ELLEN McDonald
Speaking

I'm not interested in giving people
a two-hour confidence high.

I want them to leave the room and actually do something differently. My talks combine business lessons, personal stories and the kind of humour that normally comes from things going wrong first.

Enquire About Speaking
Why I speak

There's a difference between acting a part and standing as you.

I never set out to be a speaker. As a kid I loved acting, loved the stage — but what I really loved was pretending to be whoever people needed me to be. I was great at that. Blending in. Performing. Shapeshifting.

The first time someone asked me to stand on stage as myself, I gave them a look of utter death and genuinely wanted the ground to swallow me whole. Because there's a very big difference between acting as a character, and standing in front of a room as you.

I realised that speaking isn't about being loud. It isn't about ego. It isn't about performance. It's about story.

It's about telling the truth about what it actually takes to build something — the pressure, the doubt, the burnout, the mistakes, the rebuilding — and helping someone in the room realise they're not broken for finding it hard.

What I speak about

Rooted in real life, not theory.

  • Confidence when you didn't start with it
  • Money, self-trust, and responsibility
  • Burnout and the pressure behind "successful" businesses
  • Starting again without shame
  • Discipline when motivation disappears
  • Building Airbnb and Rent to Rent portfolios without losing yourself
  • Investing with clarity, not hype
  • Choosing your own definition of success

My talks aren't about becoming someone else. They're about remembering who you already are and building from there.

Signature talks

Three talks, kept memorable and distinct.

The Main Act: You're Not Being Humble. You're Hiding.

A talk about the difference between humility and making yourself smaller. Why talented people wait to be picked, soften their achievements and hold back because they are terrified of looking arrogant — and what changes when they finally take up the space they have already earned.

The Business That Broke Me

I matched my teaching salary in a month and still ended up miserable. This talk is about what happens when you build the business you thought you wanted and realise you have accidentally recreated the life you were trying to escape. A practical and personal talk about rebuilding for freedom, not just revenue.

Property Without Owning Property

A practical introduction to the different ways people can make money through serviced accommodation without buying a portfolio first, including sourcing, management and rent-to-serviced accommodation.

Who my talks are for

Wherever someone actually is, not where they "should" be.

  • Entrepreneurs & founders
  • Women building businesses or bold careers
  • Investors & business owners
  • Corporate teams
  • Community groups
  • Conferences & panels
  • Education spaces
You don't need to become someone else to build something meaningful. You just need the courage to stay yourself while you do it.
Book Ellen to Speak