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From over 320 applications, we selected a fantastic line up of speakers- ranging from teachers, school leaders, education consultants, authors, business consultants, psychologists, TV presenters, doctors, fitness gurus, poets, project managers, service directors, artists, photographers and of course, some AMAZING young people.
They will be ready to inspire you with their ideas worth sharing on a brand range of topics, linked to our Male The Difference theme.
And, alongside the amazing people below, as it’s our 5th birthday, we’ve got some other surprises in store for you too!
Positive education advocate and former teacher Frederika Roberts shares the science of wellbeing through her speaking, training and writing. Known for her ability to translate her expertise into practical tools for everyday life, Frederika has been interviewed and quoted in the press and media ranging from BBC radio and TV to Glamour magazine. She is the author of three books about positive/character education and happiness, and host of a teacher podcast on flourishing. Frederika is also the founder of “Educate to Flourish CIC”, a social enterprise with a mission to help children flourish by putting wellbeing at the heart of education and school communities. Frederika holds an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and is currently undertaking a Doctorate in Education.
Fynley has global development delay and goes to a Special School. She is 16 years old and looking forward to going to college. Her hobbies are music, singing, art, word searches and climbing. She doesn’t like change because it makes her anxious, but it doesn’t stop her! When Fynley becomes an adult, she wants to be independent and have a paying job. Fynley has already got many awards for volunteering at a Youth venue, helping with under 12s in the school holidays. Rachel is her TEDx Talk helper. She is a Counsellor and Fynley’s Mum. Rachel is helping her on the stage and finding important information. Fynley wants to show the audience that people with learning disabilities can be good workers.
When Yvonne Gorrod tipped the scales at over 26 stone, she decided enough was enough and embarked on a journey which saw her lose 11 stone in less than two years. Rather than leaping on the bandwagon of the latest diet fad, Yvonne decided that this was a battle she would win on her own, so she achieved this incredible transformation through a programme of healthy eating and exercise, which she designed herself. So inspired was she by her own journey that she felt compelled to share what she had learned and her new-found passion for exercise with others. This incredibly brave decision saw her leave the teaching profession, which had been her life blood for over 27 years and invest her life savings in creating a bespoke fitness studio. Featuring the latest in cutting edge equipment and state-of-the-art technology, Fitness Space Norwich focuses on personal training, so members Never Train Alone.
Mark is a former prisoner who created his own pathway to rehabilitation. Mark is a speaker on criminal justice issues and part of the advisory panel to Prisoners’ Education Trust. He is a writer and is currently redrafting his first novel, which was all handwritten while in custody. He has had worked published in various media in this country and abroad. Mark is a Christian preacher, and having found peace through the silent worship of Quakerism he serves as the editor of Quakers In Criminal Justice’s Newsletter. Mark is employed within the prison sector, working for a prison education provider. He is also a Freelance Consultant to the Open University on learning courses for those in prison.
The Chicks are three home-educated siblings who’ve been on a journey travelling around the UK coast living on a tenner a day, engaging with people from every walk of life and sharing the message of rebuilding community and bridging social divides to bring everyone together. Gracie, 16, blogger and sailor, is passionate about empowering her generation. Her aim is to create a movement for social change that young people can belong to and to connect them with projects in their own communities. Evan, 14, ‘Junior Survivor’, loves learning skills you’ll need in the wild and encouraging other kids to get outdoors too. Often found cooking curry or tinkering around on the engine of the Morris campervan he helped his Dad to build. Irys, 12, takes her camera everywhere and is never happier than when she’s got her head in a rock pool. She loves marine biology, Scotland and sharing scientific facts.
Alison was an inner city Head Teacher for nearly 20 years. She has a passion for values led, conscious leadership, wellbeing, inclusion and diversity. She has a reputation for excellence in leadership. Alison enjoys supporting school leaders and schools facing demanding challenges and is a regular speaker and panel member at conferences. She is the founder of Above and Beyond Education, a platform to change the conversation about education providing a place for schools to share their best practice and connect educators who want to form collaborative partnerships Ranae is a graphic designer from East London, who spent a majority of her formative secondary school years facing difficulty, which included multiple exclusions, and constant isolation. She was raised by a loving single mother who battled with mental illness, however lack of support from many put a strain on their relationship, which eventually became volatile. During this time, Ranae’s behaviour deteriorated drastically, and instead of exploring the underlying causes, she was often punished and held back academically. Despite various odds stacked against her, Ranae has managed to graduate from university, start her own business and completely turn her life around. She now plans on speaking publicly about her experience, working with children facing similar obstacles, and investigating what can be done to avoid this continuing.
