Kim is the original Free Spirit. She set up L&D Free Spirits in early 2024 with one mission: to make freelancing in L&D less lonely, more connected, and a whole lot more doable.
A freelancer since 2017, Kim knows first-hand how hard it can be to get started. She spent a long time winging it alone — until she realised the power of community. Now she’s on a mission to help others find their people, their confidence, and their own version of freelance freedom.
We asked Kim: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
You don’t need to do everything at once – take your time, plan your strategy, create a value prop. Decide what you’re offering to whom because it’ll make your conversations so much more productive.
Liggy is an award winning and bestselling author, presenter and international consultant. She is recognised as a thought leader on human resilience and behavioural agility and works with a wide range of businesses focusing on optimising potential through continual learning and behavioural agility.
Some of the organisations that Liggy has worked with includes the NHS, the BBC, Walt Disney, the World Trade Organization, the United Nations and various public and private sector organisations, charities and universities.
She has written over thirty-five books (including her bite-sized life skills series) on a variety of topics that help people to be happier, healthier, and more productive. Liggy is passionate about distilling complexity and creating light, accessible and practical resources.
The guiding principles of her book on resilience through change has also been televised for a series with the BBC world service.
What will you get out of Liggy’s session?
In her opening keynote, Liggy will explore how belief, resilience and behavioural agility unlock your ability to succeed on your own terms. She’ll spotlight the core qualities that help freelancers thrive – including tenacity, self-belief, creativity and vision – and how to build habits that support consistent progress even when challenges hit.
You’ll walk away feeling more confident in your ability to achieve great things, more equipped to bounce back from setbacks, and more committed to pacing yourself with purpose. Liggy will offer practical encouragement to help you stay curious, prioritise self-care and take meaningful steps towards your goals.
We asked Liggy: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Be clear about the purpose of what you are striving for because this will help you to be resilient when faced with challenges and setbacks.
Jasmine is a social anthropologist, and brings this specialist knowledge to her work in the corporate world. She runs a training and advisory consultancy, specialising in diversity, equity and inclusion, and she works with employee forums.
Jasmine has lived in London since 2008, and has worked extensively all around the UK. Before moving to London, she was a professor at FIT (the Fashion Institute of Technology, a part of the State University of New York), teaching cross cultural studies for international business majors.
What will you get out of Jasmine’s session?
In her closing keynote, Jasmine will share five thought-provoking stories about power — the power of sense-making, community, finding luck, reciprocity and resistance. But rather than ending the day with a lecture, she’ll offer a reflective and practical perspective on how human-level power can be a positive, motivating force.
Each story is designed to spark ideas and help you connect the day’s learning to your own freelance journey. You’ll come away with a handful of useful tips, new ways of thinking, and the clarity to notice and use the power already in your hands.
We asked Jasmine: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
When you run your own business, what makes what you offer special is YOU.
Linnéa is an independent learning designer who helps organisations move beyond content production and toward learning that creates real impact. With a background in adult learning, transfer and workplace pedagogy, she specialises in designing solutions that are relevant, clear and grounded in how people actually learn.
Known for her honest, thoughtful approach, Linnéa works closely with clients to uncover what people genuinely need in order to learn and apply new skills. Her Swiss-army-knife approach means she adapts the method to the problem, not the other way around, bringing flexibility and pragmatism into every project. She works as a business partner first and a learning designer second, using learning as the lever for real organisational impact.
Linnéa brings a blend of pedagogy, practicality and warm collaboration to her work, with a strategic lens that ensures every project moves both people and the organisation forward.
What will you get out of Linnéa’s session?
Freelance L&D life isn’t all smooth sailing – sometimes you’re handed a brief that makes you wince. In this session, Linnéa explores how to handle those ‘shitty asks’ in ways that protect your integrity, strengthen your craft, and avoid burning bridges.
You’ll find out how to evaluate whether to say no (and offer better options) or say yes with intention, using what she calls the Trojan Horse approach – small, smart moves that sneak better learning into constrained projects. Expect tools, tactics and a shift in mindset about the influence you can have, even within tricky parameters.
You’ll leave with a clearer decision-making model, practical techniques to raise learning quality without rocking the boat, and a bonus PDF packed with Trojan Horse examples to support you long after the session.
We asked Linnéa: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
I wish someone had helped me understand what ‘good enough’ actually looks like, and how to recognise it in different situations. It took me far too long to learn that skill, and it’s one of the best tools for managing your workload.
