Dr Paul Callaghan is an Aboriginal man belonging to the land of the Worimi people, now called Port Stephens.
Paul has held several senior executive positions in his career including CEO of New England TAFE where he had responsibility for 1,200 staff, 23,000 students and an annual budget of $65million. He has qualifications in surveying, drafting, commerce, training, executive leadership, company boards and executive coaching. He also has a PhD in Creative Practice. His most important learning however, has been through going bush with Elders.
Paul is also an author. His book, The Dreaming Path became a best seller in Australia in September, 2022 and received the Australian Book Industry Award for ‘Small Publisher’s Adult Book of the Year’ in 2023. It has also been published in France and Germany and will be published in the USA in October 2023.
Talking Points
Authentic Leadership - Learning from the World’s Oldest Living Culture
Organisations are forever seeking better ways to lead. From an Aboriginal perspective, they all continue to get it wrong. Through this presentation, Paul provides an alternative view on leadership that has been successful for over 60,000 years. Many of the insights he provides are applicable in the contemporary business world. Authentic Leadership - Learning from the World’s Oldest Living Culture
Key takeaways:
- Western leadership theory is too narrow in its scope
- Aboriginal leadership provides a new way of viewing the leadership role
- The Aboriginal way of leading can change the world in a good way
Two Worlds Together
Target audience: Anyone wanting to know more about Aboriginal culture and how it can create a better place (workplace, home, community, region, country and world)Two Worlds Together
Western culture has created many things that give us enjoyment every day such as hot showers, coffee, timely transportation and the ability to talk to someone we love on the other side of the world in real-time. At the same time, there are many people who feel like something is missing. Through this presentation, Paul explores key values of the Western world and Aboriginal world and explains how bringing the two worlds together can be a good thing for everybody.
Key takeaways:
- The Western world has much to offer but we often don’t see it
- The Aboriginal way of seeing the world can help you better navigate day to day life
- By understanding Aboriginal ways of being, we all have a chance to sit together in unity and fellowship and better appreciate the beautiful land we are blessed to live in
Work Life Balance - Making it Real
Despite promises two decades ago that our personal world would be one of increased leisure, most people find high-level stress to be a workplace norm. We all talk about getting balance in our lives but few of us know what to do about it. Through this presentation, Paul provides insights from the Aboriginal world and the Western world on how to make the changes necessary to get your life back.Work Life Balance - Making it Real
Key Takeaways:
- Work can be a good thing but we need to set boundaries
- Work Life balance can be achieved but it requires discipline and self-responsibility
- You owe it to yourself to get balance in your life so you can ‘live the best story possible’
Video
Paul Callaghan | Saxton Speakers
Paul Callaghan is an Aboriginal man belonging to the land of the Worimi people, located on the coast of New South Wales just north of Newcastle. Paul has 20 years of experience at the senior management, executive and CEO level with qualifications in surveying, drafting, commerce, training and development, executive leadership, company boards, and executive/organizational coaching.Paul was fantastic! He was so professional throughout the process and his keynote was highly engaging. We would definitely have him back. ... keep reading CSL
It doesn't matter who you are or where you've come from, there is something truly universal in the wisdom and life lessons shared by Uncle Paul Callaghan. Whether it's an intimate, interactive session or captivating keynote presentation to a large audience, people hang off every word and are deeply moved by Paul's story, perspective and authenticity.
We are so grateful for Paul's time and wonderfully powerful and thought-provoking session. He was so open, genuine and really showed the importance of listening to Aboriginal peoples stories at a local level, being yourself and the concept of true Unity. We are truly grateful and just really wanted that to be passed onto him that we sincerely appreciate his time. A load of us said afterwards we are going right away to purchase his book!
Paul was wonderful - he had a great way of weaving stories into his messaging that made him really relatable and made the message stick. And his content was relevant and meaningful, the kind of presentation that gets real conversations started and minds ticking.
We had the pleasure of having Paul as our keynote speaker for NAIDOC Week. I must say that his presentation was fantastic. Paul not only captivated the audience with his engaging speaking style but also delivered valuable insights that left a lasting impact on everyone who attended the session. Paul spoke so openly and honestly, and is extremely down to earth. We couldn’t get enough of him and would love to have him back one day. He is a wonderful person, and his warmth transcends even through a computer screen.
Paul was amazing! He was engaging and kept the audience intrigued for the whole presentation. He had a great balance of being informative, firm and encouraging people on how they can be a great allies to the Aboriginal community. I felt he made the audience not only aware but understand why we as a nation need to move forward in closing the gap. I laughed, cried, felt angry and happy all in the space of Paul’s one-hour presentation. A great speaker and one we would be privileged to hear from again!
Listening to Paul I discovered a better understanding of his culture and the importance of Country. I was inspired to find more colour in my day, find my purpose, leave tracks and love myself. He was warm, honest and engaging, I laughed and I cried. I wanted to hear more! Thanks Paul.