Annamarie Dack started life in severe neglect and cruelty, and went from being a suicidal foster child, to a teen mum, to the manager of multiple educational establishments for children who had experienced vulnerability, and exclusion. She knows what it is like to be vulnerable, to be preyed on, to be excluded, and to achieve not because of, but in spite of the services which were not there to support her. She now runs Empowered Parents, coaching parents and children as they navigate difficult family situations, school issues and challenging behaviour. Annamarie is an avid believer that every struggling child has the right to early intervention, emotional support, and better education. Outside of her work Annamarie enjoys close relationships with her children, grandchild, fiancé and friends. She loves nothing better than candle lit evenings with a blanket, and Autumn walks with her 4 legged companion.
Since 2003, Sophie Jewry, AKA ‘The Queen of Brand’has helped thousands of small business owners create an awesome brand, be more productive and achieve a better work life balance. Sophie, an award-winning entrepreneur, has launched and run 3 successful businesses, all while being a full time mum. She was blessed with a daughter at just 19 so knows exactly how hard getting the work/life juggling act right can be. An advocate of continuous personal development, Sophie applies leading-edge techniques to help others make a healthy income from a business they love while enjoying a better quality of life.
Bukky Yusuf can be described as a creative, ebullient and optimistic educator. She is a Science teacher, consultant and Senior Leader who has worked in education for two decades. She has undertaken leadership roles within mainstream and special schools. Her enthusiasm to support the development of others is reflected in the educational initiatives she supports which include WomenEd, BAMEEd and SLTchat. Bukky has a variety of Ed(ucation) Tech(nology) experiences which includes whole school implementation of mobile devices to enhance teaching and learning. She is an interim co-chair of DfE EdTech Leadership Group. Bukky is a reluctant runner yet enjoys Netball. She also loves everything to do with jewellery, particularly rings.
After 23 years of corporate life, including senior management roles in Costa Coffee, RAC, Aviva, Virgin Atlantic and Vodafone, Eleanor now has a ‘multi hyphen’ career. Eleanor’s portfolio includes a communications consultancy supporting clients including Bristol Water, Ageas, Channel 4 and Trinity Mirror, running the online store Snuggle Truffle and her passion project founding the Another Door community, helping people through redundancy. Another Door supports people in the space in-between a door closing and another door opening. Eleanor has a podcast, Another Door, writes a regular blog helping people through change & redundancy and runs a 3 day Ramble retreat in the Lake District and has a book being published in Autumn 2020.
Lucy McCarraher is an author, publisher, mentor and speaker. Lucy has written 12 books – three novels, four self-help books and five books on writing, including a manifesto for women to share their experience and make a difference. Lucy is Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Rethink Press, Founder of the Business Book Awards, and Publish Mentor of Dent Global. She has mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs to write and publish their books. She was a pioneer of work-life balance and is an advocate for women’s voices being heard. Lucy has two adult sons and three grandsons. She lives in Norfolk with her husband and two daughters, the youngest of whom has Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. Find Lucy on all social media platforms.
Evie and Grace are two step-sisters who really get on with each other- well most of the time anyway! Both girls are currently in Year 6 at a school in Norwich. Evie is 10 and enjoys playing the piano, going to Guides and gymnastics. Evie enjoys making jokes and trying to make people laugh. She is great at caring for people, and always wants to make people happy, and loves acting and drama, Grace would describe Evie as “funny, caring and nice” Grace is 11 and enjoys her pets (Wilber, Moose and Zoomer), spending time with her families, and gymnastics. Grace is artistic and caring, especially towards her family and close friends. Evie would describe Grace as “loving, caring and that she stands out in a good way”. Both girls are excited to be speaking at TEDx and sharing their own unique take on how people can make the difference.
John is currently the service manager for Norwich Connect, a pioneering domestic abuse service working with the whole family. The service pilots new interventions for ending domestic abuse based on consultation with service users whilst being independently academically evaluated. He previously worked as the Head of Services & Quality at The Matthew Project leading work supporting young people and veterans around substance misuse. He has also been a trustee for YMCA Norfolk. For nearly a decade he was the voluntary project Manager of Hope for Latvia, working with some of the poorest families in Europe, seeking to break the cycle of poverty. He is actively involved in the life of Proclaimers, a local church and serves on the care team. His “passion project” is Your Growth Team, an initiative seeking to help everyone realise they have influence and can use it to support others.
Adele has had bottles of juice poured on her head, been whacked with a skateboard, and she has taught a year 7 pupil, who has experienced severe trauma, how to read their first ever word... Adele is a teacher, speaker, writer, educator and advocator for inclusion in education and students with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs. Adeles is a Behaviour and Education Specialist with over 17 years’ experience, Adele teaches these pupils in a variety of educational settings, trains others to do so and advises on whole school approaches to supporting these pupils - in schools, universities and other youth-based public services. Adele’s first book will be published in the UK and US in 2021.
