More About Jackie Handy

In 2023, facing the emotional challenge of her mother’s declining dementia, Jackie Handy embarked on her first Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage across northwest Spain. This experience deepened her understanding of human connection, courage, resilience under pressure, and blisters!

The profound lessons she learned on this journey, combined with her professional insights, led to the development of the A-Frame Concept – a comprehensive methodology designed to enhance team dynamics, foster inclusion and belonging, and create happier, more productive workforces.

The A-Frame Concept is a practical solution that includes the Pilgrim Principles, a set of guidelines to improve team cohesion, boost morale, and elevate performance. Additionally, the DASH Method offers a structured approach to facilitating effective and inclusive conversations within organisations.

Jackie Handy leverages the latest research on leadership, engagement, and belonging to address gaps in traditional management methods that may cost organisations revenue and productivity.

Her work is vital in a world where workforce connection is more critical than ever. Research indicates that fewer than 1 in 5 people globally are actively engaged in their work—a statistic Jackie is determined to change.

She now helps leaders, teams and organisations with the strategies and tools to help them ‘crack the connection code’, so their people don’t just work next to each other, but with and for each other. She helps teams create belonging, without buzzwords. Providing clear, human strategies for team success.

Through her innovative strategies and inspiring message, Jackie Handy is helping businesses create environments where employees are truly engaged and motivated.

She was named the National Speaker of the Year 2022 and Regional Speaker of the Year 2023 by the Professional Speaking Association, and received a Highly Commended Award at the 2025 Speaker Awards for Best Storyteller.

Described as a ‘master of taking the audience on a journey’, Jackie’s talks spark curiosity and unlock compassion. Not only will she have you on the edge of your seat, but she’ll leave you with practical tools for improving leadership and productivity.

Jackie Handy | Keynotes

Belonging Without The Wallpaper: You know that when people feel they must shrink, mask, edit or protect themselves at work, they cannot fully contribute. And when people do not feel they belong, your business loses honesty, creativity, trust and talent.

This keynote closes the gap between good intentions and everyday impact. It gives audiences a way to think about belonging that is practical, personal and immediately useful – built through a series of small but powerful human choices. In this keynote, audiences are invited to look beyond the language of inclusion and into the lived experience of it.

Jackie shares part of her own inclusion story: the moments that shaped her understanding of what it means to be seen, judged, to belong, to adapt, and to find the courage to finally take up space as herself. This keynote explores why belonging is so much more than what we say. It lives in how we notice, listen, include, challenge and act with one another in the small moments, every day.

Audiences will leave with a long list of no-cost actions to help people feel safe, valued and understood, including:

– A fresh way to think about inclusion beyond policies, posters, and awareness days
– Practical actions to help others feel seen, heard, and valued
– Evidence-based understanding of what belonging really means
– A roadmap to create workplaces where people do not have to leave parts of themselves at the door

Delivered as a 30, 45, or 60 minute talk, half-day leadership workshop, or conference breakout, this keynote is ideal for:

– Inclusion and belonging events
– International Women’s Day events
– Leadership conferences with a people and culture focus
– HR, L&D, and culture programmes
– Teams ready for a more honest human conversation about belonging

Previous clients have said:

“Jackie delivered beyond our hopes, and helped our people want to make positive changes.”

“I had a lightbulb moment and realised there are opportunities for me to make a difference.”

“Her ability to make such an important subject engaging, practical and impactful is a real gift.”

Culture 3.0 – Make Work Matter: Leaders are being asked to deliver more, often with less time, greater complexity and a higher emotional load. At the same time, team members want to feel seen, valued, trusted and connected to work that has meaning. Culture can no longer be something organisations talk about; it must be something people can feel, trust and act on every day. This keynote closes that gap.

Built around Jackie Handy’s book, The Matter Model: How Great Leaders Build Belonging, Strengthen Purpose and Drive Engagement at Work, this keynote gives leaders a practical way to build robust, resilient teams ready for the change happening now – and the change still to come. Audiences leave with takeaways including:

– Understanding the critical link between belonging, purpose, engagement and high performance
– Recognising the signs of disconnection within teams before they become harder to repair
– Using The Matter Model® as a diagnostic lens to identify how teams are currently operating
– Practical strategies to build more human-centred team cultures without losing focus on performance

Available in 30, 45, or 60 minute keynotes, half-day leadership workshop, or a conference breakout, this keynote is ideal for:

– Leadership conferences
– HR, L&D and culture events
– Sales and service leadership events
– Manager development programmes
– Organisations navigating change, growth or transformation
– Businesses looking to strengthen retention, performance and workplace wellbeing

Previous clients have said:

“Booking Jackie to speak is essential for any company looking to reduce their staff turnover and teach their managers to connect better with their teams.”

“Certainly the most powerful presentation I have heard for many years. It really made me think differently.”

Jackie Handy | Previous Keynotes

– Beyond the Mountain, Navigating Changing Leadership Landscapes
– The Heart of the Matter
– The Power of Inclusion
– The Path to Better Conversations

Why Book Jackie Handy?

Jackie Handy has become a sought-after keynote speaker, not just for her down-to-earth and personable delivery, but for the transformative impact of her presentations. Her deep knowledge into workforce culture, coupled with her engaging style, leaves audiences with aha moments and powerful insights that can be taken away to create real, impactful workplace change.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book inclusion thought-leader, podcast host and speaker Jackie Handy.  Contact us.