Rob is CEO and Creative Lead of LAS, and a lifelong designer with a passion for how people learn, what captures attention, and how technology can enhance learning experiences. With over 14 years’ experience leading innovation and change in the learning space, Rob blends creative design with deep expertise in human-centred learning.
He’s worked on a huge variety of digital learning projects and is known for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Rob is editor and co-author of The Really Useful eLearning Instruction Manual (Wiley), and regularly speaks at conferences on learning, technology, and sustainability. In 2015, he received the Outstanding Contribution Award at the eLearning Awards for raising standards and encouraging greater creativity in digital learning across the industry.
What will you get out of Rob’s session?
Creativity and resilience are two of the most important – and often overlooked – ingredients in a thriving freelance career. In his session, Rob will guide you through simple but powerful strategies to strengthen both.
You’ll walk away from this session with proven strategies for boosting personal creativity and building resilience.
We asked Rob: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Resilience isn’t about pushing harder, it’s about knowing when to step back and recharge.
Emma is an award-winning learning professional with more than 25 years’ experience across L&D, Talent, and EdTech. She has written over 90 award-winning submissions (including more than 80 Gold), served as a judge and category chair for leading UK and US programmes, and developed a 99% success rate through her work in awards and recognition.
Emma founded Rooftop Recognition to help L&D, Talent, and EdTech teams communicate the value of their work with clarity, evidence and confidence. She specialises in building sustainable award strategies, crafting compelling impact stories, and helping organisations turn learning outcomes into recognition worth shouting about.
Passionate about elevating the voice of the L&D industry, she shares her expertise through speaking, writing and practical guidance. Emma believes recognition isn’t about trophies – it’s about shining a light on impact, strengthening credibility and telling stories that matter.
What will you get out of Emma’s session?
Now more than ever, freelancers need practical ways to prove their value – and that’s where an “award mindset” comes in. In this fast-paced and friendly session, Emma will introduce her Blueprint for Recognition: five essential elements that help you design stronger projects, tell clearer stories and stand out – even if you never submit an award entry.
You’ll learn how to spot the impact in your own work, use targeted prompts to surface outcomes and create a project snapshot you can use for marketing, proposals or awards. You’ll leave with a practical toolkit to improve how you frame your work, highlight results and show potential clients exactly why they should trust you.
We asked Emma: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
That you don’t have to have it all figured out right away; your services and ‘offer’ will evolve over time. Try things out, test, and iterate. Eventually things will click into place and you’ll have a clear understanding of who you are, who you help, and what you love doing most, i.e., the work that makes you thrive.
Andrew is a Learning Strategist and Organisational Impact Advisor. His work challenges the dominant model of workplace learning – the outer loop of training supply, programme delivery and content consumption. Andrew works with leadership teams to move into the inner loop: diagnosing the real problem, brokering across the organisation, and shaping the conditions where learning happens through work itself.
He is the founder of Llarn Learning and has led learning, talent and capability work across public, private and third sector organisations, including senior roles in central government with HMRC and the Department of Health and Social Care.
Andrew is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, producer of the Women Talking About Learning podcast, and writes daily at lostanddesperate.com. His work has been recognised through national industry awards for informal learning, capability development, and learning strategy. He speaks globally at conferences and events about learning, leadership, and the systemic work required to build organisations that learn.
What will you get out of Andrew’s session?
Many freelancers feel intimidated by tenders, but they don’t have to be scary – in fact they can open doors and expand your horizons. In this session, Andrew will demystify public sector tendering.
You’ll explore where to find tenders, how the process works, and the tools that make it all more manageable. Whether you’re totally new to bidding or ready to raise your game, you’ll leave with practical insights to help you navigate the process and get noticed.
We asked Andrew: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Ask more questions! And make sure you record the answers!
Tess is a Director at LAS, a multi-award winning, human-centred learning, innovation and change agency. She is also a conference speaker, writer and Learning Technologies Awards Panel Chair.
Having started her career in higher education, Tess has always had a keen interest in the psychology and behaviours behind how people learn and holds a Master’s degree in Organisational Behaviour.
In 2009, Tess moved into corporate learning, joining LAS, where they work with global organisations consulting, designing and developing high impact digital and blended learning experiences and behaviour change interventions.
What will you get out of Tess’s session?
Ready to align your learning passion with purpose? As L&D freelancers, your work impacts culture and behaviour, making you key drivers for a sustainable future. In this high-impact, 30-minute session, we’ll move beyond buzzwords to give you practical, eco-friendly strategies you can implement right away.
