Book Helen To Speak
Leadership coach. Speaker. Bestselling author. Catalyst for growth-ready leaders.
Leaders in waiting is Helen’s term for high-potential professionals — growth-ready and often already leading without the title.
But her talks speak powerfully to established leaders, women’s leadership cohorts, leadership academies – and anyone strategically designing their career story, not just navigating what’s next.
Helen Hanison draws on her background in psychology, leadership coaching and narrative therapy to help high-potential professionals step into leadership with clarity, intention and purpose. Her talks shift mindsets, spark reflection, and guide growth-ready leaders as they elevate…with impact.
About Helen
Helen Hanison is a bestselling author, leadership speaker, and former board-level director within some of the world’s largest PR firms. Today, she helps high-achieving professionals step into leadership with intention—and supports both leaders-in-waiting as they consolidate and grow with impact as well as seasoned leadership.
She brings a rare blend of evidence-based psychological insight and commercial experience—making leadership feel personal, purposeful and possible.
Whether she’s speaking to future leaders, established leadership teams,
high-potential women or purpose-led professionals, Helen invites audiences
to think differently, feel deeply, and never stop taking small, smart steps forward.
Because leaders who grow through adversity, lead with intention.
Her talks don’t just inspire. They activate—cultivating purpose
led careers and cultures, where clarity, resilience and strategic
growth are front and centre.
Speaking Topics
What makes Helen the right fit for your leaders
“Helen brings the rare combination of sharp commercial insight and deep human understanding. Her session landed powerfully with our senior leadership group—and created conversations that haven’t stopped.”
Helen is regularly invited to speak at:
- Leadership development academies
- Employee engagement summits
- Women’s leadership groups and corporate initiatives
- Wellness and mental health in the workplace programmes
- Positive psychology, meaning & purpose summits
- Career design conferences for meeting planners and professional development organisers
- Corporate away days and high-potential talent sessions
She brings a unique mix of:
→ Board-level commercial insight
→ Psychology-informed frameworks
→ Real-world leadership strategies
→ A deep understanding of growth-readiness and how to unlock it
And delivers it all with warmth, clarity and thought-provoking simplicity.
If you’re designing a programme to engage, elevate and equip your leaders in waiting — Helen Hanison will help you make it land.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Helen offer content for internal leadership development programmes?
Yes. Helen’s content is often integrated into existing development programmes or used to launch new leadership initiatives with energy, clarity and purpose. Her approach is always a people-first alignment with the broader goals of your business.
How far in advance should we book Helen?
Helen gets booked months in advance, particularly for leadership programmes and corporate events. If you’re considering her for an event, it’s best to check availability early—even if the details aren’t yet finalised.
How do we make the most of Helen’s session?
To maximise impact, Helen recommends framing her session within a wider programme—such as a leadership series or wellbeing week—and inviting active reflection or discussion afterwards. She’s happy to provide support materials or pre/post prompts to help extend engagement and encourages co-active brainstorming together to really make your session bespoke.
Can we record Helen’s session?
Yes—Helen is happy for her sessions to be recorded, provided it’s agreed in advance and used for internal distribution only. Please discuss this during the booking conversation.
Does Helen guest on podcasts or contribute to media?
She does. Helen regularly joins leadership, wellbeing, and personal development podcasts, and contributes expert insights to articles, interviews, radio and panels – and loves to write articles for publication too. If you have a media opportunity in mind, just get in touch.
What topics does Helen speak about most often?
Helen is most often booked to speak on leadership elevation, confidence calibration, leading through pressure, burnout prevention, and strategic career design—all through a psychology-informed lens.
Can Helen host or facilitate as well as speak?
Yes. Helen brings warmth and clarity to any format, whether she’s hosting an event, moderating a panel, series of sessions, or guiding group discussions between keynotes.
Is Helen's content evidence-based?
Yes—Helen draws on a strong foundation of psychological theory, leadership coaching practice and real-world experience. Her sessions are a blend of her lived leadership experience and are as credible as they are compelling.
What size audiences does Helen speak to?
Helen speaks to both intimate leadership cohorts and large conference audiences—online or in person. Her talks are tailored to land with relevance, whatever the room.
Can Helen customise her talk for our audience?
Yes. Every talk is tailored. Helen works closely with organisers to shape sessions around their goals, themes and attendees.
Is Helen available for international events or virtual sessions?
Absolutely. Helen regularly delivers keynotes and leadership sessions virtually and is available to travel for in-person engagements as needed. Her in-person speaking takes place mostly in London.
What’s the best way to start the conversation?
The simplest way to begin is by checking Helen’s availability and booking a quick call. She’ll be keen to explore your event goals, your audience, and whether there’s a strong cultural fit.
