Confidence, welbeing & mindfulness speaker in Melbourne
Kate James is a confidence, wellbeing and mindfulness speaker based in Melbourne, Australia.
As the author of six books, including the bestselling Quietly Confident, and a mindfulness teacher with more than 138,000 followers on Insight Timer, Kate helps individuals and organisations develop greater self-confidence, navigate change with resilience and create more meaningful, fulfilling lives.
Known for her warm, authentic and engaging style, Kate combines practical psychology, mindfulness and real-world experience to deliver presentations that are both inspiring and actionable.
Meet Kate
Book Kate to speak
Get in touch to book mindfulness, wellbeing or workshop or keynote with Kate James
Why I speak
I’ve seen how many capable, intelligent people struggle with stress and self-doubt, often while appearing confident and capable on the outside. Over time, I began to notice the same patterns showing up again and again – people who are prone to overthinking, feeling pressure to always get it right, and for women in particular, a tendency to put everyone else first at the expense of their own wellbeing.
My work is about helping people understand these patterns with more compassion, so they can begin to shift them. When people reconnect with themselves in a more honest way, there is a shift towards greater self-trust, more clarity under pressure, and a greater sense of ease in how they move through both work and life.
I draw on mindfulness, psychology and years of coaching experience to make these ideas practical and accessible, not just theoretical. At the heart of it, I believe confidence and calm are things we can cultivate, and that meaningful change becomes possible when we start to meet ourselves right where we are.
About Kate
Kate James is a warm, authentic and engaging speaker known for her grounded, relatable approach to confidence, wellbeing and creating meaningful change.
Drawing on more than two decades of experience in coaching, mindfulness and psychology, Kate brings complex ideas into simple, practical language that people can immediately apply in their lives and work. Her keynotes are thoughtful, down-to-earth and evidence-informed, combining insight with real-world tools that support lasting change.
Audiences often describe Kate as someone who genuinely embodies what she teaches, creating a sense of trust, ease and connection in the room.
In her presentations, she helps people:
develop greater self-awareness and self-trust
build quiet confidence and reduce self-doubt
understand and work with the patterns that drive stress and overthinking
strengthen resilience and emotional steadiness under pressure
navigate change with more clarity and perspective
bring mindfulness into everyday life in simple, practical ways
Speaking topics
Mindfulness & wellbeing
Practical, evidence-informed strategies to reduce stress, improve focus and build emotional resilience in everyday life.
Quiet confidence
Helping people overcome self-doubt, trust themselves and step into their potential without needing to become someone they’re not.
Meaningful change
How to navigate uncertainty, transition and growth with greater clarity, self-trust and direction. How to discover your purpose.
Speaking formats
Kate is available for a range of speaking formats, depending on your event needs and audience size.
Keynote presentations
Inspiring, research-informed talks that explore themes such as confidence, emotional wellbeing, stress, and the balance between striving and contentment. These sessions are engaging, practical, and designed to create lasting insight.
Workshops
Interactive sessions that go deeper into specific topics, combining reflection, discussion, and practical tools. Workshops are ideal for teams or groups who want space to apply ideas in real time.
Panel discussions and interviews
Kate is an experienced and thoughtful contributor to panel conversations, podcasts, and in-conversation style events. She brings warmth, clarity, and grounded insight to complex topics.
Retreats and immersive experiences
Longer-form sessions designed to support deeper reflection and meaningful change. These can be tailored to align with the theme and intention of your retreat or program.
Corporate and leadership events
Talks and sessions tailored for workplaces, focusing on leadership, resilience, communication, and sustainable performance without burnout.
All presentations can be tailored to suit your audience, context, and desired outcomes.
Book Kate to speak
Get in touch to book mindfulness, wellbeing or workshop or keynote with Kate James
What people say
“I would urge anyone who wants to create and drive a positive and productive team culture to get you to run some corporate mindfulness workshops with Kate. Thank you Kate for hosting such a brilliant workshop and creating the perfect space for my team to explore their strengths and talents and to learn about new tools to help them stay focused and grounded in such a busy work environment. The energy, knowledge and experience you bring are truly exceptional!”
Alex McDonald, Head of Audience Curation and Engagement, Bupa
“Some of my senior leaders were sceptical about meditation in general and some were feeling quite uncomfortable with the thought, however, we persevered. We then arranged a session at our last leadership offsite. Within minutes of meditating the team realised that they were feeling more relaxed and everyone agreed, that it’s a simple and practical tool for stress management. We now have a number of the team meditating on a more regular basis.”
Franca Alessi, Business Support Manager, Network Operations & Development, National Australia Bank
“Kate came into Cotton On Head Office and opened up our global mindfulness program. Her workshop was the perfect introduction to mindfulness. The talk was both informative and engaging with key takeaways and techniques that people used straight away. Since Kate’s workshop, we have had leaders and general managers invite Kate back as a mindfulness speaker and expert to further develop these concepts within their teams.”
