cuppa.tv

I BELONG
2026-03-25 09:00 - 16:00 (Australia/Sydney) | Cuppa Co-Lab, Suite 2, level 1/300 Barangaroo Ave, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
Details: I BELONG is a premium, in-person leadership experience designed
for senior leaders who believe belonging is not a “soft” concept, but a
strategic leadership capability.
In a time of rising disconnection, complexity, and burnout, this experience
creates space for leaders to pause, listen, and reconnect — to themselves, to
others, and to the responsibility of leadership.
Led by three Indigenous leaders from three cultures, I BELONG brings ancient
wisdom into a modern leadership context; offering insight, practices, and
perspective rarely experienced in corporate environments.
This is not a keynote.
This is not a conference.
This is a deep, human leadership experience.
Who it’s For:

Senior leaders and executives
Founders and decision-makers
People and culture leaders
Leaders navigating complexity, change, and responsibility

Why this Gathering Matters: Leaders are carrying more responsibility than
ever. Yet belonging, the foundation of strong cultures and thriving
communities, is often overlooked. I BELONG invites leaders to slow down,
reflect, and gain clarity on how their leadership choices shape culture,
wellbeing, and the future of their organisations.
The Experience: Held at Cuppa Co-Lab , in
Barangaroo the day blends storytelling, reflection, facilitated conversations,
and practical workshops. Leaders will engage in powerful shared stories,
guided reflection circles, Indigenous thinking for authentic leadership, and
practical sessions on embedding Indigenous leadership principles into business
and organisational culture.
What You’ll Walk Away With:

A renewed understanding of belonging as a leadership responsibility
Practical leadership and wellbeing practices you can use immediately
Deeper clarity on how leadership impacts culture
Meaningful connections with other senior leaders

Guests Include:
Paul Callaghan | Australian Indigenous Leadership
:Paul brings deep
wisdom grounded in connection to land, spirituality, and Elders’ teachings.
His work explores leadership as responsibility — to people, culture, and
future generations.

Purpose-led leadership
Listening deeply
Connection beyond self

Jase Te Patu
| Māori
Wellbeing & Resilience:
****Jase brings
practical wellbeing practices rooted in Māori culture, supporting leaders to
remain grounded, resilient, and present in demanding environments.

Wellbeing and balance
Daily practices for resilience
Strength through connection

Alfred Chidembo |
African Ubuntu Philosophy
:Alfred draws on
African Indigenous wisdom and the philosophy of Ubuntu — “I am because we are”
— to explore ethical leadership, vulnerability, and community-first decision-
making.

Ethical and human-centred leadership
Collective responsibility
Strength through community

Event Details:

Date: Wednesday 25th March
Time: Doors open 9am
Venue: Cuppa Co-Lab Space, Suite 2, Level 1, 300 Barangeroo Avenue, International Towers, Tower Three
Additional Information:Enter via door outside Wild Sage Cafe to the right of Woolworths Metro and look for the Cuppa Representative

Stop Staying Small: The Inner Work Behind Bold Leadership with Petra Williams
2026-03-26 12:00 - 12:45
Stop Staying Small: The Inner Work Behind Bold Leadership
In this powerful episode of Cuppa.tv, we sit down with Petra Williams to
explore what it really means to be more real with ourselves and with each
other, and why honest conversations are often the gateway to a more fulfilling
life and leadership journey.
So many people stay silent to avoid discomfort, telling themselves they are
choosing peace. Yet beneath the surface, that silence can create anxiety,
loneliness and a quiet sense of dissatisfaction. The job feels fine, the
relationship is okay, but life feels flat. There is a knowing that there is
more within us and more available to us, and that living below our potential
comes at a cost.
Together, we unpack the questions many people are carrying. Who am I at this
stage of my life and career? Is this really me? Is this all there is? Petra
invites us to consider a new self image grounded in possibility, courage and
permission to play bigger, even when it means rocking the boat. Because
meaningful change often begins with brave decisions.
Drawing on Jungian shadow work and a deeply practical coaching approach, Petra
shares how real change happens from the inside out. When we work through our
inner resistance, clarity follows. Boundaries become easier. Assertiveness
feels natural. Action replaces overthinking.
This conversation is especially relevant for women in mid life leadership,
consulting and business roles who carry a lot of responsibility and unspoken
expectations.
You will walk away with a fresh way to relate to yourself, one where
fulfilment and success can coexist, and where honest conversations become a
powerful catalyst for impact.
Want to pick the brain of Petra Williams? Click
here