What makes Helen’s talks different from other leadership speakers?
Helen combines commercial credibility, with the depth and breadth of her background in psychology (from positive psychology to narrative therapy) and a leadership coaching lens – so her talks don’t just sound good, they do good. Each session is crafted to be thought-provoking, practical, and purposeful.
Does Helen run workshops or only deliver keynotes?
Yes—Helen often pairs keynotes with interactive follow-up workshops or small-group sessions to help embed the learning and spark deeper conversation. She also offers ongoing coaching support to extend the shelf-life—and impact—of her talks, so they do more than just introduce compelling concepts. Leaders in waiting, established leaders and their teams gain actionable, lasting value they can apply well beyond the event itself.
Can we book Helen for a panel or fireside chat?
Definitely. Helen is frequently invited to speak on panels, contribute to roundtables, and join fireside conversations—bringing clarity, warmth and insight to every format.
What an incredible leader! I had the opportunity to interview Helen as a guest on my podcast, and was blown away by her show. She provided speaking and leadership advice throughout and left an impact on my audience. Helen would be an incredibly valuable speaker to bring in for your company and I highly recommend her.
Helen's session was insightful, inspiring and very engaging. I left with real clarity about the areas of leadership I need to focus on next.
Helen delivered an energising and thought-provoking session, blending challenge with support in a way that truly resonated with our leaders.
Helen's session struck a chord with our senior women. We’re still referencing her frameworks and language weeks later.
Helen brings the rare combination of sharp commercial insight and deep human understanding. Her session landed powerfully with our senior leadership group—and created conversations that haven’t stopped.
Resources
Now that you’ve booked Helen, here are some resources to help your event flow smoothly.
Helen’s Headshots
Access Helen’s headshot folder and choose the pose, size, and style that works best for your event.
Short, Medium and Long Bios for Promotional Use
Short Bio (44 words)
Helen is a leadership coach, author, and speaker with a background in psychology and board-level experience in her own corporate career chapter. She delivers outcome-oriented talks for leaders in waiting ready to elevate with impact—and those in leadership roles wanting (and needing) to lead with more clarity, intention and purpose.
Medium Bio (75 words)
Helen is a leadership speaker, author, and former board-level director who draws on her psychology and narrative therapy background to guide leaders through pivotal transitions. With deep experience supporting high-potential professionals and newly elevated leaders, Helen’s keynotes blend psychological insight and practical strategy. Whether she’s speaking on leadership elevation, confidence, or navigating pressure, Helen helps audiences shift perspective, reconnect with purpose, and lead with intention.
Long Bio (99 words)
Helen is a leadership coach, speaker, and author with a board-level background in global PR firms and a deep foundation in psychology, leadership coaching, and narrative therapy. She works with high-potential professionals and newly promoted leaders to evolve their leadership presence and impact—without losing themselves in the process. Helen’s keynotes are known for blending commercial insight with human understanding, making them ideal for corporate audiences ready to reflect, recalibrate, and lead forward with confidence. Whether speaking at leadership academies, wellbeing events or women’s initiatives, Helen leaves audiences moved—and ready to foster a culture of clarity, resilience and purpose in how they lead and live.
Just book a call or check availability using the link below. Helen will personally review your event goals and advise if there’s a strong fit.
Intro Script
Please use the below to bring Helen out on stage.
Our speaker today is a bestselling author of UNSTUCK, a leadership coach, and a trusted voice for leadership academies, wellness programmes, and women’s initiatives. With board-level experience in her own corporate career and over a decade of coaching leaders, she brings a rare blend of commercial clarity and psychological depth to every audience.
Helen works with high-potential professionals and newly elevated leaders—those ready to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Her talks help leaders in waiting to step into elevation with intention, an agile mindset and appetite for growth that means they never stop taking small, smart steps that drive meaningful change.
Today, she’ll share insight into how leaders in waiting can feed their appetite for growth-readiness so they elevate with intention and lead with integrity and purpose.
Please join me in welcoming Helen.
Technical Requirements
To provide an engaging and smooth experience for your audience, here are the preferred technical requirements for Helen’s presentations:
Presentation Format: Helen uses PowerPoint for her presentations and will send the final file in advance. She will also bring a backup copy on a dongle.
Multimedia: Helen sometimes integrates videos and music into her presentations, so please ensure sound capability for video playback.
Microphone: For optimal audio, Helen prefers a lapel or head microphone, depending on room size and setup.
Control: A clicker is requested to advance slides.
Comfort Monitor: If available, a comfort monitor is helpful, though not essential.
Timer Display: Helen likes to keep an eye on the time; a visible clock or timer is ideal.
Thank you for helping create a professional and well-prepared environment for the best audience experience.