TEDxTraleeWomen

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Aimee Barnes

  The Silent Epidemic of Modern Singlehood

  Aimee Barnes is a life coach, facilitator, and trainee psychotherapist with a background in learning and development. She is the founder of Ganbaru, a wellness and education practice focused on self-development, mindfulness, and mental health. Through a blend of coaching, psychoeducation, somatic work, and grounded spirituality, she supports individuals in nurturing emotional wellbeing and self-trust, deepening self-awareness, and living with greater authenticity. Aimee brings a unique, compassionate lens to modern challenges around identity, belonging, and purpose. Her work is especially informed by her own journey through societal expectations and her ongoing exploration of what it means to live a meaningful, aligned life. She is committed to creating inclusive, trauma-informed spaces that foster emotional wellbeing and personal growth. Currently completing her clinical training in psychotherapy, she integrates trauma-informed, relational approaches into her work.

• Aka Dee

  Cosplay: Become the Hero You Admire

  Aka is a cosplayer, composer, and academic from Ireland with a strong background in creative and performance-based work. Over the past five years, Aka has brought more than 100 characters to life both online and at in conventions across Europe as both a guest and performer. Their work explores the relationship between character, identity, and self-expression. As a synth-pop musician, Aka is currently preparing to release a debut EP. Their creative practice blends visual performance and music to express ideas around anemoia and emotional retro aesthetics. Aka holds a BSc in Multimedia, an MSc in Public Relations and Strategic Communications and is currently working towards becoming a professor in the humanities and social sciences. In this TEDx talk, Aka will discuss the creative process behind cosplay as an art form and a tool for empowerment, exploring identity and strengthening confidence.

• Bettina Gordon-Wayne

  How You Can Age Backwards

  Bettina Gordon-Wayne is an international journalist, Certified Mental Strength Trainer, and host of the Younger With Age podcast. She leads transformational retreats around the world, helping women get biologically younger, boost their energy and joy, and thrive in business and life. Through BettinaGordon.com, she shares science-backed strategies on longevity, mindset, and the power of midlife. Bettina's own journey took a pivotal turn when she became a first-time mother at 44 — and faced a cancer diagnosis just a few years later. Drawing on her journalistic skills, Bettina spent thousands of hours researching optimal health, neuroscience, and how to slow, maybe even reverse biological aging through the power of beliefs, nutrition, and lifestyle transformation. She now lives by the proven principles she once investigated, inspiring others to do the same – and have lots of fun doing so!

• Deirdre Greaney

  Why Letting Go of Clutter Feels So Hard and So Good

  Deirdre Greaney is a holistic coach and wellness practitioner whose work brings together energy healing, coaching, essential oils and natural living to support emotional balance and everyday wellbeing. After beginning her career in law and insurance, she transitioned into the wellness field, earning qualifications in bio-energy therapy, reflexology and aromatherapy, as well as life and business coaching with neuroscience. She now helps people reconnect with themselves on energetic, emotional and practical levels. Deirdre leads group and individual sessions that combine oils, touch and bio-energy work, as well as clutter-clearing workshops and courses that explore the emotional and energetic weight of our space. She also offers essential oil education rooted in natural health and low-tox living. Her work centres on reducing overwhelm, creating ease in both home and body, and supporting meaningful shifts that help people feel good, grow and heal.

• Destiny Ayo Vaughan

  Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Children

  A dedicated scholar and activist, recently graduating from the University of Aberdeen with an MSc in Psychological Studies and a Bachelor's honours degree in Social Science, both earned through scholarships. She also holds a Level Five qualification in Early Childhood Education. Currently, Destiny is pursuing a master's degree in Clinical Health Psychology at Queen's University, supported by another academic scholarship. Alongside her studies, she works as a public speaker with the London Speaking Bureau. In 2019, Destiny founded Mind the Gap Ireland (MTGI), the country's first anonymous storytelling platform for survivors of sexual violence. MTGI has since become a vital support network, helping hundreds each year and giving voice to many previously unheard. Her social impact has earned her a place in the 2023 Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Ideas Academy and the sheGenerates program for female founders.

