Lateesha Jeffrey

A Northern Territorian, Lateesha is a proud Woolwonga and Kukatj Woman, raised on both Larrakia and Yolngu Land.

Lateesha has extensive experience working in the community, particularly in schools across the Northern Territory, in engagement programs, as well as a student teacher whilst studying her Bachelor of Educational Studies degree.

As an experienced leader, both as a Captain and Coach, Lateesha tributes her experience growing up playing team sports, in particular Australian rules Football, as having the largest influence, instilling the transferrable skills enabling her to elevate both personally and professionally.

Lateesha is a passionate advocate for education – particularly for young women – and the role empowering these young women plays in healing intergenerational trauma and strengthening communities. Which is why she established Wave of Change Consultancy and founded the Lateral Empowerment Program, as a way for her to influence meaningful waves of change to empower others.

Ruru Harepeka Nako Hona

I began my career in the field of men's and family support through my work with the Men’s Violence Project (MVP), later known as the Stopping Violence Service (SVS). My role involved adapting the Duluth Model of Change to be culturally inclusive for male Tangata whenua in Aotearoa, challenging their core beliefs and replacing violence with cultural values like aroha, manaaki, tūmanako, and tikanga to foster healthy relationships.

I also worked with the STOP Programme, addressing sexually offensive and abusive behaviour in families. Using cultural approaches, I helped identify and address these behaviours, promoting honesty within whānau to create a brighter, abuse-free future.

Prior to that, I spent time with the Youth Specialty Service (YSS), where I assessed and supported adolescents. After a year, I transitioned to the Canterbury Regional Forensic Psychiatric Service, where I worked for over a decade with mentally unwell adults serving time for criminal activities. My goal was to provide a clear pathway for their rehabilitation, focusing on trust in themselves and others.

In my final role with the Youth Forensic Team, I aimed to prevent adolescents from becoming adult forensic Tangata whaiora. I worked closely with their parents and the judicial system, emphasizing collective support and guidance for these young individuals to ensure a confident and competent future. My philosophical view is that if we can support them now to support themselves tomorrow, they will be confident and competent to guide themselves into their future.

Dr Aleeta Fejo

Bio coming soon.

Dr Richard Fejo

Bio coming soon.

Miliwanga Wurrben

Miliwanga (Mili) Wurrben, lives in Katherine in the Northern Territory, where she works as a cultural consultant & Traditional Healer. Mili is a Rembarrnga woman. She grew up on the Barunga and Wagularr Indigenous communities, southeast of Katherine, NT. Her ancestors are from Centre Island, NT.

William Tilmouth

William is an Arrernte man, born in Mparntwe/Alice Springs. A member of the Stolen Generations, William was taken to Croker Island where he attended school and lived with many First Nations children. In 1967, he was moved off the mission to Darwin and in 1969, he returned to Alice Springs.

During and after time spent in South Australia in the 1970s, William has worked in various Government and Aboriginal organisations. He was elected the Central Australian ATSIC Regional Chair in the 1980s. From 1988 to 2010, he was the Executive Director of Tangentyere Council. William believes that First Nations children, families and communities should have every opportunity to own and control the decisions that affect them. In 2023, William was named NAIDOC Male Elder of the Year.

Catherine Liddle

An Arrernte/Luritja woman from Central Australia, Catherine has a strong background in senior management positions with First Nations organisations. Catherine has also held senior roles within the Northern Territory Education Department, the ABC, and NITV/SBS.

A journalist by trade, Catherine’s motivation has always been to drive change that leads to positive outcomes and options for First Nations people. Over the past 10 years she has led multidisciplinary teams, overseen workplace transformations, and advocated for policy reform.

Ariana Grant

Ariana has been in the wellness industry for 11 years in both Aotearoa and Australia. She is a mindset and soul activation coach dedicated to guiding our people on a transformative journey home. Having experienced pain, grief, and trauma, she understands the longing for an authentic life and the need for connection to mana, mauri, whakapapa and whenua. Many of us believe that our struggles will always define us, and often we have limited access to the necessary support to heal and be culturally understood.

Ariana felt and experienced this too, until she reached a turning point. Through Self-connection and the practical application of diverse tools she has gathered over the years, she activated her Mauri & Mana within her. Now, she is here to share this knowledge and be a voice that speaks to your soul and empowers you to do the same.

Andrew Fa avale

Andrew is passionate about creating innovative solutions and strategies that benefit individuals and communities. While his background is in law, his strength lies in the breadth of his experiences. He has worked across various sectors globally, including government, non-profits, universities, business, and sports. His personal background and diverse living experiences in places like Hong Kong, Samoa, England, and the UAE have cultivated his deep interest in indigeneity, traditional knowledge, and culture.

Currently, Andrew is the Director of MANAWISE Group, an integrated community-advancement firm based in Queensland. MANAWISE Group comprises entities that provide residential care for the Department of Child Safety, a labour hire company, an advisory agency offering Pasifika cultural training and consulting, and a non-profit organization that runs mental health programs in schools.

Originally from New Zealand, Andrew is of Samoan descent and now resides in SEQ with his wife Nicola and their four children. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Education degree.

