Jules Allen is a remarkable Australian with a truly moving story.
As a multi-Award-winning Social Scientist, Jules is guided by the philosophy that “your greatest adversity in life is your greatest gift,” Her address to TEDx Melbourne on ‘The key to resilience’ was met with tumultuous applause and a standing ovation.
Current Work:
For the past twenty-five years, she has worked in youth support, child protection, and International Aide, as a school counsellor, and in private practice for young people and families in crisis. Jules found herself on the front line of the mental health crisis during the COVID-19 working as a counsellor for families in crisis. Consequently, she is more convinced than ever that the most effective way to overcome anxiety is through the implementation of a pragmatic toolkit. Combining her knowledge as a Social Scientist with strategies backed by neuroscience, Jules believes she has designed a framework for overcoming anxiety that is practical and accessible for all.
Jules’s lived experiences of adversity are the backbone of her expertise in this field. Having experienced years of childhood sexual abuse and a family breakdown, Jules went on to become a youth at risk. Heavy drug and alcohol addiction led to poor decision-making and at 21 she was a young Mum in a domestic violence situation. Needless to say, anxiety and depression were constant companions as Jules navigated her way through this chaos.
Making the decision to be not defined by her experiences, Jules turned her adversity into an asset. She chose to care for 32 Foster children and is the proud Mother of 4 adult children, a blend of her own, fostered, and adopted. In 2013, prompted by a dare from her kids, Jules found herself as a contestant on MasterChef Australia. She went on to feature on an episode of the ABC’s Australian Story and The Project, as well as in major magazines such as New Idea, Women's Weekly, and The Collective.
There is so much to admire about Jules Allen including her sheer determination to make a difference, her attitude in the face of extraordinary adversity, and her contagious positivity. As a Speaker, Jules is renowned for her capacity to engage her audience with warmth and humour while providing them with practical toolkits to tackle anxiety, increase resilience and reduce burnout. The wealth of knowledge she has gained both personally and professionally over the years provides sound leadership lessons for us all.
Talking Points
Mindflix’ -Overcoming anxiety for life and achieving your potential
Jules’s unique approach to overcoming anxiety is extraordinary and incredibly effective. Having worked as a front-line mental health worker during the pandemic, Jules is more convinced than ever that the most effective strategy for combatting anxiety sits in a swift, pragmatic solution-based approach. Her ‘Mindflix’ formula is backed by her research as a Social Scientist for over 25 years and recent findings in Neuroscience. The ‘Mindflix’ toolkit has been tried and tested by, not only herself, but many of the clients she has helped over the years. Anxiety does not need to be managed; it can be overcome. Only then will you be able to explore what you are truly capable of.Mindflix’ -Overcoming anxiety for life and achieving your potential
Key Learnings
- Gain a depth of understanding from a neurological perspective of how anxiety manifests in the brain and body.
- Learn the ‘Mindflix’ formula, backed by social science and neuroscience, that gives you the opportunity to live anxiety-free by retraining your brain.
- The workshop teaches you how to implement ‘Mindflix’ in to your everyday life.
- Learn how to live to your full potential without the constraints of anxiety.
The ‘key’ to resilience
Resilience is one of the hottest, most talked about topics of recent times. But what if resilience, alone, is not enough. The truth is we are born resilient. We are born hard-wired for struggle.The ‘key’ to resilience
The suicide rate in Australia is at an all-time high and anxiety and self-harm are an epidemic. Resilience is not a flawed concept but, on its own, it is not the backbone to success…in life or otherwise; not if you don’t have the ‘key’.
Key Learnings:
- Identifying and understanding the fundamental ‘key’ to resilience.
- How to challenge your preconceived ideas regarding resilience.
- Learn how to implement the ‘key’ into all aspects of your life.
- Learn the art of capitalising on all your experiences, good and bad.
- Learn how to strive and not just survive.
Balance before burnout. The key to high performance.
