Speakers

Born and bred between the cane fields, cattle properties and coal mines of Mackay in North Queensland, Megan has had a successful career spanning over a decade in radio and television at the ABC.

Megan filled the roles of reporter, presenter and Journalist in Charge, as well as filing for the ABC’s flagship rural current affairs program, Landline. She’s a well-known and trusted face throughout Queensland’s rural sector, with a reputation as a true storyteller and an advocate for the bush.

She has nearly 20 years’ experience as a broadcast journalist and PR professional who is passionate about rural and regional Australia. Megan is an in-demand Master of Ceremonies, workshop facilitator and keynote speaker.

For the past few years, Megan has turned her hand to agri-PR and resides on the Sunshine Coast.

Rachael led the Australian expedition to Davis Station, Antarctica – the second female to lead a team at the Station and the youngest ever leader.

She managed a team of 18 people through the long, dark, Antarctic winter and through trial and error built a resilient and highly successful team based on the foundation that ‘respect trumps harmony’.

Since returning Rachael has completed her MBA, written two best-selling books, Leading on the Edge and Respect Trumps Harmony, and presented at over 1500 events around the world.

Sam Cawthorn is the Founder of Speakers Institute Group of Companies and Speakers Tribe. Author of 11 books including four international best sellers, he is both the former Young Australian of the Year and the Edupreneur of the Year.

In 2006 Sam’s life changed forever when he was involved in a major car accident which left him with an amputated right arm and a permanent disability in his right leg. Sam went on to become one of the world’s most in demand global professional speakers. His award-winning group of training companies runs events globally, teaching people how to master communication for influence.

Barb graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy in 1992. Over the past 20+ years Barb founded and works with a team of nine in a Hand Therapy private practice in Mackay, now called Upper Limbs & Things (formerly Popp Hand Therapy).

Barb has worked at the Workcover Queensland South Brisbane Centre and as a Case Manager, specialising in functional capacity assessments, return to work rehabilitation programs and worksite assessments for injured workers. She has extensive experience providing rehabilitation for people with upper limb injuries. Her husband is an electrician and has worked in the mining industry for the past 24 years, which has helped Barb with perspective when working with her patients, especially in trades.

Barb is a pain and productivity therapist, providing world class service delivery, therapist education and injury prevention training programs, being the solution to pain management, physical restriction and optimising physical success.

Robyn, a trained nurse, was the first responder to her neighbour who suffered horrific injuries after her arms caught in a post-hole digger on a remote cattle property. For two hours, Robyn gave life-saving care to keep her neighbour alive until the Royal Flying Doctor Service arrived. After the incident, Robyn was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Now Robyn visits Queensland businesses as a Safety Advocate to promote the importance of preparing for the worst by having emergency plans and first aid equipment in place. She also talks about why its critical workplaces use well-designed, guarded, and properly maintained equipment.

Robyn also shares how exposure to traumatic workplace incidents can psychologically affect workers, first responders, and their families, and the importance of accessing resources if you need support.

Aaron Williams is the CEO and co-founder of Mindstar – a national workplace wellbeing and mental health provider.

Aaron is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Executive Wellbeing Coach who has worked with organisations including the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Woolworths Group, Bupa, Macquarie Bank, McDonalds, Youi, ANZ Wealth, Swisse Vitamins, Telstra Business and the NRL Men of League.

Aaron’s simple mission is to help leaders and employees to be their best, every day – at work and at home.

Dr Bruce Powell was Australia’s longest-serving State Director of Organ and Tissue Donation, a highly experienced Anaesthetist, and inaugural Head of the Intensive Care Unit at Rockingham Hospital, Western Australia. In 2018, major brain, spinal, chest, and facial trauma sustained in a cycling accident, ended his working life.

“I’m lucky to have survived and be gifted another chance to live my best life.”

Bruce offers insight and inspiration, #startingaconversation around topics including leadership, resilience and dealing with uncertainty.

Through his experiences leading and developing Health Services, Bruce shares ideas about surviving and prospering in an uncertain world.

Bruce is a committed advocate for the life-saving gift of organ donation and fulfils ambassadorial roles for mental health and the brain injury community.

Thanks to the dramatic, untimely ending of his medical career, he has the rare opportunity to explore new challenges, emboldened by his own extraordinary experiences.

“Through knowledge we each gain control of our lives, empowering us to explore and prosper.”

As a kid, my favourite tale was Kipling’s story of ‘How the Elephant Got His Trunk’. Like the elephant, I was insatiably curious about the world. It also got me into a bit of trouble, like the time I set the kitchen on fire during a chemistry experiment.

My curiosity led me to ask, why does our body and mind sometimes let us down?

That curiosity led to a career in medicine as a GP and Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, but I only discovered my true calling after burning out. Today, as an international speaker, best-selling author, and workplace health consultant my mission is to make work, work better by making mental wellbeing the norm and burnout redundant. Tired of seeing too many hard-working people struggling to stay at the top of their game my goal is to inspire great places to work, so we can all truly thrive.

My latest book Thriving Mind: How to Cultivate a Good Life (Wiley) was published in August 2020 and when not at work you’ll find me either cuddled up with a book, hiking in nature, or experimenting in the kitchen.

Paula is a Professor of Organisational Psychology and Director of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing at Griffith University in Brisbane. Paula has substantial experience in collaborating with organisations for both funded research grants and contract projects.

Her primary research is occupational stress and coping, employee mental health and wellbeing, work engagement, work-life balance, workplace conflict (bullying, harassment, toxic leadership), and the psychosocial work environment.

Paula assesses how work environments can be improved via job redesign, supportive leadership practices, and enhanced equity to improve employee health, work commitment, and productivity. She has authored over 60 industry reports, over 150 journal articles and book chapters, and has produced nine scholarly books based on her research.

Paula is an Associate Editor of Work & Stress, and is Board member of Journal of Organisational Behaviour, International Journal of Stress Management, and the BPS Work-Life Balance Bulletin. Paula is a Fellow of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology and a Fellow of the Asia Pacific Academy for Psychosocial Factors at Work.

Tim Curtis is an ex-SAS guy with an MBA and co-author of the bestselling book The Resilience Shield; the most comprehensive, evidence-based model on resilience. Resilience varies by degree and in this workshop, Tim will teach the applied and practical tools to measure, build and sustain resilience against the stressors of contemporary life.

Tim is a senior consultant with more than 20 years of leadership and management experience including a first career with the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment. Tim was appointed as Australia’s first principal adviser to the Government of Sierra Leone in 2001 during a protracted period of civil war. Following this, he was personally selected to raise a sensitive and time-critical Australian national counter terrorist capability (2002).

Tim then was a lead planner of the Afghan Parliamentary Elections (2005) for the United Nations in Afghanistan and a subsequent nine years as the Managing Director of a group of 42 companies based from Dubai with an annual turnover of AUD100m.

In this period Tim also raised and led a team providing the crisis management and crisis response capability to a major insurance underwriter. In this capability his specialist team supported 3,600 policyholders globally and responded to up to 70-time critical incidents a year.

In 2017-18, Tim provided expert opinion and advice, leadership advice and coaching, led business optimisation tasks and change management, facilitated crisis management and delivered broader consulting services in over 25 countries.

Anna is an Occupational Therapist with a wide range of clinical skills, from occupational rehabilitation, ergonomics, acquired brain injury treatment, driving assessments, pain management and using holistic and individualised approaches to help people.

Anna developed North Queensland Therapy Services (NQTS) which recently turned 21 years old. NQTS focuses on working with employers and insurers to support people back to work and manage their complex conditions as well as work with elderly folk who need their home environments to be modified or adjusted.