About
Life doesn’t always give us a choice about what happens to us. But what happens next? That’s where things get interesting. Celeste Louw is a transformational speaker, facilitator and author with more than 20 years of experience in survivor support, advocacy, training and capacity building. Her own life hasn’t exactly followed a carefully written script. Neither have the lives of many of the people she’s worked with. As General Manager of Operations at TEARS Foundation and an Advisory Board member of Women in Mining Africa, she brings practical experience of supporting people through difficult circumstances and challenging the behaviours and systems that cause harm. She is also Vice President and a Founding Member of Optimystic Bikers Against Abuse. Through Brave Enough, Celeste brings those experiences into conversations about healing, resilience, courage, behaviour and the things we tell ourselves to justify staying exactly where we are. She is the author of My Journey My Way: Rising from the Ashes of Abuse and The ABC of Healing. Her training experience includes co-developing and delivering the Naked and Afraid No More survivor-centred training programme and facilitating practical workshops for frontline professionals. In 2025, she received third place in the GOSA Girls on Fire Christa Swart Fighting Spirit Award at the Top Shot event. She’s direct, practical, compassionate and not afraid to ask questions that make people uncomfortable. There’s humour too, because sometimes the alternative is crying, and she’s done enough of that. Her talks explore perspective, recognising the choices we do have and finding the courage to do something with them.
Keynote Topics4
WHO TOLD YOU THAT? - Challenging the Stories That Shape Us
Who told you what you’re capable of, where you belong or what you should accept? This keynote challenges inherited beliefs and limiting labels, helping audiences recognise how these shape their choices and what becomes possible when they question them.
BRAVE ENOUGH TO LIVE - Moving Beyond Survival
Survival can get us through difficult times. But what happens when it becomes the only way we know how to live? This keynote explores healing, reclaiming identity and the everyday courage it takes to make choices beyond simply getting through.
THE HUMAN COST OF CHANGE
Organisations focus on strategy, targets and performance, but change is carried by people. This keynote helps leaders understand resistance, uncertainty and the emotional realities that determine whether change succeeds or fails.
SWIMMING AGAINST THE CURRENT - Resilience in Practice
What does resilience look like when you’re tired, under pressure and things aren’t going to plan? This keynote explores how we respond to setbacks, adapt when circumstances change and recognise when we need support. Audiences leave with practical ways to navigate difficulty without losing themselves in the process.
Languages1
Past events & performances
1. Empact Group Women’s Wellness Event: Motivational speaker on resilience, personal transformation and moving beyond survival. (2026) 2. Westcon Comstor: Corporate speaker on resilience, courage and navigating personal and professional challenges. (2026) 3. National Shelter Movement of South Africa: Facilitator of Caring Without Carrying, a practical workshop on boundaries, compassion fatigue and emotional wellbeing for shelter staff and support workers. (2026) 4. 2nd Annual Workplace Bullying & Culture Shift Summit : The Uncomfortable Conversation: Blurred Workplace Lines That Affect Men Featured panellist (2026) 5. Girls on Fire Women’s Summit: Presented “Breaking Free: Leaving an Abusive Relationship and Rebuilding,” exploring courage, reclaiming your voice and moving beyond survival. (2026) 6. Women in Mining Leadership Engagement: Speaker on gender based violence, sexual harassment and leadership accountability in creating safer mining workplaces. (2026)
Services offered
Price from
Motivational talk
R 20 813Engaging, honest and uplifting talks for corporate events and conferences
Keynote address
R 20 813Inspirational keynotes on courage, resilience, choices and personal transformation
Workshop / training session
R 36 563Interactive sessions on resilience, human behaviour and difficult conversations
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Brave Enough | Transfomational Keynote
R 20 812,5
Full price — no hidden fees · 45–60 minutes
Sometimes life changes the plan. Sometimes we need to change the way we look at it. Brave Enough isn't about pretending everything happens for a reason or that a positive attitude will magically fix your problems. Drawing on her own experiences and more than 20 years of working with people facing extraordinary circumstances, Celeste brings humour, honesty and a different perspective to the conversations we have about courage, choices and change. It's personal, sometimes uncomfortable and often surprisingly funny. Audiences are encouraged to question what they believe about themselves, recognise the choices they still have and consider what they want to do next. Ideal for corporate conferences, staff events, awards ceremonies, women's and community events.