You’ll learn how to ‘green’ your client projects, understand the growing world of B Corps and purpose-driven organisations, and discover the benefits of working with them. Find out how you can reduce your carbon footprint, position yourself for the values-based economy and join a community committed to making a tangible, sustainable difference.
We asked Tess: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Don’t be afraid to say no.
Dave is a music and football loving dad of three from the South West, passionate about real connection, shared interests and being excited by life.
He has developed hundreds of partnerships and been involved in thousands of referrals, growing a membership organisation to over 2,000 members almost entirely through this channel. He later helped global brands such as Regus and Volvo access the SME market, reaching close to one million business owners along the way.
In 2020 Dave founded Collaboration Junkie. As a Nearbound lead specialist, he trains and advises brands on how to identify, nurture and scale referral and partnership opportunities in a way that feels natural, generous and human.
What will you get out of Dave’s session?
Referrals are the most powerful source of new business for freelancers and consultants, but trying to “scale” them often feels awkward, forced or just plain icky.
In this session, Dave will show you how to move referrals from something that relies on luck and crossed fingers into something intentional and repeatable, without ever feeling salesy. Using his DANCE framework and real-life examples, he will share practical ways to build cultures of referrals that are rooted in trust, generosity and genuine connection.
We asked Dave: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
To focus on the relationships that really matter. You don’t have to be liked by everyone, and once you appreciate that, those that love you will only do so more.
Cathy is CEO and co-founder of CLO100, the UK’s premier community for L&D leadership development. With nearly 25 years of experience transforming organisational capability at global brands including British Gas, Expedia, Tesco, and Coca-Cola European Partners, she has established herself as a leading voice in strategic learning and development.
Through CLO100’s flagship Learning Leaders Programme and partnership with Leeds University Business School, Cathy and her team equip L&D professionals with the business acumen and strategic thinking needed to operate as trusted business partners at the executive level. Her work continues to shape the future of corporate learning by elevating the L&D profession from operational support to strategic leadership.
What will you get out of Cathy’s session?
This practical, no-fluff session is for L&D freelancers who want to stop being seen as “course order takers” and start being treated as strategic partners.
Cathy will help you reframe client briefs, challenge vague requests and talk credibly about business impact. You will explore how to shift conversations away from content and towards outcomes that really matter to decision-makers.
You’ll leave with:
- A clearer way to articulate your L&D offer in commercial, outcome-focused language.
- A simple questioning and scoping framework to turn woolly training requests into well-defined, business-aligned projects.
- At least two concrete actions to help you generate better-fit freelance opportunities.
We asked Cathy: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
To learn to speak the language of the business rather than the language of learning.
Houra helps organisations design learning strategies that lead to measurable behaviour change; not just completions, content, or good intentions.
At Blue Jay Learning, she combines behavioural science and systems thinking to solve real performance problems, including reducing compliance and reputational risk, improving onboarding and time-to-competence, and enabling capability building that actually shows up in day-to-day work.
Houra works with leaders and teams to align learning with business priorities (not vanity metrics), design behaviour-led programmes that change decisions and actions, and focus on capability, opportunity, and motivation, not content alone.
She has worked with Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 organisations often in complex, regulated environments. She is also a judge for the Learning Technologies Awards and a mentor with The Learning Network.
What will you get out of Houra’s session?
Freelancing often rewards hustle over sustainability, leaving people busy, exhausted and stuck in a cycle of always saying yes for fear of losing the next piece of income.
In this session, Houra will treat freelancing as a system to be designed. Using insights from behavioural science and systems thinking, she will explore why burnout is rarely a personal failing and is usually baked into the way your work is structured.
You’ll leave with:
- Better decision awareness, understanding how uncertainty and income volatility shape pricing, client choices and boundaries, often in unhelpful ways.
- Practical actions to reduce cognitive load, protect your energy and avoid reactive overwork without sacrificing income.
We asked Houra: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Build a system that prevents burnout, underpricing, and constant anxiety.
Sheridan has been designing bespoke learning solutions (live workshops and blended programmes) for almost 30 years, and has been freelance for 20.
She now balances direct client work with supporting others with their own design projects via the Training Designers Club, and providing ready-written materials via power-hour.co.uk.
What will you get out of Sheridan’s session?
When deadlines are tight and design time is squeezed, it’s tempting to outsource design to AI. Using AI tools can of course be a great timesaver, but only if we use them appropriately. We must never forget that learning is a human experience, not an information gathering one.
