Speaker Inspiration

“I was invited to do a TEDx talk at short notice. I had a powerful message I wanted to share, but I knew I needed help to shape it into something truly impactful. So I booked a Finishing Touch session with Barbara. Barbara was fantastic. In just one session, she helped me bring clarity and structure to my story. We worked through what to keep, what to cut, and how to make it land with the audience. Her insights were sharp, her energy was reassuring, and the session gave me the confidence I needed to step on that stage fully prepared. I can’t recommend Barbara highly enough. She’s the real deal.”

"Barbara helped me prepare for an important Board presentation with only a couple weeks notice. She helped me transform my dry, fact-based presentation into a compelling celebration of how my team was responding to consumer opportunities with connected experiences. Barbara's framework & coaching gave me huge confidence and really set me up for success on the day. And, I'm still using the lessons she shared to this day."

“Our teaching team experienced Joske’s session very positively. It was inspiring, engaging, and gave us plenty to think about. The key message I took away was: listen to my team members without judgment and with genuine attention and don’t make assumptions, but empower them to use their own strengths.

Joske’s personal story was intense, brave, and powerful. It made me realize that I need to look at people’s behavior with more curiosity instead of viewing it through the lens of judgment.

I would recommend this team session to any group searching for better collaboration and team dynamics. It definitely helped us connect more deeply and start honest conversations with one another.”

"On March 27, 2025, we hosted a lecture and interactive session with the members of NVDM-North. Joske Kuut’s story “You had it coming” touched us all deeply. One important takeaway: always check the facts before judging someone, and don’t assume something is true if you don’t actually know. Wise lessons that help you become a better person. Our members found the lecture incredibly valuable!"

"Sheila surprised and helped our middle management with a highly inspiring lesson in sustainable leadership based on analogies with the 'highest pressure & highest standards' world of top chefs, followed by a sublime cooking workshop. What an unforgettable afternoon and evening it was!"

"Sheila bridges the gap between cooking and the often unruly challenges of organisations. She does this in a language that everyone understands, with a direct style and an enormous dose of creativity. While she cooks, she creates space for reflection and conversation – her menu and the way she introduces it enhance the participants' experience. Especially when dealing with complex themes, her approach provides breathing space, colour and surprising insights. The result: engaged participants, new perspectives and a collaboration that always runs smoothly and is inspiring."

"For a series of inspiration with authentic speakers who have achieved something special, made a bold choice or had an unusual impact on their field and expertise, Sheila gave a presentation to our global teams, from San Francisco to Singapore, from Riyadh to Sydney. Sheila combines her modest and down-to-earth attitude with highly professional preparation and execution of her session. Her intrinsic drive, accessibility to viewers and inspiring story greatly appealed to our employees and transcended national borders."

"Sheila is extremely energetic and inspiring and knows how to engage and captivate her audience. Her personal, multi-layered story approaches leadership from a unique and surprising perspective – that of the world's top chefs. In a vivid, interactive way and with colourful personal experiences, she draws parallels between the ability to mobilise teams, innovate and deal with pressure in business, and that of setting high standards in Michelin-starred kitchens, constantly reinventing yourself and the need for sustainability in your profession. This dynamic fits seamlessly with the daily reality of the female top professionals participating in the Deloitte Women on Boards leadership programme. Sheila makes complexity manageable with recognisable images and concrete tools — look closely, and you'll see if it's right — making her contributions directly applicable and sustainable."

James delivered a compelling presentation about habit change and personal productivity that will influence how our students stretch themselves to pursue new opportunities. His work is clear and actionable in a way that breaks down some of the most challenging barriers that we all have to overcome. I would highly recommend James to any organization seeking to accomplish great things!

I am thrilled we were able to bring James’ content (and his book!) to our people of ESPN.  The numbers we had today for this event have been the highest we’ve seen for a keynote speaker since we went 100% virtual! The amount of texts, emails and DM’s I got were unbelievable. The attendees absolutely loved the content!

Matthew was a true professional to work with. He customized his presentation to match our theme on data, and as he promised made the audience laugh, cry and learn something new about storytelling. He is a truly inspirational and inspiring speaker! I hope we can work together in the future.