Adult Learners Week 2025

Monday 1 September 2025, 1pm – 1:45pm Register

Creating an inclusive workplace starts with understanding — and listening.

Join us for this engaging session with Gabrielle Gartrell from A Fairer World to explore the impact that real stories have on diversity and inclusion work.

You’ll hear from a lived experience storyteller and discover the vital role these voices play in shifting perspectives and fostering inclusion. Gabrielle will also unpack the concept of bias, how it shows up in the workplace, and why awareness is essential to building a respectful culture.

Whether you're a leader, team member or simply passionate about inclusion, this session will offer practical strategies to recognise bias and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable workplace.

Presented by Gabrielle Gartrell (A Fairer World)
Gabrielle is a passionate advocate for social change with a diverse background in activism, community building, and the arts. She is a skilled leader across all levels of decision making. Gabe values a relational approach to learning and co-facilitates diversity and inclusion workshops with human ‘books’ from the Hobart Human Library – these are lived experience storytellers who advocate for a fairer world across all aspects of discrimination.

Tuesday 2 September 2025, 10am – 10:45pm Register

Join Tracey Groombridge from Lifeline Tasmania for an engaging and informative session exploring five key focus areas that can transform your workplace into a thriving, supportive environment.

Based on national research from Australia’s largest survey for workplace mental health by SuperFriend, and informed by Lifeline’s extensive experience, these evidence-based strategies can help shift culture, boost performance, and foster wellbeing across your team.

Ideal for leaders, HR professionals, and anyone passionate about workplace wellbeing, this session offers actionable insights to create a stronger, healthier workplace.

Creating a mentally healthy workplace isn’t just good for your team — it’s vital for long-term sustainability and success.

Presented by Tracey Groombridge (Lifeline Tasmania)
With over 28 years in the not-for-profit sector — including more than 20 years in management — Tracey brings deep experience in areas like family violence, homelessness, and youth health. She now trains in trauma, domestic violence, suicide intervention, and mental health, drawing on both professional insight and personal compassion. A passionate storyteller, Tracey is also studying journalism and teaches narrative skills. Her training is grounded in real-world experience and enriched by storytelling, creating meaningful learning that stays with participants long after the course ends.

Tuesday 2 September 2025, 2:15pm – 3pm Register

In a climate of rapid disruption and transformation, effective leadership demands more than expertise. The future calls for leaders who integrate balanced perspectives, act with agility, and lead consciously with compassion.

Compassionship™ - Compassion Based Leadership is not “soft” or “fluffy” — it requires courage, clarity, and a purposeful commitment to lead with integration and awareness. The Compassionship™ model offers a strategic leadership and change framework, integrating many models.

This session introduces the 3 C’s of Compassionship™ Change, and practical ways to integrate these with “integrated intelligences” — emotional, strategic, and relational etc — to create thriving teams, resilient workplaces, and connected communities.

You’ll explore the two sides of change and discover how to expand your leadership capacity to meet the complex demands of the future.

You will walk away with a taster and insight into some of the practices of Compassionship™ including how to:

• apply the 3 C’s of Compassionate Change
• balance people focus with accountability
• harness integrated intelligences
• support your leadership for complex environments.

Presented by Gwen Pinnington and Sona Lewincamp (Gwen Pinnington Group)
Gwen and Sona are the co-owners and Directors of the Gwen Pinnington Group. They are also the co-creators of Compassionship™, their proprietary framework and practice that provides an integrated approach to conscious and compassionate leadership, culture and change. Gwen and Sona’s consulting, coaching and facilitation takes them around the world facilitating outcomes for leaders and teams across every sector. They are passionate about reducing unnecessary struggle and suffering in the world of work and enabling leaders to consciously create thriving compassionate futures.

Gwen sees change as an opportunity for connection, excellence and conscious growth. Gwen has a global reputation for highly effective coaching, leadership and transformational change using a simple equation "People + Process + Compassion = Excellent Outcomes".  Gwen is committed to making a positive difference in the world and builds strong relationships with value and authenticity in her work, whilst delivering impactful outcomes.

Sona facilitates the greatness of others. Sona believes organisations can only change when their people are supported to change. She is a compassionate, strategic, and wise change agent, facilitator and coach. She has a passion for inspiring leaders to realise their potential and to grow in their conscious leadership. Her great skill is in understanding and recognising the current reality of organisations and individuals and moving them towards a sustainable and desired future.

Wednesday 3 September 2025, 12:30pm - 1:15pm Register

The public sector is evolving rapidly in response to major global and societal shifts — from the rise of AI and emerging technologies, to climate change, shifting public expectations, political volatility, social media and the 24-hour news cycle.

Join Greg Masters for a dynamic and interactive session, where he will explore these key forces of change and what they mean for the capabilities the public service will need in the years ahead. You’ll be encouraged to share your thoughts, reflect on your own development, and consider how to future-proof your career.

This session is designed for anyone working in the public sector – especially those interested in leadership or long-term public sector careers

You’ll walk away with Insight into the trends shaping the future of the public sector and a better understanding of the skills you’ll need — and how to start building them now.

Presented by Greg Masters (Nexus Management Consulting)
Greg is an engaging and energetic facilitator with more than 25 years’ experience consulting for government and community sectors. He specialises in strategic planning, program evaluation and management review to help organisations change for the better.  Greg has an honours degree in psychology, a public management and prior to establishing Nexus in 1996, held a number of senior management and executive positions in NSW Government agencies.

Thursday 4 September 2025, 10am – 10:45am Register

Join Greg Hince from Frontline Mind to discover how you can use coaching as an process to build supportive, productive workplaces.

During this session, you’ll explore how coaching can unlock potential, boost performance, and create a safe space for teams to grow.  You’ll get a taste of how your State influences results, and use curiosity as a tool to gain greater insights. You’ll also explore how asking a few simple, content-free questions can empower others, which can result in better outcomes.

If you’d like to understand more about coaching and how you can use it to transform your leading practice, then this introductory session is the place to start.

Presented by Greg Hince (Frontline Mind)
Greg is a highly experienced professional coach and coach trainer who works with a wide range of clients—CEOs, change managers, senior leaders and frontline workers. He uses non-impositional coaching methods to enable sustainable change, often addressing anxiety, trauma, and overwhelm. Greg has held leadership roles in the Tasmanian and Australian Government, private practice, the Royal Australian Navy and is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne.

Thursday 4 September 2025, 12pm – 12:45pm Register

Have you ever been in the middle of a project and wondered if you’re still heading in the right direction?

Status reports can tell you what’s happening, how much is being spent, and how far along you are — but sometimes they keep you buried in the detail. Every now and then, it pays to step back, take a broader view, and check whether your original course still makes sense.

As projects unfold, circumstances shift, and new insights emerge. What seemed right at the start may need to be confirmed — or adjusted — to reflect the reality on the ground.

In this short, practical session with Sharyn White from LeftField Project Solutions, you’ll learn a straightforward approach to assessing your project’s health. You’ll leave with a simple checklist you can apply to any project, big or small. While the focus is on business projects, the same tool works just as well for personal goals — even that tricky home renovation.

Presented by Sharyn White (LeftField Project Solutions)
Sharyn is a principal consultant at LeftField Project Solutions who works with a variety of organisations locally and inter-state across the private and public sectors. With a background in the information technology space, Sharyn now works on a wide variety of business projects, with a particular interest in the people side of projects and those that make a difference to the Tasmanian community.