Cornell Thomas is an international speaker, entrepreneur, author and coach. His purpose is to inspire and motivate others. Cornell has spoken all over the world sharing his story with people from all walks of life. Daring others to say “What Now” instead of “Why Me” in the face of adversity.

Cornell’s journey started on the basketball court, and after a career ending injury shifted to coaching. Eight years ago he realized that he had a bigger calling. He knew there was something else that God wanted him to do on this earth. He was on his Facebook timeline one day and was tired of all the negativity he saw. So he started posted positive quotes, the quotes become blogs, and then the blogs books. He decided to share his story with the rest of the world. Flash forward to today and he has been blessed with the opportunity to impact thousands of people all over the world.

“Who am I? I’m a father, husband, speaker, author, and someone living his purpose and helping others realize they can too.” - Cornell Thomas

Cornell works within corporate spaces, works with schools, and hosts his unique Positivity Summit all over the world.

Garry and Cornell have known each other for several years, with Garry speaking at a number of Cornell’s events, and together they share a belief in better, connected, and filled with possibility.

Listen to the depth and connection that occurs in Cornell and I’s first ever live conversation on episode 67 of the Value through Vulnerability podcast.

B. Lorraine Smith is a seasoned advisor with over two decades of experience in corporate sustainability and ESG. Lorraine's unique stance — engaging leaders without blame while unflinchingly addressing difficult truths — has made her a valued advisor to global players. Her expertise spans diverse sectors including mining, energy, chemicals, banking, agriculture, retail, and tech.

With a focus on ESG strategy, investor communications, and executive engagement, Lorraine honed her skills through leadership roles at Canadian Business for Social Responsibility and SustainAbility before becoming independent in 2016. Her multilingual abilities and cross-regional experience have proven invaluable in navigating complex international sustainability landscapes.

Lorraine has collaborated with global change agents such as Volans and ESG leaders such as Suzano. Her career began in fundraising at World Wildlife Fund Canada, followed by roles in B2B electronics and business analysis at Manulife Financial.

Today, Lorraine advises executives towards a vision of an economy where businesses thrive by enabling societal and biosphere well-being. Through Matereality assessments, incisive articles, and transformative advisory work, she continues to challenge industry norms and inspire meaningful change in the corporate world.

You can view Lorraine's speaker reel here, if you are looking for an inspiring, constructively challenging alternative to Western sustainability as we know it today.

Lorraine and I have connected via a few interconnected, yet different, connections, and we share a clear mission to actively reduce the harm that Western business models cause near to home, and far away.

WorldBlu Freedom at Work is a transformational consultancy headed by CEO and Founder Traci Fenton.

With their uniquely codified approach to transformational change, they focus on a mix of mindset, leadership, and organisational design to help organisations unlock human potential and high performance.

Whether your company has a turnover of USD 5million and scaling, or is a more established $80billion turnover multination conglomerate, WorldBlu’s principle-based approach is evidenced to add exponential results vs traditionally designed organisations.

Garry has been through a range of their trainings over the years including diving deep into fears, self-worth, and freedom-centered leadership. Garry is a partner to WorldBlu.

Check out WorldBlu's Leadership workshops and Culture workshops, and drop me a line to review f they could be a good fit for your needs.

Garry on a variety of his platforms with this conversation being part of the previous Have Courage summit.

Kimberly Davis shares her inspirational message of personal power, responsibility, and impact with organizations across the country and teaches leadership programs world-wide.

She has been teaching for Southern Methodist’s Cox School of Business' Executive Education Program since 2010, most notably for their Transformational Leadership Program and their Latino Leadership Initiative. Additionally, Kimberly was both an instructor and mentor for the Bush Institute's WE Lead program (empowering female leaders from the middle east).

Kimberly is a TEDx speaker, the founder of OnStage Leadership, which gave birth to the Brave Leadership University. Her book, Brave Leadership: Unleash Your Most Confident, Powerful and Authentic Self to Get the Results You Need, has a cover endorsement by best-selling author, Daniel Pink, was the 2019 Benjamin Franklin Silver Award winner for Business and Career and was named the #1 book to read on Inc. Magazine’s “The most impactful books to read in 2018.”

