Ability Thinking – Resilience, Inclusion and Mindset in Action
In high-stakes project environments, the pressure to deliver outcomes can often eclipse the importance of mindset, inclusion, and emotional resilience. In this thought-provoking and uplifting session, Fiona Demark shares her unique lived experience as a legally blind professional, speaker, and resilience coach to challenge how we perceive ability—and how we can reframe obstacles into opportunity.
Drawing on her signature framework of Ability Thinking, Fiona explores how personal mindset directly influences team culture, inclusion, and project success. Attendees will discover how to activate their own inner resilience, unlock creative problem-solving approaches, and support their teams with greater empathy and flexibility.
This session is not just about disability—it’s about possibility. Fiona empowers audiences to embrace challenge as a catalyst for growth, adapt to uncertainty, and foster inclusive environments where every team member feels seen and valued. With warmth, humour, and authenticity, she leaves participants with a new lens to lead themselves and others with purpose.
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Who is this event for?
- Project Management Professionals at all levels
Key Takeaways
- Tools to strengthen personal resilience and mindset
- Strategies for inclusive leadership and effective team communication
- Insights on adaptive thinking in the face of change and uncertainty
- A renewed sense of what’s possible, personally and professionally
Price
- Members: Complimentary
- Non-members: $55 (including GST)
- Registration closes: 26/08/2025 - 11:59 PM AEST
Speaker
Fiona Demark
Disability Advocate, Qualified Social Worker, Resilience Coach, and Keynote Speaker
Fiona Demark is a legally blind resilience coach, social worker, keynote speaker, and Australia’s leading voice on Ability Thinking. With over 30 years’ experience in human connection and communication, Fiona is known for her adventurous spirit and refusal to let disability define her. A Holman Prize Top 10 finalist, author of Broken Hill: The Broken Road to Becoming Whole, and member of the Professional Speakers Australia leadership team, she challenges individuals and teams to rethink what’s possible. Fiona combines lived experience with humour, warmth, and practical tools to empower audiences to lead with resilience, inclusion, and confidence.
Lanre Adebayo
Facilitator: Program Management Practitioner at Australian Department of Defence and VIC Chapter Committee Lead at the AIPM
Lanre Adebayo is the current Victoria Chapter Committee Lead for AIPM, a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) and a Fellow of AIPM. He has over 20 years’ experience having previously worked for the UK Ministry of Defence, Public Transport Victoria, Department of Transport, Victoria and presently a Program Management Practitioner for Australian Department of Defence. He is an advocate of using System thinking practices in uplifting the project management profession.