Clare Edwards

From the day her Mum bought her first ballet shoes, Clare knew exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up; the next Margot Fonteyn, the world’s finest Prima Ballerina. The only problem? She never grew up! Stuck at 4 foot 10 and three quarters (yes, the three quarters IS important!), Clare had to find another career, so she made like a sheep and followed two of her elder siblings into the world of hospitality.

Following a 10 year career in Hotel Front of House Management, working in the UK, Netherlands and Switzerland, Clare leapfrogged into the world of IT and telecomms (that’s a story in itself), and thrived in the world of management and leadership in fast-paced and ever-changing environments.

At the turn of the Millennium, Clare found herself in the Internet ‘boom and bust’ where her experience of retrenching 70 people ignited a spark that she didn’t know existed; her vocation was to help people through change.

A love of biology at school and in particular, studying the brain, combined with 20 years of people management drove Clare to leave corporate life and live her purpose by helping people move from fearing and resisting change to thriving and flourishing in it. She thrives on helping people uncover the magic that lies between their ears and has become an avid student of social neuroscience and positive psychology.

Sharing tales from the trenches, both professional and personal, this pocket rocket (yes, she’s finally accepted and embraced that which she couldn’t change!), is a bundle of enthusiasm and energy, full of cheeky, often self-deprecating humour, a genuine love for her audience and an ability to make the complex simple, leaving you ready to take the change bull by the horns and shake it up for good.

When not speaking Clare loves nothing more than to immerse herself in nature, tap dance and seek out amazing authentic leaders for her podcast, ‘Rawthentic Leadership’.

Clare’s Keynote on ‘Change your Brain for Habits of Excellence’ was inspiring, motivational and engaging. Clare used evidence-based theories on brain thinking and simplified her message as to how we can use this in our day to day as recruitment owners. I would highly recommend Clare.Yvonne Kelly, Director ANZ, NPA NetworkClare did an exceptional job for us recently. With little direction and a blank page, she was able to construct an incredibly engaging presentation which attracted overwhelmingly positive feedback from our clients.There is no doubt Clare has worked very hard in her career to gather the subject knowledge & expertise she has, but it is her delivery skills that really set her apart from the rest of her peers.Clare is as authentic and passionate about her work as you will find, and it is impossible not to be inspired by her energy. If you are looking for a spark that can ignite a leadership transformation or complex organisational change program in your business, look no further!!Ryan Wilson, Head of Change Management, Hays RecruitmentWe engaged Clare to speak at the CompTIA ANZ conference on the topic of Growth Mindset and how investing in a culture of growth mindset can positively impact business success. Clare involved the audience from the outset and was extremely knowledgeable in the subject. I found her energised and engaging, leaving our conference participants with some quality food for thought and motivation to act.Moheb Moses, Director ANZ Channel Coomunity, CompTIAClare is able to break down the complex theories of neuroscience, so they can be easily understood by the audience. She teaches you how to harness the power of your mind so you can improve yourself and your productivity at work. I would highly recommend Clare to speak at your next event.Tamara Wright, Head of Partnerships ANZ, IMLClare delivered a series of engaging and highly interactive sessions on Staying Cool under Pressure as part of my firm’s learning and development seminars for in-house lawyers. The sessions thoughtfully explored the world of understanding stress and managing emotions. We were challenged to think differently in order to become better leaders and managers that are inspiring, imaginative and engagingSimeon Ling, Business Development Director, Squire Patton Boggs• Great presentation Clare. Lots of energy and dynamism. I liked the point about not gettingcomplacent, I need to keep a close eye on that. Loved the exercise about multi-tasking,the point hit home!• Energetic, informative presenter. Great slides. Very relevant information for the audience.Great use of humour. Gave clear examples of issues and how to change habits. Delightful,insightful presentation.• Amazing presentation, very interactive and dynamic. I’m now willing and inspired to change habits that I have tried to change for a while.Participant feedback from the Professional Services Marketing Conference

Change your Brain to Thrive in Change
In a span of less than 2 years, our world of work has changed beyond recognition. We continue to face complex and uncertain times trying to figure out the ‘new normal’ and this is having an impact on the mental health and wellbeing of employees, leaders and their stakeholders.

Our resilience has never been tested to such a degree before and we need to act fast and equip people with the knowledge, tools and strategies to ride this new rollercoaster in a vastly different way.

We need to move from hanging on for dear life to jumping in the front carriage with our hands in the air!

Change Your Brain to Thrive in Change is the critical message for those who are experiencing unprecedented levels of change in their work life and looking for strategies to maintain and increase motivation, engagement and productivity and most importantly, wellbeing.

Using Neuroscience and Positive Psychology as its foundation, this keynote educates, engages and encourages an attitude of radical resilience and a transition from resistance through acceptance to embracing change.

Change your Brain for Habits of Excellence
Habits are necessary – they help us to function effectively in an increasingly fast-paced and complex world – but are our habits helping or hindering our effectiveness and productivity?

At least 50% of what we do on a daily basis might feel like conscious decisions but are actually automated processes – habits. The difference between a highly productive day and leaving work feeling frustrated is down to habits and routines of productivity.

It’s time to identify what’s working – what’s not – and make a sustainable change.

Change Your Brain for Habits of Excellence is a powerful message for anyone who wants better results from their time and time to design better results – it all comes down to developing stronger habits.

Change your Brain to Bridge the Bias Gap
Unconscious Bias is at the forefront of the agenda of many organisations and understandably so. It impacts almost all of the decisions we make and the results that we get, without us being consciously aware of its effects.

Our unconscious biases directly affect not only who gets hired, fired, developed and promoted, but also the ability of teams to perform at a high level, the effectiveness of our leaders in decision-making and change, the health of an organisation’s culture and the relationship it has with its stakeholders.

Change your Brain to Bridge the Bias Gap is a highly interactive keynote that explores the world of human evolution, neuroscience and the different approaches being taken to address workplace bias. The focus is on increasing our understanding of the most prevalent biases that impact our ability to be impartial and objective and on developing practical strategies to deal with bias effectively.