Women's Leadership and Entrepreneurship Conference 2025
Speakers & Facilitators

Establishing SpectaculArts CIC in 2018, Sharon's goal to celebrate and bring together diverse communities through community and the arts was achieved, successfully working across arts institutions, theatres, cultural collectives and community organisations.  Her passion for activism and education led her to found Eyes See You, a company and movement that recognises, empowers and honors people and communities of black heritage, centered around raising awareness of the 25th March, The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. 

In addition to curating annual events nationally to honor this day, Sharon's activism for this cause has included writing, performing and touring the play Rise of the Empress, creating the innovative schools' programme  Empowering Cultural Heritage and authoring You Are More Than History Told You, a text challenging traditional Eurocentric history to include, celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of individuals, communities and cultures of black heritage. 

Alongside this work, Sharon is an artist, mother, community leader, magistrate, public speaker, mentor, teacher and inspiration to many.

A former solicitor turned pioneering entrepreneur, Anne is the founder of Cornwall’s first skin clinic established by a woman of colour—and is now launching the region’s first VTCT/Ofqual-accredited aesthetics training academy to ensure future clinicians are equipped to treat all skin types with confidence and care.

Rashmir Balasubramaniam is a leadership coach, regenerative strategist, and advisor with over 30 years’ experience working across sectors and continents. She has partnered with visionary founders, funders, and senior teams inside some of the world’s most influential organisations—including the Gates Foundation, NHS, Nesta, the National Trust, Yale, and global ventures tackling urgent challenges. 

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A former global health & development strategist and social entrepreneur, and angel investor, Rashmir now focuses on deep coaching and leadership transformation helping leaders express their essence with clarity and courage, and lead with purpose and authenticity. She bridges inner transformation with systemic change, blending wisdom, strategy, and creativity. 

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Based in Cornwall, she works primarily with women leaders, changemakers, and mission-driven organisations at pivotal points of evolution helping them navigate complexity, unlock clarity, and catalyse meaningful change with greater ease, flow, and joy.

Lizzi is an award winning ICF Blue Health Coach, Trainer, Mentor and Supervisor. Environmental psychology, neuroscience and ocean advocacy are at the heart of her work, and somatic practices play their role in establishing both internal and external equilibrium and flow. 

Her “go deep or go home” approach is provocative, inviting philosophical debate, existential discussion and a big dose of playfulness. Her MA thesis studied “our relationship with ambiguity” asking how and why some of us are more certainty-reliant than others, exploring the very nature of risk and control, and developing creative approaches to navigating inertia during transitional times.

She works with the coast as a shifting landscape inviting clients to more consciously lean in to the analogue world, developing their ability to make embodied and coherent decisions – because after all the wave hits the shore at the point of “so what… now what”

Julia’s background is teaching, but her main interest has always been individuals and how they learn, grow and transform. She began working therapeutically in 2007.
Periods of illness, including 9 years of severe ME/CFS and cancer, have enabled her to dive increasingly deeply into what it means to be alive, and what it takes to ‘heal’.

Having led workshops around UK and worked with an international clientele, she currently works with individuals face-to-face and online in Falmouth and Winchester. 

Reflective by nature, she’s committed to ongoing learning and study. You’ll rarely find her without several books on the go, and pieces of music to play or sing!

Her formal training includes an MA in Sociology and English, Certificate in Education, Diploma in Counselling, Master NLP, Dip Hypnotherapy and LifeCoaching, Reiki, Spiritual Counselling and Interfaith Ministry.

Keeley Reading is the founder of The Farming Mother CIC, an organisation dedicated to empowering all families, especially those with neurodivergence, to thrive in life and business. Based at her educational and wellbeing farm in Cornwall, Keeley draws on her personal experiences with ill health and burnout to inspire others on their journey towards success.

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Keeley’s innovative approach combines animals, therapy, and tailored educational programs, including alternative provisions and ASDAN courses, supporting both children and adults in their learning journeys and emotional well-being.

A passionate advocate for self-care and resilience, Keeley empowers people to recognise their strengths and transform challenges into opportunities for growth, creating a world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Caroline Gayle-Dunne has worked tirelessly to support people in the community, with a strong focus on marginalised groups in Cornwall, particularly women of colour and their families. She is a mental health nurse, counselling psychotherapist, and trauma-informed mental health practitioner.

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She began her career as a mental health nurse before training as a counselling psychotherapist and supervisor, specialising in supporting women and children affected by domestic abuse and survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Caroline has continued to work in deprived communities across Cornwall, supporting people with complex needs and trauma through a variety of roles aimed at tackling health inequalities and strengthening social capital.

She is co-founder of the Inspiring Women Network and currently leads the Youth Empowerment Programme Still I Rise.

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For the past eight years, she has also supported people living with substance dependence, helping them to address trauma and improve their lives.

With over 30 years of experience, Emma began her career in children’s homes and supporting individuals with learning difficulties before moving into the voluntary sector.

For the past 22 years at Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change (CN4C), she has delivered community programmes using an asset-based approach to empower people and create lasting change.

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Alongside community development, Emma is a trained counsellor and coach, specialising in solution-focused and trauma-informed practice. She works with individuals with complex needs to support personal growth and resilience.

Emma plays a key role in amplifying the voices of those with lived experience to influence policy and programmes in Cornwall. Her focus remains on tackling deprivation, improving financial wellbeing, and strengthening communities through a “what matters to you” approach.