We all own the power of choice; regardless of the situation we are in.
Sabina Read is a psychologist, speaker, media commentator, podcast host, and life sherpa who works with organisations, groups, and individuals on topics including change, wellbeing, stress, relationships, organisational dynamics, career development, mental health, and leadership to help people become the architects of their own growth and freedom so they can ultimately "human better."
Sabina has been the Resident Psychologist on Melbourne's top rating Radio 3AW in the Afternoons for 12 years, and in Dec/Jan, she was the fill-in host for the Nights program where she interviewed guests and fielded talk-back from 7pm until midnight. She’s also co-host of the Human Cogs Podcast, and she’s recently started hosting The Separation Guide Podcast.
Sabina delights in buying make-up she doesn't need, walking kilometres with friends, stretching her middle-aged body on a Pilates reformer bed, chasing the sun, dancing like nobody's watching, and singing into kitchen utensils dreaming of being 'the blonde one' from ABBA.
Her commitment to "giving back" is evident through her roles as a Board Member of The Reach Foundation and as a mentor for Mentor Walks, an organisation that arranges one-hour monthly walks for aspiring individuals to have career conversations with female leaders.
Sabina is passionate about the universality of the human condition, believing when we focus on our what we share in common, we find ways to engage and thrive, as well as build meaningful connections which help fill life with purpose and joy, even on tough days.
Sabina lives in Melbourne in a rotating empty nester home with her husband of 25 years, dog Maple, and sometimes…her adult daughters Lili, 24 and Ava, 22.
Talking Points
How to Have Difficult Conversations
Many of us avoid having difficult conversations, fearing they will damage our relationships or position. Yet tough conversations are an inevitable part of working with others and ultimately lead to the growth of a team. This session offers participants the opportunity to learn effective communication techniques to build the skills required to confidently handle difficult conversations including where to begin, how to create trust and safety, potential triggers, and how to transform hurt, fear and frustration into powerful dialogue and action
How to Have Difficult Conversations
Cultivating Effective Relationships in the Workplace
Relationships are the cornerstone of our lives, and in many ways, the quality of our relationships impacts the quality of our lives and well-being in both the workplace and at home. 67% of employees nominate a good relationship with colleagues as being the primary reason for staying in a job; and relationships rank higher than salary as the major motivation for coming to work. Yet how much time to do we spend learning how to strengthen and hone our relational skills? This presentation introduces 7 evidence-based strategies that can be actioned immediately in the workplace to help leaders and employees to thrive, improve productivity and live more satisfying lives.
Cultivating Effective Relationships in the Workplace
Managing Stress and Nurturing Well-Being
Stress is part of our adaptive survival system, however when left unchecked, long-term stress can come at a significant cost to our professional and personal well-being. This presentation explains the stress process and explores key issues linked to high stress levels in the workplace including poor work-life balance, perfectionism, and procrastination. It also offers tangible and practical strategies to help manage stress, with the primary assumption that we all have the capacity to implement positive changes to maximise well-being, so we can cope with both the minor and major stressors that are inevitable across the lifespan; and improve productivity and life satisfaction as a result.
Managing Stress and Nurturing Well-Being
Creating a Mentally Healthy Workplace
A mentally healthy workplace acknowledges and addresses risk factors, and fosters protective factors; however, many individuals, teams, and workplaces are unclear how to best cultivate a mentally healthy organisation. This workshop outlines the key risk and protective factors, addresses and explains mental health related-issues including depression, anxiety, and suicide; equips attendees to have healthy and appropriate conversations within the workplace to support themselves and each other, and breaks down mental health-related stigmas in a supportive and open environment.
Creating a Mentally Healthy Workplace
Using Your Strengths to Build your Best Career
Many people claim money is their primary motivator to work, however research suggests that most of us are driven by deeper intrinsic motivators including mastery, autonomy and purpose. This workshop addresses strategies to understand and tap into key motivating factors; and uses the rigor of positive psychology to identify and utilise individual strengths to encourage employees to do what they believe they do best. When a strength-based approach is employed, individuals feel empowered resulting in higher levels of engagement at work, job satisfaction, resilience and thriving.
Using Your Strengths to Build your Best Career
The A to Zzzzzzz of Sleep
We’ve all been doing it to some degree every night since the day we were born, yet ensuring we get adequate and nourishing sleep can feel elusive for a host of reasons. In this practical and informative presentation, Sabina will outline why we sleep, and the cognitive, physical, and emotional benefits sleep brings. She will help shed light on why many of us always feel so tired and will explain what the real effects of poor sleep are. The A to Zzzzzzz of Sleep
This presentation also highlights the impact of stimulants like coffee and alcohol on sleep and provides answers to tough questions, like “can I catch up on lost sleep?” and “are daytime naps a good idea or not?” Of course, there are many misunderstandings about sleep and Sabina will bust common myths with her usual warmth and humour. This presentation is jam packed with tangible take-aways for you, and those you love (when you get enough sleep!), to improve both your waking and sleeping hours, at home, at work, and everywhere in between.
