Welcome to Leah Talks

My story is one of tenacity and perseverance, and I am here to say that no matter how hopeless things may seem, there is always a way through.

“Oh my, a fruck!”

From my very first full sentence, I have always had a gift for expressing myself through speech.

I was born in the US, and grew up in the Yorkshire Dales. As a child, team sports were my outlet, violin my self-expression, food my escapism. I was smart. Too smart for some. Although I couldn’t see that in myself. When we moved to the US it was unsettling, uncomfortable and – from the perspective of a disgruntled 12 year old – unnecessary.

The aforementioned tenacity and perseverance that have been so critical to my evolution as a person, helped me to navigate high school and university at just 13. I graduated high school early and was sent back to boarding school in the UK where I experienced reverse culture shock and was told I was not smart enough to do the things I had wanted.

Unlearning that took decades, and faith larger than a mustard seed. I completed an undergraduate Philosophy and Politics degree and after a year out working for a church, I started on the path to becoming a lawyer. By 2011, I had been called to the Bar. My journey has never been straightforward, and immigration restrictions meant I was unable to pursue a career at the Bar.

Another day, another curveball to hit out of the park.

With confidence at an all-time low, I switched gears and trained at a magic circle law firm. I left to work at the London office of a US law firm. From 2017 until now, life has felt like one big crisis. After a series of personal and professional challenges, I discovered an aptitude for helping people turn situations around.

Ever the overachiever, in the pandemic, I changed jobs, wrote a memoir and delivered the sale of my FinTech employer to a US-listed unicorn. Completely burnt out, I was drawn out of the Big Smoke to the seaside. The Isle of Thanet (specifically Broadstairs, Kent) won my heart. So embracing my entrepreneurial risk appetite, I moved myself, my eccentric little pooch, Saphy, my legal advice and my pen down to the beach.

I haven’t looked back.

And so here in this quintessential seaside town has begun my next chapter of Leah Talks. It has also birthed Broadstairs Consulting, a crisis management and mediation boutique I founded on the belief that with the right support and guidance, all organisations can thrive and flourish.

When not chained to a desk, I enjoy quartet rehearsals, playing netball, theatre and (if Love Island’s not on), a juicy crime drama. My tipple of choice is a glass of champagne, never prosecco. I’m as likely to be donning sports kit as in glad rags, although I’m very partial to black tie.

You can book me as a speaker, a writer, an adviser, or chat about other opportunities to work together.

Can’t wait to hear from you!