Garry first met Kimberly when he was looking for guests for his first and only to date online summit called Have Courage. There was an amazing meeting of minds at this point.

You can find the conversation we had on podcast here, or YouTube here.

Garry is also currently journeying through Kimberly’s Brave Leadership University and it is a sublime, forward-looking training that is ripe for our times.

Hello, I’m Jo, founder of ConnectUp. A bit about me:

I have worked in roles that unlock the engagement of people for 23 years, with a variety of organisations, across industries such as Retail, Distribution & Supply Chain, Agriculture, Hospitality, Care, Technology, Charity, Marketing & PR, Events and Pharmaceutical.

Following attaining my 2.1 Degree from Southampton University, I had a long and varied career with John Lewis and Waitrose, and in 2017 I started my business, ConnectUp.

Known as a springboard or catalyst for change, learning, and improving how work feels, my energy is future-focused, big picture and inspiring – with a bedrock of recognising that with great thinking, and the right space, great things happen.

Jo and I have held a range of transformational spaces together and offer the same to extractive industry executives and senior teams.

Jo and I have known one another for several years and share a deep belief in the power of spaces.

Jo kindly joined Lucy Bramley and I as part of our live-stream experiment called the ‘Inside-Out Show.’

Josh Allan Dykstra is the world’s foremost practitioner on the Future Of Work and Human Energy TM, helping audiences create the future they want to work in by reimagining the way organizations and people interact.

As a musician-turned-tech founder, Josh offers a refreshing perspective on “HR,” inspiring influential leaders to think bigger and challenge the status quo.

Over the past two decades, Josh has served a client list of companies (logos below) that collectively employ over a million people.

Josh is the founder and CEO of The Work Revolution, and his articles and ideas have been featured by Fast Company, Forbes, The Huffington Post, and Business Insider.

He holds an MBA in Executive Leadership from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his latest book, Igniting the Invisible Tribe: Designing An Organization That Doesn’t Suck, is available on Amazon and Audible.

Garry and Josh met for the first time at the WorldBlu Leadership & Growth Summit in Miami in February 2024 and have never looked back!

After achieving success in the corporate world, completing a PhD in Organizational Leadership and becoming a published author, Heather embarked on a new path dedicated to supporting senior leaders in their pursuit of evolved leadership and soulful organizations.

With over fifteen years of experience as an executive coach, Heather has witnessed the profound transformations that occur when leaders embrace new practices and self-awareness.

Heather’s approach is a bit untraditional. While she has the traditional academic background, a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Development, a Master’s degree in Human Resources/Industrial Relations, and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Transformational Change, her education and experience extends far beyond traditional academia. Heather has spent the past five years immersed in the teachings, practices, and wisdom found in equine-facilitated coaching, adding a unique dimension to her coaching practice.

If you are ready to align your life with your true essence and embark on an extraordinary journey of self-discovery, experimentation, and change, I wholeheartedly invite you to join me.

Having tried equine facilitation myself, I cannot recommend Heather and Colby’s work enough. Garry has known Heather for a number of years and has hosted a range of deep explorations with Heather including this one on Value through Vulnerability, as well as having met for the first time in-person at the WorldBlu summit in Feb 2024.

TONI MCLELLAND MSc FRSA splits her time between London England and Wales UK. She is a Critical Friend and Business Mentor working with C Suite Leaders and Board Members in social and public interest causes. She is an RSA fellow with a keen interest in behavioural sciences and applied criminology combining behaviour and people effectively to get results.

Compassion and DEIB has been integral in Toni’s journey which led her to develop as founder The Compassionate Organisation Framework and Leadership Model. Toni is an inspirational, people leader and one that passionately navigates leaders through individual and business challenge, crisis and change management for futureproofing and sustainability in business whilst putting people at the heart. Though working at the sharp end Toni is passionate about bringing the learning back 360 degrees to mentor social entrepreneurs starting out on their start up entrepreneurial journey in this area.

