Heidi is a globally respected speaker who transforms overwhelmed and disengaged professionals into optimistic, high-performing humans. Her powerful, yet elegant presence has impacted thousands of lives with her practical strategies, relevant storytelling and her natural ability to inspire audiences to listen, learn and laugh.
Speaking Topics
NEW
Petrol Bombs to Paradise
How Adversity Becomes A Choice Point, Not An End Point
When petrol bombs were thrown at her bedroom with the intention to burn her and her team alive, Heidi Dening’s world didn’t fall apart - it ignited. Years later, when a catastrophic earthquake struck the Pacific Island she now calls home, she was forced to navigate a different kind of hardship - one shaped by profound isolation, zero communication, and the weight of making critical decisions without support.
In this raw and uplifting keynote, internationally awarded resilience speaker Heidi Dening invites audiences into the defining moments that can break us and the brave choices we can all make to reclaim momentum in our businesses and lives, no matter what we’ve faced.
Blending powerful stories with Pacific Island insights that challenge Western hustle culture and reframe what strong leadership looks like, she shares how adversity can become the choice point - the moment we decide who we want to be next.
With her signature blend of honesty, insight, and sparkly energy, audiences will learn about:
🌼 Choices – How to use defining moments as a choice point and make decisions that align with long-term impact, not short-term panic.
🌼 Courage – The inner strength to challenge outdated expectations, stay focused under pressure, and build a career that reflects what matters most.
🌼 Connection – Why success isn’t a solo game, and how to surround yourself with the right people who fuel progress, perspective, and performance.
This keynote is for high-achieving professionals who are silently stretched, quietly questioning what’s next, or simply tired of always being the one holding it all together. It’s not about recovery. It’s about radical ownership of what comes next—even when the plan goes up in flames.
Interested in this topic? Click the button below to book a conversation with Heidi about how she can tailor this keynote to your audience.
Everyone Was Spellbound By Her Extraordinary Experiences
“Heidi is an inspiring and engaging storyteller who has turned her extraordinary experiences into practical, clear strategies which we can all implement immediately into our corporate lives. Her stories are incredible and as I looked around the room, I could see that everyone was completely spellbound.”
Louise Moule, Marketing Manager, Real Estate Institute NSW
Obstacles into Opportunities: The COurage to r.e.b.u.i.l.d.
In today’s business environment, our greatest professional skill lies in embracing change and using our challenges to our advantage, enabling us to adapt and evolve.
Adversities may come in all shapes and sizes, but so do opportunities. When we find the courage to embrace our inner leader, we gain razor-sharp clarity on the most beneficial way to maximise these opportunities.
If your audience needs a fresh perspective on how to lead their team, their business or themselves through what appears to be unmanageable, this presentation is for them. They will learn how to R.E.B.U.I.L.D. their own path ahead after obstacles disrupt their goals, their plans, their teams’ culture and/or their expectations at work.
This R.E.B.U.I.L.D. formula will drive meaningful and measurable change because it will result in audience members becoming more energised, engaged, and productive, resulting in improved performance and a more vibrant work environment.
In this powerful keynote, audience members will learn practical techniques for:
- Adapting and Thriving in Change - by reshaping mindsets and learning how to nip negativity in the bud they can bring their most productive and optimistic selves to work. This contributes to the establishment of a psychologically safe workplace where change, connection and innovation are embraced.
- Resetting Priorities - how to effectively let go of unhelpful beliefs and unrealistic targets that no longer serve them so they can focus on relevant solutions when they are struggling to make progress.
- Driving Performance - when using the concept of micro-wins to acknowledge the small milestones that are accomplished, they will break through performance limitations and start to achieve significant goals that have previously felt unobtainable.
This presentation is based on the business strategies that Heidi herself learned from a catastrophic cyclone, including how to pick ourselves up, rebuild our dreams and expectations, and persevere when everything we have worked towards gets turned upside down.