Stories that Stir
2026-03-26 18:00 - 21:00 | Cuppa Co-Lab, Suite 2, level 1/300 Barangaroo Ave, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
Cuppa Co-Lab & [Stories that Stir®](https://www.storiesthatstir.com/event-
details-registration/cuppa-co-lab-stories-that-stir-r-collaboration-belonging)
Collaboration – BELONGING
Stories that Stir ® is delighted to be joining forces with Cuppa
Co-Lab to bring you a special event designed to break down barriers, stir
conversation and inspire positive change.
Details: Come and listen to six Cuppa Collective storytellers, who will
each share their 10-minute raw and personal stories, linked to the theme
BELONGING, in all its shapes and forms.
Cuppa Co-Lab is Cuppa TV’s purpose-built home in Barangaroo, created to bring
people together for meaningful conversation and genuine collaboration.
The space has been designed to spark ideas, deepen dialogue and create the
kind of impact that extends well beyond the room. It’s where leaders, creators
and teams don’t just meet, they truly connect and reflect.
Tickets include a delicious grazing table to enjoy before the storytelling
begins. Food allergies are catered to.
Meet your Storytellers:
Bearing Witness – Peter Baines
Baines would spend months leading the International operations in the
identification of 5395 bodies after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Much of this
time was spent either dealing directly with the bodies of those who died or
the families left behind. During his time in Thailand he was given an
ultimatum that would irreversibly change his life. He found himself living in
a hostel without the financial means to support himself, and at that point, he
founded the charity Hands Across the Water to support children in Thailand
left without parents.
Pho-Real – Naomi Cao
Naomi arrived in Australia as a four year old Vietnamese refugee. With no
knowledge of English, and a name that many could not pronounce, she was
baptised into Australian culture at the school VFL Grand Final parade. She
learned to adapt fast. Years later she changed her name at uni to fit in. It
didn’t. Belonging , as it turns out, wasn’t that simple!
Lost Belonging – Adam Axford
Adam shares a true story of a Southeast Asian village where he once felt more
at home than anywhere else in the world. What began as a search for freedom
became a reckoning with consequence, exile and identity. Through vivid
storytelling and spoken word, he explores what happens when a place you love
no longer welcomes you back.
Spared – Alfred Chidembo
In 1979, amid Zimbabwe’s liberation war, a pregnant mother gambled everything
on a perilous journey to the city, crossing a road laced with hidden death
while her children watched in silence. Weeks later, the child she carried was
born. Decades on, that boy, Alfred, would walk barefoot to school, earn a PhD
in Australia, and return hope to his village through books. Living proof that
survival sometimes carries a purpose.
Home Within – Nerissa Trindade
Born in India and shaped by the silence that often surrounds difference,
Nerissa grew up believing belonging was something to be earned. As a queer
person of colour building a new life in Australia, they searched for
acceptance in communities, careers, and labels, until they discovered what
they had been seeking all along: a home within.
Shedding Labels – Hawanatu Bangura
From Sierra Leone to Australia, Hawanatu’s journey of belonging unfolds
through the labels placed on her. Skin colour, migration, and expectation
shape her world until she begins to peel them away. What remains is a
powerful truth: belonging is not something you earn, but something you choose.
* Trigger warning: Story content may include sensitive topics such as
trauma, suicide, death etc.

