Gary Parsons
Leadership Wellbeing Expert | Helping Leaders Think Sustainably about Responsibility & Pressure
Travels from Derby UK
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Talks Given
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Speaks on:
Authentic Leadership
AI
Burnout Prevention
Leadership Development
Resilience
Speaks to:
Small & Medium Businesses (SMBs)
Associations & Membership Orgs
Corporate Teams & Enterprises
Health & Wellness
Formats:
Keynote
Workshop
Panel
Audience members say
Key Audience Outcomes
Participants felt empowered to prioritize their well-being without guilt.
Attendees gained practical strategies for preventing burnout.
Listeners felt inspired to implement the SELF model in their personal and professional lives.
Gary's Bio
Gary helps organisations build resilient, high-performing leadership cultures by treating leadership wellbeing as a strategic advantage. After scaling a multi-award-winning company while silently battling depression, he now supports senior teams to reduce burnout risk, strengthen decision-making, and drive sustainable growth through Selfish Leadership™. Diagnosed with Bell’s palsy at 18 and featured on Channel 4’s Love My Face, Gary speaks candidly about the masks leaders wear and the hidden cost of success, turning vulnerability into practical leadership insight. His signature keynotes, Learning How to Smile Again and Why Selfish Leaders Make the Best Leaders, challenge outdated expectations of sacrifice and show leaders how prioritising themselves leads to stronger cultures and better performance. Host of the Leaders in Disguise podcast and founder of a national movement breaking the stigma around leadership mental health.
Private
Varies based on date, location, and engagement type
What you will receive
A detailed quote with pricing, availability, add-ons, and travel info that's ready to share with your team.
Gary Offers the Following Talks
Leadership Under Pressure in the Age of AI
Leaders understand why AI often increases pressure rather than reducing it, helping them make sense of feeling more productive but not less busy.
Leaders gain a clearer awareness of how AI changes the rhythm of work, expanding responsibility, blurring boundaries, and increasing decision fatigue.
Leaders learn why managing energy, boundaries, and recovery is now a core leadership capability in AI-accelerated environments.
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45 - 60 minutes
Learning How to Smile Again
Authentic leadership
Emotional intelligence
Mental health in high-performance roles
The power of non-verbal communication
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30 - 60 minutes
Selfish Leaders Win
A reframe that sticks | Prioritising yourself is not weakness. It is the strategic move that makes you a better decision-maker, a sharper leader, and a more effective manager of the people around you.
A model they can use immediately | The SELF Framework - Set Boundaries, Elevate Wellbeing, Lead with Intention, Foster Growth - gives leaders a practical structure for performing sustainably without burning through their reserves.
Recognition of the patterns that are costing them | The masks leaders wear. The myths they have been sold about sacrifice and success. The specific habits that are quietly eroding their performance and their team's confidence in them.
The ability to delegate properly | Leaders who are running on empty do not delegate - they either do it themselves or do it badly. This session addresses the root cause, not the symptom.
One committed action | Something specific. Something they can do differently in the week ahead. Not a mood - a decision.
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30 - 60 minutes
Frequently Asked Questions on Working With Gary
What should I know about working with you?
I’ve been speaking for over 15 years and I know what audiences enjoy, what lands well, and the importance of a collaborative project. You’ll get honesty right from the start, along with hints and tips to maximise your engagement. It’s a partnership.
Can you customize your presentation for our specific audience and event theme?
Absolutely! This is done by default to ensure that you get the maximum engagement at your event. From the very beginning, I’ll be asking questions to ensure my talk is aligned to your audience and theme.
My organization has a limited budget. Do you have any flexibility in your pricing?
Yes, of course. Always enquire and we’ll explore options together.
Will I receive post-event materials (slides, recordings, handouts)?
Yes, I’ll include this as part of my proposal and ensure it aligns with your goals for the day. Impact doesn’t just happen at an event, it stays with you beyond and this is important for me too.