I speak about confidence, communication, and career growth
And how to create and provide experiences that make people feel seen, supported, and eager to contribute.
I've given keynotes and talks at Devoxx UK, Oredev, JS Days Bologna, LeadDev, CTO Craft Con, Future of Web Apps, Mozfest and more.
My talks combine storytelling, structured thinking, and playful metaphors (like learning from video games, Disney theme parks, or side quests in RPGs) to make big ideas feel accessible and actionable. I want people to leave with more than just inspiration. I want them to walk away thinking, “I can actually do this”, and knowing exactly where to start.
Whether I’m speaking to engineering leaders, early-career developers, or entire organisations, I focus on building environments where people feel supported to learn, build, and share and where they’re empowered to make things better for others, not just themselves.
Because the best teams aren’t just productive. They’re places where people grow, contribute, and feel proud of what they’re building... together.
Want your team saying “That was my favourite talk ever”?
Let’s talk about how we can make that happen. Email me at melinda@seckington.com.
Keynotes
Side Quest Unlocked: Community, Connection and the Future of Tech
Not all growth comes from the main storyline. This keynote is about the “glue work” that builds culture: mentoring, knowledge sharing, and community-building. We’ll explore why it matters, how to do it sustainably, and why it’s key to shaping the future of tech.
Disney Driven Development
What can tech teams learn from a theme park? Drawing lessons from Disney’s approach to storytelling and experience design, this keynote explores how to create environments where people feel inspired, connected, and excited to contribute.
Level Up: Developing Developers
We expect engineers to grow, but do we actually make it easy for them? This talk uses lessons from game design to look at career frameworks, progression, and skill-building, and how we can design better systems for helping people learn and grow in their roles.
Add A Little Magic
A keynote for anyone who feels stuck, behind, or unsure what’s next. I share a framework that helps people reflect on who they are and what they want. Perfect for leadership retreats or career growth sessions.
Empowering Employee Evangelism: Make Your Team Badass
Want your team to speak at events, run workshops, and represent your company well? This talk looks at how to develop internal advocates, encourage public speaking, and help people tell their stories. So your company’s values and culture are shared by the people who actually live them. I cover what works, what doesn’t, and how to turn quiet confidence into impact.
How to Run Internal Hackathons
There are a lot of external hackathons happening around the UK nowadays, but how do you run one internally at a company for just your employees/and colleagues?
This talk looks at the differences between organizing external hackathons vs internal ones, the things that need to be considered when organizing an internal one and how to get everyone in your company involved (beyond just the developers).
Engineer Your Talks
Based on my workshops, this talk helps engineers find their voice as public speakers. I share ways to come up with ideas, structure a story, and present with more confidence.
I also do this as 3 separate talks about The Art of Slide Design, The Art of Story Design and The Art of Talk Design.
The Art of Communication Design
As engineering leaders, we need to constantly communicate: to our team members, to our stakeholders, to other parts of the company. Getting that communication right is key to making the right type of impact and often we don’t think about the techniques of how to improve these skills. This talk will explore how to be intentional with how you communicate, how to consider different communication channels, audiences and preferences, and how to design a communication plan and strategy.
Refactor Yourself!
Engineers are used to refactoring code, but don't necessarily know how to apply those skills to themselves. This talk helps engineers understand the psychology of creating new habits, how this relates to refactoring code and how they can combine the two to drive change to their own behaviours.
Developing Resilience
Resilience isn’t about toughing it out or pretending everything's fine. It’s about learning how to recover, reflect, and keep moving forward. This talk examines the psychology behind emotions and resilience, how to recognise and evaluate your own state, and how to come up with techniques to help deal with the hardest stuff.
Why Book Me?
Organisers and attendees tell me my talks are inspiring, empowering, and actionable. I don’t just tell stories: I break things down into practical steps and frameworks that people can start using right away.
I bring a calm, confident presence on stage, with thoughtfully designed slides and carefully structured storytelling. People often say my talks are the ones they remember — and keep referring back to — long after the event.
Watch Me In Action
Disney Driven Development
Refactor Yourself!
Level Up: Frameworks for Developing Developers
The Art of Story Design
Book Me
Ready to chat about your event or offsite? Drop me a message via melinda@seckington.com or fill in the form below.
Let me know what kind of talk you’re looking for, who the audience is, and what themes you want to focus on — and we’ll see what magic we can create together.