Meet Our Speakers: Experts Who Thrive

Amanda is an award-winning celebrity children’s entertainer and CEO of Amanda’s Action Club, the world’s most fun, physical development concept teaching preschool children how to be healthy and active.

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She is passionate about the importance of keeping our children and young people moving and the role that early-years physical activity plays in our children developing life-long healthy habits, muscle memory and the confidence-boosting skills that come from engaging in group activities.​

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Amanda's global animation TV series will tell the story of the heroine Action Amanda, who will lead different missions to create a world of endless possibilities and adventure. Never far from adventure and excitement herself, Amanda is a strong advocate for the role that brand, marketing and sales training has helped her own business grow and thrive.

Zimbabwean born six-times National Gymnastics Champion, Commonwealth Games Competitor, Professional dancer, Courtney Orange is now best known as The Wellbeing Motivator. Courtney has motivated and enhanced the wellbeing mindsets of over 470,000 people, through his highly engaging workshops and keynote talks.

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Courtney's talks, workshops and positive Life enhancing video content, have influenced pupils at schools, students in universities and professionals in organisations, such as, Hilton Foods, PwC, DHL, Adidas and Samsung – just to name a few.

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The vital take away tools you will leave with after this energising session include Courtney's "Triple S Rule", 
Visualisation to Action concepts, Mirror Talk & Body Language secrets. Taking part in this session will allow you to open many doors and make you thrive.

With a unique blend of skills in marketing, digital training, education and journalism, Rachel has carved a niche that perfectly marries her love of technology and human connection. As a marketer she empowered her clients to embrace the storytelling skills she honed as a journalist long before words like 'authentic' and 'storytelling' became marketing buzzwords. And as The Marketing Storyteller, she helps businesses to create authentic content and marketing campaigns whose content is irresistible to their customers.

Rachel has worked with Waitrose, BMW, Mumsnet. Her Digital Wellbeing courses empower business leaders to get the best from technology while minimising any potential negative impact on mental or physical health. Dividing her time between Cornwall and London, Rachel is a Google, CIM and Meta tutor and has developed award-winning marketing and career transformation courses for the UK Government.

Karen Stanley is a former teacher with a long-standing passion for literacy and all things bookish. Karen began writing her own journey 12 years ago and has written and published 14 books. After leaving teaching, Karen set up her online writing academy, which has flourished as a creative outlet for new and budding authors. In her first year of business, she coached five new writers from initial idea through to publication.

Drawing on many years of experience and the lessons learned from her own publishing journey, Karen set up Mabel and Stanley Publishing, dedicated to helping new and budding authors realise their own writing dreams. Karen has now published over 15 new authors, some as far afield as the United States.

Karen has written for a plethora of businesses and advises on curriculum links for the children's activity sector and is a motivational speaker on the topics of creativity, writing and education.

Julie helps founders understand that the key to finding the fortune in their business is in understanding their numbers and the financial impact of decisions. She is a Finance and Business Growth Mentor supporting Founders in their business journey from start-up, to growth and scale-up. 

Julie is qualified accountant and Finance Director with 30 years’ experience working with diverse organisations ranging from FTSE listed blue-chip to SMEs and start-ups.

Julie is an advocate that a clear strategy with a strong finance function is critical to underpin the success of any company. All departments should work together and not in isolation to achieve the organisation’s goals.

As well as being a mentor, Julie provides commercial and strategic support to businesses that do not require a full-time FD. She especially likes empowering female founders to realise their potential and reach their goals.

Darya is the founder of the Chelsea Swim Spa swim school for children and an exited founder of the Chelsea Creperie. Darya runs Masterclasses and events for entrepreneurs and want-reneurs, focusing on developing business resilience.​ In 2021, she graduated from the 10K Small Businesses Growth Programme run by Oxford University and Goldman Sachs. Darya is a business mentor for the 'Help to Grow' government programme and the British Library.

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Darya is a mother of three and is currently working on a book titled 'The Immigrant Entrepreneur.' The book narrates her journey to the United Kingdom, where she arrived with very basic English, without knowing anyone, and with barely enough money to survive for a few days.

Despite these challenges, Darya managed to build several businesses from scratch, and she firmly believes that if she could do it, anyone can.

Tim Freed is the CEO of two trailblazing businesses – Book That In and Toddle About. Dedicated to helping small businesses grow, he is a seasoned entrepreneur
with extensive experience in leadership, management, sales, and marketing. Tim has a particular passion for embracing technology and using it to streamline business operations.

Through Book That In, he offers activity businesses a simple online booking system that also simplifies admin tasks.

And through the Toddle About Franchise, Tim provides a valuable resource for parents, connecting them to everything baby and toddler in their area through its magazines, directory website and baby shows; thereby giving activity providers a powerful way to reach and attract new customers.

In "The Audacity to be Authentic," you'll discover the vital role authenticity plays in your professional and personal life, particularly if you want to have maximum impact but don’t want to compromise who you truly are at your core! This session is not about encouraging introverts to be extroverts – or vice versa! This session will equip you with the tools to infuse authenticity into your personal branding and marketing, ensuring that your true self resonates with your audience and your stakeholders. Key takeaways:

* Create your unique Personal Statement from the heart that aligns your passion, purpose and profit
* Learn how to build an authentic personal brand that reflects your values and mission.
* Discover marketing strategies that are both genuine and effective, enhancing family engagement.
* Learn how to create a strategy that personifies you online, on paper and in person!
Join me to transform the way you interact with your community and find the audacity to be authentically you!

Tessa Day is a multi-award-winning independent business owner who created her first business when she was just 21 years old.

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Named as one of the UK’s most inspirational and dynamic female entrepreneurs, Tessa has created an essential platform for children's activity providers and parents across the UK. 

Tessa is an advocate for small business owners and is looking forward to sharing her inspirational story with you all at the Thrive Event 2025". 

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Club Hub is the largest kids activities directory in the UK, it provides kids activity providers with an essential platform to promote their businesses to parents and carers.