Theme: CURIOSITY - We will explore open mindedness, adventure, courage, resilience, learning and growth.

A day packed with inspiration, community, networking and most of all, ideas worth sharing.

Abbey Theatre
Westminster Lodge
St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 2DL
United Kingdom

Baljinder Kloty

Creative Director

Baljinder is a Design Leader with over 10 years experience in the creative industry. She is a passionate advocate for initiatives around diversity, inclusion and equity. As a brown, gay, disabled woman, she has been exposed to multiple situations and environments that have provided her with colourful stories and valuable insights, which, when shared, can greatly enrich the minds of others.

David Conrad

Deputy Director of Public Health, Hertfordshire County Council

David is a consultant in public health working in local government, with a passion for making science and academic research accessible to everyone. He has co-authored several books for health professionals, as well as popular science books on happiness and how to live longer. His talk will explain how seemingly rival explanations for society’s most persistent problems are really parts of one big picture and why Government and indeed all of us, should all strive to be big picture thinkers.

Elizabeth Dalziel

Freelance Photographer

Elizabeth is a photojournalist whose work ranges from the coverage of war and breaking news to documentary photography. She has been published in National Geographic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR and worked for major aid groups and other non-governmental organisations. Her current work is about menopause, using a series of portraits that explore symptoms, coping mechanisms and the effects of culture and ethnicity on this hormonal transition.

Georgia Shaw

Associate Client Executive

Georgia is a passionate apprenticeship ambassador, determined to alter the way people think about higher education. She moved from ‘Apprentice Project Manager’ to ‘Award Winning Associate Client Executive’, in less than 5 years. Her talk is focussed on the world beyond academic education.

Jon Wilson Cooper

Psychotherapist & Director of The Albany Centre

Jon is a qualified psychotherapist, trainer, and organisational consultant with over 38 years experience. He has worked in the UK, America, and India in a variety of settings with a wide range of clients including those with addiction issues, mental health problems and histories of personal trauma. Jon has a special interest in helping individuals raise awareness of their blocks to emotional well-being and making positive life choices.

Jos Perris

Diocesan Safeguarding Trainer

Jos started life in Advertising and set up an Ad Agency which she ran in the West End in the 1990’s. After having her children, she became ordained in the Church of England and now works in Safeguarding within the Church of England.

Kirsty Parker

Founder and Director, KP Consulting Partners

Kirsty Parker is a dynamic and innovative business leader, author, and mentor with a passion for harnessing the power of curiosity to drive personal and professional growth. She is founder director of a membership site set up to help entrepreneurs maximise the value of their businesses and prepare for a successful sale and will ask “Why you need to be a NOSY Parker?”

Laura Dannan

Singer Songwriter and Teacher/Founder of “Little Sunbeams Songs & Sounds”

Laura is a singer songwriter and music teacher living in St Albans. She forayed into the world of music later than most when she decided to learn drums in her late thirties. She proceeded to launch a series on YouTube called “Drum Quest”, interviewing some of the world’s best drummers and documenting her own drumming journey. In her talk, Laura shares why she feels midlife is the perfect time to be curious about who you are, the world around you, and the importance of embracing opportunities that lie ahead.

Liz Pilny

Funeral and End of Life Celebrant

Liz has worked for a number of years both in a hospice and a cancer centre. She has seen first-hand how devastating a death is to a family. She is passionate about helping and supporting people to get the right funeral for them and their loved ones.

Mindy Gibbins-Klein

International Speaker and Thought Leadership Coach

Mindy is a multi-passionate speaker, entrepreneur, author and coach. She is best known as founder of a successful book coaching brand called The Book Midwife®. In 2021 she sold her publishing company and began thinking seriously about her legacy and Thoughtful Giving will be her focus.

Nathaniel Hawley

Neurodiversity Consultant

Nathaniel is a passionate neurodiversity champion and advocate for individuals with learning differences, such as autism. His efforts have earned him numerous accolades, including a Master’s degree in Applied Neuroscience and a Pride of Britain award nomination. King Charles III has recognised him for his heroism, international fundraising efforts, and public speaking on behalf of people with disabilities.

Rachel Oxborough

Art Psychotherapist and Director of ColourMeIn Wellbeing CIC

Rachel, an Art Psychotherapist, is passionate about implementing creativity and art therapy in the transformation of organisational culture, emphasising its positive impact on people’s overall well-being. Through her own lived experiences with mental health difficulties and neurodiversity, and that of others in her family, she has discovered how art therapy and creativity have been an effective tool in bringing understanding, self-regulation and community to many people from all walks of life, especially in organisational culture.

The Tempest Two

Adventurers

The Tempest Two is made up of James Whittle and Tom Caulfield. Two friends, who in 2015, decided to take on an adventure of a lifetime, and row 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean with zero previous experience. Curiosity and Adventure is the theme of their talk.

Tolu Roberts

Student

Tolu is a local sixth-form student studying 3 A-levels including Psychology and Philosophy and Ethics. She is an active member of the psychology club at her school and has a keen interest in the psychology of the workings of the human mind and behaviour.