Speaking Out

24/07/2024

📣 New Speaker 📣
🌟 Welcome Craig Foster AM🌟

Craig Foster AM is a well-known former athlete, broadcaster and social justice campaigner. Once the Captain of the Socceroo's and Crystal Palace FC in England, Craig now advocates for human rights across the globe on and off the field.

His high-profile campaigns include the rescue of a young Bahraini refugee from the Thai Government captured in the book ‘Fighting for Hakeem’ and a new documentary film, ‘The Defenders’ on Amazon Prime which won most popular audience award at the Sydney Film Festival.

Craig also helped many Afghan women and girls to flee the Taliban in 2021 including the Afghan women’s National football team and a group of 15 young girls which is captured in the online, award-winning film, ‘Die or Die Trying: Escaping the Taliban’ and led the successful ‘Game Over’ campaign with Amnesty Australia to free hundreds of refugees offshore.

He is a passionate advocate for gender diversity in sport as Chair of the Australian player’s association where he led the push to gender equality and to recognise Matilda’s and female footballers.

Craig is an accomplished and highly experienced speaker on a broad range of social justice issues - perfect for your next event!

23/07/2024

Do you ever wonder about the people behind the wok?

Chopsticks or Fork?, set to be published on September 4th is available to pre-order now! 🥢🌟

Based on the six-part ABC series created by Lin Jie Kong and Jennifer Wong, Chopsticks or Fork? is a collection of stories and recipes from Chinese restaurants in regional Australia.

With endearing anecdotes of ten different restaurant-owning families, this book is a loving, humorous and fun insight into an integral part of Australian culinary culture: The Chinese Restaurant.

Jennifer Wong's work on mental health, food, and cultural identity has been published by ABC Everyday, ABC News, Broadsheet, Monocle, and SBS News. She currently writes a column for SBS Food called The Mostest.

https://lnk.to/ChopsticksOrFork🥢

22/07/2024

Matthew Evans' new book 'Milk' has just been published! 🥛

'A revelation. Educational, relevant and eye-opening.' Nagi Maehashi

This eye-opening book explores the complicated liquid we all know well - how you view it is driven by your gender and your politics, as well as your geography. Evans' work is a manifestation of the science, history and politics of what makes mammals different from every other life form on earth.

Evans' is an Australian chef and food critic turned farmer-food activist. He lives on a mixed farm that occupies a one-time apple orchard in the Huon Valley outside Hobart, Tasmania. 🌟🐄

22/07/2024

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What is the state of modern masculinity? Three experts discuss the insidious rise of s*xism and misogyny in schools and society – and what we can all do to turn the tide.⁠
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Join award-winning journalist and consent educator , activist and co-founder of Not One More Niki, , and founder of The Equality Institute , for a hopeful and practical conversation about how we can all take action to create positive generational change for young men.⁠
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🗓️ 6.30pm, Thursday 25 July⁠
📍 The Wheeler Centre⁠
🎟️ Tickets available at the link in our bio⁠
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18/07/2024

📣 New Speaker 📣
🌟 Welcome Megan Flamer🌟

Megan Flamer is an entrepreneur and mindfulness, compassion and resilience trainer who marries philosophy and practicality to uplift and inspire your people. She works at the intersection of personal development and innovation, bringing mindful deep breaths to the most unlikely places.

A seasoned broadcaster, Megan was a journalist and correspondent with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation covering Australia and the Asia Pacific. She currently co-hosts Disrupt Radio’s weekly entrepreneurial advice program, The Advisory Board and is the workplace wellbeing expert for Disrupt’s Breakfast program with Libby Gorr.

🌟 Megan is the perfect inspirational speaker for your next keynote event - enquire today at the link in our bio! 🌟

07/07/2024

Yesterday marked the start of NAIDOC week - a time to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The 2024 NAIDOC Week Theme of 'Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud' reflects the enduring flame of First Nations cultures, prevailing through adversity and honouring the richness of First Nations culture.

We work with some outstanding First Nations speakers and educators and it is vital to amplify their voices not only during this week, but year round. NAIDOC week is an opportunity for all Australians to honour the resilience, achievements, voices and traditions of the oldest continuous culture on earth.

🖤💛❤

20/06/2024

Refugee Week aims to shed light and raise awareness of the issues affecting refugees. It aims to highlight aspects of the refugee experience and help the broader community to understand what it is like to be a refugee. This year’s Refugee Week theme “Finding Freedom” – with a focus on family – encapsulates the profound journey of resilience, strength and unity that defines the refugee experience.

One our intentions at Speaking Out is to elevate marginalised voices, and inspire positive change through conversation. Check the link in our bio to find out more about our refugee week speakers. Lets continue to share messages that promote safety and freedom, because regardless of our differences, we all share a common humanity.

