Benefits of diversity are hailed far and wide, yet we tend to associate with like-minded people. When we don’t move outside our regular circle, we risk staying in an ‘echo chamber’, in the words of Busch. In an echo chamber, our ideas and thoughts are not challenged, our perspective remains narrow.
The Serendipity Thought Leaders Day is our opportunity to transform this.
“It takes curiosity to learn. It takes courage to unlearn. Learning requires the humility to admit what you don't know today.”
- Adam Grant.
I am keen to bring women from different backgrounds, disciplines and experiences together to create serendipity: find interesting, valuable ideas and perspectives by chance, generating conversation on wicked problems, led by thought leaders within our community.
This sort of deep thinking, reflecting and ideas generation cannot happen squeezed in between the busyness of everyday work and life events. So, I invite you to join me in a bush setting with views to Moreton Island, where you can unwind, re-energise, rejuvenate, and enjoy enriching conversations with a diverse group of professional and executive women.
WHERE: Banksia room, Clear Mountain Lodge
WHEN: Friday 8 August 2025 9am to 5pm
INVESTMENT:
Option 1 Thought Leaders Retreat Day, all activities and catering $990 inc GST
Option 2 Join us for dinner from 6pm, an additional $90 inc GST (two course alternate drop, not including alcoholic drinks. Dietary requirements catered for.)
Option 3 For a more immersive retreat experience you can choose to stay the night before, the night of the event or both nights. Note: if you wish to do this, please book accommodation directly with Clear Mountain Lodge for the discounted rate of $249 per night for room and breakfast, using the code provided on registration.
What’s not included: Accommodation, alcoholic drinks or Day Spa treatments
Your Retreat Host, Dr Vicki Webster
As an infopreneur, diagnostician of underlying causes of organisational issues, and ideas challenger, I enjoy connecting people with thought leadership; new ideas, upcoming trends and different perspectives on complex issues. As the founder and director of Incisive Leaders, I encourage executives and leaders to embrace new ways of leading and make the shifts necessary to lead at their best. As a pracademic, I am interested in how research informs practice.
I will be hosting the day, introducing our thought leader conversation hosts and helping facilitate thought leadership activities.
Our Thought Leader Hosts include:
Promoting wellbeing in stressful, challenging work environments, Dr Wendy Muller
‘Let’s get ready to rumble’: Purpose-driven innovation beats uncertainty every time, Dr Kate Liley
What if disasters were a thing of the past? How did we get it right? Professor Cheryl Desha
Insights from today with Rich Pictures, Inger Kelly
Promoting wellbeing in stressful, challenging work environments with Dr Wendy Muller
We inherently understand the principles of individual wellbeing and the importance of keeping well physically. In the workplace, wellbeing is key to optimising staff motivation, performance and retention, especially in stressful and challenging environments that endanger safety and wellbeing. However, continuous job demands, time pressures and decreased resources, impact the ways in which staff can actively engage in wellbeing practices and programs. How then can we best promote and support the wellbeing of frontline workers, who arguably need it the most? Wendy is an organisational psychologist and researcher, who is recognised for her qualitative investigation into work-related psychological stress on romantic relationships. She is an advocate for wellbeing in challenging work environments, such as policing and healthcare.
‘Let’s get ready to rumble’: Purpose-driven innovation beats uncertainty every time with Dr Kate Liley
Government grants are tightening, donor fatigue is growing, and the NDIS is evolving. Yet mission-led organisations don’t have to choose between impact and income. Join Kate for an energising, interactive conversation that re-imagines how not-for-profits and charities serving autistic children and their families can create, capture and sustain new revenue. Drawing on global case studies, AEIOU’s ownClinic 2.0 blueprint and Kate’s strategic foresight, we’ll explore social enterprise models, digital micro-products, talent monetisation and investment partnerships that keep purpose at the centre and dollars on the table. Sparking fresh ideas, Kate shares practical steps that inspire confidence that we can fund the future—no matter what policy shifts lie ahead. A curious disruptor at heart, Kate has been turning evidence into action for children and families for two decades. Serving as Head of Research at the AEIOU Foundation, Kate blends her early-childhood expertise, policy savvy and evidence-based storytelling to spark ideas that stick. As a researcher, collaborator and strategist, she is known for translating complex data, evidence and insights into clear, purposeful narratives - always with a dash of pragmatic optimism.
aeiou.org.au
What if disasters were a thing of the past? How did we get it right? with Professor Cheryl Desha
As the Science and Innovation Director for Natural Hazards Research Australia Cheryl has a history in disaster resilience. She views disasters as instances where the system has been overwhelmed, the result of a siloed, slow response to maintenance and repair. She dreams of disasters being a thing of the past. To achieve this, how can we connect and respond as a community? Where have we already turned wicked problems into solutions? How can we apply these learnings to how we deal with disasters? Join Cheryl for a fascinating conversation on what might be possible. Cheryl was awarded Engineers Australia's Queensland’s Professional Engineer of the Year in 2021 and in 2020 was awarded the Queensland Government's Individual Champion of Change Award by the Inspector General Emergency Management. Cheryl founded Griffith University's Disaster Management Network and established a Disaster Resilience Management Facility on its Nathan campus to support the Queensland Government's State Disaster Centre. Cheryl co-founded the Queensland Disaster Research Alliance of seven universities to build collaborative research capability and capacity for impactful and at-scale disaster research. She is passionate about being 'ahead of ready' - empowering resilient and regenerative communities through evidence-based, locally-relevant action.
naturalhazards.com.au