Thea O’Connor

Thea O’Connor's Biography

Thea O’Connor is a TEDx motivational wellbeing speaker. Thea helps your employees take care of themselves so they can take care of business.

“It’s not going to be AI that will give your organisation a competitive edge  – it’ll be the vitality of your people that’ll set you apart.  And that vitality depends on the health and body intelligence of your people.” Thea O’Connor

Over the last several decades Thea O’Connor’s work has spanned nutrition, body image, workplace health, sleep science and behaviour change. She has practised as a dietitian, educator for beyondblue, masseuse, conference presenter, coach and writer for national media outlets, including the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian. She brings all of this experience into her current role as a workplace wellbeing advisor and speaker.

In all of these arenas Thea considers herself a long-standing Advocate of the Body in an increasingly disembodied culture that drives us to:

• over-ride our natural rhythms, then over-rely on artificial stimulation to get us through the day.
• over-write our natural physical diversity with photo-shopping or cosmetic surgery, then aspire to cruel body ideals that leave us feeling less-than.
• out-source our communication and relationship skills to AI and virtual reality.

No matter how evolved or sophisticated we become, and no matter how much technology penetrates our lives, Thea believes that the body remains the fundamental foundation of our lives and when it suffers, physically or psychologically, every aspect of our life is affected.

Thea enjoys working with individuals and with groups.

In her 1-1 coaching, she educates people about the physiology of their body’s ‘internal operating systems’ (our real ‘BOS’!)so they can work in tune with them, then offers coaching to help people create better lifestyle and/or work habits for the sake of their wellbeing and productivity.

Within teams, she facilitates the naming and re-shaping of group norms to make healthy choices, easier choices.

Thea is an avid proponent of the ‘powernap’ which she considers the ultimate renewable energy practice whose time has come for the sake of our personal sustainability.

At the heart of all her work is the vision of creating body-honouring cultures at work and at home, so we can all flourish.

To enquire about Thea for your event contact Helene Greenham directly: helene@platinumspeakers.com.au

Speaking Topics Include

BODY INTELLIGENCE = BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Thea helps your employees take care of themselves so they can take care of your business.

Unleash the energy contained within your greatest untapped organisational resource – the human body – and enjoy a healthier, smarter workforce.

Sixty eight per cent of Australians do not care for their bodies’ most basic needs of sufficient exercise, sleep and eating sufficient vegetables. This means at least two thirds of your people will be operating well below their full capacity.  It doesn’t matter how great your culture or employee rewards, your people will never reach their full potential if they don’t possess body intelligence to correct this fundamental gap.

In this keynote you will discover Thea’s 3-steps to better B.I. that will enable your people to bring more energy and smarts to their day.

KEY TAKEAWAYS & BENEFITS

• Understand how body intelligence (B.I.) can give you and your organisation a competitive edge in the age of AI.
• Reduce the risk of burnout by building your people’s body intelligence so they get better at reading their bodies and acting on the early signs of stress and fatigue.
• Teach your people how they can sustain their energy, even in the face of high demand, by prioritising their health and wellbeing no matter what.
• Generate energised, cohesive teams, by inspiring your people to shape ‘body-smart’ ways of working together,

BODY INTELLIGENCE FOR FEMALE LEADERS

Close the gender wellbeing gap for female leaders and see more women step up, and stay up.

Despite significant improvements in gender equality in the workplace, there are still far fewer women than men in senior leadership roles, especially in the private sector.  Is the struggle to maintain their health and wellbeing one of the (many) barriers?  Especially during midlife when menopause and career aspirations can collide?

Recent Australian data shows that female leaders are more likely than male leaders to report significantly lower overall wellbeing, personal wellbeing, work wellbeing and life satisfaction.

This keynote will help your organisation attract and retain more female leaders, and equip women to protect their health and vitality and so fulfil their career aspirations. It can also be adapted for working women at all levels of an organisation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS & BENEFITS

• Be clear about the facts: What does the science say about the impact of wellbeing on critical leadership capabilities, and the current wellbeing gender-gap for female leaders?
• Be on the front foot: be equipped with education about the physiological changes all women will experience from the late 30s on and how they can support themselves.
• Bust out of the social conditioning that STILL has women looking after others’ wellbeing before her own!
• Boost body intelligence which will protect women’s wellbeing and careers, during their leadership and midlife years.

THE ORCA EFFECT

Activate & appreciate the leadership potential of your female talent

This inspiring keynote taps into the wisdom of one of the planet’s most intelligent and successful species – the Orca or Killer Whale.

Orcas and humans are the only two species on the planet whose females experience menopause, then live for another 30 years or so.

What could be the advantage of this rare evolutionary trait?

Once freed from the responsibilities of creating a family, the post-menopausal females start leading – their accumulated knowledge and wisdom is critical for the survival and success of their pods.

Key Takeaways & Benefits

• Cultivate an inclusive pod
  Learn how to foster open, respectful conversations about women’s health to enhance engagement and break the taboo.
• Attract and retain female staff
  Discover how easy it is to make your workplace female-friendly, so more women want to work for you and stay with you – just like Orcas, who keep their pods together for life.
• Respect nature’s intelligence
  Menstruation and menopause are not flaws—they’re untapped superpowers that can make you a better worker.
• Inspire leadership potential
  The symbol of the post-menopausal Orca matriarch activates women at all life stages to discover their killer leadership traits and step into their true authority, whatever their formal title.
• Equip your entire pod to thrive
  Leave with simple ways everyone can harmonise biological rhythms with professional goals, to improve performance and reduce burnout.