"Ashleigh owned that stage"
★
"Articulate, powerful, resonating"
☻
"A joy to watch"
♡
"Ashleigh owned that stage" ★ "Articulate, powerful, resonating" ☻ "A joy to watch" ♡
I help people build belonging;
on stage, in teams, and in rooms full of strangers.
Why belonging? and why now?
We are more connected than we've ever been, but somehow, we’re lonelier than ever too.
Since the pandemic, the everyday places we used to bump into each other have quietly disappeared. We work from home, we scroll instead of gather, and we move through our days surrounded by people we never actually meet. Community used to just happen.
Now we have to consciously build it, but the problem we face is that most of us were never taught how.
And it's costing us.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that around 1 in 7 Australians are experiencing loneliness, and it's been named one of the country's most pressing public health priorities. The research links it to poorer mental and physical health, and it shows up in our workplaces and communities as burnout, as disengagement, as people who are in the room but completely checked out.
We feel it at work, on campus, at home, everywhere.
Meet Ashleigh
TEDxCecilStreet speaker, facilitator, and founder of Hype Girl Social Club, Melbourne's largest social community for women, built to 40,000+ from a single walk.
But before becoming a friendship nerd, I spent over a decade as a Physiotherapist in the women's health and wellbeing space. To me, connection isn’t just a nice idea, and community isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a deeply hardwired, biological need. With my clinical background, I understand the science of why belonging shapes how we show up, perform, and thrive.
And now, I help people and organisations turn that understanding into action.
What I offer
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Energising, research-backed talks on belonging, connection, and modern community tailored for conferences, corporate events, and campus programs. Equal parts insight and warmth, with takeaways people remember.
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Interactive sessions that move beyond theory into practice: building psychological safety, genuine connection, and a sense of belonging within teams and cohorts. Ideal for staff days, leadership offsites, orientation weeks, and wellbeing programs.
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A warm, magnetic presence to hold your event together. I’ll keep the energy high and audiences engaged from open to close.
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Thoughtful, candid contributions on community, women's wellbeing, loneliness, and building movements from the ground up.
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For high achieving women ready to back themselves to take the next step towards the life they want. As a certified mindset coach, I help you get clear on where to direct your energy, quiet the self-doubt, and take real steps toward the life and work that feel like you. Whether you’re considering a career pivot, a confidence reset, or simply learning to take up more space, I’d love to help you to get there.
Fitness studios and gyms strengthening community to improve membership retention and member experience
Healthcare clinics building team rapport and a better client experience
Corporate and leadership teams building culture through connection, especially across remote and hybrid workforces
Leaders who want stronger rapport with their people and to lead with more empathy and vulnerability
Wellbeing and HR teams building belonging into their everyday culture
Universities and student life programs helping students find real connection on campus
Schools and senior student cohorts, on friendship, belonging and genuine connection
Industry conferences and women's networks booking a keynote on belonging
Community and member organisations wanting to deepen how their members connect
Who I work with
Why Ashleigh?
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I'm a TEDxCecilStreet speaker.
I’m also an experienced podcaster and MC, which means I’m no stranger to a microphone.
Whether it's 20 people in a workshop or a full auditorium, the vibe shifts when I'm on and that feeling is what people will be talking about long after I leave the room.
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This isn't theory from a textbook. I'm open about the fact that I’ve experienced loneliness. And rather than talk about it from a distance, I turned one free walk into Melbourne's largest social community for women in their 20s and 30s; completely organically, entirely from scratch.
So when I talk about belonging, I'm speaking from both my personal and professional experience. That's why the work lands as real rather than rehearsed, and why people leave feeling seen, not lectured.
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Before this, I spent over a decade as a physiotherapist in women's health, so I bring the neuroscience and health science of connection.
But more than that, I've spent years translating complex health principles into language that actually lands for the person in front of me, reading the room and meeting people where they are.