• Dr. Jenny Butler

  Samhain and the Origins of Halloween

  Dr Jenny Butler is a Lecturer at University College Cork where she teaches courses on mythology, folk religion, new religious movements, and Western esotericism. Her research interests are the folklore of otherworldly beings, legends and landscapes, sacred geographies, and the study of rituals, festivals and magical practices. She is a Principal Investigator of UCC's Environmental Research Institute (ERI) and Co-Convenor of UCC's Eco-Humanities Research Group and the President of the Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions (ISASR). She is also a writer with numerous publications in literary journals and magazines. Her first book, a collection of short stories, Limerence for Lost Souls, was published by House of Pomegranates Press (2021). #SamhainChiarrai #HomeOfHalloween

• Dr. Susanna Petche

  Is Trauma Costing you your Future?

  Dr. Susanna Petche is redefining what it means to heal. An award-winning GP, trauma educator, and founder of Trauma-Sense, she brings over 25 years of clinical experience to the forefront of a movement transforming trauma care from the inside out. She has shared stages with global leaders such as Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee and Dr Stephen Porges. After a personal experience of complex PTSD in 2016, Susanna earned a Master's in Psychological Trauma and developed the C-Sense methodology—an innovative blend of neuroscience, functional medicine, and coaching that's changing how we understand and recover from trauma. Her NHS-funded programme, ConnectionWorks, achieved life-changing outcomes for people with complex PTSD. She has set up and commissioned mental health services in both the UK and Sydney, and is a passionate educator, training clinicians, coaches, and organisations to create safer, more compassionate ways of working.

• Eileen Hopkins

  Living Beyond Your Labels

  Eileen Hopkins has dedicated over 30 years to nursing and nurse management, focusing her career in caring for others. In 2016, she felt the powerful call of her lifelong passion—the desire to empower others to reclaim their best lives—compelling her to take a transformative leap. Eileen embarked on a remarkable journey to become an accredited Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychotherapist, College Lecturer, Professional Life, Career & Public Speaking Coach, and Certified Trainer. Public speaking has always fuelled Eileen’s passion, and she has fearlessly pursued opportunities to share her insights and experiences on various platforms. Her commitment to empowering others has garnered her notable recognition, both nationally and internationally. Overcoming personal challenges such as dyslexia and ADHD, Eileen has carved a path to success, proving that obstacles can be surmounted with perseverance and support.

• Eliana Fernández

  Journaling from a Child's Perspective

  Eliana Fernández is a bilingual 12-year-old artist and creative entrepreneur. Eliana has spoken and performed on stages around the world about Your 12 Superpowers, including Mexico, the Bahamas, and to 700,000 people in India. She recently designed her own website: Your12Superpowers.com, and is the author of “Your 12 Superpowers: Discover Your True Self and Change Your Life.” Eliana loves her mom, her sisters, and all animals. She loves to write songs and poems, read, draw, and play the piano. Her favorite place to be is in nature, especially in the Dominican Republic. She has been a YouTube creator since the age of 3, and her content at “Eliana’s Planet” has been sponsored by many prestigious brands. She is homeschooled, and she loves to learn about business and marketing. With the support of her family, she continues the "not-so-top-secret" mission to empower others every day to discover and activate their superpowers daily so they can transform their lives.

• Farzana Maudarbaccus

  Unlocking Your Brain's Ability To Change

  Farzana is a Chartered Work and Organisational Psychologist and Executive Coach known for strengthening the human factor in organisations. Specialising in leadership development, she brings extensive experience across multiple sectors, helping leaders build emotional intelligence and deepen self-awareness to create healthy, high-performing team cultures. Originally from Mauritius, Farzana studied psychology in France and has lived in Ireland since 2011. Fluent in English and French, she supports diverse cultural and organisational contexts, delivering executive coaching and leadership programmes that drive measurable impact and people-centred growth. Farzana is recognised for her calm presence, evidence-based approach and commitment to human-centred leadership. Her work also spans workplace wellbeing, where she has designed and facilitated programmes that improve resilience and employee wellbeing in fast-paced environments and sustainable performance across today's modern workplaces.

