International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on 8 March offering an opportunity to reflect on progress made, to call for change, and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
Saxton Speakers has a range of IWD resilience speakers who inspire both personal and professional resilience to help build successful individuals and companies.
Engage one of our top resilience keynote speakers for your next conference or business event, and join the movement to #BreakTheBias
Find the best keynote speakers on resilience for your school, business event, or conference via the links below!
Lawyer, Media Commentator & Human Rights Activist
Nyadol Nyuon is a lawyer and an award-winning human rights advocate, who was born and raised in and out of refugee camps. She is a regular media commentator, a write, and was named in the top 11 most influential women in Australia by the Australian Financial Review in 2019.
As a refugee and an immigrant, Nyadol has had to be resilient and knows that resilience is a skill everyone needs in an ever-changing world. In her resilience speeches, Nyadol shares what she has learned from her personal journey and how one can practice resilience in their life.
Inspiring advocate of peace
Gill Hicks is considered to be one of the most thought-provoking, powerful and life-affirming speakers in Australia and the UK. She is globally known as an advocate for sustainable peace and a valuable resource in countering violent extremism.
Her devotion to making a personal greater contribution and positive difference to the urgency of building peace was realised when she was made permanently injured in the London terrorist bombings on July 7th, 2005. But Gill is much more than a survivor.
She speaks of change, or rather the negative connotation change has and change-makers are often revered figures who are seen as ‘pioneers and ‘leaders’. She encourages audiences to take control of change through our Choice of how we React and Respond... and use it as an opportunity.
Ultra-marathon runner and social impact champion
Nothing can stop Samantha Gash armed with the philosophy, if you want something you’ve never had - you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.
Samantha was the first woman and the youngest person at the time, to complete the Four Deserts Grand Slam - one of the world’s toughest endurance competitions that spans 1000kms across the hottest, coldest, driest and windiest deserts on earth.
More on Sam >
A Champion Attitude.
Jacqui Cooper is indisputably the greatest aerial skier of all time. Having represented Australia for over 20 years, Jacqui competed in 139 World Cup Events, nine World Championships and was a key competitor in five Winter Olympic teams.
Jacqui Cooper is an exciting, passionate and diverse speaker; she will leave your audience full of energy and with the feeling that anything is possible. Through honest, authentic, and energic storytelling, Jacqui connects with her audience, making her session compelling, believable and relatable.
Martial Arts Expert & Courage Creator
Nadine Champion is a credit to the human spirit and the power of the mind. Her own personal success story of martial arts success and recovery from cancer is inspiring and contains valuable lessons for us all. She encourages people to "change their thinking" to adapt to the situation they are faced with. She argues that whether it be business, sport, or relationships "changing your thinking" can enable you to get through the most challenging situations life can throw at you. Her “Ten seconds of courage” board-breaking demonstration at the end of her presentation (Using an audience member) provides for a sensation finale.
2 x World Para Surfing Champion & Inspiration behind #1 box-office hit movie Penguin Bloom
Sam Bloom embodies courage, compassion, and creativity and her unique presentation (featuring over 100 stunning photographs) offer a new, extremely powerful, and uplifting message about self-reliance, teamwork, adapting to change, inner strength, the power of choice, and the long-term benefits of taking immediate action today
Sam’s is a story for the times, with profound messages for us all - of the power of love and family, and of our innate ability to find determination and courage in the face of adversity.
Aboriginal Youth Worker, Mental Health Advocate & The Australian Bachelorette 2021
Regarded as one of Western Australia’s most prominent Young Aboriginal people, Brooke Blurton is already making a real difference in the lives of people experiencing mental health issues.
She works with young vulnerable youth exposed to severe abuse, including those who have been in and out of foster homes, expelled from school or have become homeless.
Mindset Coach, author & athlete
Caught in a grassfire while competing in a 100km ultramarathon in 2011, Turia Pitt suffered full-thickness burns to 65% of her body. But surviving is the least of her achievements.
One of Australia’s most admired and widely recognized people, Turia has gone on to become a bestselling author, two-time Ironman and humanitarian - raising well over a million dollars for not-for-profit Interplast. Through her online presence, books, and online programs, Turia has inspired millions to live with more confidence, drop their fears and smash epic goals.
Leading international authority on wellbeing and resilience
Dr Lucy Hone is a leading international expert on wellbeing and resilience whose TEDx talk on ‘The 3 Secrets of Resilient People’ has been featured on TED.com has had over 3 million views.
Her powerful and courageous story has catapulted her onto the global stage with organizations all over the world seeking out her expertise on how to cultivate resilience during times of extreme change and uncertainty.
Lucy's superpower is her ability to take the fluff out of wellbeing translating the best of science into actionable strategies for audiences to implement immediately. Her most popular offering at the moment is her Real-Time Resilience Virtual Presentation. This presentation is completely customizable and tailored to the client's needs.
Hurdles of life
Jana Pittman is one of the most recognisable faces in Australian athletics. She is also the first woman to represent Australia in both Summer and Winter Olympics, having joined the Australian bobsleigh team after injury forced an end to her athletic career. In 2019 she also completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Western Sydney and is currently practising in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the Blacktown hospital, all while being the devoted mum to four kids.