Toni is a proficient speaker, business specialist and champion in social impact, justice and social mobility leading on public interest causes. Having led in these areas for over 30 years her senior positions include Central Government, Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Home Office, specialist education Principal and Chief Executive of a Home Care Organisation. A veteran in DEIB which underpins all her work she has her own leadership change model’ The Magic BLEND’. Known as the Queen of Compassion, she comes with a sprinkling of #TonisFairyDust and has been described as fairy dust personified.

Garry and Toni have collaborated in a range of community spaces and both share a deep belief in the power of compassionate and authentic leadership. Toni joined Garry for a Right Here, Right Now live-stream conversation previously as well.

Trina Casey is an accomplished life coach, educator, writer, and speaker who has taught and lived worldwide. She has lived and taught in Italy, Indonesia, Amsterdam, and the US, bringing a global perspective to her work. From a young age, Trina harbored a passion for writing, which she channeled into creating trauma-informed children's books that emphasize emotional intelligence. Inspired by her son, who cherished the bedtime stories she crafted to help him overcome self-doubt and bullying, Trina's books offer practical tools for children to navigate their challenges while fostering a positive self-image.

Trina firmly believes that incorporating emotional intelligence in schools can transform the world and cultivate purpose-driven adults. As a dedicated life coach, she extends her mission to promote emotional healing and growth through her bi-weekly podcast, EQaboveIQ Parenting with Emotional Intelligence and Healing the Inner Child. She often shares the insight that "We are all children walking around in adult suits pretending we have all figured out while we spread our trauma to everyone we meet, especially our children!" We must protect and heal children to create a sustainable and compassionate world for adults. Through her multifaceted work, Trina strives to create a more empathetic and compassionate future for generations to come!

Trina believes we C.A.N. Collectively Awaken Now to S.T.O.P. Stand Together, Oppose Psychopathy from the Hegemonic forces causing trauma globally.

Garry and Trina have collaborated on a few occasions, including the ongoing Beyond Hegemony podcast, which also features another collaborator, Sahana Chattopadhyay.

Sahana Chattopadhyay is a Writer, Speaker, Pattern Seeker, and Regeneration Catalyst. Through her work, she explores different pathways to civilizational transition towards life-sustaining and decolonial future(s), and counter-hegemonic narratives. She is currently working on her book tentatively titled, Designing Organizations for Pluriversal Futures.

She is the founder of a boutique consulting firm Proteeti, a Sanskrit word meaning “wisdom that transforms”. She is also a certified Coach, Facilitator, Learning Designer, and an Organization Development & Change Professional with a focus on Emergent Learning.

After spending more than two decades in the corporate world of multinationals, she realized that mainstream business (BAU) simply does not have the functional or foundational capacities to be regenerative and life-affirming. Entrapped by neoliberal capitalist logic, BAU is doomed to be degenerative.

She left the corporate world in 2016 to pursue her vision and belief in the potential for businesses to be planetary healing forces. This journey took her from regeneration to decolonization and pluriversality. Through a decade of research, reflection, writing, conversations, and social observations, she crystallized her approach and methodology of Futures Sensing. She offers her insights and experiences to organizations embarking on a journey of transformation—from degeneration to regeneration.

Garry has known Sahana for some time, and has been blessed to hold dialogue with her as a guest, as well as being a co-host, as part of Beyond Hegemony, and Community Campfires.

“As an organisation whose mission is to drive change, you seek to disrupt the status quo and bust the unjust every day. So why should your approach to leadership and culture be any different? In a world full of systems and norms designed to keep us from flourishing, if we’re going to become truly effective leaders of change - we’re going to have to be rebels about it.”

Debbie is an Integral Coach and inclusive leadership facilitator based in London, UK. With 18+ years experience in NGOs, corporate leadership development and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, she founded Rebel Leadership as a coaching practice to serve change-making organisations in 2021.

Over the past two years, Debbie’s work with Rebel Leadership has supported the holistic development of over 250 leaders at organisations including Amnesty International, Avanade, Mermaids, Unifrog and International Alert. In each case, Debbie developed bespoke programmes to help leaders adopt practical and liberating approaches to their leadership, so they could not just spark change, but authentically sustain it too.