03/06/2024

Leading climate scientist Dr Joëlle Gergis describes the likely future in vivid and honest detail in her Quarterly Essay, released today.

In this powerful essay, Dr Gergis describes the climate crisis as a 'government paralysis', discussing the current folly of 'adaptation' in response to a warming climate.

“How many disasters does it take to wake people up to the fact that Australia’s climate is becoming more extreme, with today’s destruction set to be dwarfed by things to come? Do people realise that adapting to climate change won’t be possible in some parts of the country?” — Dr Joëlle Gergis, Highway to Hell.

Dr Gergis is an internationally recognised expert in Australian and Southern Hemisphere climate variability and change who has authored over 100 scientific publications. Between 2018 and 2021, she served as a lead author on the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on the Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report – a global, state-of-the art review of climate change science.

28/05/2024

This week we acknowledge Reconciliation Week as a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

These dates acknowledge two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey: the successful 1967 Referendum and the High Court Mabo decision, respectively.

This years theme 'Now More Than Ever', is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will —and must —continue.

27/05/2024

From Monday 17th June to 23rd of June, we will be celebrating World Refugee Week! 🫂🌏

In a world marked by displacement and the search for refuge, this year’s Refugee Week theme “Finding Freedom” – with a focus on family – encapsulates the profound journey of resilience, strength, and unity that defines the refugee experience.

We represent many brilliant speakers who come from a refugee background, speak on a range of topics and deserve to be celebrated not only during Refugee Week but all year round, including Bic Walker, Khadija Gbla, Dianne Sayed, Mariam Isse and Abdi Aden.

To enquire about these speakers, visit the link in our bio. 🌟

17/05/2024

Today is IDAHOBIT – the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Inters*xism and Transphobia.

May 17 marks the date in 1990 that homos*xuality was removed from the WHO Classification of Diseases. Over two decades later, LGBTQIA+ communities still face discrimination – the stakes have never been higher to champion inclusion.

The team at Speaking Out stands in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ family, friends and co-workers. Go rainbow today and advocate for a more inclusive world.🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

15/05/2024

This week is Face Equality week and May is Icthyosis Awareness Month. Carly Findlay is a tireless campaigner for disability inclusion, brilliant advocate and speaker as well as an appearance activist. We love this post so much - couldn’t resist resharing !

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It’s Face Equality Week, and this year’s theme is “My Face is a Masterpiece”. (It’s also Ichthyosis Awareness Month - this theme is perfect for that, too!)

“Why do we so often see stories about facial difference as a ‘tragedy’, when they should be about triumph? “ - Face Equality International

Art is a universal language, and it helps to dismantle stereotypes and stigma. I love this celebration of facial difference, rather than pitiful depictions and reliving of trauma.

Often people with facial differences feel we have to cover up, hide or change our appearance to fit in.

It’s incredibly liberating to defy these low expectations and celebrate our difference and uniqueness. I love that can help our faces stand out even more. An artistic act of defiance.

For Face Equality Week, I made the best of the way my ointment shines and sticks - bedazzling my face with jewels and glitter.
I was inspired by Onella () and Paige (), and also the work of Atong Atem. I started small and bedazzled my eye area when I went to see Taylor Swift in February. And then I went all out with the sparkles, with the assistance of Hester. She’s the ultimate makeup artist, photographer and hype girl. I love these photos - they attest to how someone who loves you can capture your beauty when they take your photo. Hester brought out the best in me.

I’ll be doing a few more posts for Face Equality Week, stay tuned.

Meanwhile, please follow people with facial differences so you can dismantle harmful tropes & discrimination towards us: .kind

.c.rivera

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Makeup & pics:
Artistic input: &
Face jewels:
Dress:
Necklace: x
Lipstick:
Pride: through practicing

12/05/2024

Congratulations and Kerry O’Brien on winning 3 ABIA awards for The Voice to Parliament Handbook!! Such a well deserved acknowledgment. You continue to inspire, educate and lead, and we look forward to your next book out later this year on how Australians can continue to walk forward together to campaign for peace and justice.

15/04/2024

If you haven't yet heard Bri Lee speak now is your chance! On May 29th in Melbourne at the Women in Leadership Summit by Leadership Institute, she'll discuss the imperative of supporting mothers in the workplace and how it enriches our entire community. Join her for an inspiring session on creating inclusive work environments. Find out more: https://www.theleadershipinstitute.com.au/women-in-leadership-summit-melbourne/

03/04/2024

Congratulations to Bri Lee, multi-award winning author of EGGSHELL SKULL, BEAUTY and WHO GETS TO BE SMART on the launch of her debut novel, THE WORK.

The Work is the Booktopia Book of the Month, Dymocks Fiction Book of the Month and Shameless Bookclub Book of the Month (and probably on more lists by the time you read this!)

