Keynote Speaker Testimonials

Heidi Dening is an award-winning keynote speaker, author and educator who teaches professional resilience as a performance skill. She works with conference organisers and organisations across APAC and internationally, helping professionals perform under pressure, adapt to business challenges and make better decisions when it matters most. Below, event organisers and leaders share their experiences of Heidi’s keynote presentations.

Financial Services

Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants Conference

“It was a privilege to have Heidi as the keynote speaker at the Chartered Accountants of Fiji Conference. From the moment she stepped onto the stage, she captivated our audience with her warmth, authenticity, energy, and powerful storytelling.

What stood out most was the effort Heidi made to understand our profession and the unique context of Fiji and the Pacific. She tailored her message in a way that resonated deeply with accountants, finance professionals, and business leaders, making every insight both relevant and actionable.

Her presentation on professional resilience, self-leadership, and thriving through change was inspiring, practical, and thought-provoking. Delegates left not only motivated but equipped with valuable strategies they could apply immediately in both their careers and personal lives.

Heidi combines the presence and professionalism of a world-class keynote speaker with a genuine ability to connect with people. Her session was one of the highlights of our conference and received outstanding feedback from attendees.

I would highly recommend Heidi to any organisation looking for a keynote speaker who can inspire, challenge perspectives, and create a lasting impact.”

Entireti Alliances Self Licensed Conference

“The fabulous Heidi was heaven sent to us and delivered and delighted as closing keynote speaker at our Entireti Alliances Self Licensed Conference for professional wealth advice businesses.

Her message of resilience and commitment and authenticity live on not only in the post session learnings but in the amazing Spotify playlist created by our audience and curated by Heidi.

She inspired she challenged and she led our delegates to find that voice inside them to believe they can.

Thank you Heidi”

Corporate and Commercial Organisations

Coca-Cola Mental Health Month

“Best presenter we have ever had”

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy - International Women’s Day

“Heidi was the keynote speaker at our LVMH International Women’s Day event in 2023. There were so many things that I loved about Heidi’s presentation including practical resilience takeaways regarding being courageous in the workplace, being able to prioritise better and cutting off from work stress, however what really stood out was her ability to bring fun and engagement. This is so important in the fast-paced business environment that we work in at LVMH.

A huge thanks to Heidi for giving us these important moments of joy and inspiration with our Team!”

How To Remain Cool, Calm and Collected Under Pressure

“I recently had the good fortune to attend a presentation by Heidi on how to build resilience. All of us are now living in a time when the need for and criticality of these skills has never been greater. There are at least two things that differentiate Heidi's work from that of many others who are out there presenting on the same or similar topics. The first is her passion and skill in engaging her audience. In a word, she presents with heart. Secondly, she presents clear, specific and practical tips and strategies, including calls to action, ensuring that her content is brought to life. It was one of the best and most inspiring presentations I have seen. Thank you Heidi!”

Associations and Member Organisations

Women in Real Estate

“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.”

Cruise Lines International Association Annual Conference

“We had the pleasure of having Heidi Dening deliver an inspiring keynote at our recent cruise conference in Sydney – titled “Turning Obstacles into Opportunities”. The travel industry has been through a lot in the past few years and whilst we are emerging from the many disruptions and challenges that the pandemic hit us with, there are a whole new set of challenges to tackle. Heidi invested the time to really connect with members of our audience prior to the event so that she could tailor her presentation to address the new challenges that we are facing. The audience embraced her inspiring and motivating presentation where she gave practical, easy-to-implement strategies for us to implement into our everyday life. Her presentation left the audience feeling more optimistic and positive about tackling each new day and the challenges that come with it!”

Event Organisers and Conference Partners

Sydney Event Network

“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.”

International Conference Management Services Australasia

“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.”

International Conference Management Services Australasia

“We have utilised Heidi’s excellent skills as a motivational speaker and conference facilitator. In this fast-paced events sector where technology reigns supreme, we are seeing a real movement for our clients away from short-term IT fads that may promote communication efficiency, to a space where real connectedness for the attendees can occur. We’re seeing requests for legacies that last longer than the usual three day talk-fest, and this is why Heidi’s presentations are so relevant.

Heidi’s ethos is to transform habits long-term and in this regard her messages are real and meaningful. More importantly, they apply to all sectors and can be easily applied to all skill sets. Heidi provides thought-provoking and well-researched data for each client and I would have no hesitation in recommending her services.”

Government, Health and Public Sector

NSW Police: Lead Your Future

“Heidi's keynote was outstanding—engaging, relevant, and delivered with genuine warmth. The way she blended personal insight with practical strategies really resonated with our NSW Police Force audience, and the feedback has been exceptionally positive. Heidi's ability to connect authentically with a room of people who work in complex, high-pressure environments made a lasting impact.”

NSW Rural Fire Service Engagement Day

“We approached Heidi to design and facilitate a self-leadership session for our whole-of-Directorate engagement day. Heidi’s rare combination of professionalism, authenticity and practicality was exactly what was needed. Our team members overwhelmingly reported personal and collective benefits from their time spent with Heidi. The opportunity to self-reflect, engage in honest discussion, and explore new ways for managing in times of uncertainty and increased demands was invaluable. Heidi’s commitment to understanding the needs and developing a session to suit was undoubtedly key to a successful outcome. Also of note is the care she takes in follow-up to reinforce learnings and ensure benefits remain. Heidi is an absolute pleasure to work with – she is personable, knowledgeable, collaborative and focused on results”

Education, Universities and Early Learning

UNSW Canberra International Women's Day

“Heidi was a pleasure to work with from start to finish for our IWD 2023 event. Her enthusiasm, knowledge, attention to detail and understanding of our bespoke needs culminated in a fantastic keynote that delivered exactly what we wanted. She is an exceptionally engaging speaker who delivers the pertinent points of a speech with charisma, fun and lots of sparkle! Guests left our event feeling uplifted and aware of how we all have a part to play in building an equitable and inclusive workplace culture. Thank you so much, Heidi!”

Goodstart Early Learning Annual Conference

“During the Goodstart conference, Heidi shared such valuable knowledge about how to deal with hard situations and how best to deal with them using simple steps and strategies. This information will be so valuable for both me and my team, and I can’t wait to share this knowledge. Thank you Heidi”

Deakin University Mental Health Month

“I’ve never seen a more engaged and inspired audience! During a time when staff needed respite from the array of challenges, Heidi was a shining light - so authentic and genuine in her delivery and sharing her story with such warmth and vulnerability. Thank you Heidi for sharing such timely messages and inspiring our staff to pause and take some time to care for themselves.”

Not-for-Profit and Community Organisations

Future of Leadership

“We had the absolute pleasure of working with Heidi throughout the 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”