Informative and transformative keynote presentations
Dr Josie McLean’s innate knack for connecting with people inspires her audiences to embrace change. Josie’s keynote talks are tailored to each audience, blending anecdotes, humour, and her extensive expertise in systems thinking, leadership growth, cultural change and the inner work for sustainability. From introducing the foundations of systems thinking to the specifics of guiding organisational change, Josie covers an array of topics with engaging and thought-provoking approaches.
With over a decade’s experience in addressing global audiences and her wealth of expertise garnered from her research, her involvement as a member of a multidisciplinary research team with the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility and her practical engagement with individuals, teams and communities, Josie allows individuals to unveil their subconscious constraints, while sowing fresh perspectives that foster transformative shifts within organisations, organically reshaping cultures.
Josie is internationally recognised as a pioneer of the Australian coaching industry and helps leaders apply the principles of complexity or living systems to their leadership challenges and lead effectively through uncertainty.
Josie’s portfolio encompasses her award-winning doctoral work Embedding Sustainability into Organizational DNA, the influential book Big Little Shifts: A practitioner’s guide to complexity for organisational change and adaptation and the acclaimed collaboration with coaches worldwide Ecological and Climate-Conscious Coaching: A Companion Guide to Evolving Coaching Practice. Complementing these are peer-reviewed academic papers, systems journal chapters and case studies.
Engage, educate and empower: view Dr Josie McLean’s speaker showreel
“Josie is an expert in nurturing sustainable human environments”
Keynote topics
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Leading Real Change: The way forward is inward
Audience: For leaders, established and emerging
Much of what we think we, in modern Western societies, know about leadership comes from the legacy of Kings, military leaders and even Church leaders. For too long we have thought of leaders as being the authority figure, or the hero in charge. The present and immediate future are disruptive – and one person can never know enough, to know ‘the answer’. The challenges we face are complex and messy. We have systems overlapping and interconnecting. Modern challenges need a different approach – they require us all to re-learn what leadership is. Josie will explore how we need to look inward to transform ourselves, before we are able to transform the larger human systems that are in such need of change.This presentation is supported by Josie’s book: Big Little Shifts: a practitioner’s guide to complexity for organisational change and adaptation.
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Purposeful Cultures: Engaging whole people in cultural evolution
Audience: For senior leaders
Evolving organisational culture is one of the most significant jobs for any leader today. Dr Josie McLean will share the top five transformational concepts her research and practice revealed. Her approach engages all team members and nurtures individual wellbeing and resilience. It creates a willingness to change and to appropriately initiate change. At the team and organisational level, it enables improved relationships and connection, greater adaptability, and an improved ability to cope with ongoing disruption. This approach also supports developing regenerative cultures to support sustainable and sustaining outcomes.
This presentation is supported by Josie’s book Purposeful Culture: A practical self leadership guide. -
Systems Thinking: An Introduction for Leaders
Audience: For leaders, established and emerging
Leaders need to stop treating their businesses as machines. Working like “well-oiled machines”, “running at 100% efficiency” and “rolling the changes out” are a dead give-away! Understanding how living systems behave means that you can make better decisions and become more effective at leading change and nurturing teams that are resilient and adaptive. Learn about the two major types of systems and how they behave to improve your leadership. -
Cultural Change: Managing a sustainable human environment
Audience: For senior leaders
The challenge of human-centred leadership is being able to innovate, satisfy staff, increase diversity and inclusiveness, manage environmental sustainability, respond to customers while leaving a legacy for your children and grandchildren!
Josie offers simplicity on the other side of complexity. Learn how to transform your culture into a sustainable human environment that sustains and regenerates you and your people. Benefit from the resulting innovation, adaptability and resilience. -
Regenerative Leadership: Partnering with natural forces
Audience: For senior leaders
Our world is changing rapidly and the effects of the climate and ecological emergency are upon us. Some leaders recognise technological fixes alone are not enough. Founded on an understanding of living systems, Regenerative Leadership provides a way of living and working in harmony with our planet. Learn how this approach is effective with individuals, teams, and organisations.
Regenerative Leadership echoes practices in many First Nations cultures and already exists in some organisational cultures (e.g. coaching). It enables more resilient and adaptable people and, therefore, more innovative outcomes.
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Activating Purposes: matters of the heart
At a time when the future of humanity seems to hang in the balance, we need to re-examine our understanding of purpose. Our purposes emerge from our caring and our hearts - and that is the way to lead them too. We will delve into the numerous unconscious and unexamined assumptions we make about how the world operates and apply a systemic lens to activating people - to develop a movement and swirl of energy to make progress on what matters most now. Underpinned by her +20 years of activism and organisational practice in this sphere, Josie draws together an appreciation of distributed leadership in complex systems, organisational culture and self-leadership as we all bring what we care about to the fore, refine and activate our purposes.
