Speakers I have coached
I coach individual speakers and I am also frequently engaged to work with multiple speakers for events. If you run a conference and all your speakers know how to engage an audience, you’ll have happier delegates and faster ticket sales. Here are case studies, testimonials and videos of some of the speakers I have coached over 15 years.
1200-strong audience entertained at WIMWA Summit
I have been the WIMWA Summit speaker coach for over a decade. The impact for this industry event has been exponential, becoming a stellar yearly calendar highlight discussing cutting edge issues relating to gender in the workplace, tech and more. Read how my coaching supported its growth.
Image: Rift Photography

Pitchfest rocks the house in Wangaratta
I coached start up entrepreneurs to pitch with pizzazz at Startup Shakeup’s showcase event. Each entrepreneur had three minutes to share their unique business idea with a panel of judges and I helped them to craft an engaging, on-point message. Read how my coaching helped Startup Shakeup to build a community of support and attract funding.
“Rachael’s assistance has moved how I present to a totally new level”.
Ilena Young, Chair, Startup Shakeup.

Lan Tran at WIMWA 2025
I coached tech evangelist Lan Tran to write and deliver an engaging talk about Data Integrity in the AI age. She dressed the part.
Image: Rift Photography

Even shipbuilding needs storytelling
Technology Development Manager Max van Someren brought engineering storytelling to Interferry 2019, an international shipping conference.
“Rachael had a well honed process for helping speaker’s engage their audience and get their message across. My subject was technical but with Rachael’s help I was able to use various storytelling techniques to build a connection with the audience. I felt very prepared and confident on the day. We must have done something right because I received at least 3 times more interest in the product than we were expecting!
Max van Someren, Technology Development Manager, Austal
Tell it how it is
Electrician Shannon Youd spoke on behalf of many women, and men, whose voices often aren’t heard in the workplace gender diversity debate in her moving talk, “Tell it how it is”.
“Hands down best talk of the day. You don’t expect an electrican to speak so well.”
Annabel Crabb & Leigh Sales.
Resilience and going back to school
Chair of Tradeup WA Nicole O’Keefe has the crowd in fits of laughter as she describes going back to school as an apprentice electrician where the average age of her (all male) fellow students is 18.
Good culture is good for business
General Manager at Granny Smith Gold Mine Andrew Bywater blends compassion, humour and compelling logic. He shows an audience of 550 at the Women in Mining WA 2016 summit how good culture is good for business.
Perseverance in a pink truck
Underground project and planning engineer Jayne Finch moved the crowd to tears at WIMWA 2016.
“Working with Rachael was truly enlightening. Initially I worked with Rachael in a group session and was impressed by Rachael’s pragmatic and structured approach which included brain-storming and speech building templates.
We followed this with one-on-one sessions which took my speech to an entirely new level. I learnt so much from our sessions and reflective work after each catch-up. I gained greater clarity around what shapes my behaviours and beliefs.
What particularly struck me about my work with Rachael was that I realised society has taught me that my deafness is a weakness, but my other skills (lip reading and face reading) are truly a strength. Rachael didn’t just guide me to prepare a very well received presentation; she helped me to affirm that I am a capable human being with something meaningful to contribute.
Jayne Finch
Seizing opportunity v questionable decision-making
Cailli Knievel is an engineer who hasn’t followed a typical career path. She describes the scrapes she got into working in Iran, Argentina and Andalucia – and what that taught her about the fine line between seizing opportunities and questionable decision-making.
Future–proof your career
Megan McCracken’s extensive knowledge shines through in Future-Proofing Your Career. She has gone on to deliver this talk as a speaking package for multiple events and conferences.
I love rocks.
Suzy Urbaniak. Incredible STEM advocate, geologist and more. You have to watch to appreciate the force that is Suzy!
Women in Gold Diversity Debate
At the Women in Gold Sundowner Diversity Debate 2017, Cassie O’Connell and Breanna Cameron cement their place as experts.
Carina Hoang at TEDx Perth
Carina Hoang’s moving TEDx Perth talk about arriving in Australia by boat as a child refugee receives a standing ovation.
Kate Raynes-Goldie at TEDx Perth
Innovative games maker and diversity champion Dr Kate Raynes-Goldie shows TEDx Perth 2013 how games can change the way we interact with the world.