Event Details:

Date: Thursday 26th March
Time: Doors open 6pm
Venue: Cuppa Co-Lab Space, Suite 2, Level 1, 300 Barangeroo Avenue, International Towers, Tower Three
Additional Information:Enter via door outside Wild Sage Cafe to the right of Woolworths Metro and look for the Cuppa Representative

Everyone's a Teacher: Rethinking Workplace Learning with Maria Doyle
2026-03-31 12:00 - 12:45
Everyone’s a Teacher: Rethinking Workplace Learning
In this episode of Cuppa.tv, we sit down with Maria Doyle to explore a
powerful idea that challenges traditional workplace learning and leadership
thinking: Everyone’s a teacher.
Whether you are a leader, manager, specialist, mentor, parent, coach, or
teammate, if part of your role involves sharing knowledge, this conversation
is for you. Together, we unpack why so much learning fails to land, from death
by PowerPoint and tick and flick online courses, to chaotic induction
processes and outdated, top down, lecture style workplace cultures.
Drawing on over 30 years of international experience as a teacher, learner,
teacher trainer, instructional designer, curriculum developer and education
based project manager, Maria shares practical insights into what actually
helps people learn, retain information, and apply it in meaningful ways. This
is not about more content, but about better connection, clearer intention, and
learning experiences designed to create real change.
This conversation invites us to rethink how we transfer knowledge and the
responsibility we all carry when we do. It shows how learning can become
engaging, human and effective, rather than something people endure.
You will walk away with practical takeaways on how to connect with your
audience, how to construct a learning experience that works every time, and
how to communicate more effectively using learning resources. Most
importantly, you will be reminded that when learning is done well, it has the
power to shape culture, unlock potential, and create lasting impact, one
conversation at a time.
Want to pick the brain of Maria Doyle? Click
here

Stop Running on Stress: The Peak Performance Reset with Tom Cronin
2026-04-15 12:00 - 12:45
Stop Running on Stress: The Peak Performance Reset
In this episode of Pick My Brain, we sit down with Tom Cronin to explore the
powerful connection between mental health and peak performance, and why so
many capable people are operating under unnecessary stress and unrealised
potential.
Across workplaces and homes, stress has become normalised. Yet constant
pressure, reactive stress responses and mental overload are quietly eroding
wellbeing, clarity and performance. In this conversation, Tom helps us go
deeper, getting to the root cause of why stress responses show up in the first
place, what they do to our nervous system and performance, and what we can do
differently to prevent them, often in ways that surprise people.
Rather than relying on surface level fixes or pushing through, this discussion
invites a shift in perspective. Tom shares practical insights into how we can
interrupt unhelpful patterns, build inner stability and create the conditions
for sustained performance without burnout.
This conversation will benefit leaders, entrepreneurs, employees and parents
who want to feel calmer, think more clearly and live with greater intention
and impact.
Together, we explore simple, accessible strategies to support mental wellbeing
and unlock more effective, successful and fulfilling ways of living and
working. A conversation designed to spark awareness, challenge assumptions and
create meaningful impact, starting from within.
Want to pick the brain of Tom Cronin? Click
here

Loneliness Is a Societal Problem -- Not a Personal Failure
2026-04-16 09:00 - 09:45
Loneliness Is a Societal Problem — Not a Personal Failure
We are more connected than ever, yet more people than ever feel unseen.
Loneliness is rising across generations — not because people are failing, but
because something in how we live, work and relate has shifted. Too often,
loneliness is treated as something personal to fix quietly. At Cuppa, we
believe it’s something we face together.
This is the first Cuppa Movement Circle — a live, virtual gathering designed
to explore loneliness as a societal issue rather than a private flaw. It’s not
a webinar and it’s not a panel. It’s a structured, facilitated conversation
where diverse perspectives meet and the wider community is part of the
dialogue.
Together, we’ll explore what’s driving modern disconnection, where loneliness
is showing up in everyday life, and what responsibility we share in responding
to it. This is not about asking anyone to declare vulnerability. It’s about
creating understanding, reducing stigma, and identifying practical steps
forward.
This conversation will be guided by members of the Cuppa Collective:
Mike Morrison
challenges us to see loneliness through a structural lens, encouraging a shift
from individual blame to shared responsibility.
Dr Jane Foster
offers an evidence-informed perspective on wellbeing and human behaviour,
grounding the discussion in research while keeping it practical.
Annie Harvey
adds depth in leadership and emotional awareness, exploring how intentional
connection starts with how we show up for one another.
Rev Jon Owen leads
with lived experience from the frontline of community life. As Pastor and CEO
of Wayside Chapel in Sydney — a place committed to ‘no us and them’ — Jon’s
work centres on creating spaces where people feel seen, accepted and truly
met. His voice reminds us why belonging matters and what it looks like in
practice.
You’ll leave with greater clarity, new perspectives, and one meaningful action
you can take — in your workplace, your community, or your own relationships.
Loneliness cannot be solved alone. But it can be softened when we approach it
with honesty, curiosity and care.
If this conversation resonates, we invite you to take your seat in the circle.
Join us live and be part of turning awareness into action.
Want to pick the brains of our panel? Click
here

