Speaking
Looking for an inspirational keynote speaker and women’s leadership speaker whose showbiz glitz and rock solid expertise will wow your event?
My keynotes incorporate themes and insights relevant to corporate spaces, workplace culture, conference stages, International Women’s Day and more.
I’m also a skilled event host, Q&A moderator and expert panellist. With 40 years professional experience as a top-level broadcaster and live performer, you’ll find me a safe - yet never boring - pair of hands.
KEYNOTES
Keynote themes:
Drawing from cinema and popular culture, I explore the invisible stories that shape how we think, lead, speak, belong and see ourselves. My keynotes are thought-provoking, highly accessible and entertaining — combining cultural analysis, psychology, storytelling and my decades of experience as a broadcaster and film critic.
My talks work particularly well for organisations and events looking for a fresh perspective on:
Leadership & workplace culture
Confidence, visibility & personal impact
Public speaking & performance under pressure
Women in leadership
Identity, belonging & self-belief
Representation, bias & cultural conditioning
Organisational culture & inclusion
Psychological safety & speaking up
Midlife reinvention & career transition
Cinema, popular culture & human behaviour
Storytelling, social norms & what we believe is possible
Authentic leadership & executive presence
I marry accessible storytelling with key psychological and sociological insights pertinent to the success of modern day networks and organisations.
Themes include reinvention, identity, confidence, leadership, women’s visibility, objectification, people-pleasing, midlife struggle and potential, and the wider implications of cultural stereotyping.
Talks can be tailored for:
Company conferences and leadership events
Women’s networks and employee resource groups
International Women’s Day events
Leadership development programmes
Learning & development events
Inclusion and belonging programmes
Professional associations and membership organisations
Client conferences and away days
Midlife, menopause and career-transition events
Universities and educational organisations
Media, creative and cultural organisations
Signature talks include:
How to Break the Rules like Barbie – and Win.
Whose imagination gets taken seriously — and why that hasn't changed.
Supporting Actress Syndrome
How women get stuck in supporting roles in their own lives — and what it takes to step centre stage.
You Don’t Really Think That…
How culture defines what feels normal, desirable and true — and what we realise in hindsight.
Be More Beyoncé
What superheroes, alter egos and global performers teach us about confidence under pressure.
EVENT HOST
EVENT HOST
Stand-up comedy gave me a powerful (and seat-of-your-pants!) crash-course in event hosting. Add to that the high-pressure demands of live TV and radio, and rest assured: I have the skills to bring your event to life - and keep it running to time - with professionalism and chutzpah.
Whether formal or relaxed; serious or light hearted, I’ll attune to the tone, keep the event moving, and ensure everything goes with a bang.
Q&A MODERATION
Q&A MODERATION
Chairing live debates and discussions for audiences requires a very particular skillset. I have copious experience facilitating discussions on both live TV and Radio, and at online and in-person events.
As an experienced moderator, I create sessions that best support your speakers to share their knowledge and expertise. I’ve interviewed everyone from politicians, movie stars, authors, comedians – you name it! - as well as facilitating speakers far less used to the spotlight. I’m adept therefore at guiding conversations with tact, supporting less confident participants, and enabling everyone to stay on topic and shine.
If you’re seeking rock-solid yet inspiring moderation for your event, expert panel or discussion - get in touch.
EXPERT PANELLIST
EXPERT PANELLIST
With a 30+ year career as a film critic, I speak with deep insight about movies and culture. My multi-award nominated podcast Open to Criticism platforms voices and opinions long-excluded from the film world, and it – and my Masters research on which it was based - means I speak with authority about cultural inequalities and their relationship to wider society.
I’m passionate about bringing marginalised voices off the sidelines, and exposing how we all remain trapped in our assumptions about what’s culturally valuable (spoiler: still not stories by or about women, people of colour or those with disabilities!)
Additionally, as a women’s centred transformational coach I’m committed to raising awareness about women’s midlife challenges - including struggles with confidence (and why it’s so prevalent); why personal growth happens in relationship; how to get the life that lights you up; the power of finding your tribe in midlife – and more.
"Wendy was our keynote speaker and she knocked it out of the park! She even had a pop quiz, which the audience loved. I'm so pleased we chose Wendy as she set the right tone for our theme "The Power of Imagination". It's safe to say she made the brief, and then some. Her energetic delivery and passion for gender equity is evident. Thanks, Wendy! :)".
Priyanka Kumar, LSE, Co-chair
LSE Power (Women’s Professional Network).
“Wendy was an excellent panellist: knowledgeable, engaging, professional and friendly. Her warmth contributed greatly to the event, both on and off stage. I highly recommend her as a speaker and host.”
Kristin Burniston, BFI, Woman with a Movie Camera summit
“Wendy was a fabulous MC and quiz host for our NOON Jamboree - she kept the event ticking along and was both an easy-going and enthusiastic presence. Her wit and energy were thoroughly enjoyed by all, and she kept our sponsors very happy with a running-gag that name-checked them throughout the event. Great job!””
Eleanor Mills, Founder of Noon (Women’s Midlife Network)
FAQs
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I don’t do generic “feel-good” empowerment talks. My work weaves together culture, psychology, and lived experience to uncover the deeper forces that shape women’s confidence and visibility — especially in midlife.
Drawing on film, media, and storytelling, I reveal how the scripts we’ve absorbed about what women should be are still running the show — and how to rewrite them.
My audiences don’t just leave inspired — they leave with a new lens through which to see themselves and what’s possible.m description
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Because midlife is the moment we finally get to stop living by everyone else’s rules. But it can also be when women face a collision of challenges. We can also feel invisible - despite years of achievement under our belt.
My work turns this crossroads moment into power. I help women reclaim their voice, their visibility, and their value so that this chapter becomes their most expansive yet - not a slow fade, but a powerful rise.
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Because empowerment isn’t just a slogan or a nice idea - it’s a shift in consciousness. My talks ignite that shift. I bring warmth, humour, and razor-sharp insight that gets people thinking differently about confidence, gender, and leadership.
Whether you want to inspire your teams, engage your audience, or support women to rise within your organisation, I bring both personal credibility and professional expertise. As a broadcaster who’s lived it, and as a trained women-centred coach I know how to help others shift into the kind of empowerment that benefits us all.
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I’m based in London, but I’m happy to travel both within the UK and abroad for events, with travel and relevant costs covered.
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Yes! Although these are my specific areas of deep knowledge and expertise, as a moderator it is my skills as a facilitator you need.
I’ll direct the discussion and ensure that your guests and experts are best supported to speak and share their knowledge, and ensure the debate flows well and everything stays on track.
OTHER SERVICES
Coaching Confidence
From self-doubt to unstoppable: Confidence & Public Speaking Coaching that transforms how you show up - everywhere..
Workshops
Facilitating engaging real-world trainings for networks and businesses on empowerment, confidence-building - and more.
Voiceovers
One of the UK’s top female voiceover artists – let me bring your media project to life with expertise and skill.
SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK
Confident Midlife
Culture is constantly coaching us. Through psychology, cinema and storytelling, I decode the invisible narratives shaping confidence, leadership and identity—revealing how the stories we've been told all our lives quietly influence the lives we lead.