Travels from London, United Kingdom
Jaz Ampaw-Farr's speaking fee falls within range: $20,000 to $25,000
As a teacher, speaker, and “resilience ninja”, Jaz Ampaw-Farr is a catalyst for change. Hailed as “the British Oprah” for her contagious empowering energy, Jaz was born into a despairing environment of poverty, abuse, and neglect. Thanks to the care of five teachers, whom Jaz credits with “transforming and saving” her life, she was able to break the abuse cycle and thrive as an educator, wife, and mother-of-three.
Jaz is the Executive Director of Why First Ed Ltd. Her training programs and inspirational keynotes for teachers have received rave reviews across the U.K. She has appeared on the BBC spelling show Hard Spell Abbey and the ninth season of The Apprentice UK. She’s received international attention for her raw uplifting talk at TEDxNorwichED.
Jaz’s 2018 book Because Of You, This Is Me details how her teachers helped her turn her life around with simple but powerful actions. Both her autobiography and keynotes drive home that even if you don’t feel prepared, you can be a hero and leader in your community.
Jaz Ampaw-Farr is a speaker and self-described ‘resilience ninja’ whose enthusiasm is both infectious and hugely motivating. Her background as a stand-up comedian and literacy advisor, combined with her commitment to empowering teachers, makes her talks both engaging and resourceful. You may recognise Jaz from the BBC spelling show Hard Spell Abbey or, more recently, as a former candidate on The Apprentice. Jaz delivers keynotes at various large conferences including at TEDx.
Jaz Ampaw-Farr is passionate about the difference that you can make. Through celebration and provocation, she uses the transformative power of her own story overcoming immense adversity to motivate and inspire today’s ordinary heroes – YOU!
Jaz delivers keynotes internationally across education, health, and business sectors. Hugely motivating, with an infectious passion and a commitment to facilitating measurable impact guarantee, Jaz’s keynotes to be engaging, motivating, and resourceful. Her background as a stand-up comedian and presenter explains how she commands the stage.
Reading, writing, and spelling were Jaz’s tickets out of physical and mindset poverty. This experience led her into teaching, setting up her own literacy consultancy then becoming an international speaker, consultancy, coach, and a catalyst for change.
Jaz’s book, Because of You, This is Me, looks at reverse engineering her own mindset shift and pinpointing the pivotal part that others played. It provides a toolkit for anyone looking to embed ambitious resilience in their career and personal life.
Inspirational speaker and educator Jaz Ampaw-Farr reminds us how an ordinary person can be a hero with her bittersweet account of how five teachers helped her go from being emotionally broken to extraordinarily empowered. Ampaw-Farr’s childhood was marred with abuse and neglect, so much so that she couldn’t imagine surviving into adulthood; she was convinced that her life would probably end at the hands of her stepfather during one of his fits of rage.
She describes the moment she had a mental shift, when one of her teachers steered her life in a different direction. “Mr. Williams was under the impression that he was in charge of our class, which made it very difficult for us to get on,” she jokes. On a serious note though, Mr. Williams noticed Jaz’s bruises and asked her about them. “I did what I always did and lied, but he leaned into me and he said, ‘I think you’re protecting someone and what you need to know is that I’m here to protect you. I’m here to look out for you.’”
Veteran educator, abuse survivor, and motivational speaker, Jaz Ampaw-Farr empowers individuals so that they can move from where they are to where they want to be. Jaz’s keynotes and workshops are funny, poignant, and relevant, drawing from her experiences in the classroom as well as her childhood in a broken system. Whether you are looking to find your “why”, awaken your inner hero, or boost literacy skills in a disengaged class of elementary school students, you’ll leave Jaz’s programs fired-up and ready to be a lifelong influence in your workplace and on your community.
BECAUSE OF A HERO LIKE YOU Jaz's powerful and uplifting personal story tells how educators like you saved her life by shining a light on your impact.
MAKE THEM DO WHAT YOU WANT No hypnotism involved, just my ‘4E Formula’ that allows you to engage and enrol even the most difficult team (or class) members.
YOUR VALUE IS IN YOUR VALUES You came into education to make a difference. Current or future leader, your success lies in identifying and living your values.
LESS MARKING MORE IMPACT You see learners as names, not numbers but also have to tick boxes. You can boost progress without being a slave to data.
SIX STEPS TO FEARING LESS Everything you want is on the other side of your fear. Learn how being just 10% braver can transform small steps into leaps.
UNPICK YOUR UNCONSCIOUS BIAS A keynote (or workshop) jam packed with practical tips for staying neutral and getting curious about our own biases.
EMBED AMBITIOUS RESILIENCE You know your learners need high levels of resilience. Learn how to consistently raise expectations and increase autonomy across your school.
ENGAGE THE DISINTERESTED You want to make meaningful connections for every learner. Some need more persuasion that others! Learn how to engage 100% of your class.
“The presentation from Jaz Ampaw Farr was genuinely moving and made me think about children’s lived experience and the power of hope.”
“Jaz Ampaw-Farr is the British Oprah.”
“Hard messages were delivered well. Memorable with a true connection to the audience. The impact is immeasurable.”
“Thank you so much for reminding us all of the real difference teachers make to children’s futures. We could have listened to you all day.”
“YOU are a hero to have shared your story. The emotions, the laughs, but, most of all, the honesty.”
“I just need you to know that your impact is far wider than you can ever imagine, and that you change lives. Thank you for being the catalyst.”
“More Jaz Ampaw-Farr – a fantastic woman and a true beacon for hope.”
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Speaker rating
Comments about seeing this speaker live? (This field not required to submit a star rating.)
Name *
Email *
Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Because of You, This is Me
Growing up in poverty, and neglected and abused by her own parents, Jaz Ampaw-Farr was destined to become a statistic. Her story was changed, however, by a handful of teachers who made the point of putting human connection first despite the challenges of the education system.
Because of these people, Jaz went on to become a teacher, writer and international speaker who, through celebration and provocation, engages and galvanises educators into embracing the difference that they can make when they put being a human first too. In ‘Because Of You, This is Me’ Jaz shares her story often harrowing but always uplifting to show the ways in which the everyday heroes in our schools can empower those children who need their help the most. Suitable for all educators.
Call us / email us / check availability and fee for your favorite speaker.
