Strategic PA Network | In-person | Thurs 15th Oct, 5.30pm - 8.00pm | Bodleian Library | Resilience & Burnout Panel
Thursday 15th October 2026 5.30pm to 8.00pm - BST
Location: Broad St, Oxford OX1 3BG
Thursday 15th October 2026 5.30pm to 8.00pm - BST
Location: Broad St, Oxford OX1 3BG
Resilience & Burnout: Protecting Your Energy, Wellbeing & Performance
Thursday 15 October | 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 pm | The Bodleian Library, Oxford
In today’s fast-paced world, resilience isn’t about pushing harder, it’s about protecting what matters most: your energy, your wellbeing, and your ability to perform at your best.
Join us for an inspiring evening of honest conversation at the iconic Bodleian Library, where we’ll explore the realities of burnout, the power of resilience, and practical ways to thrive in demanding environments.
Featuring an exceptional panel of Daniel Reed, Gilly Mulford, and Sam Harris, this open discussion will be expertly facilitated by Sarah Howson and Marianne Whitlock, creating a space for authentic stories, practical insights, and meaningful conversation.
Why attend? | Whether you’re leading a team, building a business, or simply navigating the pressures of modern life, this event will leave you with valuable insights you can put into practice straight away.
You’ll discover:
This isn’t another lecture. It’s an open, thought-provoking conversation designed to challenge assumptions, inspire new ways of thinking, and equip you with practical approaches to performing at your best without sacrificing your well-being.
Whether you’re feeling stretched, supporting others through demanding times, or simply looking to build greater resilience for the future, you’ll leave with fresh perspectives, actionable ideas, and meaningful connections.
We’d love you to join us for what promises to be an insightful and inspiring evening.
I'm an Executive Assistant with several years of experience enabling senior leaders to operate at their best, combining strategic thinking, operational rigour, and a genuine instinct for how to create clarity in complex, fast-moving environments.
Currently based in the Chief Executive's Office at Oxfordshire County Council, I support a board-level Director across a high-volume executive function, owning diary and priority management, coordinating across senior stakeholders, preparing governance documentation, and driving the kind of behind-the-scenes work that allows leadership to focus on what matters most.
I take the craft of executive support seriously. That means not just managing today's priorities, but anticipating tomorrow's, and constantly looking for smarter ways to work. Recently, I've been building custom Microsoft Copilot agents to replicate executive communication styles and streamline briefing preparation, reducing manual admin by 80% and freeing up meaningful time for strategic work.
Before this, I supported 18+ Directors and Chief Officers across the South East through ADASS, managing complex cross-agency communications and building systems that made multi-stakeholder environments run more smoothly.
Outside of my core role, I serve as Co-Chair of the Young Persons Network at OCC, leading engagement initiatives, delivering events, and creating space for early-career professionals to grow and connect.
Winner of the National PA Awards Special Recognition Award 2025. Promoted into the Chief Executive's Office the same year.
I'm always open to conversations about where I can add value next.
I’m a #1 Best Selling author and resilience guide, but the work I do today began long before I ever used those titles. It began in the quiet, disorienting aftermath of trauma and devastating loss, the kind of moments that crack a life open and force you to rebuild from the inside out.
In those years, I learned what it means to bend without breaking. I learned how strength can be small and quiet, how resilience grows in the dark, and how clarity often arrives one gentle choice at a time. Those lessons became the foundation of everything I now share with others.
Today, I support individuals and organisations navigating overwhelm, change and emotional weight. My approach is practical and grounded, but always human. I help people create space, structure and breathing room when life feels too full, not by pushing harder, but by softening, steadying and choosing what truly matters.
I work with clients who value a discreet, calm and capable presence. I’m often described as someone who brings clarity in the chaos, offers a steady sounding board, and occasionally feels like a much‑needed therapist. Really, I’m just someone who knows what it’s like to carry too much, and who believes no one should have to do it alone.
Life shouldn’t feel like a constant struggle. Sometimes all it takes is a single seed of strength to grow roots of resilience.
A senior operations and governance specialist working inside a biotech group of 10–12 companies. The work sits between strategy and execution: governance frameworks, board and investor support, M&A and funding cycles, change management, and the operational steadying that keeps research-stage businesses moving as conditions shift.
ICSA-qualified Company Secretary with six years inside biotech, comfortable with cap tables, board packs, R&D operational support, and the practicalities of scaling lab and office space alongside scientific milestones.
The Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library. Together, the Bodleian Libraries hold over 13 million printed items. First opened to scholars in 1602, it incorporates an earlier library built by the University in the 15th century to house books donated by Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester. Since 1602 it has expanded, slowly at first but with increasing momentum over the last 150 years, to keep pace with the ever-growing accumulation of books, papers and other materials, but the core of the old buildings has remained intact.
Known to many Oxford scholars simply as ‘the Bod’, these buildings are still used by students and scholars from all over the world, and they attract an ever-increasing number of visitors.
Strategic PA Network is an active, professional networking group for Personal Assistants, Executive Assistants, Virtual Assistants, Administrators, and Office Managers. Whether based in the UK or around the world, we are proudly all-inclusive and not county-specific; anyone is welcome to attend our events and be part of our thriving community.
Over the past ten years, we have organically grown into a supportive and empowering network where Assistants come together to learn, connect, and grow. Our mission is to provide a credible platform that encourages industry awareness, meaningful connections, and shared best practices.
Learning and development are at the core of everything we do, with our events exploring essential topics that bring value, spark insight, and deliver revelatory moments.
At Strategic PA Network, we believe in the power of community - lifting each other up, celebrating every success, and inspiring Assistance to reach their full potential.
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