ANMF / NMHPV Nurses & Midwives Wellness Conference

Nartarsha Bamblett

Founder, Queen Acknowledgements

Nartarsha Bamblett is an inspiring First Nations woman, devoted mother, businesswoman and cultural facilitator creating meaningful impact in her community and beyond.

Sparked by the birth of her first child a decade ago, her journey of self-discovery led her to embrace her heritage, navigate motherhood and business, and empower others through her authentic voice and deep cultural knowledge.

Crowned Miss NAIDOC in 2017, Nartarsha Bamblett has since become a powerful force for cultural inclusion, social change, and Indigenous empowerment. From making history as Richmond Football Club’s first VFLW female player to serving on Victoria’s Treaty Assembly, she has consistently championed representation and language preservation.

As a TEDx speaker, business owner and Young Entrepreneur Awards recipient, her work uplifts communities through education, leadership and intergenerational empowerment. Nartarsha’s journey of overcoming adversity fuels her mission to inspire resilience, self-love and cultural pride.

Her approach – connective, relatable and genuine – fosters deep relationships and a nationwide vision of presence, connection and meaningful change.

Maddy Harradence

Branch Secretary, ANMF (Vic Branch)

Maddy is a registered nurse who studied in NSW and moved to Victoria in 2009 for nurse/midwife patient ratios. She completed her grad year at St Vincent’s and worked in haematology, oncology, palliative care and ICU and then worked in the emergency department until 2017 (with a stint at the Royal Children’s Hospital ED).

She was an ANMF Job Rep from 2012 and was awarded the Hannah Sellars Job Rep of the Year Award in 2015. From 2013–17 she was an ANMF (Vic Branch) Councillor before becoming an organiser in 2017.

Maddy was elected Assistant Secretary in 2021. Branch Council appointed her State Secretary from July 2025.

Amanda Singleton

Interim CEO, Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria

Amanda has been a midwife and a nurse for over 40 years working across a range of settings that includes large metropolitan hospitals, rural and remote health services and providing homebirth. In recent years Amanda has become interested in clinical governance and regulation and was the Chair of the Victorian Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and a practitioner member of a number of national regulatory committees.

 An interest in the impact of the notification process on clinical decision making and practitioner welfare led Amanda to first work at the Nurse Midwife Support service before being appointed to the General Operations Manager position at NMHPV in June 2024. In November 2024 Amanda was appointed as the Interim CEO after the departure of the long-term CEO.

She believes that midwifery and nursing offers you diverse opportunities and you should never put limits on the end goal.

Saroo Brierley

Author – A Long Way Home (developed into the award-nominated film Lion)

Saroo Brierley was born in a small Indian town. In 1986, aged only five, he lost all contact with his family when he was separated from his brother at a train station. He never saw his brother again.

After living on the streets of Calcutta for three weeks by himself, Saroo was placed in a local orphanage before being adopted by an Australian family. He grew up with his new parents in Tasmania for the next 25 years. But he was unable, and unwilling, to forget the land of his childhood.

Determined to rediscover his past, he embarked on a virtual odyssey of his homeland and, after many hours pouring over Google Earth, armed only the images etched into his memories as a five-year-old, he managed to recognise his home town, and track down his mother.

Their reunion in 2012 made headlines across the world, and his full story is recounted in his #1 international bestselling autobiography, A Long Way Home. 

The film Lion, based on his autobiography and starring Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel, was released in November 2016 and nominated for four Golden Globe and six Academy Awards.

Saroo’s is a remarkable and touching story of survival and sheer determination.

Professor Craig Hassed

Professor – Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies, Monash University

Professor Craig Hassed OAM has taught within the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University since 1989 but also teaches in other faculties. He is coordinator of mindfulness programs across Monash and is the Director of Education at the Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies.

Craig has authored over 120 papers and published 15 books and 18 book chapters. He is regularly invited to speak and run courses in Australia and overseas in health, educational, government and corporate contexts.

He is patron of Meditation Australia, a regular media commentator and co-authored the world’s two leading mindfulness massive open online courses.

In 2019 Craig was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to medicine.

Steven Wells

Horticultural Therapist and Clinical Nurse Specialist, Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre and Gardens & Grounds Coordinator, Austin Hospital

Steven Wells has successfully combined his nursing and horticulture careers to work at Austin Health in Melbourne as the Gardens and Grounds Coordinator, a horticultural therapist and a rehabilitation nurse.

With over 30 years’ experience in public healthcare across the disciplines of nursing, allied health and support services, Steven is a passionate advocate for the inclusion of gardens within the hospital setting and how they can positively influence the care provision for patients and provide valuable support for healthcare staff.

Dr Sarah McKay

Neuroscientist, TEDx speaker, TV presenter and author

Dr Sarah McKay is a neuroscientist, TEDx speaker, TV presenter, author of The Women's Brain Book: the Neuroscience of Health, Hormones and Happiness, and the founder and director of The Neuroscience Academy – which brings professional development in applied neuroscience and brain health to a global audience.

Sarah is driven to explore the brain science of everyday life, health and wellbeing. She’s a passionate advocate for adult education and her digital programs are designed to democratise neuroscience education.

Sarah’s goal is to explain the brain in simple terms, helping to bridge the gap between the neuroscience research lab and our everyday lives and teach us how to tap into promise and potential of brain science wisely.

Janelle Booker

Counselling Psychologist, Janelle Booker Psychology

Janelle is a psychologist with nearly 20 years’ experience working as a therapist, a group facilitator and a professional supervisor.

While working in the counselling service of a large university, Janelle developed a special interest in better understanding and working more skilfully with students who were ADHDers. Janelle has been mission-driven since that time to take any opportunity she could to increase people’s understanding of what ADHD actually is, rather than what we think it is.

Almost 12 years later, she has had the immense pleasure of working with hundreds of ADHDers and has learned a lot about how the minds and bodies of ADHDers are similar, and how they are unique to, other ADHDers.

She has learned that ADHDers have specific strengths that are often unrecognised and underutilised, and that they often have significant challenges that can make every day an exhausting ordeal to survive.

In recent years, Janelle and many of her family members have been formally or self-diagnosed as ADHDers.

She continues to learn from and be inspired by her clients, and she has an unstoppable tendency to hastily and privately identify ADHD traits in many incredible innovators, creators and otherwise inspiring people.

Mundanara Bayles

Creator and host – Black Magic Woman podcast, Managing Director, The BlackCard

Mundanara Bayles is a proud Aboriginal woman connected to Wonnarua, Bunjalung, Birri-Gubba, and Gungalu peoples, continuing her family’s long legacy of activism.

She has over 20 years’ experience across education, employment, media and health and is recognised internationally for her education work.

Mundanara is the co-founder and managing director of BlackCard – an organisation that delivers cultural capability training – and serves on multiple boards and committees supporting Aboriginal education, governance and empowerment.

She is also an award-winning podcast host for Black Magic Woman, the first Indigenous podcast to join the iHeart network, amplifying First Nations voices and stories.