeter-Jones - Award-Winning Gender Equality Activist Challenging the Status Quo
Ashleigh was recognised as the youngest ever ACT Woman of the Year, Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence, as a Foundation for Young Australians Young Social Pioneer, Forbes 30 Under 30, and was selected as one of 50 young leaders to attend Davos in 2021.
She is an experienced speaker and a persuasive and compelling storyteller who shares her experience as an activist and leader who has been working with young people to make change for nearly 10 years. Ashleigh has spent the last 5 years working to bring more diverse young women into politics and policy, for which she’s been internationally recognized, and founded her own social enterprise, Raise Our Voice Australia, which runs training to amplify the voices of young women in politics and policy.
She also ran the first-ever Youth Voice in Parliament event in 2021 and is soon to release the first-ever research done on young people’s attitudes towards public service leadership (politics & policy)
Josh Reid Jones - Social Impact Professional & Social Entrepreneur
Josh Reid Jones is a social impact professional and social entrepreneur. From a childhood marked by poverty, violence, and challenging circumstances to a purpose-led life, founding the Just Be Nice project with the aim of changing the way that people help people. Josh has been relentless in his pursuit of creating an environment that ensures people in need, gets the help that they need, when they need it, for as long as they need it. Supporting individuals and communities into housing, employment, and positive mental health outcomes across the globe
Jacqui Bell - The youngest person in the world to conquer ultra-marathons on 7 Continents & Mental Health Ambassador
Imagine running almost 2,000 kilometres - mostly through gruelling desert terrain - all while your toenails keep falling off: 10 of them, to be precise.
For most, it sounds like a form of torture. Not so for ultramarathon runner Jacqui Bell, especially when you consider what she's already been through.
At the age of 23, became The Youngest Female in The World to complete Racing Planet's 4 Desert Grand Slam. This meant running 250 kilometers across four of the harshest deserts in the world - and in 2019 she went on to become the youngest person to complete an Ultra Marathon on every Continent in the World. Whilst completing this Jacqui also raised over $23,000 for The White Cloud Foundation Mental Health Charity.
Harry Garside - Plumber & Olympic Boxing Bronze Medallist
Harry is the first Australia boxer to bring home an Olympic medal since 1988 and made headlines doing it. Harry is committed to breaking stereotypes and sharing wisdom beyond his years as he does it.
Every month Harry takes on a new challenge that pushes his boundaries and builds his resilience. He’s all about getting back up no matter what but also learning from every mistake along the way.
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg - Improving Mental Health through Technology
Michael is Australia's highest profile adolescent psychologist and is an ambassador for a multitude of organisations aimed at promoting the wellbeing of young people.
A well-rounded speaker, Michael has a range of topics aimed at schools which ultilise the latest research to help both students and parents deal with the trials and tribulations of school.
Dr Gill Hicks - Terror Survivor and Global Peace Advocate
After surviving the London Bombings in 2005 and the subsequent recovery after the loss of her legs, Gill’s story is one of resilience, perseverance and, surprisingly, love.
Inspired by the kindness shown to her by strangers Gill has dedicated her life to spreading and advocating for peace and countering violent extremism through her organisation MAD for Peace. Gill believes that we as individuals have the ability to enact great change in both our own lives and the lives of others by building trust and confidence within ourselves.
Every one of Gill's presentations is completely bespoke and focus on themes such as confidence and trust within ourselves, and how having both allows us to make transformational choices. To get an idea of how Gill constructs each presentation check out her video here.
Richard Gerver - Re-evaluating Education
The award-winning principal behind the education reforms that transformed the Grange Primary into one of the world's most acclaimed learning environments, Richard Gerver is now a leading consultant on change, leadership and education having worked with leaders such as Barrack Obama and the Dalai Llama.
An innovator and educator by trade Richard focuses on the skills that young people need to achieve success in the future and works towards creating the systems that will allow them to develop into the leaders of tomorrow.
Dr Charlotte Keating - Wellbeing and Mental Health Expert
Dr Charlotte Keating is a psychologist, with a PhD in neuroscience, specialising in adolescents and executives. She is a passionate advocate for mental health, particularly for young people.
She is uniquely placed as a result of her expertise in psychology and neuroscience to understand the needs of young people and effectively communicate about them as a media personality, psychologist and researcher.
Michael Coyne - Globally Renowned Photographer and Storyteller
Michael Coyne has worked as a photographer for over 30 years, covering wars, revolutions, famine, natural disasters and other international events in places as diverse as the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Middle East and Africa. His photographs have featured in numerous prestigious publications including Time, Life, the New York Times, Newsweek and National Geographic.
Michael is an exceptional storyteller (you can view a sample of his stories here) and is also available to provide photography workshops for students in addition to his keynote which provide an incredibly special opportunity for those passionate about the art-form.
Felicity Furey - Engineer and Champion for diversity in STEM.