✓ Pre-event consultation to understand your audience and objectives
✓ 45–60 minute transfomrational keynote
✓ Content adapted to your event theme and audience
✓ Audience engagement and practical takeaways
✓ Q&A where time permits
Fee includes preparation and presentation within the Johannesburg area. Travel and accommodation outside this area are quoted separately.
Takes ±2 min · pay only once confirmed
The Uncomfortable Conversation | Keynote
R 25 312,5
Full price — no hidden fees · 45–60 minutes
We all have opinions about how other people should behave. It's our own behaviour that's sometimes harder to examine. Why do we accept certain behaviours? Why do people stay silent when something isn't right? And why do we sometimes confuse having a policy with actually changing anything? Drawing on her work with people, organisations and communities, Celeste explores the everyday choices, attitudes and assumptions that affect how we treat one another. With humour, practical examples and some uncomfortable questions, she encourages audiences to think about the role they play in the environments they help create. Topics can include workplace bullying, boundaries, respect, accountability, gender dynamics and organisational culture. Ideal for corporate conferences, workplace culture events, HR programmes and industry summits.
✓ Pre-event consultation to identify key themes and audience needs
✓ 45–60 minute thought-provoking keynote
✓ Presentation tailored to relevant workplace or social issues
✓ Real-life examples and practical reflections
✓ Audience Q&A where time permits
Fee includes preparation and presentation within the Johannesburg area. Travel and accommodation outside this area are quoted separately.
Takes ±2 min · pay only once confirmed
Brave Enough | Interactive Experience
R 36 562,5
Full price — no hidden fees · Up to 3 hours
We can talk about change all day. The interesting part is what happens when we have to examine our own thinking. This facilitated session takes Brave Enough beyond a keynote and brings participants into the conversation. Through practical exercises, real-life scenarios, discussion and reflection, Celeste challenges participants to consider how their beliefs, experiences, choices and behaviour influence themselves and the people around them. The session can be tailored to explore resilience, boundaries, personal responsibility, workplace relationships and difficult conversations. It's interactive without forcing people to share personal experiences, and practical without pretending that complicated human problems have simple answers. Ideal for corporate teams, professional groups, conferences and organisations wanting a more participatory experience.
✓ Pre-event consultation to establish objectives and audience needs
✓ Up to 3 hours of interactive facilitation
✓ Session content adapted to your organisation or event
✓ Practical exercises, scenarios and guided discussions
✓ Participant reflection and key takeaways
Fee includes preparation and presentation within the Johannesburg area. Travel and accommodation outside this area are quoted separately.
Takes ±2 min · pay only once confirmed
Beyond Surviving
R 20 812,5
Full price — no hidden fees · 45–60 minutes
Just because you're coping doesn't mean you're okay. We live in a world that celebrates resilience, encourages us to push through and tells us to be strong. But what happens when being strong becomes exhausting? Surviving difficult experiences is one thing. Living with the emotional weight of those experiences, managing everyday pressures and finding your way back to yourself is something else entirely. Drawing on her personal experiences and years of working with people facing difficult circumstances, Celeste takes an honest, sometimes humorous look at emotional wellbeing, burnout, the expectations we place on ourselves and why asking for help shouldn't feel like admitting defeat. This isn't another presentation about being positive or learning to cope with more. It's about recognising our limits, understanding what we carry and giving ourselves permission to do something about it. Ideal for employee wellness days, corporate wellbeing programmes, conferences and organisations wanting a more human conversation about mental health and resilience.
✓ Pre-event consultation to understand audience and event objectives
✓ 45–60 minute keynote on emotional wellbeing and moving beyond survival
✓ Content tailored to the audience and event theme
✓ Practical reflections on resilience, perspective and wellbeing
✓ Audience Q&A where time permits
Fee includes preparation and presentation within the Johannesburg area. Travel and accommodation outside this area are quoted separately.
Takes ±2 min · pay only once confirmed
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