Lea S Denny

Lea S. Denny is a wife, a mother of two, and a community member. She is of Hawaiian & Filipino descent, Hungarian-Jewish, and English ancestry, and her husband and children are Oneida and Ojibwe. She is a National Board Certified Counselor; community researcher on historical trauma healing; and currently serves on a CDC Indigenous research project on healing Adverse Childhood Experiences, the opioid epidemic, and healthy homes. Denny is intentionally shifting the paradigm around decolonizing mental health through what she calls Community Activated Medicine Framework™, Mental Health Without Borders Approach™, trauma informed policies, and her organizational care models. She has co-raised over 5 million in funding to serve Indigenous and underserved survivors of violence.

Denny is the President, CEO, and Clinical Director of the HIR Wellness Institute. Denny is dedicated to impacting workforce development through building a healing informed organization that focuses on training the next generation of helping providers. She serves on several local and national councils or committees, including: Committee Member of the Wisconsin State Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), serving on the Data Subcommittee; honorary faculty member for the University of California Davis; Member of the ‘Ohana Center of Excellence Steering Committee, and Committee Member of the Violence Against Women’s Act STOP Implementation Planning Workgroup. She is publishing her research on historical intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities and continuously provides consultation to tribal and community leaders on Indigenous decolonial mental health research projects and transgenerational trauma workgroups. Leaders and experts in the field of mental health have continued to quote and cite Denny’s work, including notably Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Indians President in the 2022 Wisconsin State of the Tribes address, and the Nuerosequential Model of Therapeutics curriculum. Denny is an international speaker and has spoken at the 5th Annual Pathways to Resiliency conference in Cape Town South Africa; the 2nd and 3rd International Nuerosequential Model Symposium in Banff Canada, and speaks with many groups from the Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program. Denny is leading health justice on every level and redesigning what mental health service delivery means.

Learn more about Denny at her website LeaSDenny.com

Sharon Finnan-White OAM

Sharon is a descendant of the Dunghutti, Biripi and Gumbaynggirr language groups from the mid-north coast of NSW. She was a member of the victorious Australian Netball Diamonds World Cup teams in 1991 and 1999, Commonwealth Games team in 1990 and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to the sport of netball. As one of only three Aboriginal women to represent the Diamonds, Sharon’s passion and vision is to create ongoing opportunities and advocate for the current and future generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young women to achieve excellence in netball and other areas of their life. Sharon’s industry experience spans over three decades, working in the private, public and community sectors, including state government, educational and financial institutions, not for profit organisations, media and sport.

Steven Johnson

Steven is a lawyer by trade but has spent a lifetime actively involved in sport; particularly rugby league.

He is currently the chair of the Ipswich Jets who are the Queensland affiliate club of the Sydney Roosters and the chair of the Arthur Beetson Foundation and previously was in charge of the USA international program taking the USA from no where to a world ranking of 7 at the 2013 World Cup. Steven has also worked closely with the governing bodies of the Pacific Island nations and Hawaii.

Across all of this Steven has been passionate about using rugby league as the driver of better life outcomes and mental well being across the game. Steven was the co founder of the QRL’s Turn To Me mental awareness campaign (the games very first mental well being program), one of the drivers of the NRL’s National Youth Competition ending, and the co founder of the Queensland Police supported HOLLA program aimed at Pasifika youth and his club the Ipswich Jets is widely recognised for its leading the way in player well being.

The Arthur Beetson Foundation, with the sanctioning of the NRL, has set up a Future Immortals Tour to assist retired NRL players connect with community to help their mental well being and works in partnership with peak government bodies, universities and charities like Health and Wellbeing Qld, Qld Aboriginal and Islander Health Commission and the Institute of Urban Indigenous Health (Deadly Choices),QUT and UNSW to deliver programs.

The Arthur Beetson Foundation set up and runs the biggest Indigenous Australian gathering in Queensland; the annual Queensland Murri Carnival to help it and its partners to empower Indigenous Australians to better life outcome in health, education and vocation. The Foundation also does valuable work in the prison system through art and touch rugby league.

Liandra Gaykamangu

Liandra is a Yolŋu woman from East Arnhem Land and the founder and creative director of Liandra Swim, an eco-conscious designer swimwear label that fuses contemporary Aboriginal art and swimwear fashion. Liandra Swim allows people, from all walks of life, to authentically engage and connect with Australian Indigenous culture in a new and exciting environment. Liandra Swim has already been featured in Vogue US, Elle Italy, Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire. The fast-growing label has also showcased at 2021-2023 Australian Afterpay Fashion Week runways, with 2023 the label being recognised as a Next Gen winner.

Liandra Gaykamaŋu is also an Executive Director of Enterprise Learning Projects (ELP), where she transitioned from a Co-CEO role at the beginning of 2023. During her time with ELP Liandra oversaw the creation and delivery of a Incubation and Mentorship programs in remote Indigenous communities across the North of Australia.

Liandra is also a qualified English/History high school teacher and has seven years’ experience in the education industry, with teaching stints in metro New South Wales and the remote Northern Territory. She is passionate about education and strongly believes knowledge is power.