After almost four decades of fear, Matt chose to make one of the most difficult, but in a way, also the easiest, decisions he had to make. His rewarding journey was filled with shame and triumph, humour, hurdles and joy.
Matt spent most of his life worried that his friends and family wouldn’t understand or accept the “new” Matt, but he needn’t have: “It’s been an incredible journey; I don’t know why I was so scared.” Inspiring stories of how his loved ones and his students were quick to accept his transition is a common thread in his speeches. He speaks with such courage and passion on the changes that he has been through, educating audiences on how mankind deals with change.
Since transitioning, Matt has been the co-chair of FTM London, the UK’s leading support group for trans men, has engaged with NHS England to help improve trans care, has educated businesses on the legislation and safe practices for those transitioning and is an avid support of trans rights charities.
Matt Ellison | Transgender Speaker
Tailored towards his audience, transgender speaker Matt’s talks have something to offer all audiences, including healthcare, business, education, emergency services, and political and religious groups. Depending on the client’s requirements, Matt delves deep in the mind of what it feels like to be a transgender person, with a story full of lows, highs and humour.
.
Matt educates the audience on things such as medical interventions, social aspects, safe practices for service providers and employers, as well as the legal implications of the Gender Recognition Act.
Matt Ellison Says:
I learnt a lot during my journey and I’m proud that I successfully negotiated it without losing a single friend or family member, and moreover as a business owner I maintained every one of my clients too. I’m now able to share my insights into the many strategies I developed to do this. For example, making change can alienate those around you, but your language and tone will carry others with you, and having a strong and willing team around you is imperative to be successful, whether that’s within a business or undergoing gender transition. There are many other parallels with aspects of my journey and the business environment and I hope to be able to share and expand on these with you.
Matt Ellison | TV
Matt Ellison has been consulted and interviewed on many occasions. He was recently seen on TV in the high-profile Channel 4 documentary ‘Me and My Penis’ (below), which broke many taboos, covering sex, psychology and men’s mental health issues.
.
His sessions are simple and powerful: a real, human story that creates insight without politics or pressure. In a time when many organisations feel cautious about Pride, Matt offers a safe way to engage that still lands with impact. While inclusion is important all year round, Pride Month offers a natural and timely moment to open up these conversations in a meaningful way. Audiences consistently describe a “buzz” long after his talks, with feedback that is often deeply personal, and on occasion, life-changing. He has even been told “You saved my son’s life.”
Matt Ellison | Speaking Topics
– Change, Courage & Motivation
– Adversity
– Diversity & Inclusion
– Equality & Rights
– Ethics
– Gender & Identity & Gender Bias
– Social Norms
– UK Gender Recognition Act
– Mental Health & Wellbeing
– Trans Awareness & Acceptance
Matt Ellison is an entertaining, inspiring and thoughtful transgender speaker, powerfully exploring topics around diversity and inclusion, resilience, courage, change and the LGBTQ+ community. His insights into change – as someone who has made a fundamental change himself – applies to everything in someone’s personal and professional life.
Tailored towards the audience, transgender speaker Matt has something to offer all audiences, including healthcare professionals, businesses, educational institutions, emergency services, political and religious groups, plus more. Depending upon requirements he can delve deep into the mind of what it feels like to be transgender with a story full of highs, lows and humour. He can educate the audience around such things as the medical interventions, social aspects, safe practices for service providers and employers, as well the legal implications of the Gender Recognition Act and the popular Q&A if requested gives the opportunity to answer all those burning questions.
Matt Ellison | Speaking Clients
Boden, City of London Corporation, the College of Mental Health Pharmacy, Disney, eBay, Fidelity International, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, KFC, Lacoste, Lloyds of London, Mars, Microsoft, NatWest, Nest, NHS, Ofgem, Rituals, RNLI, Rolls Royce, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, South Wales Police, Toyota, Urban Outfitters, Veracode, Westminster University.
Matt Ellison’s public and private clients, small and large, have all learned how to improve diversity and inclusion in their workforces, and how this allows them to recruit from a greater talent pool, helps their employees feel happier in the workplace and in turn, feel more motivated and perform better.
With an increasing number of trans folk having the courage to transition, yet with so many still facing discrimination and ignorance, transgender issues and diversity & inclusion, are currently more relevant than ever.
A Chat with Matt Ellison
As part of our ‘Chat with…’ podcast series at Great British Speakers, our director Jane Farnham sat down with Matt Ellison to talk about his personal and professional life as a transgender man, his experience of hate, the importance of being your true self, and how to implement successful change.
