Keynotes & Talks
Big ideas that shift how people see leadership, culture, and growth.
I speak at moments where organisations need more than motivation —
they need a shared language for what comes next.
These are moments of pressure, transition, or reckoning.
Leadership days. Conferences. Strategy resets. Cultural turning points.
My work helps people think differently, relate more honestly, and lead with greater responsibility — without losing commercial clarity.
What this work creates
My talks aren’t inspiration for inspiration’s sake.
They are bridges into action.
Each keynote introduces a shared framework grounded in values, story, and systems — helping leaders and teams see culture, growth, and responsibility differently, and make better decisions as a result.
This is work that holds up under pressure.
The framework behind the work
Every keynote is anchored in The Affection Advantage —
a values-led framework that treats care, clarity, courage, and attention as strategic capabilities, not soft extras.
Affection, in this context, is not sentiment. It is:
Attention to what truly matters
Care expressed through action
Accountability that strengthens trust rather than eroding it
This framework gives organisations language for what they already feel—and structure for the decisions they struggle to make.
Where this work is most effective
This work is particularly useful when:
Something in how work is currently done isn’t working anymore
Trust has thinned, fatigue is present, or misalignment is showing up
Leaders are expected to hold complexity without clearer support
Values exist — but don’t consistently guide decisions or behaviour
When incremental change is no longer enough, this work helps create the conditions for something more honest, aligned, and durable.
How this work shows up
This work shows up across:
Conferences and summits
Leadership days and internal strategy moments
Executive offsites and cultural reset points
Community and sector gatherings
Each talk is shaped in conversation — never templated, never generic.
Signature keynote themes
Rather than off-the-shelf talks, I work with a small set of core ideas that are shaped to your context, audience, and moment.
Common themes include:
The Affection Economy: Growth Without Compromise
How organisations grow when values are designed into systems, culture, and decision-making — not laminated on the wall.
Why Values Fail — and How to Make Them Live
Why most values initiatives collapse under pressure, and what it takes to translate aspiration into everyday behaviour.
Care Is Not Soft: The New ROI of Human Leadership
Reframing care, responsibility, and attention as drivers of performance, trust, and long-term value.
The Power of Story in a Values-Driven World
How narrative shapes belonging, behaviour, and culture — and why leaders must learn to work with story, not just strategy.
(Additional themes are often developed in response to specific organisational contexts.)
A one-minute pitch to TED — a spark of the bigger idea I’m sharing with the world.
Highlights from my NovaNext keynote — a taste of how the Affection Economy comes alive on stage.
Let’s co-create something meaningful
If you’re hosting a moment that requires more depth, clarity, and shared understanding — let’s talk.
Every keynote is tailored to the audience in the room, grounded in values, rooted in narrative, and designed for real-world impact.