Meet our 2026 speakers

Tom Carroll was born in November 1961 into a home environment of encroaching silent emotional pain. It was an unexpected gift given during an apex of material and spirit expression through his mother’s final Christmas Day morning in December 1968. The gift was pure love, through our magic carpet, a surfboard, that during the lead-up to that fateful morning was all but family rumour…and then ”I was completely smitten from that first sight” of this new surfboard, expansive green deck and yellow “sports car” stripe down one side.

Carroll is an Australian former professional surfer and two-time world champion, known for his powerful and radical style in the 1980s. He won the ASP World Tour in 1983 and 1984, and also achieved three Pipeline Masters victories in ’87, ’90 & ’91. Beyond his competitive success, in 1985 Tom took a stand against the then Apartheid regime in South Africa using this World Champion status to open eyes to humanitarian dislocation. Tom is recognised for his pioneering approach to fitness training in surfing from 1981 onward and also his later involvement within the surf industry working with Quiksilver at multiple levels.

Tom is a father to three daughters; Jenna 33 years (practising naturopath), Amelia 31 years (artist – landscape) and Grace 22 years old (ballet dancer). He has also been open about his past struggles with addiction and his journey to sobriety co-authoring the book “TC” with his older brother, journalist, Nick Carroll. 

Today Tom is still fully engaged in the lifestyle/art/act of surfing in all its varied expressions. He also teaches group and one-on-one courses in meditation from his home in Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Sharing valuable experience coaching young surfers through his @tomsgroms weekly program. Working also throughout the year on a varied array of workshops and retreats, giving instruction and knowledge via “Art Of Longevity Retreats and Workshops” with Rodrigo Perez holisticph.com . Partnering in @breathworkforsurfers with his meditation teacher Marcus Hamill has deepened his offering of courses and workshops aimed at building confidence within the ocean environment

Sarah is a Professor of Climate Science in the Fenner School of Environment and Society at ANU. She is the Deputy Director of Engagement and Impact in the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, President of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, and a convening lead author on the 7th Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report.

Sarah has a passion for climate extremes, particularly heatwaves. She is interested in investigating what drives them, how they may change in the future, and how these changes compare to the historical record. Sarah is also interested in extreme event attribution. This involves isolating the contributors behind certain extreme events, including natural and anthropogenic components. The changing nature of the health impacts of heatwaves are also of interest to Sarah, requiring strong interdisciplinary collaboration with human health experts.

Sarah is also passionate about science communication and continues to be an expert voice in various lines of national and international media and other channels of public-facing communication on all things science, climate change, and heatwaves. She co-hosts the podcast TOTALLY COOKED – the climate and weather podcast, and was named the 2025 Scientist Communicator of the Year by the Australian Science Communicators.

Sarah has won various other awards for her work and outreach, including the Australian Academy of Science Dorothy Hill Medal (2021); The Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Communication and Outreach Award (2021) and Early Career Researcher Award (2016); She was also named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2021; 2022; 2023; 2025).

Kal Glanznig is one of Australia’s leading youth ocean and climate champions. His advocacy successes have made him a sought-after speaker, including appearances at Lost Paradise and the United Nations Climate Change COPs. Creator of the documentary RISING UP, Kal led a $100,000, 100kW solar panel project while in high school, inspiring over 20 schools to follow suit. He co-founded Plastic Free Cronulla in 2019, spearheading a movement that helped secure a legislative ban on single-use plastics, and co-created the Blue Minds program to empower young Australians to tackle eco-anxiety and become ocean leaders. Kal was named Sutherland Shire Young Australian of the Year 2020 and Environmental Citizen of the Year 2023. An accomplished aquatic athlete, Kal represented Australia at the Youth World Water Polo Championships and was recently elected as the youngest independent Councillor in the Sutherland Shire.

Connected Parenting founder Gen Muir is a parent educator, author, social worker, grief counsellor and mum of four boys. She is passionate about helping families to connect and thrive amid the many challenges of modern parenting.

Gen has appeared on Sunrise, The Today Show, Insight, The Project, 2Day FM and ABC and is regularly featured in print media.

Her book, Little People, Big Feelings (2024), and her co-hosted podcast, Beyond the Chaos, provide valuable resources for those working with or raising children.

Through Matt’s 20 + years experience as an NRL Head Coach, his relentless pursuit was to discover how to merge wellbeing with high performance for his team.

These techniques whilst refined in high-performance sports are applicable to ALL individuals and teams looking to be better… And it’s not just theory, in the early 2000’s Matt was diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease that doctors said he’d be stuck with for the rest of his life. After a year of constant pain and suffering, he turned to cutting-edge techniques being used in sports that cured him of his disease.

Through this turnaround in his health and Matt’s fascination with the link between leadership, wellbeing, recovery and performance.

Matt is so passionate about sharing practices that enable people to find a better way:

• Leadership and communication strategies
• Mental health and self-care processes to enable you to flourish
• The role of emotions under stress and tools to improve decision making

Brooke Prentis is a proud Wakka Wakka woman and nationally respected Aboriginal Christian Leader. Brooke is a writer, speaker, theologian, pastor, Chartered Accountant, Company Director, social justice advocate and poet. With a background in education, business, and grassroots community development, Brooke has dedicated her life to Truth-Telling, Reconciliation, and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Brooke is known for her powerful storytelling, sharing the practice of deep listening, and her ability to build bridges across cultures and communities, inviting Australians of all cultural backgrounds to engage with the true history of the lands now called Australia and envision a more just future. Brooke’s work spans grassroots advocacy, national campaigns, and international platforms, where she brings deep cultural insight, empathy, a call to action, and amplifies First Nations voices. Brooke shares a message of Reconciliation as friendship and dreams of an Australia built on truth, justice, love, and hope.