Lisa Johnson is a 7 figure business coach specialising in helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses using passive income from memberships and courses. After a tough childhood spent in social housing, Lisa went on to have successful careers in law, banking and the entertainment industry. Her background in overcoming obstacles has helped mould her into a bold, straight talking coach, who is never afraid to be an authentic and outspoken truth teller. She has spoken on the BBC’s Women’s Hour and is a Thrive Global Contributor. She has been featured in national newspapers and magazines including Psychologies, The Guardian and Red. A recent feature on Lisa in Forbes magazine garnered over a quarter of a million views in a week. Lisa is a huge believer that everyone can become a success no matter their background and is known for her anti-bullying campaigning online. Lisa lives in Hertfordshire, UK with her husband and 8-year-old twin sons but coaches around the globe.
Emily Folorunsho is a History teacher in London. She has been teaching for 5 years. She is currently head of KS4 History and a Lead Practitioner. She loves all things teaching & learning. Emily is ambitious, committed & passionate about making a difference and letting others know they can make a difference. Although she teaches history, she also desires to make history. Emily loves to tweet her practice to share ideas as well as using others ideas to improve her practice. For Emily passionate educators are a force for good, resilient, strong, a life giver & light bringer. Without the passionate teachers she has encountered in her education, she would not have become Miss Folorunsho and for that she is grateful.
Kemi is a Science teacher from London. She’s worked in the education sector since 2012. In 2017 she decided she was ready to quit teaching and do something else, as the stresses of the job began to weigh her down. However, a former colleague convinced her to stay in education and work in a Pupil Referral Unit. This is where Kemi’s passion for education and young people was reignited. Alongside her role as a teacher, she’s also training to become a SENCo and is the founder of the Young Black Teachers Network. Her aim is to ensure the teacher workforce reflects our society and schools we work in, reduce exclusion rates of black pupils and break the cycle of the PRU to prison pipeline.
Callum has completed 2 years of his BA Education Studies degree and is currently on a sabbatical year as the Undergraduate Education Officer at UEA Students’ Union, representing students across the university on teaching and learning experiences and leading on academic representation. His particular interests are in learning identity, gender in education and sense of belonging. Callum is also currently the Vice –president of the Aurora Student Network, representing students internationally in Higher Education. Aside from this, Callum really enjoys working with local youth clubs and joining in on amateur dramatics in Norwich. Callum is really looking forward to taking on the challenge of a TEDx talk, and is excited to be participating in the local Norwich event.
Jen is a Birth Coach specialising in Hypnobirthing, Pregnancy Yoga, Holistic Infant Sleep and Birth Trauma Release working with Clients 1:1 and in Group Settings across Norfolk. Additionally quali-fied in NLP, Hypnotherapy and Life Coaching her approach is dynamic and adapted for each Client. Jen understands the significance of life events and how they are days ‘not just to be got through’ but ‘to look forward to’. Jen’s long term goal is to change how we see birth on screen and offer Positive Birth Education to people Globally. Jen is passionate and excited to share with you her vision on how we see birth.
Christian is a hospital doctor in one of Norfolk’s District General Hospitals. He moved to the United Kingdom from Australia in 2006 and trained in Manchester before moving to the region in 2017. He is a geriatric registrar and is also employed to conduct Quality Improvement Projects (QIPs) for the Trust. In addition to multiple QIPs, he is also making local changes to the Foundation Doctors Teaching Program, and holds a position supervising medical students from Cambridge University. He has an interest in biomedical ethics, dystopian novels and travel. He is an accomplished musician and sportsman. He leads a team of camera operators in his local church, providing live streaming between campuses and a sizeable online audience.
Emma is a a teacher, speaker, writer and SLE (Specialist Leader of Education) with more than two decades of teaching and leadership experience. As founder and director of Those That Can Limited, Emma works with schools, training organisations, education charities and the media to support teachers to survive and thrive in the long term in schools in the UK and beyond. Emma speaks regularly at conferences, including the Festival of Education, ResearchEd, Belmas and WomenEd. Emma is the author of of a book about how to survive in teaching and regular writer for key education publications, including TES, and Teach Secondary. Emma is currenlty writing a book about teacher wellbeing. Emma’s Doctorate in Education (achieved in 2016 at Middlesex University) is about how education professionals can effectively balance teaching and parenting. Emma is also the co-host of the Clem and Em podcast, exploring varying perspectives on schools, past and present.
Jane is in her seventies. She is a passionate vegan and loves lifting weights in the gym. She follows a healthy, active lifestyle, with a dusting of vegan chocolate and ice cream. She believes that, no matter how old you are, you can improve your health, happiness and well-being by making small changes that bring joy and a better functioning body. She originally worked in human resources. Then she became a university lecturer in sociology and management, before becoming a complementary therapist. She practiced and taught kinesiology internationally for many years. She is now an holistic entrepreneur, the owner of Life-Work Potential Limited. She gives 50% of her income away each month to charities and campaigning organisations. She believes that contributes to her living a fuller, happier life. She writes a blog about health and fitness, and posts gym videos and vegan food pictures on Instagram.
