ACT State Council Network

HR professionals are often expected to hold everyone else together, while quietly running on empty themselves.
In this interactive session, Callie Elward-Barrett will introduce a practical tool for understanding capacity, cognitive load, boundaries and recovery. Using a hands-on activity, participants will explore how everyday work demands can deplete energy, why resilience is not simply about trying harder, and how leaders can build more realistic conversations about support and sustainability.
The session will be especially relevant for HR practitioners working across wellbeing, DEI, performance, psychosocial safety, leadership development and workforce strategy. Participants will leave with a practical approach they can use personally and share back in their organisations to support more compassionate, neuroinclusive and sustainable ways of working.

Target Audience  

HR practitioners and leaders, DEI practitioners, WHS practitioners, Learning and Development practitioners, leaders and managers.

Speaker: Callie Elward-Barrett, Founder of Executive Functioning Leadership Australia and Co-Founder of ndWILD.

Callie Elward-Barrett is the Founder of Executive Functioning Leadership Australia and Co-Founder of ndWILD, a global movement for neurodivergent inclusion and visibility. She is a neuroinclusion specialist, keynote speaker, facilitator and former senior public sector leader with extensive experience across digital transformation, engagement, governance and workforce capability.
Callie works with leaders, HR teams and organisations to move neuroinclusion from good intent to practical workplace design. Her work draws on lived experience, leadership practice, psychosocial safety, the 5Cs Model for Neuroinclusion, and the Neuroinclusion Capability Framework, co-created with Jayne Gurton.
Known for her practical, warm and occasionally provocative style, Callie helps organisations better understand capacity, cognitive load, communication, flexibility and the conditions people need to do their best work. She is also co-host of F Them Fish: AuDHD for Grownups, a podcast exploring neurodivergence in real adult life.

Host: Dr Robin C Ladwig (PhD) They/Them is a lecturer, educator, researcher, Advocate, LGBTQ Trainer.

Robin is teaching and researching human resource management-related topics at the Canberra Business School (University of Canberra). Robin’s passion for diversity, inclusion and equity led them to undertake a PhD research project about Work experiences and career development of trans and gender diverse individuals concerning organisational structure and workplace culture in Australia. Qualitative multi-method research concerning trans and gender diverse individuals and organisational perspectives on the inclusion of gender diverse voices in the corporate context. Robin translated some of their research findings into practice while working as a Diversity Advisor for the University of Canberra. Robin is keen to combine their academic research interest with practical change to increase inclusivity and equity aspects of diversity management.

Host: Cecilia Jones she/her (FCPHR) is a credentialed fellow of AHRI and founder of Intelligent People. 

Cecilia is a coach mentor, conflict coach, facilitator, and people strategist, dedicated to helping individuals navigate complex professional challenges and realise their leadership potential. Drawing on many years of senior leadership experience across government, health, and private sectors, she partners with senior managers and leaders to strengthen their capability to lead people, deliver programs, and manage themselves through organisational complexity.
Known for her depth in strategic people management and her ability to facilitate transformational conversations, Cecilia creates a confidential, supportive space for clients to reflect, grow, and lead with authenticity. Her work is informed by a rich career as a human resources leader and, earlier, as an ICU Nurse Manager leading teams in high-stakes situations.

Other Event Information 

If physical access is required, please let us know and we will be happy to arrange this for you.

You will obtain 1.5 CPD points for this forum.

Registration Information 

Registration close: Sunday 14 June

Having trouble registering? Contact Us or phone 1300 811 880.

By confirming your registration, you agree to AHRI’s Event Terms & Conditions.