Why Workplace Culture Breaks Under Pressure and How to Fix It with Luke Evans
2026-04-21 12:00 - 12:45
Why Workplace Culture Breaks Under Pressure and How to Fix It
In this episode of Pick My Brain, we sit down with Luke Evans to explore what
it really takes to build resilient cultures that hold under pressure.
Many organisations invest heavily in values, engagement programs, and
wellbeing initiatives. Yet when pressure rises, deadlines tighten, or
uncertainty hits, behaviours shift and culture can quickly fracture. So why
does this happen, and what can leaders do differently?
Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience working inside complex organisations,
Luke connects resilience and culture through a simple but powerful lens:
belief, biology, and behaviour. He shares why behaviour under pressure is
driven less by intention and more by how regulated and clear people are. When
stress overrides regulation, even the best cultural aspirations can unravel.
This conversation challenges the idea that wellbeing is a standalone
initiative. Instead, Luke reframes wellbeing as an outcome shaped by
leadership behaviour, aligned systems, and clarity of purpose. Together, we
explore how resilience is not a personality trait but a capability that can be
deliberately built at both an individual and team level.
Senior leaders, founders, and HR and people professionals will gain practical
insight into how to strengthen culture so it stabilises performance during
change rather than collapsing under it.
Key takeaways include why regulation and emotional capability sit at the
foundation of sustainable culture, why perks alone cannot drive wellbeing, and
a clear framework for building resilience so culture holds when it is tested.
Because real impact is not created when things are easy. It is revealed when
they are hard.
Want to pick the brain of Luke Evans? Click
here

Why Climate Action Fails Without Understanding Human Psychology with Emily Toner
2026-04-28 12:00 - 12:45
Why Climate Action Fails Without Understanding Human Psychology
What if the greatest barrier to climate action isn’t technology or policy but
the human mind?
In this thought-provoking episode of Pick My Brain, we speak with clinical
psychologist Emily Toner about the hidden psychological forces shaping our
response to the climate crisis. While innovation in renewable energy and
policy reform are critical, Emily argues that a deeper challenge sits beneath
it all: the emotional toll of living in an era of compounding crises.
From climate grief and activist burnout to the quiet numbness many people feel
when faced with overwhelming information, stress and fear can push individuals
and communities into what Emily calls “contractive states.” In these states,
our thinking narrows, creativity diminishes, and our capacity to act shrinks
precisely when bold ideas and collective action are needed most.
Drawing on her work as a clinical psychologist, along with insights from
behavioural neuroscience and wellbeing science, Emily reframes the climate
conversation through a powerful psychological lens. Referencing leading
thinkers such as Antonio Damasio and Barbara Fredrickson, she explores how
emotions shape decision-making and why cultivating positive emotional states
can expand our ability to think strategically, collaborate, and take
meaningful action.
This conversation is especially relevant for social and environmental
changemakers, purpose-driven leaders, and anyone feeling the emotional weight
of today’s global challenges. It offers practical and hopeful insights for
navigating overwhelm while staying engaged with the work that matters.
Together, we explore how tending to our inner world is not a distraction from
solving global problems but a foundation for courageous, creative, and
sustained action.
Key takeaways include:

Why our ability to process emotions profoundly shapes individual and societal behaviour
How stress, fear, and burnout quietly narrow our thinking and limit our capacity to act
Why wellbeing, joy, and nervous system regulation are strategic tools for unlocking creativity, resilience, and meaningful change

At Cuppa, we believe powerful conversations spark impact and this one invites
us to rethink how human psychology shapes our collective future.
Want to pick the brain of Emily Toner? Click
here
