Annick Seys Speaker | Enterprise & PHSCE & Science & New Speakers & Teacher CPD & Mental Health & Conference

Annick Seys

It's easy to know how someone's behaviour makes you feel - whether it's a student, a colleague or your team. It's harder to know what they need to become who they could be.

Annick Seys spent over 15 years working with leaders navigating complexity in high-pressure jobs — first as the owner of a renowned Belgian training centre for therapists and psychologists, where she and her team trained thousands of professionals. She is the co-author of three books grounded in the science of lasting behaviour change. Alongside running the centre, she coached senior leaders and executives through the full range of leadership challenges, work she continues to this day. She sold her company in 2020.

In 2025 and again in 2026, Annick received a Highly Commended Award at the London Speaker Awards — in 2026 in the Thought Leadership category — recognizing the impact of her keynotes on how leaders and teams create the conditions for growth.

Before all of that, Annick's favourite job was in education itself. She taught vocational students, then went on to work as a student counsellor and head of pedagogical policy; spending years in the classroom, supporting young people from challenging backgrounds, and helping school leadership teams guide teachers through the difficulties they face day to day. That combination of hands-on classroom experience and years spent studying how adults change gives her a rare, dual perspective: she understands both the psychology of leadership and the specific pressures of school life.

It's easy to know how someone's behaviour affects you - whether it's a student, a colleague, or your team. It's harder to know what they need to become who they could be. That question sits at the heart of Annick's best-selling and award-winning keynote on toxic team dynamics: how the context a leader creates determines whether people grow, become more insecure, or cross boundaries they shouldn't, and how to predict which response (empathy, direction, or boundaries) works with which person. It's a dynamic school leadership knows intimately, since the same pattern plays out between colleagues, and between teachers and students.
Audiences consistently tell Annick that her talk gave them both recognition and practical insight, and that they kept thinking about it for months afterward.

Annick is also developing a second, more personal signature talk about how a student's self-image is built and shapes their behaviour and how a teacher's own curiosity and focus can transform not just the student's self-worth, but their own. Already delivered to several large non-profit organisations in Belgium, it consistently invites audiences to reflect on how they relate to the young people in their care.

Annick offers keynotes for full staff teams, The Leadership Lab - a more intensive format for school leadership teams - and guest lectures for teacher and school leadership training programmes on dealing with fear, frustration, and demotivation, whether their own or that of their students and teams.

She speaks in English and Dutch and is based in Belgium.

Testimonials from Teachers

"This keynote focused strongly on behavioural patterns under pressure, difficult conversations, psychological flexibility and conscious leadership. As a member of the leadership team at a secondary school, it reinforced for me how important it is as a school leader to look not only at results, but also at the underlying dynamics within a team.

Behavioural patterns are often visible long before they start to have an impact on the school culture. This session gave me the language and insights to recognise those signals earlier.

What particularly resonated with me was the focus on difficult conversations. In a school environment, we regularly have conversations with teachers, parents and students where both clarity and connection matter. The keynote highlighted why these conversations are sometimes postponed and how we can still approach them in a constructive way.

I recognised how pressure and complex expectations influence our behaviour as leaders. The keynote showed that many of our responses under stress are predictable and provided practical tools to help us make more conscious choices rather than reacting automatically."

– Jan Thijs - Director of Teaching and Learning Atlas College Genk

"During a national symposium on support for young people who are difficult to reach, I watched Annick address an entire room — or rather, invite them to reflect on how they carry themselves as leaders in highly challenging situations. That is Annick’s gift: she speaks to a group, yet moves each person individually. The energy Annick brings is vibrant and inspiring. You’re drawn into the story that needs to be told. A story told in words that stay with you, but even more so in the emotions and insights that continue to resonate long after. Annick creates impact, not only through the depth of her knowledge and expertise, but through her vulnerability and authenticity. It’s a rare and powerful combination. One that makes you want to hear what she has to say, even when the message lands hard. When Annick speaks, something shifts in the room. She sparks curiosity, opens perspectives, and dares to speak from personal experience. She weaves interaction and dialogue into her talks so seamlessly that you feel invited - again and again - to take part in the experience. And when all of that is paired with her sense of humour and contagious enthusiasm, you can’t help but be activated."

– Stefanie Kempeneers, Care Manager Heem vzw

“As a coordinator in a Network for Palliative Care, I invited Annick to speak at a Flemish Palliative Care Congress in Belgium, where she addressed more than 500 palliative care professionals on how to stay connected in communication when under intense pressure. What stands out is her authenticity and the clarity of the message she conveys. She gently provokes reflection with small nudges, trusting the process that follows. She doesn’t shy away from using humor. Her language is direct and at times confrontational, but always warm and deeply engaged. Annick fills the space with her presence. Her energy is dynamic, swirling, and contagious, and so is the interaction she sparks during her talk. But don’t be mistaken: it’s the vulnerability she sees beneath it all that defines her. Gripping in her message, soulfully present in the way she shows up.”

– Els Noels, Staff Member, Expertise & Quality Assurance Palliative Care, Limburg Belgium

“Annick Seys is a truly exceptional keynote speaker. Her presence on stage is both powerful and deeply authentic — she speaks not just to the mind, but to the heart. With a rare combination of sharp intelligence, profound insight, and genuine warmth, Annick captivates her audience from the very first moment. Her keynote was not only enlightening, but also transformative — she challenged our thinking, inspired new perspectives, and left us with a sense of clarity and purpose. If you’re looking for a speaker who brings depth, vision, and impact, Annick is in a league of her own."

– Prof. Kathleen Venderickx