Described as 'Pacy, racy and high octane' by Caoilinn Hughes, author of THE WILD LAUGHTER, Lee's THE WORK explores the intersections between art, life, power and privilege.
..Lally has invested everything into her gallery in Manhattan and the sacrifices are finally paying off. Pat is a scholarship boy desperate to establish himself in Sydney's antiquities scene. When they meet at New York's Armory Show their chemistry is instant - fighting about art and politics is just foreplay....

🌟 Visit the link in our bio to enquire about Bri Lee 🌟

13/03/2024

Congratulations to on receiving the Premier’s NSW Woman of Excellence 2024! In this epidemic of violence against women Jess’s research has revealed invaluable insights into coercive control and gendered violence more broadly. This is a well deserved honour for a wise, inclusive and powerful speaker. Thanks to for the recognition.

12/03/2024

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📒 COVER REVEAL 📒
Our Flag, Our Story: The Torres Strait Islander Flag
Released by Magabala Books 1 May 2024.

The story of the Torres Strait Islander flag is shared in this children’s picture book and through the words of Bernard Namok Jnr and Thomas Mayo, featuring illustrations by award-winning artist Tori-Jay Mordey which reflect the vibrant colours of the Torres Strait, released by Magabala Books 1 May 2024.

This is a story of the Torres Strait Islander flag, a symbol of unity, shared identity and pride for all Torres Strait Islanders. Bernard Namok Jnr is the son of the late Bernard Namok, designer of the Torres Strait Islander Flag.

Each page is filled with the bright illustrations by Tori-Jay Mordey, Torres Strait Islander artists, sharing connection to the Islands through colour and symbolism like the ‘Dhari’ for readers to learn from.

“With every story an Indigenous writer shares with Australia, the nation becomes a little more accepting, a little more connected, and increasingly ready to embrace our culture. Indigenous stories are one of the ways we will finally see justice.” Says Thomas Mayo.

15/02/2024

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Celebrate International Women’s Day with author, journalist, feminist, and consent educator Jane Gilmore. Gilmore has been writing and speaking about domestic and s*xual violence for over a decade.
She will be in conversation with Deanne Carson, founding CEO of Body Safety Australia and co-contributor to Gilmore’s book ‘Teaching Consent’. 💜💪🏽

📍 Sam Merrifield Library
📅 Thursday 7 March, 6.30pm
🎫 Free, booking link in bio
👯‍♀️ & .carson.consentculture

14/02/2024

Are you ready? Who are you having to speak this year? March 8 is just over 3 weeks away! Collectively, let's for beyond ! ⁠⁠👉🏾 see Link below for inspiring IWD ideas.

8 March With a vision of creating a world where women and girls everywhere have equal rights and opportunities, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a time to celebrate the social, […]

01/02/2024

📣 New Speaker 📣

🌟 Welcome Yumi Stynes🌟

Yumi Stynes is a broadcaster and author who has been working in Australian media for more than two decades. She is a writer and authority on s*x education, consent, women’s issues, race issues, food and art. She is the face and voice of the hugely popular ABC podcast, ‘Ladies, We Need to Talk’, ‘I Heart Trivia’ on I Heart Radio, the podcast ‘SEEN’ on SBS, and the popular food podcast ‘5 Minute Food Fix’.

Yumi is the co-author of the acclaimed ‘Welcome To’ book series which shot to fame (and best-seller lists) in 2023 when right-wing fascists tried to have ‘Welcome to Sex’ withdrawn from sale.

She also released a spin-off book from her food podcast in 2023, called The Food Fix.

Yumi is an accomplished MC, facilitator and speaker- perfect for your next event !

07/12/2023

📣 New Speaker 📣

🌟 Welcome Ros Ben-Moshe 🌟
As a Laughter, Wellbeing and Positivity author, academic and practitioner - cultivating joy is her wheelhouse! Ros has coordinated the Australian-first Laughter, Resilience and Wellbeing online short course for professionals, in her role as adjunct lecturer at the School of Public Health and Psychology at La Trobe University, Melbourne.

Drawing from the rich tapestry of humour, laughter therapy, and positive psychology, she empowers others to embrace the profound impact of “the laughter effect”. Her mission is to infuse joy, resilience, and positivity into the lives of individuals and communities, fostering wellbeing and connection.

Her latest book, The Laughter Effect – How to Build Joy, Resilience and Positivity in Your Life (2023) will be translated into 8 different languages and follows her highly acclaimed first book, “Laughing at cancer – How to Heal with Love, Laughter and Mindfulness”. Her writing dives deep into the transformative potential of laughter, providing a fresh perspective to self-care to turbocharge joy and wellbeing.

