It was over a decade ago that Julie Goodwin became a household name overnight when she was crowned Australia's first ever MasterChef winner. Thrust into the limelight, Australia's favourite Mum became the Julie Goodwin brand, TV shows, best-selling books, radio, appearances, columns, endorsements were all to follow, and her long-time dream of opening a cooking school was realised.
Viewers loved her honesty, sense of humour and humble cooking style. When her first cookbook, Our Family Table was published, she became one of Australia's best-selling authors; her book held the number one slot in the book charts for over 10 weeks.
Current Work:
In 2022 Jules the OG' burst back onto our screens in MasterChef Fans and Favourites' with that same quick-witted sense of humour and trademark honesty. She wowed the Judges (again) with her classic but perfectly executed dishes, securing herself a spot in the top 5, and Australia fell in love with her all over again. This time it wasn't just her cooking that had Australia talking, but also her openness and willingness to share her struggles with mental health over the past decade. Using her privileged position of profile, Julie has vowed to keep the conversation going and is working with Beyond Blue on a new soon-to-be-announced initiative.
Previous Experience:
Shortly after winning MasterChef' Julie became the resident weekly cook on Nine's breakfast show Today' and began her almost ten-year tenure as a monthly columnist for the Australian Women's Weekly. She has published six cookbooks, Our Family Table, Heart of the Home, Gather, $20 in 20 minutes, Homemade Takeaway and The Essential Cookbook.
In 2015 Julie made the gutsy move to head into the South African Jungle on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!' and in 2016 Julie she joined the Central Coast's Star 104.5FM Breakfast Weekday Show with Rabbit, 4 years' worth of laughs and positivity.
Talking Points
Your Time Starts Now
This keynote is for personal development and team wellbeing. It is for organisations wanting to foster good mental health practices in the workplace and in the personal lives of their people.Your Time Starts Now
Living life to the full – what does it really mean, and are we even close to achieving it?
This keynote is about Julie’s life before, during, and after MasterChef; navigating the change from a private to a very public life and the opportunities and challenges that came with it. She speaks candidly about the wheels falling off and finding herself a client of the mental health system, and the resources that needed to be brought to bear to find her way back to a fully lived life.
Within these stories, she explores relatable themes:
- Busyness and happiness are not the same thing
- Setting boundaries: why it’s essential and how to do it
- Questioning long-held beliefs that prevent us from asking for help
- Honesty about needing a hand is not a weakness; it’s a superpower
- Drawing the straight line between looking after yourself and being present for others
- Healing takes time, work, and is totally worth it
This keynote will empower the audience to take steps toward a healthy, fully lived life, equipping them with tools to recognise when help is needed for themselves and others.
Recipe for Success
This keynote is for professional and personal development. It is for business or community leaders or those wanting to develop leadership skills.Recipe for Success
“Proceed as if success is inevitable.” As a business owner, this was Julie’s daily mantra. But what happens when your definition of success seems to run off the rails? What does success look like, anyway, and how do we know when we’ve achieved it?
In this keynote, Julie talks MasterChef, business, public life, and how all the outwardly visible signs of success may not equate to fulfilment or happiness.
This keynote explores:
- Finding your vision, passion, and purpose
- Living according to your guiding principles and inspiring others to do the same
- Leading with clarity, compassion, and curiosity
- Allowing others to step up and shine – permission to be their best
- Viewing obstacles as opportunities
- Redefining success – there are more ways to win than beating everyone else
Funny, honest, and thought-provoking, Julie will bring a new perspective to leadership in your organisation.
Food for Thought
This keynote is for businesses wanting to improve corporate culture and contribute to their broader communities; for NGOs, government departments, and consulting bodies charged with bringing people together and fostering belonging and good health.Food for Thought
Food is something many of us enjoy and all of us need – but could it also be the answer to many of the world’s ills?
Weaving tales of MasterChef with experiences of charity and community work dating back to the 1980s, this keynote explores the idea of connectedness and community: how societal, physical, and mental health are interwoven.
Julie’s work with vulnerable people – including in Australian homeless shelters, communities in developing nations, children in the care of the state, and now with incarcerated youth – offers a wealth of experience highlighting the importance of connectedness and belonging, and specifically how food is a bridge between us, a universal commonality.
She brings her passion for cooking to this conversation, showing how creating meals – and mealtimes that matter – is more than just nutrition for our bodies; it’s nourishment for our souls.