Felicity Furey is an award winning inspirational speaker, entrepreneur and engineer passionate about diversity. As a founder of two social enterprises, Felicity has shifted the perception of engineering with thousands of young people and companies. Felicity co-founded social enterprise Machinam, which engages and motivates students in high school maths. Machinam’s digital maths resource, In Real Life for year 9 and 10, connects what students are learning in maths class to the real world and authentically how they would use maths. She also co-founded not-for-profit Power of Engineering. The organisation has now reached over 8,000 students across Australia through one day events and partnerships with industry and universities. 75% of students who were a ‘no’ to engineering before the day change their mind to a ‘yes’ after the event.
Wil Massara - Young Entrepreneur, Changemaker & Founder of Youth Leadership Academy Australia
Born with an entrepreneurial spirit, Wil Massara began his first business venture at the age of just 11 - an aviation website aimed at creating a less stressful air travel experience
In today’s world where there are infinite possibilities to learn, develop and grow as human beings - Wil takes his audience on a journey of discovery and realisation that age is absolutely no barrier to achieving success in life, business, career, school, health or any aspect of life.
Annabelle Chauncy - CEO and Founding Director of School for Life Foundation.
Over three months in Kenya and Uganda in 2007, Annabelle Chauncy’s life changed. Deeply moved by seeing children hungry to learn despite broken desks and understaffed schools, she and was determined to create realistic change in Africa. At 21 she founded a multi-national NGO from scratch, the School for Life Foundation, with operations in both Australia and Uganda and over the past 10 years has built a team of more than 120 staff and constructed 3 schools in rural Uganda that provide quality education to 680 students and outreach to more than 2000 people.
Justine Flynn - Co-Founder & Director - Thankyou
Co-founder of Thank You Water, Justine is passionate about a lot of things, but in particular, she has a passion for people and business. With incredible ideas, never-ending creativity and the ability to empower others to reach their full potential, Justine is pretty much always on the go and her motivation for excellence is an inspiration to the team.
With a Bachelor of Business Management (majoring in HR and Marketing), Justine’s got incredible theoretical and practical knowledge of business, branding, marketing and HR that keeps driving Thankyou forward.
Tim Cope - Expanding Horizons
In one of the most unique odysseys of modern times Tim Cope spent three years on horseback among nomads traversing the Eurasian steppe, accompanied by his dog Tigon. A deeply passionate storyteller, Tim has broken with the stereotype of conquest-focused adventure and become renowned as a champion of the rare human wisdom found in some of the world’s least known traditional cultures. His message of success and happiness through resilience, taking responsible risks, embracing cultural and individual differences, and developing relationships based on understanding and respect has found universal resonance.
Nasir Soibhani - The Streets’ Barber
Nasir Sobhani is a humanitarian walking the streets of Geelong offering free haircuts and shaves to the homeless and less fortunate. Humble and friendly, he shares their stories online through social media with an aim to give a ‘Voice to the Voiceless’
Nasir is dedicated to helping all those who encounter him find their own purpose and passionate advocate for social equality and compassion for all.
Nadine Champion - Lessons from Martial Arts
Nadine Champion is a truly inspiring keynote speaker, martial arts Sensei (teacher), author and entrepreneur. She is a thought leader on courage, inner strength and resilience. Her authenticity shines through with her life changing 10 Seconds of Courage message - a powerful call to action challenging her audience to “change their thinking” in order to succeed. Her delivery is humorous, educational and touching in equal measure.
Brett Connellan - Shark Attack Survivor, Surfer & Storyteller
Five years after surviving a life-threatening shark bite at his local beach, Kiama surfer Brett Connellan is making a film about his recovery. The film Pyrophytic, a reference to nature's powers of recovery after a bushfire, documents not just how the freak attack happened; it also charts Connellan's mental and physical recovery to the point where he is now taking on monumental physical feats.
Peter Hillary - Climb your own Everest
Peter Hillary’s life is a testament to setting goals and achieving them. His skill, driving ambition, and good judgement have enabled him to summit mountains and survive ferocious storms and avalanches. He is a communicator, a storyteller and a skilled assessor of what works and what doesn’t in critical situations. With a history of world class achievements in climbing, he is an inspiring adventurer from one of the great families of mountaineering.
Cooper Chapman - Professional Surfer and Founder of the Good Human Factory
Cooper started The Good Human Factory after his little sister lost two friends to suicide when she was in Year 12. Cooper saw the impact these suicides had on her and knew he needed to do something meaningful to support her, trying to inspire change through kindness and gratitude.
The Good Human Factory is all about what it means to be a 'Good Human', and respect is part of that. Both respect and disrespect are things that we learn, and things that we all have the power to teach. How we behave, how we treat each other, and what we accept from others can have a big impact on how our siblings think about and act in their own relationships.