This session will explore the design process and where we (as humans) should be leading with our unique skill set, and where it’s sensible to lean more on AI. Learn how to combine human and AI intelligence in a structured way to get the best results.
You’ll discover how to:
- use design thinking to guide human-centred design decisions
- decide when to rely on human judgement vs. AI input
- create learning more quickly that still feels relevant, authentic and genuinely impactful.
We asked Sheridan: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Other freelancers are not your competitors – they are your potential collaborators. Working for yourself doesn’t mean being alone.
Meet the moderators & hosts
Get to know our marvellous moderators and fabulous hosts:
Andy is your plain speaking Learning Consultant from Aprendido Limited… Oh goodie, another L&D Consultant. Just what the world needs!
But here’s the thing: many businesses are still paralysed by the perceived cost and complexity of digital learning.
That’s where Andy comes in.
He helps organisations design and deliver digital learning that works – clearly, affordably, and without the nonsense. No jargon. No inflated tech. Just straight-talking advice and hands-on delivery.
Andy combines logic with empathy to cut through the fluff and focus on what your business really needs. With 35+ years’ experience and a background in digital, he guides clients from discovery to implementation – building bridges between teams and making change happen.
Andy communicates in plain English, stays hands-on, and know when to bring in the right people. He don’t pretend to have all the answers – but he knows how to find them.
We asked Andy: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
When you are a freelancer, every stranger is a new opportunity. Forget about competitors. Everyone in business just wants to be a success and to help others achieve the same.
Thea is one of only 45 Canva Verified Experts on the planet, turning design dread into “I can’t believe I made this!” moments. With nearly 15 years of training experience, she brings energy, humour, and no-nonsense tips to workshops, webinars, and 1:1s worldwide.
I’m also the founder of Totally Content, a hub for creative content, publishing, and print-on-demand. My passions include retro-tech, music, and helping others explore their creative potential.
We asked Thea: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
When I first started training, I made the rookie mistake of trying to copy my mentor, Gary. It felt all wrong, like wearing shoes two sizes too small – uncomfortable and not remotely me. The best advice I ever got? Be yourself and find your own style. The second I did, everything clicked, and training became fun, natural, and mine.
Natalie is a learning and development specialist, facilitator and Director of Leaderful Action. She has worked in L&D since 2007, bringing nearly two decades of experience across the public, third and private sectors. Natalie designs and delivers programmes that create real behaviour change, stronger leadership and more human workplaces. Her work blends evidence-based practice, coaching, emotional intelligence and practical tools to help people learn in ways that feel meaningful, relevant and sustainable.
As a business owner, Natalie sees the power of intentionally strengthening her own “curiosity muscle”; using it to build brilliant client relationships and deeply understand the challenges organisations are navigating. This curiosity-first approach underpins her business and shapes the way she collaborates – with clarity, compassion and a genuine desire to help clients think differently. She is known for her warm, thoughtful style and her ability to create safe, stretching spaces where people feel heard, supported and inspired to grow.
We asked Natalie: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
That you don’t have to be ‘perfect’ for people to see you as great at what you do – being human is all part of what people connect with as a facilitator and professional.
Tom is a leading advocate for experiment-led design and evidence-informed practice in learning and development. As the founder of Evolve L&D, he works with organisations to build L&D functions that solve real performance problems through practical, research-aligned methods rather than trends or guesswork.
Alongside his consultancy, Tom advises several edtech companies as a product and research partner, ensuring technology aligns with how people actually learn and work. He is also the creator of the IDTX conference series, hosting events that bring practitioners together to share evidence-informed practice.
A regular speaker at industry conferences, Tom focuses on the realities of workplace learning and the systems, cultures, and tools that enable people to perform at their best.
We asked Tom: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
It’s not about being clever, it’s about being helpful.
A coach, consultant and content creator, Mark has spent the last two decades helping leaders and teams improve how they work together. Drawing on the principles of positive psychology, he creates safe, constructive spaces that enable meaningful conversations with long-lasting impact. With experience across 20+ countries and sectors, Mark specialises in team leadership, psychometrics and navigating complex interpersonal dynamics.
A regular contributor to the L&D and HR space, he has presented at conferences including BPS, CIPD and DISRUPTHR, written for publications such as Training Zone, HR Zone and ACCA Magazine, and hosts the Team Performance Podcast. As a digital creator, his ‘edutainment’-style video content has clocked up more than seven million views, blending humour and cutting-edge insight to make learning memorable.
