Motivational Speakers

Character Builders has partnered with great characters who speak with passion and purpose. We welcome you to read through the profiles below and contact us for the perfect fit for your audience.

Duration: Tailored to your needs

Contact us to have Feda speak at your next event

Feda Adra — CEO of Be (formerly ComLink)

Feda Adra is an inspiring business and industry leader driven by an entrepreneurial mindset. Her philosophy in life is underpinned by giving back, working for the greater good, which is evident across all facets of her life.

As CEO of Be (formerly ComLink), Feda has driven innovative approaches to aged and community care, whilst leading extraordinary organisational growth. Feda has transformed the organisation from a small community transport provider, to become, an industry-leading aged, health and wellbeing provider that supports people to live and age well.

Her latest innovation, Vitality Village (to launch in 2021), is a dynamic community model that fosters collaboration across diverse skillsets to collectively impact broader community and deliver health care and wellness innovation.

As a driving force for positive change, Feda’s leadership success is built on her power to connect, influence and inspire through compelling vision and foresight, and her courage to continually challenge the status quo. Feda empowers her teams to embrace change through a unique entrepreneurial culture which cultivates creativity, with core values of “doing and being more”. Feda has been recognised as Sunshine Coast Professional Business Woman of the Year in 2019.

Phillip Du Bella at the coffee roasters commune in Bowen Hills. Picture: Tertius Pickard
Duration: Tailored to your needs

Contact us to have Phillip speak at your next event

Phillip Di Bella — Director of the Di Bella Group of Companies

Phillip Di Bella is a highly respected business entrepreneur with a unique ability to visualise and commercialise what many others never see. Though initially known for the establishment of Di Bella Coffee, which became Australia’s largest speciality coffee company, Phillip’s entrepreneurial spirit has brought success to other businesses such as International Coffee Traders, Abbotsford Road Specialty Coffee in New York, and more recently The Coffee Commune.

Not satisfied with simply focusing on building his own successful businesses, Phillip has dedicated much time to supporting the growth and development of other businesses. Often referred to as an “Entrepreneur in Residence”, Phillip regularly lends his strategic thinking to businesses such as BDO Consulting, helping their clients overcome challenges, see new opportunities, and then supporting the commercialisation of these solutions.

Phillip has further extended his commitment to the coaching and mentoring of other businesses through the establishment of The Coffee Commune – a business dedicated to the long term development, sustainability and success of the broader coffee industry for all participants. Through The Coffee Commune Phillip enthusiastically shares his experience and knowledge of the coffee industry and continues his passion for encouraging improvement and inspiration in others.

Though an indomitable force in the business world, Phillip is equally committed to helping others. Over the years Phillips’s entrepreneurial capabilities and contribution to the broader community have been acknowledged in many forums – from Business Review Weekly Fast 100 accolades, Lord Mayor’s Corporate Citizenship Awards, to an Italian knighthood for his contribution to the Italian Community and a Adjunct Professorship of Entrepreneurship from Griffith University. Phillip is driven by the desire to be the best he can be, and through his coaching, mentoring, and community work, aims to help others achieve this too.

Duration: Tailored to your needs

Contact us to have Steven speak at your next event

Steven Bradbury – Australia’s 1st Winter Olympic Gold Medalist

The Bradbury story is one of the true Aussie battler who overcomes all kinds of adversity to achieve the ultimate goal.

His presentation entitled ‘Last Man Standing’ includes:

  • Audience participation & competition (winner gets signed copy of steve’s book)
  • You will actually touch Steven’s Olympic Gold Medal
  • Great stories and an inspirational poem
  • His father’s influence (instilling a work ethic and lessons learned)
  • Business success through his speed skate making company
  • A 3 part DVD inc.: 1, intro 2, blood spilt on the ice and 3, reliving that Olympic final through Steven’s eyes. When your moment to shine presents itself, will you be in position, and prepared to be the next “to do a Bradbury”.

As well as being entertained and inspired your audience will be left with a lasting impression that much of the prize is in the journey and that success takes PASSION, PERSISTENCE and TEAMWORK.

Duration: Tailored to your needs

Contact us to have John speak at your next event

John Hale – Global Keynote Speaker | The Strategy Guy | Author

Travels from Brisbane

Topics: Motivational, Strategy, Culture & Digital Futures

John Hale delivers motivational talks and workshops on how to create a strategic mindset and lead strategy successfully.  John is passionate about improving individual and institutional reasoning and decision-making. He will research, target and customise an interactive strategy talk specifically to your situation and help your firm clarify its future focus and activity. John also shares today’s most compelling scientific, technological, psychological, physiological and sociological findings in the context of people, performance and organisations, in such a way that audiences with previously fixed mindsets see exciting new realities emerge.

John has motivated over 3000 audiences and is the author of three impactful books on strategy. He has taught in business schools, spoken at global conferences, educated hundreds of start-ups and helped solve big problems for some of the world’s largest firms. John has also worked as an early-stage investor and advisor.

John clients include Shell, Toyota, Dulux, Hewlett Packard, Kimberly Group, Nickel Energy, Thursday Plantation, Sunshine Sugar, Permo-drive Technologies, OEM Dynamics, Pursuit Company, City Councils, Department of Health, Prime Minster’s Department, Singapore Management University, Melbourne Business School, Bond University, CA ANZ, AHRI, FPA, ThinkTank Media and the Queensland Law Society. John is also the founder of Sacred Men – a men’s movement that makes the world a better place via embodied masculine purpose.

