"AI will change how we work. Consciousness determines how we lead."
AJ is a culture strategist and keynote speaker on the future of leadership.
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Meet AJ
Award-Winning Communications, Leadership & Culture Strategist
Alexandra Joy (AJ) MA(Comm) GAICD is known for her ability to translate complex human and organisational dynamics into clarity, conviction, and connection. She brings both strategic rigour and grounded wisdom to every stage she steps onto.
With more than two decades of experience, AJ has served as an Operating Director and Board Director across major government, corporate, not-for-profit, and Indigenous organisations.
Offstage she weilds a mattock with precision planting trees, rides her motorcycle in search of the perfect latte and does her best thinking on a ride on mower.
AJ is the Founder and CEO of Beside Leaders Global, a boutique global leadership and culture consultancy working beside senior leaders, owners and boards going through change or with systems and cultures under pressure.
She is also the Co-Founder of Thrive Stars, an organisational prosperity indicator that helps leaders understand their impact and trajectory, not just performance.
A founding board member of Yakuway Indigenous Corporation, she supports Indigenous, community-led wellbeing through allyship, stewardship, and practical strategic guidance.
Client Testimonials
Having AJ as part of our Gen Collective community this year has been nothing short of transformative. She came on board without hesitation and offered her support, wisdom and generosity to our committee and members from day one. When we introduced an MC for our Level Up Conference for the very first time, AJ set a new benchmark. Her stage presence is effortless yet commanding, and her delivery is grounded, warm and sincere. The way she held the room, guided the flow, elevated the energy and connected with every person completely shifted the calibre of the event. AJ brought a level of professionalism and authenticity that strengthened the content and created a sense of ease and cohesion throughout the day. The feedback from attendees was exceptional. People felt seen, engaged and genuinely inspired. Her keynote was equally powerful. Clear, relatable and full of real value, it landed with real impact and stayed with people long after they left the room. AJ didn’t just support our event; she elevated it. She helped us step confidently into our next chapter with a standard of quality we could feel. We are incredibly grateful for her.
Thank you so much for your time, expertise and enthusiasm yesterday. I have received so many emails and messages of thanks from the team, many of them saying it’s the best team day they’ve attended so far! I felt like there was a great vibe in the room and everyone was really relaxed, largely thanks to your approach and the safe environment that you created through your manner and the content you presented.
I just wanted to reach out to thank you again so much for a wonderful Beyond Burnout workshop yesterday! I’ve had endless positive feedback from so many across the team, saying they really loved your delivery and all of the fabulous practical tips and tricks you provided to help us all re-set. And your personal story-telling was admired by all of us. Personally I had such a positive experience working with you and I have walked away and already starting making some small shifts. I hope that we can welcome you back another time as you are brilliant!
From Power to Stewardship
AJ doesn’t speak at audiences —
she walks beside them.
It’s never been harder to be a leader.
● Trust is fragile.
● Attention is fragmented.
● AI accelerates everything—except wisdom.
Leaders are being asked to deliver results, inspire connection, and lead change in environments driven by quick wins, constant distraction, and a culture that quietly rewards burnout.
● Teams are busy—but disconnected.
● Brands are visible—but forgettable.
● People are performing—but depleted.
AJ’s work meets leaders exactly here.
She helps leaders:
● Earn trust rather than demand compliance
● Build conviction without force
● Create cultures where people stay, contribute, and grow
● Navigate complexity with presence, not reactivity
Her keynotes challenge outdated leadership narratives and invite a deeper shift:
● From speed to substance,
● From control to trust,
● From performance alone to stewardship.
A Different Kind of Keynote Experience
AJ’s keynotes are remembered as:
● Insightful without being academic
● Grounded without being simplistic
● Provocative without being polarising
● Powerful stories that shift the room
Audiences leave feeling:
● Clearer, not overloaded
● Energised, not hyped
● Seen, not spoken at
● More capable of leading conversations
CULTURE
LEADERSHIP
BEYOND BURNOUT
Emcee &
Facilitation
AJ WORKS ACROSS:
● Leadership conferences
● Corporate and government events
● Board and executive offsites
● Industry forums
● Cross-sector and community gatherings Font
She is equally at home delivering a stand-alone keynote, facilitating leadership and team workshops, moderating panels, or holding the narrative thread as an emcee across complex, multi-day events.
Podcasts
—now evolving into Beside Leaders in 2026.
Walk Beside.
Lead Forward.
AJ is often described as a Bush Philosopher—bringing grounded insight, deep listening, and a long-view perspective to modern leadership challenges. Having lived in the bush for many years, planted over 1,100 trees, and worked close to land, seasons, and regeneration, her leadership lens is shaped as much by ecology as it is by strategy.
Her Daily Uptimism videos share her insights & musings whilst walking on country in her bush backyard.
Over her career, AJ has coached, trained, and advised more than 25,000 leaders, and has spent over a decade walking alongside Indigenous Elders, learning through listening, relationship, and respect rather than extraction or performance. These experiences inform a leadership approach rooted in stewardship, presence, and responsibility for what comes next.
In a world obsessed with momentum, she helps leaders slow just enough to move together, with purpose.
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I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which I am privileged to live, work, learn and dream. I pay my respects to all Elders and honour the presence of these ancestors whose spirituality flows through all creation.
Copyright Alexandra Joy. Wollombi. All Rights Reserved.