• Helena Lyne

  Compassion as an Act of Radical Resistance

  Helena Lyne is a Biochemist and STEM educator with a Master’s in Mindfulness-Based Wellbeing from University College Cork. Her academic research and personal journey sparked a deep interest in compassion - as a powerful catalyst for personal resilience and social change. She is both tender-hearted and straight-talking, combining a scientist’s curiosity with warmth, and a willingness to challenge assumptions. This TEDx talk questions cultural norms around stress, productivity, and worth, alongside the narratives that keep us apart, locally and globally. Helena speaks not from a place of authority but presents compassion as a human strength we all have in common, inviting you to let go of perfection and explore this practice alongside her. Real change begins with compassion: for ourselves, for others, and for the world we share. It’s an act of radical resistance to the systems that profit from our insecurity and disconnection.

• Hilary Rose

  Why Rest Is Not Lazy: The Truth About Resilience

  Hilary Rose is an IFTA nominated actor, speaker, and podcast host with a passion for storytelling, wellness, and authentic connection. Best known for her role as Mairead in the hit comedy The Young Offenders, Hilary has worked across film, television, and theatre, earning acclaim for her emotionally rich and grounded performances. Off-screen, Hilary is a sought-after speaker who brings her experience in performance and creativity to the corporate stage, delivering TED-style talks that explore topics such as rest, resilience, leadership under pressure, the power of language and creativity. She is also the creator and host of the Live Wild podcast, where she interviews artists, change-makers, and thought leaders about living with purpose and courage in a chaotic world. Hilary's unique blend of artistic insight, lived experience, and heartfelt curiosity allows her to inspire audiences to rethink the way they approach work, wellness, and creativity.

• Karen Ronan

  From Bathrooms to Board Rooms

  As a business leader and current CEO, Galway Chamber of Commerce, Karen's experience is in driving strategic growth, business advocacy, and regional economic development. As CEO of Galway Chamber of Commerce, she champions innovation, enterprise, and collaboration across Galway's business ecosystem working with stakeholders to create a thriving, future-focused region. Karen's career spans leadership roles across the hospitality, business events, and sports tourism sectors, most recently as General Manager of the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau. Her work has consistently focused on building partnerships that deliver real impact both economically and socially across the west of Ireland. A strong advocate for women in business, Karen also serves as the Vice President of Network Ireland, where she is committed to empowering enterprise, fostering meaningful connections, and shaping a bold, inclusive future for the organisation and its members.

• Kathy Houston

  What Lies Are You Telling Yourself?

  Kathy Is the Run Your Life Coach. Her motto: Don't Let Life Run You. She identifies as Lesbian and she/her. She specialises in increasing your mental fitness to improve health and wellness, and relationships for mature women of power in and out of the LGBTQ+ community. She knows first hand how hard it can be to live fully as yourself. When she began to embrace herself and accept herself for who she really was, a weight was lifted and joy filled her life. She ended a marriage of 35 years, downsized a home, and moved in with her amazing wife. Kathy was a retail store manager for 30 years and left to follow her heart and create a business that she felt excited and passionate about. She is a certified Positive Intelligence Coach for the PQ program by Shirzad Chamine. The program uses neuro based science to change the brain and positive changes that stick. Kathy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the Army.

• Laura Dowling

  Intimate Health begins when Shame Ends

  Laura Dowling, widely known as The Fabulous Pharmacist, is a leading advocate for women's health who is committed to breaking long standing taboos around female well-being. Through her years of experience, Laura has earned a reputation for delivering science backed, engaging, and empowering health education. Laura has created a space where essential conversations about women's health can finally take priority. Her women’s health shows and her best-selling book Love Your Vulva showcase her warmth, humour, and expertise, bringing attention to intimate health topics that are too often ignored. Her ability to make complex medical information clear, human, and entertaining has built a devoted following across social media and beyond.

• Linda O'Mahony Logan

  The Integrated Life: From Burnout to Balance

  Linda is a dynamic Executive Leadership Coach and founder of Leadership360, dedicated to empowering individuals, teams, and organisations to achieve sustainable high performance, measurable business results, and a life that works. With a background in senior leadership roles across the telecoms and media sectors, Linda blends commercial acumen with behavioural science to drive meaningful transformation. She holds an MSc in Leadership & Management Practice and certifications in NLP, team dynamics, and conflict resolution. Her signature framework—The Integrated Life—emerged from navigating the complexities of leadership, parenthood, and personal health challenges. Linda brings lived experience to her work, challenging the myth of work-life balance and guiding leaders to align their values, priorities, and actions for greater impact and fulfilment. As the inaugural President of Network Ireland Kerry, Linda is known for her practical, values-led approach to leadership.

