Azelene Williams - International Keynote Speaker

Trauma. Resilience. Empowerment. Real‑world change.

I am Azelene Williams, an accredited social worker, counsellor, and international keynote speaker who blends professional expertise with lived experience to deliver powerful, trauma‑informed presentations that move audiences from awareness to action.

For over a decade, I have worked at the intersection of trauma, mental health, domestic and family violence prevention, addiction recovery, and youth wellbeing. My work has reached more than 300,000 face-to-face engagements with people across Australia, with growing international audiences through online and global platforms.

My story is not shared for shock value. It is shared for impact.

As a teenager, I survived a civilian terrorist attack. At sixteen, I entered an abusive intimate partner relationship and narrowly escaped with my life – twice. I later navigated trauma‑driven addiction and now live with early‑stage emphysema as a consequence of those years. I was also born with a lack of oxygen, resulting in dyslexia and ADHD, and became the first in my family to earn a university degree.

These experiences, combined with formal training and years in professional practice, shape how I speak: with honesty, psychological safety, and practical insight.

What I Speak About

My keynotes are designed for corporate, government, education, health, and community audiences seeking depth, credibility, and meaningful outcomes.

Core themes include:

Trauma and the brain – how early experiences shape behaviour, health, and performance
Domestic and family violence – early warning signs, long‑term impact, and prevention
Trauma‑driven addiction and recovery
Youth mental health, boundaries, and emotional intelligence
Resilience and post‑traumatic growth
Women’s empowerment and intergenerational change
Building psychologically safe workplaces and communities

Each keynote integrates:

Evidence‑based frameworks
Lived experience
Practical strategies organisations can apply immediately
A compassionate, trauma‑informed delivery style

Media Page

A woman speaking at a podium during an event, with a banner that reads 'Beef Club Perth' and a large poster of a smiling child held by an adult in the background.

Speaking Style

My style is grounded, authentic, and story‑driven – supported by clinical knowledge and real‑world application. Audiences often describe my talks as:

Powerful but safe
Honest without being overwhelming
Educational and emotionally intelligent
Motivating, without being superficial

I speak to rooms of 20 or 2,000 with the same intention: to leave people more informed, more compassionate, and more capable than when they arrived.

Media & Professional Recognition

My work has been featured across television, radio, and print media in Australia and internationally, including ABC Radio, Channel 10, SBS, SEN Spirit, and multiple national publications.

Awards and Recognition

2020 Westfield Local Hero 2020 – Received $10 000 Grant
Local Heroes for Westfield Whitford City Shopping Centre Finalist 2020
Nominated for Telstra Business Women’s Awards 2018
Australian Mumpreneur Award Finalist Making a Difference Non-Profit 2016
Australian Mumpreneur Awards Finalist Big Ideas Award 2016
Mrs Galaxy 2015 National Finalist
Mrs Charity for Make A Wish First Runner Up2015
Mrs Charity for Wildlife Warriors First Place 2015
Winner of the Nifnex Influential 100 Business Awards 2015

Now Expanding Internationally

After years of delivering high‑impact work across Australia, I am now expanding my keynote platform internationally in partnership with the One Woman Speaker Bureau and Elite Inner Circle – a curated global network of women leaders committed to elevating voices that matter.

This next chapter focuses on delivering trauma‑informed, evidence‑based keynotes to international organisations ready to create safer workplaces, stronger communities, and lasting social impact.

Inspiring Workplace Change

A 15-Minute Lived Experience Keynote

In this powerful and reflective keynote, Azelene Williams shares her lived experience of surviving a domestic violence relationship as a teenager, and the long-term impact that coercion, fear, and silence can have on a person’s sense of safety, identity, and voice.

Drawing on her personal story and professional insight, Azelene invites audiences to consider how early experiences of power, control, and relational harm can shape wellbeing far beyond adolescence — and why workplaces play an important role in awareness, prevention, and support.

This keynote is designed to foster empathy, open conversation, and encourage more informed, compassionate responses to mental health and relationship safety within professional environments. It is delivered with care, clarity, and respect, making it suitable for a wide range of corporate and organisational settings.

Speaker One-Sheet

Featured

★★★★★

"Azelene captivated everyone with her lived experience, sharing her personal story in a way that was both moving and enlightening. She engaged with the students brilliantly, staying afterwards to answer questions and share her valuable resources. Her passion and dedication made a lasting impact on everyone in the room. Azelene was well organized and communicated well about the planning and preparation leading up to the day. She was flexible with our venue, and we thank her for her knowledge and resources on dealing with academic stress."

Fiona de Courcier, Head of Year 11 Iona Presentation College

★★★★★

“Azelene presented Vaping Clearing The Air to our Year 9 cohort earlier this year. This presentation was highly relevant to students, and they were engaged by her personal stories and the real-life consequences that were shared – it certainly left students with something to think about. Thank you, Azelene!"

Bec Danze, Head of Year 9 Prindiville Catholic College

★★★★★

“Azelene Williams was one of the best presenters I've ever heard as a presenter in my school. She was very confident and well-spoken. Most presentations I attend are usually dull and tiring, but Azelene's presentation informed me and made me want to know more. Her storytelling was engaging and very powerful.”

Year 12 student Mother Teresa Catholic College