Shappi Khorsandi

It’s The Way You Tell It: What Does Our Humour Say About Us?

Shaparak explains how, despite what some may think, comedy is not just about telling jokes. It is about taking a risk and displaying a confidence which can help you in every area of your life, and build trust with those around you. Humour is a powerful way to show other people the world as you see it and build rapport with those who, on paper, you may not seem to have anything in common.

Of course, It can also massively misfire and do the opposite, so Shaparak will outline the pitfalls and how to avoid them, too!

Defining Diversity and Embracing Cultural Difference 

The drive for diversity can sometimes make people in workplaces panic and scramble around to grab the nearest brown person and plonk them in a group photo. Very often, Shaparak has been that brown person.

But diversity is not about tokenistic representation, and the conversation surrounding it needs to be had much earlier and at every level of an organisation. Rather than just paying lip service to diversity, we need to discuss what it really means, why it is so important and how we can truly embrace the concept to produce beneficial and equitable outcomes for all.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

In a deeply personal and illuminating talk, Shaparak takes the audience on a captivating journey from the 90s to the present day, revealing her own struggles with bulimia and anxiety disorders, and the tools and techniques she developed to cope with and overcome these issues. With candour, warmth and humour, she will explain how we could all improve our lives dramatically if we paid a little bit more attention to maintaining our mental wellbeing.

A Woman in a Man’s World: Uncovering Everyday Sexism

As one of just a handful of women in the 90s trying to break into a stand-up comedy industry dominated by bombastic men, Shaparak knows all too well what it feels like to be a woman in a man’s world.

For every woman, in any sector, it can be a quiet, personal terrain to navigate. Sexism can be the hardest ‘ism’ to call out and challenge, because it can come from your closest quarters, and exist within your own family and friendship circle. In this honest and very personal talk, Shaparak will examine the ways in which women and men can work together to remove the barriers constructed by past prejudice, and shine a hopeful light on changing the status quo.

The Hidden Driver: How Personal Healing Unlocks Professional Potential

Trauma doesn’t stay at home, it travels to the workplace. Unhealed wounds build invisible armour that limits expression, creativity, and connection. When talented employees seem stuck, inconsistent, or invisible, it’s often not about skill, it’s about safety.

In this keynote, Shappi looks at when workplaces create cultures that offer that safety, where leaders model vulnerability, where disagreement is safe and where being human is allowed, brilliance gets unlocked, and innovation, loyalty, connection come to the fore.

The result: stronger collaboration, and a culture where people can truly show up as their whole selves; with confident ideas, excitement and commitment.