SpeakingThe same conviction. A different room.
Makeda Alleyne is a keynote speaker, panel contributor, and facilitator whose talks don't just move people — they change how people see themselves.
Panel Discussions
Keynotes
Team Days
DEI Events
The ExperienceThis is not a talk people politely applaud and quietly forget.
Makeda brings the same inside-out perspective to every stage — the directness, the warmth, and the occasional well-timed provocation that make audiences sit up, lean in, and leave with something they didn't arrive with.
No death by PowerPoint. No hype that fades on the drive home. The kind of talk that makes people leave the room genuinely different.
Audiences leave having genuinely reframed something — about themselves, about what they're capable of, and about what has been getting in the way.
Not with a notebook full of theory but with a different way of seeing, and specific actions they can take the moment they walk out of the room.
What Makeda Speaks OnConfidence. Fear. Brilliance. Presence. The inner territory most speakers won't go near.
Every talk Makeda delivers is built around a central truth: that the most significant barriers to performance are not external, they're internal. And that's when those barriers shift; everything else shifts with them.
Her talks explore the themes that capable professionals most need to hear and least expect to be addressed on a stage — confidence that doesn't depend on validation, fear as a force that can be used rather than avoided, the brilliance that capable people consistently downplay, and the leadership presence that emerges when someone finally stops trying to prove themselves.
Every talk begins with a conversation about your audience — who they are, what they're carrying, and what you need them to walk away with. What gets delivered on the day is built around that. Not a generic keynote dropped into your event. Something that actually belongs there — whether that's a leadership conference, an internal team day, a diversity and inclusion event, or a professional development programme.
-
01
The Confidence Gap
The clichés aren't working. Here's what actually does.Back yourself. Fake it till you make it. Just trust your instincts. Leaders have been handed these platitudes for years, and quietly discovered they don't move the needle.
This talk names what's actually been getting in the way of leaders showing up fully — in the decisions they're delaying, the conversations they're avoiding, the rooms they're shrinking in — and gives them the specific inner shifts that build both confidence and self-trust from the ground up, not the outside in.
This talk is perfect for: Leaders at any level who know they have more to give, whether they're early in their leadership journey, stepping into greater responsibility, or simply not yet leading at the level they know is possible.
-
02
Fear Is Not the Enemy
It's not trying to stop you. It's trying to tell you something.In capable people, fear doesn't look like fear. It looks like thoroughness. Caution. Caring about quality. It looks like the decision that keeps getting delayed, the conversation that keeps getting avoided, the meeting you over-prepared for at 11 pm on a Tuesday.
This talk shows how fear has been quietly making the decisions all along — and gives leaders a way of working with it that transforms it from a stop sign into a compass. They leave knowing how to use fear to propel themselves towards what matters, rather than staying stuck circling what doesn't.
This talk is perfect for: Leaders who know what they need to do and keep finding reasons not to do it.
-
03
Own Your Brilliance
You can't leverage what you can't see.Most leaders who struggle with confidence aren't struggling because they lack ability. They're struggling because they can't see what makes them exceptional — so instead they perform some version of who they think the world wants them to be, downplay what they actually bring to the table, and spend their energy comparing themselves to others rather than owning what makes them distinctly, unmistakably them.
This talk helps leaders pinpoint their unique blend of skills, values, experience and personality, and shows them what it looks like to stop shrinking and start stamping their brilliance on everything they touch.
This talk is perfect for: Leaders who are ready to stop playing small — particularly those from underrepresented groups who have spent too long making themselves palatable rather than making their mark.
-
04
From the Inside Out
Why leadership development keeps failing — and what actually sticks.Leadership gaps are expensive. Delayed decisions, avoided conversations, talent that walks out, teams that drift — the cost is real, measurable, and in most organisations quietly accepted as the norm.
This talk names what's actually driving that gap, why most development programmes never reach it, and what fundamentally changes when leadership development works from the inside out. Not a theoretical argument, a practical one, built on patterns that show up across every sector, every level, and every kind of programme. People leaders leave with a new way of thinking about what they're building, and why the inside is always where it has to start.
This talk is perfect for: HR directors, L&D leads, and senior leaders who are investing in their people and wondering why the needle isn't moving.
How Makeda Works With YouKeynotes. Panel discussions. Team days. Whatever the room needs.
Makeda is available for a range of formats, from keynote speeches at large conferences to panel contributions, fireside chats, facilitated team days, and internal leadership events.
Every engagement begins with a conversation about your audience, your event, and what you need people to walk away with. That conversation shapes everything, so that what happens on the day feels specific to your people, not generic to everyone.
-
Keynote
High-impact talks at leadership conferences, summits, and large-scale events. Typically 30–60 minutes.
-
Panel & Fireside
Panel contributions and fireside chats that bring depth, directness, and a fresh point of view.
-
Team Days
Facilitated internal sessions for leadership teams, people managers, or whole-organisation events.
-
Programmes
Multi-session speaking as part of broader leadership development or DEI programmes.
What Event Organisers & Attendees SayThe kind of talk that stays with people long after the event is over.
-
"She brings such a fresh, bold and unapologetic voice to the table and ignited so many of our participants into action. She was warm, funny and deeply inspiring."
-
"Makeda's skill and energy is just what we needed for our final seminar as part of this year's mentoring programme."
-
"Today, hearing Makeda speak was absolutely brilliant. She offered real nuggets of wisdom — this was quite confronting in the best possible way."
-
"Makeda is the definition of an electrifying and professional keynote speaker. Energy, content, engagement and awesomeness all wrapped up in one."
Work With MakedaConsidering Makeda for your next event?
The best place to start is a conversation. Tell Makeda about your event, your audience, and what you're hoping people will take away — and she'll tell you honestly whether she's the right fit.
Or email directly: hello@makedaalleyne.com