March 3rd
The Moment Everything Changed.
Meet Our Storytellers
Michael Brosowski
Michael Brosowski AM is the Founder and Strategic Director of Blue Dragon Children's Foundation in Vietnam, which is working towards the end of human trafficking.
After graduating from a BA/BEd degree at UNSW Sydney in 1995, Michael taught English and ESL in south-western Sydney before returning to UNSW to study a Masters of Education while working in the School of Education. Upon completion, he moved to Vietnam and in 2004 registered Blue Dragon, initially to assist Hanoi's street children. Working as the organisation's CEO, he grew Blue Dragon to become the country's leading NGO fighting human trafficking and child exploitation.
Michael is a CNN Hero and Member of the Order of Australia. He is leading the strategy of Blue Dragon's ambitious 10-year plan to eliminate human trafficking in Vietnam.
Sally Lean
Sally is the Founding Director of Lean In to Succeed Pty Ltd, guiding students and professionals to develop their own values & strengths-based Success Profile. She believes that students can be empowered with the skills they need to be leaders and effective communicators in their lives now, not ‘one day’ when they have a job and a title.
Sally is also founder of The Million Dreams Movement® - empowering dreamers of all ages to support each other in community as they pursue their dreams. The mission of the movement is to make a positive impact and raise the frequency of the world one dream at a time.
Previously, she enjoyed an award-winning career working in top international schools across Asia, working and training with some of the top education experts in the world. Having lived in Asia for 22 years, Sally has worked with thousands of teens from well over 50 countries. She is fluent in Chinese, and has a unique understanding of East-West perspectives in education and leadership and as such Sally was tasked with founding a 25 million dollar Chinese immersion program for her school in Singapore.
She loves animals, she grew up as a ‘horsey girl’ and has been blessed to be a rescue ‘paw-parent’ in several countries. Sally is currently the rescue mama to a Staffy cross old boy called Bruce
Jason Blyth
Jason Blyth isn’t your typical speaker. He is the torchbearer.
A former international athlete, he claimed multiple national titles, international medals and top ten finishes at the Junior World Championships. As a musician he featured on a track with Ludacris and recorded with world renowned producers behind Linkin Park, Macy Gray and Snoop Dogg. And that was just the warm-up.Jason was born into a dark beginning after an even darker event, and his childhood unfolded under the weight of violence and trauma. After leaving home, he thought he’d outrun the past, only to discover it was living inside him. Life collapsed until rock bottom forced a defining choice: take back the pen and write a different ending.
Now at thirty-something, he’s lived more lives than most cats. His message is sharp and simple. Pain isn’t designed to break you. It shapes who you can become. Jason knows how to claw your way out of hell. Just don’t tell the devil he’s stolen the map.
Gabrielle Burke
Gab was never meant to be a journalist.
Her parents were journalists, her grandfather was a journalist, her convict ancestor went on to become a successful businessman, politician and… the owner of a popular newspaper.
But that wasn’t Gab. She wasn’t a journalist. Gab grew up performing in plays. She used to make up stories and get up on a stage and act them out. She loved performing to a crowd. She dreamt of becoming a famous actress.
She excelled at drama in high school, and went to uni to study acting.
But when crunch time came, guess what Gab did… she became a journalist.
And she was really good at it. Gab spent 15 years at the ABC making hit podcasts, presenting on national radio, and producing global superstars like Kevin Bacon, Lorde and Paul Kelly.
She threw everything at her career and loved it. It was an honour and a privilege to break huge stories and make popular shows for the national broadcaster.
But 15 years and a kid later, Gab felt a call to return to the stage. The calling had always been there, it had just been pushed to the back of the cupboard, squashed under a pile of old clothes, gathering dust.
The calling is now so loud it’s irrepressible.
So Gab is now entering a new chapter of her life and has no idea what happens next. One thing she knows for sure, is that she’ll never be too far from centre stage.
Mark Jones
Mark Jones is a keynote speaker and storytelling mindset expert who helps leaders rewrite their inner stories to lead with clarity, confidence and purpose.
A global journalist, author and podcaster, he’s interviewed and worked with thousands of leaders around the world, from CEOs and founders to social impact pioneers and multinational executives.
His passion is encouraging and empowering leaders to overcome self-doubt and limiting beliefs in the workplace to drive wellbeing, engagement and performance.
A Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and bestselling author of The Story Code™ and Beliefonomics™, Mark is known for transformative, funny and deeply human keynote moments that spark lasting change.
He lives on the Northern Beaches of Sydney with his wife of 30 years, their four children and a dog called Angel, because she is one.
Liz Foster
Liz Foster was born and raised in England before arriving in Australia in 1991 on what turned out to be the longest gap year ever. Following a career in strategic marketing and copywriting, she turned to creative writing in 2016 after a life-threatening diagnosis and lengthy recuperation.
Making up stories about everyday people became a passion, and after writing two novels she was lucky enough to hit the right note with a publisher. Her debut women’s fiction novel, The Good Woman’s Guide to Making Better Choices came out in all three formats in 2024 alongside wonderful reviews. She runs a popular Readers Club and anyone here who’d like to join gets the chance to win a signed copy of her book.
Liz also works as the General Communications Manager at an aged care facility in Ashfield where she’s lucky enough to learn and share many rich and varied stories of the inspiring and interesting people they care for.
She’s currently working on a new cosy crime series set on a Devon island in the 1980s featuring a sleuthing former fairground worker, marijuana gummy bear maker and a host of similar misfits. Liz is passionate about creating character driven, page-turning, uplifting stories to make you laugh, because, let’s face it, we all need a good laugh right now