A proud Free Spirits Wizard, Mark co-produces the Free Spirits of L&D Podcast and will be recording a live episode on conference day – bringing his signature blend of curiosity, challenge and storytelling to the stage.
We asked Mark: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Practice saying no as often as you possibly can.
Oyindamola is a digital learning strategist, speaker, EdTech career coach, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience across EdTech, programme delivery, project management, and instructional design.
She is Managing Director of Beccamola Ltd, where she leads digital learning transformation initiatives, helping organisations modernise learning design and delivery. She is a Certified Digital Learning Professional (CDLP), a member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and a Cranfield University alumna.
Oyindamola is the founder of the eLearning and Instructional Designers Hub (eLID Hub), a community created to mentor and support underrepresented professionals in the EdTech space. She is a Global EdTech Career Ambassador, Multi Award Winner of the Year 2025 UK, a STEM Award MK Finalist 2025, and a former board member of The Learning Network.
Outside of work, Oyindamola enjoys playing badminton and volunteering in her local church and local community, with a particular focus on empowering young people.
We asked Oyindamola: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
A handshake contract is a no-no for your gigs.
Viv is a Digital learning consultant with over 25 years experience helping organisations in professional services and other regulated sectors design effective learning. Business partner, learning experience designer, coach and Free Spirit Wizard.
Viv has also been a Learning Techologies Awards judge for several years and is an absolute stickler for impactful learning and a well-brewed cuppa.
We asked Viv: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Although you’re doing it on your own, ask for help and get mentors along the way
Former BBC journalist turned training and education filmmaker Jill Sainsbury, is on a mission to make learning and business media better.
She fell into L&D by accident when it became apparent that much of the video and audio that learners were expected to learn from was quite frankly, awful!
Video that’s hard to watch or a podcast that’s painful to listen to stands in the way of learners being able to learn. It also does a business no favours.
Many business owners are under pressure to produce content without the skills or knowledge to do so well and so can be disappointed with the results.
However with 30 years in broadcasting and higher education, Jill is chock-full of knowhow that she’ll be sharing to ensure your videos will be quite simply, ‘better’.
We asked Jill: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Everything takes longer than you think. Nothing happens overnight nor does it happen by accident. However you will build the business that’s right for you and your life if you invest time and effort in building good relationships.
Paul is a two-time exited founder who cracked the code on sustainable business growth.
His first venture took 15 years to reach its potential. His second business, Mint Interactive, achieved the same growth in just 15 months, scaling to seven figures working with global brands like Vodafone, Salesforce and HSBC.
The difference wasn’t luck. It was a structured mechanism that works.
Paul knows what it’s like to hit that revenue plateau where you’re profitable but stuck, watching competitors win bigger contracts while you’re trapped in referral dependency.
That’s why he created the 15in15 Programme – systematically strengthening your Profile, Package and Pipeline over 15 months until growth becomes inevitable.
This isn’t about quick fixes or theory. Paul works exclusively with established micro businesses ready for their next phase of growth.
We asked Paul: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Just start. Because your imperfect start beats their perfect plan every time.
Craig is a freelance digital learning designer and the founder of Arck Learning, working as a boutique partner to create story-led, visually distinctive eLearning. His work focuses on bridging style and substance, combining strong visual design with thoughtful structure to create modern, mobile-ready learning that works in real environments.
Craig works closely with clients from first conversation through to delivery, valuing clarity, collaboration and calm project flow. He’s particularly interested in how learning projects are shaped by process, decision-making and relationships, not just content. His experience spans onboarding, capability development and large-scale learning journeys across a range of sectors.
We asked Craig: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Build trust through how you work, not just what you deliver.
Judy is an independent LinkedIn® trainer and LinkedIn® marketing mentor who’s passionate about de-mystifying LinkedIn and showing business owners how to use it with confidence and purpose.
For over 12 years, she’s helped business owners bridge the gap between just being on LinkedIn and actually making it work, turning profiles into powerful sales and marketing tools that help them Get Found, Get Known and Get Leads. No spam. No cold pitching. Just genuine conversations that build trust and bring results.
Whether it’s one-to-one mentoring, a LinkedIn profile revamp, or a hands-on group workshop to boost confidence and content creation, Judy helps people show up on LinkedIn in a way that actually works.
We asked Judy: What’s one bit of advice you wish you’d had when you were starting out?
Don’t try to do it all yourself. Build your support team early and get the right people cheerleading and supporting you as you build your business.