Duration: Tailored to your needs

Contact us to have Amanda speak at your next event

Amanda Gore – Author

As a communication and performance expert, Amanda believes success in business is always about feelings. The way we feel about a product, organization or person influences how we behave and informs our decisions about how we spend, or how we conduct business. Facts, targets and figures don’t change behaviours – touching hearts, feelings and stories do.

Amanda’s action-packed, but scientifically based performances, offer an abundance of use-it-now tools to handle change and create deep, lasting relationships at every level – with customers, colleagues and family – leaving everyone feeling good about themselves, energised, enthusiastic and re-engaged!

Duration: Tailored to your needs

Contact us to have Karni speak at your next event

Karni Liddell – Paralympian

Karni Liddell has already established herself as one of Australia’s most successful and well-respected Paralympic swimmers of our time. Karni’s journey to success began a lot differently than the typical elite athlete. Karni was diagnosed at birth with a degenerative muscle wasting disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Many Doctors and specialists told her amazing parents that their first-born child would not walk, sit up or live past her teenage years. In fact, many specialists told Terri and Jeff Liddell to make their daughter as comfortable as possible, as exercise only makes this condition worse. Karni’s parents started her on a ‘crazy’ self-invented rehabilitation program which soon helped them realise that one of the greatest pleasures in life is achieving things people say can’t be done!

Not only did Karni walk she also established herself as one of the best swimmers in the world. Karni broke her first world record at the age of 14 and went into the Sydney Paralympic Games as the fastest woman in the world for all her events. Karni was also voted in by her teammates to be one of the Australian team captains. Karni participated in many modelling photoshoots and magazines including a 6-page bikini spread for Inside sport, a Paralympic body-painting calendar and Black and White Magazine. Karni wanted people to understand that accidents and disability don’t discriminate it chooses beautiful people every single day. Karni’s preparation for Sydney was extremely difficult and she realised during this time exactly what Spinal Muscular Atrophy meant. Karni’s story is filled with ‘edge of your seat’ unbelievable drama and circumstances, more importantly, she demonstrates the power of belief and choice. Karni will have you crying one minute and then laughing out loud.

The triumph of the human spirit prevails in Karni’s story. Karni is now a presenter on 4BC radio and worked as a commentator at the Athens Paralympic Games, at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and at the World Swimming Championships. More amazingly, Karni was employed by Westpac Bank to raise $1million for the Australian Paralympic team to go to Athens. The Australian team desperately needed the money; otherwise, the team would have been downsized dramatically. Karni had a huge target and goal, to raise $1million in 4 months. With the help of the Westpac team, Karni travelled the countryside telling her story and fundraising and after an epic tour, she was able to give the Australian Paralympic team enough money for them all to experience the Paralympic dream. Karni is the Ambassador for Clubs Queensland, Day of Difference Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association and ACPET. Karni demonstrates to everybody who hears her story that each and every one of us has a choice in life and that our choices should not be determined by our circumstances.

Duration: Tailored to your needs

Contact us to have Ben speak at your next event

Ben Southall – QLD and AUS Tourism Ambassador

Ben Southall is a presenter, digital journalist and adventurer. His achievements include beating 35,000 to win the Best Job in the World in 2009 and became the ‘Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef’ in Australia.

In 2008 he climbed five of Africa’s highest mountains and ran five marathons during his circumnavigation of the continent with his Afritrex expedition. During 2011 he kayaked 1600kms along the Great Barrier Reef retracing Captain Cook’s ‘Voyage of Discovery’ with the Best Expedition in the World.

Ben has set a number of world records in the last few years; the Aussie 8 – the fastest ever ascent of the tallest mountain in each state in Australia, and the New Zealand 9 – the fastest ever completion of New Zealand’s Nine Great Walks – totalling 545km in 9 days.

In 2016 Ben and his wife Sophee completed their Best Life in the World expedition – a 55,000km, 12-month drive through 33 countries from Singapore to London. They both run successful travel websites that have become portals for would-be travellers from around the world.

Duration: Tailored to your needs
Contact us to have Garry speak at your next event

Garry Nichols – Workplace Safety Advocate

Garry was involved in a traumatic workplace accident that resulted in a crushed pelvis that almost cost him his life. This was a preventable accident.

At the time (1992) the Cairns base hospital had never seen anyone with his injuries survive. But survive he did thanks to hospital staff who were prepared to go where none had gone before, and Garry’s overpowering will to live.

As a result of his injuries, Garry had his leg (gangrene) amputated at the hip along with part of his pelvis.

Three years after the accident Garry was invited to speak to several groups of long term unemployed. These talks were part motivation, part awareness. Two participants later (30 months) conveyed their story to him of working or striving for work and the feeling of self-esteem as a result of breaking their dependence on welfare.

For the past five years, Garry has been visiting workplaces and schools, telling his story and urging participants to live their best life.
Garry is a wonderful workplace safety and motivational speaker.

Duration: Tailored to your needs

Contact us to have Damon speak at your next event

Damon Joseph— Director and Owner Character Builders

Damon founded Character Builders in 2007 and works across a number of different settings including schools, universities and corporate organisations. He has extensive experience in student learning, team building, staff development and leadership training.

His approach towards learning is very audience-centred which means you can expect to be heavily involved in any of his presentations and offerings. Damon has a passion for education done differently. He engages his audiences so that they feel immersed and in ownership of the content. Damon is a HPE and Accounting teacher by trade and now enjoys bringing a variety of different offerings back to schools and bigger kids in the workplace too. Since 2007 Damon has had the privilege of delivering motivational presentations to more than 500 schools, NFP, Private and Corporate Organisations.