Hannah is a poet, theatre maker and producer from Saffron Walden. She studied literature at the University of East Anglia and a poetry MA at Newcastle University. Her first poetry collection Shark! explores danger and safety. Most recently she has made Highly Sensitive – a show exploring the value of sensitivity and a BBC R4 documentary exploring the value of sensitivity to the economy. Her work alspo includes a prison poetry commission with Artichoke for Lumiere Festival 2019., and ‘Tell me what to do’ a youth theatre play made as the result of an intensive theatre summer school at Cambridge Junction. She is also the author of children’s book ‘So Sam’ with illustrator Ally Bickerton. With Chris Thorpe she has made ‘This is just to say’, ‘The Oh Fuck Moment’, ‘I Wish I Was Lonely’ and ‘Human Resources’. The shows are part poetry gig and part interactive experience, about the moments we all face in the process of trying to be a person. Hannah is an Associate Artist at the National Centre for Writing and Cambridge Junction.
Dan Harris is an artist and social entrepreneur propelled by a drive for social justice and a restless fascination with the role that wonder and discovery can play in education. Since leaving art school in 2001 Dan’s creativity has found a home in leading innovative community businesses. His pioneering approach to using education and events to build community won him Co-operative UK’s award for Innovation in Co-operative Enterprise in 2011 and in 2019 he successfully crowdfunded to set up his latest social enterprise venture. Over the last twenty years Dan has built communities of interest with education at the heart around topics as diverse as bicycles, bread and biodiversity as vehicles for creating social impact and meaningful change.
Nicola S Morgan is an international educational consultant, author and teacher. With over two decades of experience in education, Nicola has a reputation for successfully managing the most challenging students and motivating staff to help implement change. Currently, Nicola works closely with schools and parents and often speaks at conferences on behaviour change, engaging families, mindset and resilience. When working with education staff and students she receives comments on how motivated and inspired they feel following her sessions which gives them the confidence to really push their own boundaries for personal achievement. She is the author of over ten educational books and countless articles. An International Values Education approved trainer, NLP Master Practitioner and business entrepreneur.
Graham looks at life from an everyman perspective. He’s a dedicated family man, married for 19 years with 2 children and currently runs a successful photography business in South East London. From working in IT problem management to serving as a Police Officer, he’s also particularly proud of serving in the Territorial Army and even making it to Everest Basecamp! He’s also an Ambassador & Social Media Manager for StrongMen a Men’s mental health & bereavement charity. Graham served in the Metropolitan Police with the last 9 years working in neighbourhood policing. Then in 2019, he decided to take a break from the police in order to focus on time with his family and the things that matter to him most.
Rachel McCrum is a 16 year old sixth form student, currently studying Psychology, Sociology and Theatre Studies with the hope to take Psychology further and become a clinical psychologist to help others with mental health issues. Music is one of Rachel’s main passions and has been for many years. It’s kept her grounded through rough patches of her life and it’s helped give her the confidence and grace she has today. The qualities she’s gained from music has come into play when given other opportunities later in life. She’s taken part in a radio interview at the UEA regarding abortion and sexism, as well as being involved in the A21 campaign (an organisation fighting against slavery) for many years. Rachel has always been aware of others and sensitive to their situations. This talk gives Rachel an opportunity to highlight an issue that she’s struggled with but isn’t commonly talked about. Her hope is that people will see the people in their lives differently and can therefore make an impact in someone else.
Tom Wallace belives that when we empower our teachers to stop, reflect and become the best versions of themselves, the possibilities are endless. Tom, a former Deputy Head and a SLE in formative assessment, is on a mission. With nearly 40,000 teachers leaving the profession in 2016, the system needs to change. As the co-founder of Balance, he is working with hundreds of schools across the country, to disrupt assessment, rethink and reimagine its potential to address the workload crisis. As a keynote speaker, consultant and entrepreneur, Tom is helping teachers deepen their understanding of formative assessment, reclaim their ‘work-life balance’, whilst having a greater impact on children’s learning.
David Day is the headteacher at Sewell Park Academy in Norwich. He has an array of experience working in different educational contexts in schools on a journey of improvement, and, through both academic and pastoral positions, has led innovation in pedagogy and teaching practice. This has skilfully promoted fresh approaches that encompass wider engagement as well as outcomes for young people. His passionate leadership is rooted in improving education and the role it plays in the wider community. He celebrates the teaching profession and firmly believes that every student should have equal access to high quality provision to enable them to lead fulfilling and prosperous lives.
