About this event
Please note our new location at Best Western Calcot Hotel, 98 Bath Road, Reading, RG31 7QN.
Join us for an unmissable evening at PSA Thames Valley on 19 March 2026, where two exceptional speakers will transform how you think about success, leadership, and longevity in the speaking profession.
Keynote 1: Gary Parsons
Gary, former CEO and creator of the Selfish Leadership™ philosophy, asks the question every speaker needs to answer: How often do we take our own advice?
In this energising and thought-provoking session, Gary Parsons shares how his philosophy of Selfish Leadership™ – and the powerful SELF Framework™ – can help speakers, trainers, and coaches build sustainable success without burning out.
Drawing from his journey as the co-founder of a multi-award-winning, 7-figure company with clients across the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong – including an acquisition that doubled the business in size – Gary reveals what happens when your calendar is full, your audience loves you, but your energy is empty.
Through real stories, practical insights, and interactive reflection, Gary shows how to apply the SELF Framework™ (Set Boundaries, Elevate Wellbeing, Lead with Intention, and Foster Growth) to the life of a professional speaker. It’s a simple yet transformative approach to prioritising yourself so you can perform at your best on and off the stage.
This session is your reminder that being “selfish” isn’t about ego – it’s about energy. Because the more you protect yours, the more impact you create.
Keynote 2: Paul Hargreaves
Paul will be delighting you again following his fantastic keynote at the Speaking Business Summit 2025!
Paul is the CEO of Cotswold Fayre and author of Forces for Good. He brings Scandinavian wisdom to life in “How to Live and Work Scandi-style.”
Drawing on a keyword from each of the Scandinavian nations (+ Finland which technically isn’t Scandinavia!) Paul will equip us to live better and lead better in life and work.
From Denmark, we learn the value of silence, solitude, connection with ourselves, nature and others. Learn to move from doing to being.
From Finland, we learn that transformation through adversity leads to a greater sense of purpose with grit and resilience at its heart. True courage.
From Sweden, we learn the joy of contentment from having enough and how to move from a scarcity mindset to an abundant one.
And from Norway, that real fulfilment and happiness is found in serving and loving others and putting ourselves last.
What You’ll Take Away:
- Proven strategies to protect your energy and perform at your best on and off stage
- A practical framework for setting boundaries and sustaining your speaking career long-term
- The courage to transform adversity into purpose with resilience at its core
- Inspiration to shift from scarcity to abundance and lead with self-love and service.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or building your speaking portfolio, this evening promises honest conversation, actionable insights, and the reminder that taking care of yourself is the ultimate strategy for lasting impact.
Don’t miss this opportunity to invest in yourself – because the best speakers know that sustainable success starts with leading yourself first.
Keynote speakers
Gary Parsons is a UK-based leadership mentor, speaker, and mental health advocate who helps leaders build resilience, authenticity, and sustainable performance. Diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy at 18, Gary’s personal journey shaped a deep understanding of vulnerability, identity, and wellbeing in leadership.
After co-founding the multi-award-winning consultancy Talk Staff, Gary began speaking openly about his experiences with mental health, challenging stigma and encouraging more human, honest leadership.
Today, he works with leaders and organisations through mentoring, workshops, keynote speaking, and his podcast Leaders in Disguise, promoting cultures where wellbeing and performance go hand in hand.
Paul Hargreaves is one of the leading voices in the UK encouraging and inspiring businesses to make a positive impact on the world. He believes that businesses should be a Force for Good, which is also the title of his first book.
Paul’s main role is as CEO of Cotswold Fayre, a multi-award-winning speciality food and drink wholesaler supplying over 2,000 retail, mainly rural sites in the UK. The company diversified in June 2021 by opening Flourish, its first foodhall, restaurant and home and lifestyle store and opened a second store in Nov 2024.
Paul speaks to businesses and at conferences across the UK and Europe, usually to business leaders about compassionate leadership, company culture, personal development and sustainability. This is the topic for his second book, The Fourth Bottom Line. His podcast delves into the inner side of successful people and is called 4th Bottom Line.
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