Interested in this topic? Click the button below to book a conversation with Heidi about how she can tailor this keynote to your audience.
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Bangkok - The Audience Loved Her
“We had the absolute pleasure of working with Heidi throughout the 2019 Future of Leadership series in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Bangkok. The audience loved what she brought to the stage and the great learnings she shared for all in the attendance. She was equally as delightful to work with off stage which is hugely important to us. We loved working with Heidi and I have no doubt if you book her you will be just as thrilled.”
Peter Baines, Company Director, Hands Across The Water
tough times don't last. resilient professionals do.
To have a resilient organisation we first need resilient leaders and teams.
This presentation has a unique perspective (one you have not heard before) on how your attendees can replenish their professional resilience resources so they can better deal with the curveballs and cannonballs that they can’t control.
Whether they are experiencing change fatigue, financial challenges, disengaged teams, or feelings of overwhelm, this impactful keynote will empower them with relevant, uplifting strategies that they can immediately implement. This will lead to an increase in productivity, more self-accountability and better clarity on how to persevere during challenging times.
As a result of this uplifting keynote, audience members will learn about:
* High-Performing Habits - the number one daily habit they need to prioritise to be able to safeguard themselves against performance pressure and an inability to switch off. This will lead to them being able to adapt more easily and deal more effectively with this ever-changing business environment.
* Tough Times Tolerance - when there are stressful projects, difficult colleagues or constant organisational change it is important to recognise the warning signs that indicate a lack of tolerance for tough times. This could be behaviour shifts, diminished productivity, or changes to physical and mental health.
* Power of Perseverance - how to proactively replenish their resilience resources with Heidi's signature 5-part formula that will help them to persevere and take action even if they feel like they have hit rock bottom or got close to it. This will mean they’ll be able to bend rather than break during high-pressure times.
This inspiring presentation is based on the resilience and perseverance insights Heidi learned from hitting rock bottom after petrol bombs were thrown at her room while leading a team in The Pacific, with the intention to burn her and her colleagues alive while they slept.
Interested in this topic? Click the button below to book a conversation with Heidi about how she can tailor this keynote to your audience.
Life-Impacting Insights
"Heidi was brilliant. You could have heard a pin drop in that room. Her unique stories and the resilience and self-leadership lessons she has distilled from them are gifts for everyone in the audience because they lead to lifelong impact. I'm in awe."
Belinda Melocco, Chair of the Sydney Event Network
Thriving Teams: A unique recipe for high performance
Creating a culture of high-performance does not come by accident. It requires the right ingredients and a commitment to improvement from an individual and team perspective.
In this presentation, I will share how we can create a workplace where individuals feel more connected, heard, supported and valued, which leads to better performance and engagement within our teams.
During this enriching presentation, attendees will learn about the following three ingredients that create a recipe for high performance:
- Courage - the social, moral and emotional courage that we need at work and how we can create a more connected, energised and equitable team environment by having a diverse collection of these types of courage.
- Wellbeing - we can’t work at our fullest potential nor make a difference to the bottom line of our organisations if we are physically and mentally depleted. This 3-part wellbeing formula will show your attendees how to safeguard themselves against overload when they are in the midst of demanding work projects.
- Amplification - when we learn how to genuinely amplify the good contributions of our team members, we make them feel seen and heard, and when we feel seen and heard, we feel valued. This results in an environment where everyone works more effectively and efficiently together.
The performance outcomes that your attendees will take away from this presentation will not only make a difference to their professional future, but it will also give their organisation a competitive edge.
Interested in this topic? Click the button below to book a conversation with Heidi about how she can tailor this keynote to your audience.
Would you like to see Heidi's style and messaging on stage?
Heidi Exceeded My High Expectations
"As Australia's longest established conference organiser, I must have seen thousands of presentations from skilled professionals but Heidi exceeded the high expectations that I had by being an engaging, inspiring and informative speaker."
Bryan Holliday, Chairman, ICMSA (International Conferences Management Services Australasia)
