Transgender Activist, Diversity & Inclusion Advocate
An experienced motivational speaker, Matt helps individuals and organisations to overcome fear and action changes for a better future, and inspires them to search for ways to be more inclusive.
Biography
Matt Ellison is a highly sought-after, entertaining and thought-provoking transgender speaker. His life experience as a trans man has fascinated and inspired audiences of all kinds in both private and public sectors in the U.K. and internationally. His insights on change, as someone who has made such a huge and fundamental change himself, apply to everyone in all areas of professional and personal life.
Organisations who have invited Matt to speak include Microsoft, eBay, Mars, Toyota, Lacoste, Disney, KFC, NHS, Lloyds of London, City of London Corporation, Fidelity International, HM Courts and Tribunals, and many more.
Matt has been consulted and interviewed on many occasions. He was recently seen on TV in the high-profile Channel 4 documentary ‘Me and My Penis’, which broke many taboos, covering sex, psychology and men’s mental health issues.
Tailored towards the audience, Matt has something to offer all audiences, including healthcare professionals, businesses, educational institutions, emergency services, political and religious groups, plus more. He can delve deep into the mind of what it feels like to be transgender with a story full of highs, lows and humour, and the popular Q&A if requested gives the opportunity to answer all those burning questions.
With an increasing number of trans folk having the courage to transition, yet with so many still facing discrimination and ignorance, transgender issues and diversity & inclusion, are currently more relevant than ever.
Topics
Change & Motivation
Having made life changes more fundamental than most people are faced with, Matt brings his insights to the issues of blocks, facing the unfaceable and redefining your life for the positive.
After nearly four decades being too fearful to go through the changes that he needed to be happy, he finally found the answers that made the scariest challenges of his life feel easy and effortless. What he learned can help others to also overcome fears that are often exaggerated, and to increase their motivation to achieve their goals in life.
In this keynote, Matt will give you tools and strategies to increase motivation and overcome fear!
Trans Awareness & Acceptance
Raising awareness of transgender issues. How best to support staff, clients, students etc who are undergoing or are around those undergoing gender transition.
Courage & Inspiration
Matt knows what it’s like to risk everything. Gender transition meant he could have lost his family, friends and business & he feared he might been branded a ‘freak’ by society, yet none of those things happened.
Diversity & Inclusion
How diversity and inclusion can help your company thrive, from recruiting more highly skilled staff to increasing staff productivity and boosting staff retention.
Practical advice on how to be more inclusive, develop good practices and put together company policies and procedures
Books
Testimonials
“Matt was fantastic. He brought great energy and delivered a personal, honest, inspirational story. We were very happy.” – Microsoft
“One of the best talks I’ve ever heard at a conference!” – Robbie Turner – Director For England, Royal Pharmaceutical Society
The talk given by Matt Ellison as part of the 2021 Mars UK LGBTQ+ Pride Series was thought provoking and inspiring.
Matt’s honest and personal style of storytelling took the audience on an insightful journey into the experiences of transgender people.
Matt engaged the audience from start to finish and was open and supportive of questions.” – Mars, Global Food Manufacturer
“You are a fantastic and extremely uplifting speaker Matt, thank you for helping me increase my understanding” – HM Courts & Tribunals Service
“We were very happy and got great feedback from the audience.” – Toyota
“Thank you, one of the most inspirational speakers I have heard for some time.” – Government Agency Virtual event
“A big thank you for a very authentic and thought provoking session today, as part of our harnessing the power of diversity week. In speaking to a number of our senior leaders after the session they all said it made them stop and think, and everyone I spoke to has taken something away from your story. It’s a really great way to get a discussion going and the little frog analogy was very powerful – simple yet effective.” – Leonie Govan, Rolls Royce (Dreadnought Alliance), Organisational Effectiveness Lead
“Pandemic or no pandemic, nothing can stop our Kentucky Fried pride celebrations. To get the party started Matt Ellison joined us virtually to share his personal journey and experiences.
Buckets of love and gratitude to Matt for such an inspiring, authentic session.” – KFC
“Matt captured the attention of our audience from start to finish. The GP’s really appreciated how open Matt was about his experience and were grateful for the insight he provided. His talk was excellent, I really wish we could have had him for longer.” – NHS
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