• Louise Kelly

  Music isn’t a Luxury — it’s a Biological Necessity

  Music is the driving force in Louise Kelly’s life. A Consultant Music Therapist and co-founder of Resilient Rhythms, Louise has spent over 25 years harnessing music’s transformative power to connect, regulate, and heal across all ages and settings. Alongside her clinical practice, she lectures at university level on therapeutic music-making in education, equipping future teachers with creative, evidence-based tools for the classroom. A qualified ADHD and autism diagnostician, Louise also delivers neurodiversity training to businesses, schools, and organisations, helping them build inclusive cultures that celebrate difference. Her work extends across the UK and Ireland, where she leads staff training and workshops designed to strengthen resilience and wellbeing. With a foundation in counselling and a career rooted in both therapy and education, Louise brings a unique blend of professional expertise and human warmth to every stage and setting.

• Mary McAuliffe

  Revolutionary Women

  Dr. Mary McAuliffe is a historian, lecturer, and Director of Gender Studies at UCD. She specialises in Irish women's / gender history, traumas histories of gendered and sexual violence of Ireland's revolutionary period and histories of sexualities. She completed her BA (Hons), MA, and PhD at the School of History and Humanities, Trinity College, Dublin (TCD) She is on the advisory committee on the representation of women's stories in the National Cultural Institutions. She is also on the advisory board of the Irish Association of Professional Historians (www.iaph.ie) and is a past President of the Women's History Association of Ireland (WHAI). As well as publications, she contributes to documentaries, radio, tv, news media, and has an active online presence.

• Niamh Devine

  Your Body Isn’t Failing You. It’s Talking to You

  Niamh Devine is a mind–body mentor, somatic practitioner, and former television presenter whose work guides people to understand what their symptoms are communicating. She helps people understand the language of the body — how physical symptoms can reflect the body’s accumulated emotional stress — and supports clients in releasing what the body holds through somatic work, TRE®, and the knowledge and guidance needed to create lasting change. Her approach is shaped by her own lived experience. After four months of paralysis in her left foot — with no medical explanation — Niamh restored movement overnight after speaking directly to her brain. In her TEDx talk, Your Body Isn’t Failing You — It’s Talking to You, she shares the framework that emerged from that moment. She has been featured in global media outlets including The Washington Post, BBC World, CNN International, NBC’s Today Show, Sky News, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire.

• Shonagh O'Sullivan

  Behind the Selfie, Who are We Really?

  The Perfect Life of a Teenage Girl beautifully highlights Shonagh's inspiring journey. Her passions for public speaking, community service, and the joy she brings to children through the Kilflynn Enchanted Fairy Festival showcase her vibrant character. Her love of the sea, fitness, and reading adds depth to her personality. Moreover, her awareness of the pressures faced by teenage girls in today's social media-driven world reflects maturity beyond her years. Through her efforts, Shonagh embodies the type of female leadership that can guide young girls towards authenticity and connection. It's a compelling narrative of ambition, compassion, and growth! Shonagh hopes her TEDx talk will give a voice to other teenage girls and help adult's understand the pressures they face everyday, often in silence behind the closed door of their bedroom.

• Stephanie Aitken

  Gender Equality is Broken

  Stephanie Aitken is a boundary-breaking thought leader who invites audiences to rethink what they thought they knew about gender, equality and progress. She is also a former lawyer and gender diversity consultant. Born into a vibrant mix of Venezuelan, British and Swiss cultures, she’s always been wired for contrast, complexity and human insight. For the past five years, she has worked on the front lines of gender diversity in corporate spaces, helping organisations apply evidence-based strategies to advance women into leadership. Her insights are drawn not just from data but from over a decade of coaching, training and listening to those navigating systems not built with them in mind. She served as lead trainer for the UK’s largest women’s personal development company, empowering thousands to lead with confidence and purpose. She also commissioned unique research that revealed deep insights into the hidden barriers women face at work and how to address them.