In the demanding world of law and leadership, and at the peak of her career, Shayla reached rock bottom, overwhelmed by burnout, chronic pain and the relentless pressure to perform. Faced with the reality that her path was unsustainable, Shayla made the courageous decision to redefine success based on her own values rather than external expectations. She rebuilt her life by focusing on what she genuinely wanted, instead of what she felt she should do, and found a new way to balance meaningful work with personal fulfilment. As a coach, mentor, and consultant, Shayla helps others make this transformative shift. In this keynote, she shares how you can create a life and career that reflect your true desires without having to abandon your profession. By setting boundaries, silencing critics, and breaking away from conventional paths, Shayla inspires you to take bold steps toward crafting a life and career that align with your core values. This keynote will leave you with the clarity to stop pursuing tasks out of obligation and start building a future based on what truly matters to you.

This keynote draws from Shayla’s 23 years of experience working with marginalised communities—women facing violence, refugees, individuals in detention, and people with mental health issues. Shayla shares powerful stories of how even the smallest actions can create lasting impact in systems that seem too broken to fix. By focusing on helping one person at a time or tackling one issue, Shayla demonstrates how meaningful change is possible, even in the face of overwhelming challenges. Her message encourages individuals to recognize that real progress toward equity doesn’t always come from grand gestures—it comes from everyday actions, amplifying the voices of those who are often ignored. Shayla inspires her audience to look at their own lives and careers and see where they can make small changes that will ripple outward, driving equity and justice in the world around them.

This keynote focuses on the idea that while the world’s problems can seem overwhelming, meaningful change starts with helping one person or addressing one issue at a time. Drawing from Shayla’s experience working with marginalised and vulnerable communities, “Start with One” emphasises the power of small, individual actions that can have a lasting ripple effect. Shayla inspires her audience to see that they don’t need massive resources or influence to make a difference—by focusing on the person or task in front of them, they can drive real change in their communities and work environments. This keynote offers a practical, grounded approach to creating impact, highlighting that significant transformation often begins with just one step, one conversation, or one decision to help.

In her 20+ years as a human rights lawyer and CEO, Shayla Strapps has faced the most challenging aspects of injustice—working with vulnerable individuals in prisons, detention centres, and mental health institutions. Through this experience, she learned that resilience is not just about surviving adversity; it’s about sustaining progress in the face of immense challenges while never losing sight of the common goal.
In this powerful keynote, Shayla shares the strategies she developed to maintain resilience while advocating for societal change, and how those same principles can be applied to any organisation working toward ambitious goals. Shayla highlights how building strength as a team, defining a shared purpose, and learning from setbacks can lead to lasting impact, even in the most difficult circumstances.

Attendees will walk away inspired by Shayla’s stories of persistence and teamwork, understanding that by harnessing collective resilience, we can move beyond short-term wins to create long-term, meaningful change. This keynote is a call to stay focused on the bigger picture, reminding us that the path to achieving any common goal requires strength, solidarity, and an unwavering commitment to progress.