Dr Catherine Ball - Drone Expert and Diversity Champion
Dr. Catherine Ball is an author, founder, executive director, and ethics advocate working across global projects where emerging technologies meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs. Catherine also likes to create businesses. Catherine has most recently created “World of Drones Education”which is set to be the ‘Netflix’ of STEM resources for teachers, educators, corporates, and parents. It includes lesson plans on demand and a Podcast you can download from the Apple Store.
Orange Sky Laundry - What do a park, a van and dirty laundry have in common?
At the age of 20, best mates Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett built a free mobile laundry in their old van to help the homeless. Orange Sky Laundry began in October 2014 and since then, the world first idea has rapidly expanded to 11 vans in Brisbane, Melbourne, SE Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Perth, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Wollongong. Lucas and Nic present their story of innovation, fast growth, social entrepreneurship, the impact of social media and how simple ideas can have an enormous impact.
Olivia Molly Rogers - Miss Universe Australia 2017, Media Personality, Artist, Author & Mental Health Advocate
Olivia’s charming personality, eloquence, and ‘can-do’ attitude have secured her numerous hosting and presenting jobs around Australia, working with a range of lifestyle, fashion, and health & wellness labels, along with several charities and not-for-profit organisations.
During her time as Miss Universe Australia, Olivia opened up about her own experience with anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
Olivia continues to use her platform to facilitate discussions about mental health issues with the hope that it will help to reduce stigma and encourage other young Australians to speak up and seek support.
Jules Allen - Inspiring people to take action.
Jules is a leading Youth Advocate, and has over twenty years of experience in youth support and child protection.
After suffering years of sexual abuse, family breakdown and domestic abuse, Jules decided not to let her past define her becoming the face of charities such as adopt change and Foster Care Australia. Today she is an accomplished speaker, drawing on her own experiences to help others turn their greatest adversity in their greatest strength.
Graeme Joy - Education and adventure
Graeme Joy is perhaps best known as joint leader of the International North Pole Expedition where he became the first Australian to ski to the North Pole. He has also led expeditions to Mount Denali in Alaska, Mount Vinson in Antarctica, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, across the Australian desert, and kayaking in Greenland and Bass Strait.
Graeme also served as the Director of Outdoor Education at Geelong Grammar School's Timbertop Campus during the early 80s. While at Timbertop he substantially changed Timbertop's education programme in the outdoors and environmental science.
Deni Todorovic - Style by Deni: Style Editor, Fashion & Celebrity Stylist
A vocal activist for Queer rights/human rights and pushing the narrative forward, particularly around topics of gender, sexuality, fashion, politics, race, and equality. Deni identifies as Gender Non-Conforming and gay. Their core values are to inform and inspire, whilst always remaining authentic to their sense of self.
Sean Purcell - Finding purpose in adversity
After a cardiac arrest left him in a coma and a bleak prognosis, Sean Purcell was able to not only survive but thrive. Five years on he now heads up the ‘Empower Sessions’ by the Cotton On Foundation seeking to empower youth on a global scale through international progress.
Sean’s presentations focus on self-development and overcoming adversity to find find and achieve and life of purpose.
Jerry Grayson - Film & Rescue Pilot, Drone Educator
Jerry Grayson is a rescue pilot turned speaker and storyteller, with a wealth of stories to share from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait.
Jerry draws upon years of search and rescue experience for lessons in teamwork, resilience and leadership.
Arron Wood - Kids teaching Kids
Arron Wood is a leading entrepreneur and business expert with a focus on promoting positive wellbeing and resilience through his highly successful Kids Teaching Kids Program. With over 95,000 participants worldwide, the program gives children the opportunity to bring awareness environmental issues in their own way by presenting to their peers.
Arron believes that this culture of peer learning can help instill meaningful change in young people and help foster the next generation of informed citizens. You can see more of his thoughts on this method at the video below.
John Marsden - World renowned author and educator
John Marsden has written more than 40 books, mostly for teenagers and children, including Tomorrow When the War Began, So Much to Tell You, and Letters from the Inside. He has sold over five million books worldwide, and has won every major award in Australia for young people's fiction.
John's passionate interest in education led him to start two schools, Candlebark, on a vast forested estate near Romsey Victoria, and Alice Miller, at Macedon, a Year 7-12 school with a particular emphasis on the creative arts. The two schools enrolled 350 students in 2018.
Sasha Kutabah Sarago is a proud Wadjanbarra Yidinji, Jirrbal and African-American woman.
A former model, Sasha, grew frustrated by the invisibility of multicultural women in fashion and media. In 2011, Sasha founded Ascension - Australia's first digital lifestyle platform for women of colour. As a speaker, Sasha raises awareness around culture, diversity and equity in the business, media and lifestyle sectors.
Empowering Teenage Girls to Become Unstoppable Women
Mandy is the CEO & Founder of Flourish Girl. Flourish Girl is a preventative mental health program for teenage girls. They currently deliver their programs in schools and run mother-daughter programs across Australia. Mandy is an ex-speech pathologist, TEDx Speaker, Model and Australian Accredited Facilitator.
