Joy Reid
Roles: MC / Speaker
Themes: Motivational, Lifestyle & Wellbeing, Mental Health
Joy Reid is a storyteller, leader and communicator whose career has taken her from international newsrooms to the frontline of social impact.
A former TVNZ journalist and Europe Correspondent, Joy spent years working in live broadcasting and high-pressure news environments, learning how to think quickly, listen closely and connect with an audience. That experience now makes her a natural fit for conferences, awards evenings, panel discussions and complex live events.
As an MC, event host and interviewer, Joy is known for her warmth, calm presence and ability to keep a programme moving with the right mix of pace, professionalism and personality. She is particularly at home in live interviews and panel conversations, where her journalistic curiosity helps her draw out authentic stories and ask the questions audiences actually want answered.
After a significant health crisis prompted an unexpected career change, Joy moved from journalism into purpose-led leadership. She is now CEO and co-founder of One Mother to Another, combining the storytelling instincts of a journalist with the real-world experience of building and leading a purpose-driven organisation. Joy has a particular ability to make big ideas feel deeply human. She also speaks on leadership, purpose, resilience, social impact and navigating unexpected change. Her leadership and social impact work has been recognised through finalist honours in the NZ Leadership Awards and Inspirational Women of the Year “Changemaker” category.
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When Life Goes Off Script: Rethinking Success
Resilience and What Matters Most
Purpose in Action
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When Life Goes Off Script: Rethinking Success, Resilience and What Matters Most
Joy Reid thought she knew what success looked like. She had built a career as a TVNZ journalist and Europe Correspondent, was raising a young family and doing work she loved - until a significant health crisis brought life to an abrupt halt.
In this deeply human keynote, Joy shares what happened when the plan disappeared and she was forced to rethink work, identity, achievement and what really matters. Her unexpected path eventually led from international journalism to purpose-led leadership as CEO and co-founder of One Mother to Another.
Joy explores resilience not as simply “pushing through”, but as learning when to adapt, let go and redefine success. Audiences leave with a fresh perspective on their own priorities - and one powerful question: What would feel priceless if I lost it?
Purpose in action
Purpose can sound inspiring on a strategy document. Turning it into something real is much messier. Joy shares the story of helping grow One Mother to Another from a simple idea into a charity supporting thousands of parents and caregivers each year.
Along the way have come the realities of funding, people, leadership, uncertainty, growth and learning to make decisions when resources are limited. Drawing on both her journalism career and experience leading a purpose-driven organisation, Joy explores what it takes to move from caring about something to actually doing something about it.
This keynote encourages audiences to think about the impact they can create from where they are — and reminds them that meaningful change often begins surprisingly small.
