Speakers

Louisa Claire is the founder of Brand Meets Blog which is one of the leading boutique blogger outreach agencies in Australia with a community of over 1,000+ bloggers. With over 6 years experience as a blogger herself, Louisa and her power team work with leading Australian businesses to create integrated marketing campaigns. Based in Melbourne, Brand Meets Blog specializes in helping brands and bloggers connect to deliver valuable results for brands, bloggers and their readers. Louisa Claire also released an ebook in 2012 for those wanting to learn more about blogging called “How to start a blog” which shares everything she has learnt over the past 6 years.

Alexx Stuart is a passionate community builder in the Real Food / Low Tox space and blogs at Alexxstuart.com. Alexx helps people flick their mind switches to make deep change and tap into their instincts on what works for them, their body and our planet. “Shape the world with our shopping baskets and home grown efforts” is a tag line Alexx frequently bandies about. She believes the best way to do that is by creating space and welcoming conversation and a great level of engagement where people feel truly heard, not barked at.

Valerie Khoo is an award-winning entrepreneur who founded the Australian Writers’ Centre in Sydney which has grown to become Australia’s leading centre for writing courses. Valerie is also the ambassador of the Best Australian Blogs Competition, an experienced journalist and small business commentator, and is the author of Power Stories: The 8 stories you MUST tell to build an epic business, which was released in October 2012.

Aussie Karina Brisby (living in London) co-founded the VOICE Blogging Project and runs Blog Action Day. Most people are unaware that just one person is behind this powerful day that unites bloggers across the globe. By night Karina Brisby is also busy learning the ropes of stand-up comedy. By day, she helps social change groups improve their plans, create great digital communications and develop new ideas to help people influence the change they want to see.

Over the last 3 decades, Dr George Margelis has been deeply involved in both the healthcare and the technology world, and sees a natural fit between the two. Working on projects in hospital and community care he has been at the forefront of the use of technology. During that time he has remained a staunch supporter of participatory medicine, with a strong focus on building communications between healthcare providers and consumers. George is an active health policy blogger and speaker at local and international events.

One of the World’s Most Influential ‘Mummy Bloggers’ with one million page views per month. She has traveled with Oprah Winfrey, met with President Clinton and appeared on CNN, CBS, Fox News, Dr. Phil, Wendy Williams and more while talking about the intersection of parenting, health and technology.

Carly Findlay is a writer, speaker, community TV presenter and ”appearance activist”. Her articles have appeared on Mamamia, The Hoopla, The Peach, The Punch and in Frankie Magazine. She communicates the challenges and triumphs of looking visibly different and has been blogging since 2001. She has a rare genetic skin condition called Ichthyosis form erythroderma, meaning scaly red skin. Carly works full time for the government, loves live music, fashion and food.

Co-founder and CEO of Filtered Media, Mark Jones is a senior technology, business and health journalist, columnist and editor. Publications include The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, MIS Magazine, InfoWorld (US), Australian Reseller News, CIO Magazine and Amnesty International’s Human Rights Defender Magazine, among others.

Co-Founder of Australia’s largest online health community Healthshare, which currently has over 300 online communities plus 70 partner organisations discussing everything from wellness, disease and preventative health issues. Rochelle Solsky is also at the forefront of the participatory medicine movement in Australia.

Photographer and blogger Zahrina Robertson is a recent winner of the Commonwealth Bank Women in Focus essay competition. Zahrina travelled to the Northern Territory to volunteer for 9 days in a remote Aboriginal community.

Married to cricket legend and chairman of the McGrath Foundation Glenn, Sara Leonardi-McGrath discusses family, art & food. She blogs At The McGrath’s Kitchen. Sara is also the Owner and Director of MCLEMOI GALLERY an international contemporary art gallery in Chippendale NSW.

Entrepreneur, modern mum, food lover and former ‘bikkie baker’, Cindy Luken created Luk Beautifood – a business dedicated to making makeup from food (starting with lippies). Her Beauty Kitchen blog, is dedicated to beauty & food and aims to inspire and motivate people to eat and cook their way to a more delicious and healthy version of themselves.

Physio Antony Lo, (aka The Physio Detective) specialises in hard-to-treat conditions. In such specialized areas, Antony uses social media to connect to other healthcare practitioners and educate health professionals and the public. The Physio Detective shares his views on Pippa Middelton’s posture, social media, cross fitting and blogging.

Gerry Tye is perhaps best known as Talin’s Dad. Empowered patient, health activist, and blogger, Gerry is on a mission to fund research & find a cure for Pontine Glioma (cancer of the brain stem), the most deadly of children’s cancers.

Ingrid Ozols is the founder and Managing Director of MentalHealth@Work. We all will experience joy, grief, love, loss, stress, adversity & vulnerability in our life and Ingrid reminds us of the importance of celebrating our humanness. She will discuss trolls, social media pitfalls for health, & how to be an empowered mental health advocate.