Having raised 32 children as a single Mother whilst studying and working full time, Jules knows something about what’s required to maintain the delicate balance and avoid burnout. Balance before burnout. The key to high performance.
Having worked on the front line in mental health during the pandemic Jules has recognised the increased use of the term, ‘limited capacity’ when referring to ourselves. As we navigate our way back into a world that now seems foreign, as people who are no longer the same, things are bound to be beyond challenging. Jules has formulated a set of strategies over the years that can be applied to your daily routine that can help avoid burnout, stress and anxiety. She has so much faith in this approach that she refers to these tools as ‘non-negotiables.’
Learning outcomes:
-Identify what behaviours and mindsets are contributing to a potential ‘burnout’.
-Learn a set of skills that you can apply daily to avoid falling victim to a high-stress environment.
-Identifying what you need in life, enhancing your capacity to effectively and realistically achieve your goals.
-How to stay in the high-performance lane.
“Gifts in Shitty Wrapping Paper” - How to Turn Adversity into Ambition
We don’t always have a say over what it is that we experience in life. How do we take all of our experiences - the good and the bad - and turn them into our greatest asset?“Gifts in Shitty Wrapping Paper” - How to Turn Adversity into Ambition
Through overcoming her own personal challenges, Jules now lives by the mantra that our biggest challenges in life are our greatest gifts.
Resilience keeps you alive, whereas armed with the right tool kit, overcoming adversity provides you with an opportunity to thrive. It’s not what happens to us in life that defines us... It’s what we chose to do with it.
In this presentation Jules leaves her audience spellbound as she delicately intertwines her personal trials with a tried and tested theory for, not just overcoming your ordeal, but striving as a result of it. She inspires and restores a sound belief in peoples’ sense of purpose.
Learning outcomes:
-Learn the mindset required to turn adversity into an asset.
-Become familiar with the antidote to shame in order to make your most harrowing of experiences matter.
- Learn how to strive because of your experiences rather than to survive in spite of them.
Video
Jules Allen | Overcoming Anxiety for Life | Saxton Speakers
Jules Allen is a remarkable Australian with a truly moving story. As a multi-Award-winning Social Scientist, Jules is guided by the philosophy that “your greatest adversity in life is your greatest gift,” Her address to TEDx Melbourne on ‘The key to resilience’ was met with tumultuous applause and a standing ovation. For the past twenty-five years, she has worked in youth support, child protection, and International Aide, as a school counsellor, and in private practice for young people and families in crisis. Jules found herself on the front-line of the mental health crisis during the COVID-19 working as a counsellor for families in crisis. Consequently, she is more convinced than ever that the most effective way to overcome anxiety is through the implementation of a pragmatic toolkit. Combining her knowledge as a Social Scientist with strategies backed by neuroscience, Jules believes she has designed a framework for overcoming anxiety that is practical and accessible for all.Gifts in Shitty Wrapping Paper | Jules Allen | TEDxMelbourne
Resilience is overrated. We have an abundance of resilient people who still struggle or fail completely. Find out why we need to take a new stance of surviving and thriving. Alongside Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, Jules crusades for adoption reform. She has worked on a global scale with women and children who are victims of gross human rights violations. Jules believes the greatest adventure is that found within the mind; challenging the mind to think outside of its pre-conceived, patterned perceptions.Jules was FANTASTIC. Anecdotally we’ve had great feedback - she really resonated, was real and authentic, and moved and inspired the room. ... keep reading Fonterra
What an incredible presentation by Jules Allen. One of the most honest and real presentations I have the honour of listening too. Jules discussed some really difficult life experiences that had the whole audience thoroughly engaged. She was thought provoking and her insight into life and young people today was truly amazing. She emanates a real warmth and a natural humour that really connects her to her audience. She very willingly stayed on to speak with members of her audience. I would not hesitate to recommend Jules Allen.
Jules was a standout speaker at our large scale event. She was warm, human, hilarious and real and had an audience of more than 1100 real estate agents in the palm of her hands