Recognised as an expert in her field, Ros is a regular guest on the airwaves and frequently sought after for her opinion in mainstream media and publications such as The Canberra Times, the Huffington Post, and Wellbeing magazine.

There is no better time to invite Ros to visit your workplace, so start making enquires now to kick off 2024 with the best medicine!

Ros Ben-Moshe

22/11/2023

CONGRATULATIONS JESS HILL!

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Our 2023 Changemaker Of The Year is… !

After her first book ‘See What You Made Me Do’ shone a light on coercive control, the activist has spoken at almost 300 events. This year, while undergoing cancer treatment, she embarked on new documentary project about s*xual violence, called ‘Asking For It’. 
 
“I was determined to keep advocating and educating throughout my treatment,” she told marie claire Australia. “[I’m most proud] of my capacity to keep showing up, despite feeling the need to go to ground.”
 
Photography:

12/11/2023

📣 New Speaker 📣

🌟 Welcome Alexandra Collier 🌟
Alexandra Collier is an award-winning Melbourne writer whose memoir Inconceivable was recently published by Hachette. She has appeared on various panels, storytelling and speaking events for the Wheeler Centre, Generation Women, the Australian Consulate in New York and the Brisbane Writers Festival. Her plays have been produced in New York and Australia. She has written for The Guardian, The Age/Sydney Morning Herald, Harper’s Bazaar and Mamamia. She is a MacDowell fellow, a winner of the RE Ross Trust Playwrights Award and a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Alexandra is currently writing on a new TV detective series for the BBC/ABC.

Alexandra speaks across a range of topics, including the issues surrounding solo motherhood by choice, IVF, women's health, fertility, along with writing, the art of storytelling and her own inspiring story. Aside from keynotes, she can also host, MC, or speak on panels. Contact us now to book Alexandra for your next event!

03/11/2023

✨ New Release ✨
This is not a book for children, but it is a book for everyone who was a child – once upon a time.

Jane Gilmore, author of Fixed It and Teaching Consent, takes aim at fairy tale princesses and hits right at the heart of the myths that underpin women’s poverty and men’s violence.

Though a piecing combination of analysis and storytelling, Jane Gilmore peels back the layers of enchantment and exposes the ugly truth behind the fairy tales that have been embedded in our culture over centuries of telling and retelling.
After laying bare the history, context, and effect of fairy tale princesses, the reworked stories of Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, the Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast shine a light into the darkness and show us the dangers of the fairy tale princess myth.

Congratulations to Gilmore on this new release just launched yesterday!
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11/10/2023

International Day of People with Disability is coming up - it's 3 December!

Get organised and get in touch to book one of our amazing disabled speakers at your event. Click below to find our more information about the popular speakers featured.



https://speakingout.com.au/calendar/international-day-of-people-with-disability/

10/10/2023

October is World Mental Month, and today is World Mental Health Day. During this time of very difficult global and national division, lets ensure we take care of those around us, recognise that one in five Australians are affected by mental health annually and many more may be struggling. Be kind to each other, be kind to yourself. Lets continue to raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.

05/10/2023

📣 New Speaker 📣

🌟 Welcome Joel McKerrow 🌟

Joel McKerrow is an award winning writer, keynote speaker and creativity specialist, focusing on story and creativity and the way they can change people and culture. With insightful, inspiring keynotes and impassioned performance Joel can take your event to a whole other level of creative engagement.

Joel is currently the Director of The School for Creative Development and works extensively with leaders, teams, entrepreneurs and creatives to help them navigate their way forward. As a creativity specialist, Joel can help you inspire your people and your team, bring innovation back into your work culture and take leaps forward in your own creative practice.

Joel's offerings include:
🔸 FLOW: The Vital Work of Creative Innovation
🔸 BLANK: When Inspiration Has Left the Building
🔸 FERTILE: Creative Process and the Germination of New Things
🔸 STORY: The Power of Re-Storying

Take your event to a whole other level of creative engagement and book Joel now!

Joel McKerrow

https://speakingout.com.au/speaker/joel-mckerrow/

06/09/2023

It’s Indigenous Literacy Day! We’re proud as punch to be supporting the , an institution that has worked with remote communities to provide indigenous kids with access to books in First Languages and other resources such as libraries and bookstores for the past 19 years.

Head to indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au to see how you can contribute.

30/08/2023

Catch prominent campaigner for The Voice Thomas Mayo at the ’s SPRING FLING opening night event, ABOVE AND BEYOND, a night where Australian cultural icons get together to reflect on the moments that shaped them – going above and beyond in their careers, personal lives and creative endeavours.

For more info on this special event series, head to www.wheelercentre.com

14/07/2023

Tickets to the Byron Writers Festival are now available. Don't miss these phenomenal speakers.