keynote speaker
BUSINESS, leadership & CARE SECTOR changemaker
consultancy | events | facilitation
AS FEATURED IN
Her story
how she got here . .
Cassie’s story began long before the awards and sold-out events. She was a young mum with a thriving career when her newborn son was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at just four weeks old. Overnight, corporate life was replaced with hospital rooms, medical jargon and endless care plans.
Through years of advocacy, burnout and recovery, and navigating complex diagnoses within her family, Cassie realised a defining truth:
"If I am struggling to navigate these systems, what about those who are less privileged than me".
Cassie channelled her personal and professional experience into leadership, founding The Carers Place, which grew from a kitchen-table idea into a seven-figure national NDIS business before a successful exit (2024).
Knowing community and connection are essential to create systems change, she created the wildly popular NDIS Connect & Collaborate events. After her exit, she went on to create a string of sell-out events including NDIS State of the Nation Summit (Aug 2025), Business Immersion Workshops and her latest 'Championing Women in Care' International Women's Day Luncheon. positively changing the NDIS landscape and cementing her reputation as a trusted sector voice, collaborator and changemaker.
Most recently, with a drive to connect all sectors within the Care Economy, Cassie curated another sell-out stand-out event 'Championing Women in Care' as part of the International Women's Day celebrations.
Today, her work reaches thousands of businesses, professionals, carers, families and communities and is highly sought after by organisations across the care sector, nationally.
Deeply connected, genuinely trusted, and in-demand.
1.5K+
Attendees at her Connect
& Collaborate series
7K+
Audience across social
media, email, online, and
events.
200+
Attendees each at her sold out
2025 NDIS State of the Nation Summit & 2026 International Women's Day Luncheon
10+
AWARDS &
RECOGNITIONS
WINNER
CARER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - 24/25
7News Community Achievement Awards
What they say . . .
At conferences and events, Cassie challenges audiences to rethink what resilience and adaptive leadership really look like in one of Australia’s most critical – and most burnout-prone – sectors.
She champions and challenges the changemakers and risk-takers; the people deeply invested in disability, care and health, helping them pair passion with strategy, and vision with leadership, so the sector can not just survive, but thrive.
"Cassie struck a chord with the audience, blending compassion with sharp business acumen."
“Thank you for creating such a safe & inspiring space for growth, connection & honesty.”
“As a speaker, Cassie engages an audience so warmly & naturally.”
“The team loved your talk and were inspired which is what we were looking for.”
KEYNOTE TOPIC EXAMPLES
‘From burnout to breakthrough: Rethinking the future of care
Available as 30/60 minutes keynote speech with optional Q&A
"We keep hearing about sustainability in the NDIS. Is it cost-effective? It’s in every media release, every headline. But here’s the real question: sustainable for who? Because it’s not sustainable for the people it was created for. And it’s certainly not sustainable for the professionals, providers, and people with lived expertise who are holding it up every single day. They’re running on heart and passion… but also running on empty. But here’s the good news: sustainability isn’t just a government responsibility. It’s a leadership opportunity. We can design car businesses that blend heart with strategy. We can build models that are scalable, resilient, and human-centred. We need to build businesses that don’t just survive compliance, but thrive on innovation, resilience, and sustainability. That’s the conversation we’re not having. And that’s the conversation I’m here to start. That’s how we create a care economy that works… for everyone."
Heart isn’t enough: Why purpose-driven businesses need strategy to survive
Available as 30/60 minutes keynote speech with optional Q&A
Every day, millions of carers, professionals, practitioners, support workers, and providers hold up the care economy/sector. They are the backbone of one of Australia’s fastest-growing sectors. And yet, in the current climate, quality providers are too often demonised, tarnished with the same brush as the fraudulent minority. That leaves the sector undervalued, under strain, with businesses collapsing and quality dedicated people burning out driven to leave the sector. We need a new kind of market stewardship-one led by lived expertise, grounded in integrity, and focused on building sustainable businesses that care for people that and are built to last"
Lived expertise: The future of leadership in the care economy
Available as 30/60 minutes keynote speech with optional Q&A
Every policy, every business model, every reform conversation in the care economy is missing something unless the people with lived expertise are in the room. That means carers, people with disability, and people navigating chronic health. Without their voices, the system is designed around theory, not reality. In this keynote, Cassie argues that those who hold this expertise must be at the centre of leadership, reform, and decision-making if we want a care economy that truly works. She shares not only why it matters, but how to make it happen…by championing lived expertise, building collaborative approaches, and bringing all voices together to design the future of care.
Key takeaways for the audience:
For policy-makers: Shift from consultation to genuine co-design, embedding collaboration and coordinated systems integration into every stage of reform.
For leaders in the sector: Embed lived expertise into governance and leadership pipelines and collaboration into strategy.
For care audiences: Recognise the value of your lived expertise and learn how to leverage your voice and experience to influence meaningful change.
The future of the care economy should not be built by those furthest from the
problem. It should be built by those who live it and work in it.
That’s lived expertise and it’s time we put it at the centre.
Enquire about Cassie’s availability
Get in touch today to discuss speaking engagements, workshops, panel facilitation and other opportunities.
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