In a world where burnout is too common among activists and change-makers, Debbie is passionate about enabling exhausted leaders to build up self- and community-care practices that stick - so they can feel fully resourced to navigate even the most complex challenges.

Justice and liberation principles are woven into everything Debbie does. Her approach is supported by a deep understanding of somatics (body work) and anti-oppressive practice. She also teaches and advices on inclusive coaching practice as Adjunct Faculty for Thirdspace, the accredited school for Integral Coaching in the UK.

Clients have recognised Debbie for her ‘deepest emotional intelligence’, ‘extensive knowledge’ and ‘total unshockability.’

For her own part, Debbie describes her life as a commitment to healing, liberation and love.

Debbie is one of my more recent connections and co-conspirators as he likes to call us, but my goodness, what a human, and what an impact she is having on the world.

Brooke Erol is a purpose-driven, passionate author, thinker dedicated to helping people stay human, be human, and find fulfillment at work. There are two sides to her business to achieve this goal.

YourBestLife assists individuals in gaining clarity about their goals, values, strengths ensuring that work becomes more than just a paycheck—it becomes meaningful.

Purposeful Business, Inc. guides organizations to become purpose-driven, attracting and retaining top talent by creating a positive impact on the world. She believes in fostering cultures where profit is a by-product of a greater mission, not the sole focus. Brooke helps leaders adapt to new ways of working and grow their businesses without sacrificing their people’s well-being. By creating environments where employees are eager and happy to engage, she drives both personal fulfillment and improved business results.

When individuals know who they are and their “why,” and organizations do the same, aligning these two forces creates magic at work. This alignment leads to increased engagement, productivity, business results, higher client satisfaction, and lower turnover rates- what all organizations want! It's a win-win for everyone involved.

Brooke and Garry have known each other for several years and frequent similar transformative leadership and organisational design spaces.

Brooke is an incredible career coach and creative thinker who has joined Garry several times on his different platforms including here on his Value through Vulnerability podcast.

Dawna Jones's career as a professional facilitator evolved into expanding self-organizational and leadership consciousness. Why? The world is complex, yet our decision-making processes remain rooted in linear thinking. This mismatch—like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole—holds companies and talent back. Our planetary support systems are under strain, evidenced by rising anxiety levels, loss of biodiversity, and social inequality. Business often seems stuck on repeat or moving at a glacial pace, despite abundant opportunities to restore trust, relevance, and positive impact. High-impact decision-making must adapt but it can't without awareness of context, consequence and a shift in worldview.

By exploring and challenging existing underlying assumptions, organizations can adapt thinking practices to benefit from the range of thinkers, concrete to visionary, operational to strategic. Disruption is greeted with rapid intuitive response, reflection, learning, not panic. To achieve collaborative capacity means growing the inner skills and trust to move from predictable routine through uncertainty. Decision-making is evolving from repeating the past to embracing unifying principles so everyone can be pointed in the same direction. The key is continuous learning.

Intuitive process facilitator, speaker, and writer Dawna started podcasting sixteen years ago to broaden perception and see systems, with the view to making it easier to navigate uncertainty today. She balances intuitive sensing with data to navigate complexity. She gained her PhD in working with uncertainty on a personal level and the lessons inform how to stay emotionally healthy and balanced in chaos at all levels.

Reconnect to yourself and embrace the unexpected and leap forward.

So much to say about Dawna, but just to say that Dawna was my trigger to get curious around systems thinking and the interconnectedness of life. She is an amazing speaker, facilitator, and writer. You can hear Dawna and I explore together right back in 2018 on the Value though Vulnerability podcast.

Nina Szewczak, MSc, CMgr FCMI, Leadership | Change | Transformation | HR | AI

Nina’s experience and expertise combine over 19 years of work & study in the realm of transformation and change, leadership and management, and revolutionising businesses and lives.

Nina completely transformed her own life twice and is helping people and businesses to overcome adversities, turn situations from tragic to magic, get better - not bitter, and make life and business great again 🪄.

Nine and I first met at my inaugural in-person event called Natural HR in Dorset in May 2019. Every since then we have both been navigating deep inner transformations, and continue as good friends and respected peers today.