Thriving not Surviving - A Guide for Year 12 students and/or their parents.
Being in the latter years of high school can bring a mix of joy, connection, learningThriving not Surviving - A Guide for Year 12 students and/or their parents.
and opportunities, as well as stress, pressure, overwhelm and uncertainty, for both
students and their parents.
This presentation will address impactful ingredients to improve wellbeing, including
identifying the 5 pillars of wellbeing, strategies around stress management, and the
importance of sleep, all with a focus on improving students’ sense of agency and
independence.
Whether you’re in Year 10, 11 or 12; a parent new to the senior years of high school,
or you’re shepherding a second or third child through high school, this presentation
will leave you with both useful reminders and new concepts to navigate the peaks
and troughs of high school with confidence, a sense of engagement, and hope.
Video
Sabina Read | Show Reel | Saxton Speaker & Saxton Engage
Sabina Read is a psychologist who works with organisations, groups, individuals, couples and families on relationships, well-being, stress, mental health, career development, leadership, change, life transitions, job loss, and parenting. She is passionate about normalising the universality of the human experience, believing that we all have more in common than we often realise.Sabina Read | Introduction | Saxton Speakers
Sabina Read is a psychologist who works with organisations, groups, individuals, couples and families on relationships, well-being, stress, mental health, career development, leadership, change, life transitions, job loss, and parenting. She is passionate about normalising the universality of the human experience, believing that we all have more in common than we often realise.Sabina Read | Managing Stress & Wellbeing | Saxton Speakers
Sabina Read is a psychologist who works with organisations, groups, individuals, couples and families on relationships, well-being, stress, mental health, career development, leadership, change, life transitions, job loss, and parenting. She is passionate about normalising the universality of the human experience, believing that we all have more in common than we often realise.Sabina Read | Managing Mental Health in the Workplace | Saxton Speakers
Sabina Read is a psychologist who works with organisations, groups, individuals, couples and families on relationships, well-being, stress, mental health, career development, leadership, change, life transitions, job loss, and parenting. She is passionate about normalising the universality of the human experience, believing that we all have more in common than we often realise.Saxton Fireside Chat with Pyschologist and Media Commentator Sabina Read
The exchange of stories and ideas is more important now than ever. In this bi-weekly series of virtual Fireside Chats you can gain unprecedented access to the world's greatest storytellers and thought leaders. In this intimate session, Sabina chats with Saxton CEO, Anne Jamieson, about living and working in the New Normal. She shares information on how to access mental health services as well as how to manage boundaries and relationships.Audio
Sabina was very well received by our leadership group. She got them thinking and talking about resilience and stress in a very pragmatic and understandable way. ... keep reading City of Greater Dandenong
Many thanks for the excellent presentation. It was wonderful to the watch the women feel so comfortable approaching Sabina before and after the session. It would be great to get her back next year.
Sabina was exceptional; captivating the audience with her engaging style and enriching the session with deep insights. She's undoubtedly a top-tier speaker who leaves a lasting impression.
Sabina was exceptional; captivating the audience with her engaging style and enriching the session with deep insights. She's undoubtedly a top-tier speaker who leaves a lasting impression.
Sabina has a rare and wonderful combination of technical expertise and uncommon relatability; she connects warmly and authentically with her audience, building trust and psychological safety.
Sabina brings flair and a wonderful ability to connect and fully engage an audience as a speaker and MC. We can't wait to have her back at our next leadership event.
Sabina is a world-class presenter. She is incredibly easy to work with, designs fit-for-purpose sessions and perfectly balances being relatable and professional in her delivery and style.
A huge thank you to Sabina for yesterday’s R U OK? Day event. She was the perfect guest speaker for the demographic who attended. Her insights were extremely practical to the corporate environment, allowing everyone to walk away with learnings they can implement into their work and everyday life. The way Sabina carried herself both personally and professionally allowed people to truly connect to what she was saying. R U OK? can be a rather heavy topic on mental health content; however, Sabina added the right amount of lightness into the important information she had to share. Her ability to engage with the audience was outstanding. Seeing guests feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions when prompted was wonderful.
Thank you again for Sabina's presentation at our conference. We had such a huge positive response from the attendees and they were all really inspired by Sabina's presentation in particular. There was much learnt from the day and Sabina played a big part in that. We really appreciate the time she spent with us at the conference, especially the time spent with attendees after her presentation.
The conference was great and everyone enjoyed the content. There has been lots of good feedback about Sabina's presentation. Delegates all took something from it and all, despite their working roles, saw the relevance to themselves as individuals. Thanks again for a wonderful presentation.
Sabina's presentation was insightful, humorous and emotional. All delegates got a lot out of the session.
Sabina read the audience well, and responded to their needs. She had a strong perception of the group and its needs and I appreciated the way she read the vibe as she went and was flexible enough to adapt her presentation to the feel of the group. I also appreciated her understanding in the lead up to our event.