Testimonials
“Josie has a thoughtful, compassionate and energetic presentation style full of humorous yet powerful examples and lessons. It’s not easy keeping experienced community leaders engaged, but all were enthralled from start to finish.
Josie possessed a unique vision and an unwavering commitment to empowering others. She has an exceptional ability to inspire those around her, fostering an environment of collaboration and innovation.
I wholeheartedly recommend Josie for any speaking engagement, confident that she will leave a lasting impression on all who have the privilege to listen.”
“Dr. Josie McLean is an exceptional facilitator and systems thinker who brings a refreshing depth of insight to conversations about climate change and leadership. She has a rare ability to hold space for the discomfort of facing reality—challenging assumptions while guiding constructive dialogue. In our sessions, she has helped council members and leaders alike move beyond wishful thinking and into meaningful action. Her expertise, clarity, and ability to engage diverse perspectives make her an invaluable contributor to any discussion on sustainability and systemic change.”
“During the 2022 Public Libraries SA (PLSA) Conference, I had the pleasure of hearing Josie speak about climate change in her presentation Code Red Opportunities. Despite the often-overwhelming nature of the climate change topic, Josie managed to establish a strong connection with the
audience comprising more than 150 library industry professionals. Her presentation was both engaging and thought-provoking, offering practical strategies to begin conversations on what can be an overwhelming topic within our communities, workplaces, and families. I would recommend Josie as a speaker for your next conference or event.”
“Josie McLean’s keynote was not just informative; it was transformative. Her insights and expertise are invaluable, and her ability to convey complex ideas with clarity and enthusiasm is truly commendable. I would highly recommend Josie to anyone seeking a thought leader and educator in the field of systems thinking, complexity and adaptive leadership... Her ability to bridge the gap between theory and real-world application is remarkable”
Past speaking engagements
2024 – Keynote: Coaching at Work Conference, One the Pulse: Purpose, Presence and Practice in Coaching, London
2024 – Panelist – UN Global Compact Network's UNiting Business LIVE: Australia Sustainability in Action in Sydney
2024 – Keynote: ATEM Conference: Purpose in Brisbane
2024 – Keynote: Introduction to Complexity, Mayor and CEO Forum, LGA South Australia, Adelaide
2024 – The Faculty: Adaptive Leadership: Leading from the Inside Out, The Faculty, Melbourne
2023 - Lead Speaker: Regenerative Leadership – Joint International Congress, hosted by World Urban Parks and Parks and Leisure, Adelaide
2023 – Keynote: Systems Ain’t Systems – LAST Conference, Adelaide
2023 – An Introduction to Systems Thinkers for Leaders – The Faculty, Melbourne
2022 – Climate Conscious Coaching – ICF Foundation, Asia Pacific
2022 – States of Mind – The Faculty, Melbourne
2022 – Keynote: Code Red Opportunities – Public Libraries of SA Conference, Adelaide
2022 – Busting myths about Climate Conscious Coaching – Climate Coaching Alliance, Global Conference
2022 – Vanguard Series: Courage – Invite Change, North America
2021 – Busting myths about Climate Conscious Coaching – Evolve 2021, ICF Toronto
2020 – From exploitation to nurturing – Be.Choose.Cause., Global Leaders Conference, USA
2020 – What are coaches being called to do now? and Seizing the day an engaging, fulfilling and prosperous new reality – 2020 Transform Coaching Conference, ICF Australasia
2020 – Keynote: Adaptive Leadership: unleashing volunteers’ values and passion in uncertainty - Volunteers Tasmania Digital Conference
2020 – Keynote: Leader as gardener: a systemic leadership perspective – Coaching At Work Conference, London, UK
2018 – Keynote: People, planet and profit: facilitating change through coaching – ICF India Coaching Conclave, Bengaluru, India
2016 – How can an organisation learn its way to becoming ‘sustaining’? – GCWAL-ALARA World Congress, Adelaide
2016 – with Dr Barbara Koth – The conscious workplace: beyond mindfulness and greening in SMEs – 5th Australian Positive Psychology and Wellbeing Conference, Adelaide
2014 – Keynote: The cultivation of profound change – ICF Taiwan Conference, Taipei
“Josie’s gentle demeanour, authentic and passionate approach touched many hearts and minds. I am sure she has planted the seeds of sustainability and influenced many to rethink their ways of behaving and being. Josie explored masterfully ways to hold the bigger mirror, offered food for thought and provided a reminder that we all need to learn.”
“I would highly recommend Josie to anyone seeking a thought leader and educator in the field of systems thinking, complexity and adaptive leadership”
– Francesco Vassallo, LAST Conference