Engineering Powerful People
Yemi Penn is a global thought leader on empowerment and resilience. An Engineer by profession, Yemi is a champion and tireless advocate for equality and equity in STEM fields. As an Entrepreneur and Mindset Coach, she advocates for self-empowerment and resilience as tools to get organisations back on track with wellness and productivity.
Yemi is a sought-after speaker and facilitator on turning Trauma into Power, and she recently delivered a powerful presentation on the subject at TEDx Ocala. Yemi focuses on traditional and more modern neuro linguistic methods of transformation to achieve goals.
Audiologist & Child Abuse Survivor
Locked in a basement as a child, Dr Angela Alexander suffered lasting damage to her ability to hear. Now, 23 years on, she is helping other children suffering the same condition, writes Emma Russell.
For four years Angela Alexander was locked in a basement by her dad and repeatedly told by her step-mum that "children like her should be seen and not heard".
Concrete walls, loosely covered with dusty curtains and black tarpaulin resembled an obscure prison cell. From aged 13 to 17, a plastic bucket dumped in the corner of her solitary confinement was her toilet. She was allowed to leave the basement to go to school and work her multiple jobs, though she must not use the front or back doors, instead, she said, she was forced to climb through the casement window.
Now, Angela is an Audiologist and the Director of Education at Auditory Processing Institute where she teaches Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists how to provide effective auditory processing services ranging from testing to treatment through online, on-demand courses.
Leading authority on productivity, mindfulness, and well-being
Chelsea Pottenger will bring your team on an incredible journey of how to build resilience and maximise your potential. You will leave with a series of actionable insights about how to invest in your mental and physical well-being. Mental Resilience
What is your current mindset, how do you respond to mistakes, positive mindset shifts, the science behind mindset research, transitioning from fixed to a growth mindset, how to respond to setbacks and criticism, motivation through mindsets, how to build intelligence, engagement, and the power of YET.
World’s first successful professional adult model with Down syndrome
Madeline Stuart is a worldwide phenomenon. She is a powerful advocate for inclusiveness and diversity in modeling. At just 21 years of age, she is already a household name around the world, with over 850,000 social media fans following her successful campaign to become the first professional model with Down syndrome
A gifted public speaker, Rosanne now creates awareness that people with disabilities like Madeline can still achieve their dreams. She says, “I want to create more community awareness and acceptance, to change the stigma about people with disabilities in society. The more you see something, the more you become accustomed to it, which is why I think it’s fantastic that Madeline has become such a well-known public figure.”
The Transition Specialist
With a diverse international career spanning multiple industries and executive-level positions, JoAnna Ferrari is a vocal advocate for the transgender community. She is also an unswerving cheerleader for the underdog because, as she explains, “they will surprise the most confident challenger”.
She is passionate about logical, deductive problem solving and studying chaos theory, behavioural sciences, influence, and marketing.
She believes having an adventurous mind means there is always a way; a willingness to see everything with a unique perspective; and to wake up each morning with the child-like curiously to go play in the world.
2021 Australian of the Year & Advocate for Survivors of Child Sexual Assault
After being groomed and raped by her maths teacher when she was just 15 years old, Grace Tame has spent the last 10 years turning her traumatic experience into being an advocate for survivors of child sexual abuse and a leader of positive change.
Now, 26 and based in Hobart, Grace is dedicated to eradicating child sexual abuse in Australia and supporting the survivors of child sexual abuse.
Her focus is around enabling survivors to tell their stories without shame, educating the public around the process and lasting effects of grooming and working with policy and decision-makers to ensure we have a federal legal system that supports the survivors, not just the perpetrators.
Expert on Resilience, Survival, and Extraordinary Mindset
As a young woman, Amanda Lindhout's curiosity led her to some of the world's most beautiful and remote places, its most imperiled and perilous countries, and then into 15 months of harrowing captivity. Working as a journalist in Somalia, abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road. Amanda spent 460 days as a hostage, surviving on strategy, Courage, and hope in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Amanda's keynote presentations are for audiences of all sizes - from Richard Branson's living room to an arena of 20,000 - she creates intimacy with the women and men in the room through her emotional, compelling storytelling. Her tale of survival builds suspense and momentum to reveal life-changing insights into mind conditioning, including actionable takeaways about reframing stories of pain into power.
Well-known psychologist, social commentator and communications specialist
Sabina is a psychologist who works with organisations, groups, individuals, couples and families in the areas of relationships, well-being, stress, mental health, career development, leadership, change, life transitions, job loss, and parenting.
Sabina is also the Resident Psychologist and Social Commentator on Channel 7’s The Morning Show and The Daily Edition; and the top-rating Afternoons program at Radio 3AW
Leading Voice on Change Fatigue & Resilience
Ciara Lancaster's thought-provoking, keynote speaking content explores the connections between resilience building, change management and self-leadership success strategies. Human skills are THE competitive advantage in the decade of disruption, the post-pandemic world and the future of work.
Ciara, a former Change Manager at Deloitte Australia, combines stories, science and simple strategies from the stage to inspire a future-ready mindset reset.
Click Here to view the full list of IWD resilience speakers Saxton has to offer
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