Course description
Guest Speakers Program for 2025, Staff Wellbeing and Inclusion. Over the next 12 months, our lineup features five inspiring guest speakers who will share their extraordinary journeys and the motivations that drive them in life.
21 March 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Guest speaker: Overcoming adversity and celebrating Harmony Day, with guest speaker Fadi Chalouhy.
Born to a Lebanese mother and a Syrian father, who left shortly after his birth, meant Fadi would spend the rest of his life as a stateless person. Lebanese law prevents mothers registering their children in Lebanon. Although his journey has been unimaginably hard, his tale is one of hope and triumph of the human spirit.
11 June 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Men’s health guest speaker: Dr Kieran Kennedy.
As a medical doctor working in psychiatry, Kieran sees, first hand, the absolute importance in advocating for mental health and is fast becoming a leading voice toward this call within print media, television, social media & radio.
9 July 3.30pm -4.30pm
Guest speaker: Marlee Silva – Celebrating NAIDOC.
Marlee Silva is a young Aboriginal woman from the Gamilaroi and Dunghutti nations. She is the founder of social media based movement ‘Tiddas 4 Tiddas’, which uses strength based storytelling to champion the voices of Indigenous Australian women and girls.
Marlee is also an author, casual radio presenter on the Triple J network and the host/producer of her own podcast ‘Always was, always will be our stories’, a podcast dedicated to showcasing Indigenous role models, from all walks of life. Marlee is determined to utilise her storytelling skills to inspire people and create change, and uses her platform to advocate for the causes she is most passionate about, which has previously seen her named as a finalist in the Australian Human Rights Commission ‘Young People’s Human Rights Medal’ in 2019.
11 September 3.30pm -4.30pm
Guest speaker: Graeme Cowan.
As a Board Director of R U OK?, Graeme has watched this simple idea lead to substantial change. In his earlier career he worked in senior leadership positions with Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and AT Kearney.
In 2000 he went through a 5-year episode of depression that his psychiatrist described as the worst he had ever treated. He emerged from this crisis with a different view about how we can increase our resilience, mood, and performance. He is described by the Australian Financial Review as a “resilience expert”
3 December 3.30pm -4.30pm
Guest speakers: Tim and Judy Sharp – Celebrating International Day of People with Disabilities.
A powerful keynote from Tim and Judy Sharp that tells the story of how a boy diagnosed with severe autism went on to become one of Australia’s best-known international artists and the creator of Laser Beak Man.
Course outcomes
Mental Health and Wellbeing / Resilience / Inclusion & Diversity