Luke McLean – Health +Wellbeing Manager, Cotton On Group
“Kate delivered a fantastic mindfulness session for our executive team, the session was perfectly pitched for the audience and delivered well beyond my expectations. Kate’s engaging style and ability to mesh together research and real-life practical examples really resonated with all who attended. In the weeks that followed many attendees have mentioned how much they learned and are trying to include mindful practice into their daily lives.”
Nicole Tournier, Director Planning & Resources, Strategy & Governance RMIT University
“Kate James brings to her mindfulness workshops a bucketful of practical advice delivered in a calm and authentic manner whereby you’re left wishing that you could spend more time with her. She is insightful and inspirational, leaving the audience hanging on her every word. We were fortunate to have Kate provide a two-hour mindfulness workshop at the AGPAL and QIP 2018 Conference – the feedback from our clients was outstanding with only one common complaint – two hours was not considered long enough!”
Emily Geering, GM Marketing & Communications, Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited
“Kate led an interactive workshop with 20 of our nursing customers designed to explore the unique challenges they face managing stress each day. Through creative exercises and guided meditation, each participant was able to come to a deeper understanding of what it truly means to ‘manage stress’. The group dynamic became very open and supportive as we progressed. By the end of the workshop, everyone wanted assurances that this would be an annual event! We continue to get emails from our nurses describing the positive results they are getting from applying the stress-management principles at home and at work. Well done Kate!”
Larry Fells, CEO, Dansac
“Kate, I really appreciated you delivering such an excellent corporate mindfulness workshop for our team. Your presentation ‘hit the mark’ and I received a lot of positive feedback from the Leadership Team on the quality of the presentation. Your session made it to the top of my list of “three things that went well today”!”
Neil Whiteside, Director Community Wellbeing, Brimbank City Council
“Kate taught us a number of different mindfulness techniques that were surprisingly simple to learn, yet effective. Kate herself is a fantastic advertisement for meditation as her presence was calming yet energising.’”
Michele Leembruggen, Sustainable Building Coordinator, City of Melbourne
“Kate ran a mindfulness session for our team who work in a fast-paced and sometimes challenging industry. Each member of our team came away feeling more equipped with managing their mindset and behaviours. Kate’s soothing voice and reasonable insights resonated with those less familiar with meditation. We have no hesitation in recommending Kate to those looking to enhance personal and professional development. Thank you!”
Warlimont & Nutt Real Estate
“We found Kate’s insights and ideas helpful and everyone enjoyed the time to focus on themselves and to consider the priorities they had and if these should change.
Within a few weeks, almost everyone had taken some action to improve their wellbeing, productivity or relationships. This varied from enrolling in further study, starting an exercise program, joining a meditation class or simply reorganising their workspace.”
Tricia Farnes, Associate Director – Human Resources, Holmesglen Institute of TAFE
“Kate has been an integral part of our health and wellness program within Aviva. Sessions including Managing Stress, Mindfulness and Work-Life Balance have engaged our employees and created an awareness and understanding around the importance of maintaining one’s health, both mentally and physically. Kate’s warm and understanding nature combined with her passion and enthusiasm for these topics has ensured a continued successful program for our employees.”
Cliodhna Coughlan, HR Learning & Development, Aviva Australia
“Kate, just a note to say a big thank you for the talk last night. The feedback was very positive and I think that we all took something away from it. Your style is great, with just the right balance of relaxed delivery without diminishing the importance of the material, and engaged the group throughout. I hope we can work together in the future.”
Brian Peters, Competency Executive, Terra Firma
“Thank you for a very interesting and informative session you conducted at CitiPower/Powercor today. Work-life balance sometimes seems a term that is quite hard to define, but you prompted lots of thought-starters for me. One thing I found vital – recognition that the balance can and does change frequently, depending on issues that are happening in either my work or private life. I hadn’t truly realised that before now. Thank you for putting so much of yourself into the presentation – it makes it so much more interesting.”
Executive Assistant to General Manager Human Resources & Corporate Affairs, Powercor/CitiPower
Recent clients include
Cotton On Group, Latrobe University, Holmesglen, Monash, Sensis, Grocon, Aviva, Coles Myer, Urbis, NPS Medicinewise, Moores Legal, The Victorian Bar, BHP Billiton, Macquarie Bank, NAB, Bank West, PwC, Powercor, CSR, Clemenger, CHE, George Patts, Department of Transport, Department of Human Services, Department of Sustainability & Environment, Department of Justice, Financial Ombudsman Service, Victorian Electoral Commission, TCA, Yarra Valley Water, Local Government Women’s Professional Development, Australian Red Cross, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Whitelion and Kids Under Cover.