Dr Frank Iorfino is an associate professor at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre. His work sits at the intersection of youth mental health, digital innovation and AI, focusing on how emerging technologies can transform the early identification and treatment of anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders.

Frank leads a research program developing digital mental health tools for personalised and measurement-based care, and works closely with health services and consumers to design, test and deploy these tools into practice. Through cross-sector partnerships with clinicians, data scientists and technology providers, he is driving the next generation of scalable, intelligent mental health solutions.

Kristy Guo is a global logistics leader and multicultural networking expert. As the founder of Signature Global Network, she helps shipping and logistics professionals build meaningful partnerships and navigate the systems that connect the world.

She was born in China and lives in Australia, so she’s lived at the intersection of cultures her whole life. That’s shaped how she sees logistics—not just as moving goods, but as a shared language of interdependence. Every shipment, delay, or delivery tells a story about how we’re all connected.

Outside of work, she is a wife, mom, mentor, and proud supporter of the next generation of leaders. She believes that when we lift each other up, we all go further—together.

Sarah is a parent of 2 beautiful children who have autism. She founded Skillz4me in 2016 to fill a much-needed gap for children with a disability to participate in sport activities. The organisation has since expanded tremendously focusing on social skills and life skills programs.

Sarah received her BA in Social Work from ACU in 2011 after beginning her studies in the USA (2000), where she received a 4 year scholarship to play Collegiate Basketball. Sarah played professionally overseas in Sweden and Italy before returning home in 2009 to complete her studies.

Before starting full time at Skillz4me in 2020, she worked in family support, early diagnosis and post diagnosis support for children with a disability, NDIS coordination and preschool support for children with Autism. Sarah also volunteered at Ronald McDonald House and an adult disability day centre.

Sarah is passionate about inclusion and supporting parents and families through early diagnosis and beyond. She is dedicated to using her lived experience to support parents and families and help reduce feelings of isolation. 

Meow-Ludo Meow-Meow is a transdisciplinary bio-artist and geneticist who challenges the boundaries between human bodies, technology, and law. With a BSc in Genetics and MBA, he founded Australia’s first DIY biotechnology laboratory and has raised over $2M across multiple biotech ventures, securing five Australian patents in diagnostic technology.

His work spans molecular biology, speculative design, and bodily autonomy advocacy—from developing point-of-care diagnostics during the pandemic to making international headlines by implanting an Opal card chip in his hand, triggering landmark legal cases on cyborg rights. Featured on BBC World Service, NPR, and DEF CON, Meow-Ludo has run for federal parliament, consulted on AI safety and bioweapons regulation, and currently pursues dual Master’s degrees in Hybrid Arts and Writing.

Meow-Ludo’s artistic practice explores life extension technologies, cellular systems, and what he calls “immortality as productive impossibility”—examining how humanity’s relationship with mortality drives technological innovation. Based in Sydney, he embodies the intersection of rigorous science, punk DIY ethics, and radical questions about what it means to be human in an age of unprecedented biological possibility. 

Kate Gladdin is an international keynote speaker, certified life coach, and bestselling author who teaches one powerful truth: resilience isn’t about staying positive—it’s about thinking purposefully. Named one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence, Kate blends neuroscience with lived experience to help audiences move from autopilot to agency—turning their “Now What?” moments into “What’s Next?” opportunities.

After losing both her sister and mum to reckless drivers years apart, Kate learned that thriving doesn’t come from denying problems—but from using them. Through her signature message and 3R Strategy to Resilience, she’s inspired over 300,000 people worldwide to stop waiting to find the good and start creating it—transforming problems into purpose and challenges into change.

Dani Karis dances along what too many assume is a boundary between the creative and analytical mind. An Applied Mathematics Major, and award-winning songwriter, she writes lyrics and melody into everything she does – from leading her band on favourite festival stages to teaching Trig to reluctant Year 10s.

Dani has left teaching to pursue other paths many times, but it always drawn back to the classroom and the ecosystem that is a school. She sang for her supper while hitchhiking through Columbia in the 90s and performed for rooms of music industry heavyweights in Australia and New York – and she has always been on the move. She writes as she teaches and teaches as she writes, with storytelling at the fore.

Daniel Delby is a Perth‑based stand‑up comedian, corporate MC, quizmaster, and registered marriage celebrant renowned for his unique blend of heartfelt storytelling and sharp improv comedy. As Western Australia’s only stand‑up comedian celebrant, he crafts weddings that are deeply personal—rich in inside jokes, quirky habits, and shared memories—while keeping the mood relaxed and fun.

An award‑winning performer at Fringe, known for standout shows like The Confessional and 33 Years single, he also co‑hosts The Hard Yarns Podcast and freestyle raps the interactive rap‑comedy game show Whose Rhyme?

His most successful show Teacher Comedy Night tours around the country attracting crowd in the hundreds every night.