Theme: Make It Count

Connecting people with stories to inform, inspire, challenge and celebrate the difference being made in across the community.
TEDx Downpatrick will explore how ordinary people are using skills and experiences, connections and collaborations to create impact
and Make It Count in their lives and the lives of those around them. Speakers with lived experience in entrepreneurship, disability, sport, dance, mindset and loss, this is the first time that TEDx Downpatrick is being curated and shared, come and join us!

St Patrick's Centre
Market Street
Downpatrick, Down, BT30 6LZ
United Kingdom

James Perry

Accountant, Coach and University Lecturer

James is a renowned speaker, lecturer and coach who assists global accounting and finance individuals in creating the life they want, from obtaining world-class professional qualifications to achieving dynamic personal and career development. James holds a BSc in Accounting with First Class Honours, an MSc in Advanced Accounting and a Certificate in Executive Coaching. He is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Authority and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. James has been included in NI's Top 40 under 40 twice. On a personal level James loves travel, pursuing his ambition to visit all of the 'new' 7 Wonders of the World and all countries in Europe.

Jill Burns

Business Owner & Soul Coach

Jill is a business owner, passionate about health, wellness and supporting others to thrive. A mum to 3 boys, she loves spending time with family and friends and getting out in nature. Jill's Soul Coaching offer embodies her holistic approach to life and empowering others. She brings a joyful, positive personality alongside practical and evidence based tips to live our best lives. Jill is currently telling the story of her adventure with friends to climb all 7 peaks in the Mourne Mountains on a summer day in 2023!

Jim Frawley

Strategic Consultant, Coach and Leadership Expert

Jim Frawley is the Founder and Principal of Bellwether, a company dedicated to helping organizations and people build resiliency, adapt to change and thrive in rapidly shifting contexts. He is the host of the Bellwether Hub podcast and best-selling author of Adapting in Motion: Finding Your Place in the New Economy, a practical guide to responding to multiple levels of macro change. Jim works with leaders in a variety of capacities, including Executive Coach, Workshop Facilitator and Business Consultant, on three primary areas of expertise: Strategic Planning, Executive Communications and Change Management. He has worked internationally over his twenty-year career, coaching executives and teams, overhauling corporate training programs, creating and implementing complex organizational and cultural re-designs and building business strategy and administrative plans.

Josephine Brennan-King

Business Owner & World Renowned Irish Dance Lead

A qualified Irish dance teacher and Director at idanceirish Ltd, Josephine has had an illustrious careers in the world of Irish Dance. She has travelled across the world, joining the renowned 'Lord of the Dance' show, performing alongside Michael Flatley as Dance Captain and Prinicpal Dancer. With her husband Carl, Josephine has grown a diverse and successful business in the Irish dance world globally, together with her love for choreographing, providing dancers and musicians for events, teambuilding and festivals.

Mark Carolan

Life, Executive and Wellbeing Coach

Mark is a renowned international speaker with a passion for personal wellbeing and selfcare. He had a successful career in the corporate world before following is heart and living to his values by moving into the coaching and public speaking world full time. He sees and overarching need to bring people 'back home to themselves' and find our values to become our authentic self.

Michaela Hollywood

Disability Rights Activist

Michaela is a disability rights activist from County Down. She has been recognised as a Point of Light, won a Spirit of Northern Ireland Award and as one of the BBC 100 Women. Michaela is passionate about disability rights, inclusion and how that benefits all of society. She is a huge snooker fan and keeps her social media followers both informed and entertained as she shares her personality and values in all that she does.

Oisín MacManus

Regional Hurling Development Officer & Life Coach

Oisín is Regional Hurling Development Officer with Ulster GAA and Owner of OMAC Enhanced Performance Psychology, providing performance psychology support to help people be #BusyGettingBetter. Oisín also holds the role of Life Coach in St Patrick's Grammar School, working with pupils on the areas of stress, anxiety, and pressure management, exam performance and lifestyle. A busy man who also plays Senior Inter-County Hurling for Down.

Patricia McCullough

Women's Football Leader and Community Volunteer

Having just secured a managerial job in Dublin, Patricia was a passenger in a road traffic accident, suffering life altering injuries. As a stay at home mum, she volunteered in a range of settings, including her local football club. She has completed the IFA's Female Football Leader Programme in 2020 and is passionate about promoting involvement in sport. As a disabled person, she seeks to prove that we shouldn't set limits on ourselves!

Rachel Gotto

Author, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Grief Coach

Rachel believes that we all have within us, the capacity to thrive. Her international bestselling memoir, Flying on the Inside, charts her own remarkable journey from unimaginable trauma and complex losses into creating a successful life, both professionally and personally. She has helped thousands of people to achieve sustainable life transformations using her own unique approach to mental health. Her enthusiasm and zest for life are infectious and she loves to swim, hike, fish and cook in her spare time.