MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS | MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
Miraka Davies
Straight-talking activator
Founder of Rumaki & The School of unProfessional Writing
“It’s in you - the power. All of the power. To be more well, to communicate better, to survive and to thrive and to build the life you choose. And no one else can claim it for you”
If Brene Brown and P!nk had a love child, it would be Miraka Davies. Her high-energy performance, supported by evidence-based theory and wrapped in an irresistibly imperfect, vulnerable yet powerful package, captivates audiences every time.
At 38, Miraka Davies (formerly Shelly Davies) left the conservative Christian religion her family had been part of for five generations. She had never drunk alcohol or coffee, exposed her shoulders to the sun, or sworn out loud. The thought of upsetting someone could send her into a tearful state. Today, she stands as a symbol of unapologetic confidence and strength, dedicated to showing people how to take control of their lives, wellbeing, and joy.
Miraka's ability to make every person feel seen stems from her diverse experiences. She has navigated serious mental health conditions, suicide, obesity and weight loss surgery, addiction, neurodiversity, widowhood, and single parenting. Her stories resonate deeply, planting seeds for change in lives and workplaces.
Following in her great-great-grandmother’s footsteps, Miraka received her moko kauae, the first in five generations. She paused her career to immerse herself in te reo Māori studies and reclaim the language she wasn’t raised with. She eventually adopted the name of her ancestor, Miraka, meaning milk, due to her fair skin. She founded Rumaki in Rotorua, the country’s first total immersion reo Māori café.
Miraka is also a plain language expert with over a decade of international experience. Known for her TEDx talk, "Write Like a Reader," she has trained thousands in both public and private sectors through her energetic in-house sessions. She founded The School of unProfessional Writing in 2021, serving business writers globally.
Miraka Davies holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Brigham Young University and is the author of "Lessons in Badassery" (2022) and "Engaging with Māori for Success in Business" (2018). She was the Tainui Regional Winner of the MWDI Māori Business Women Awards in 2017 and a finalist in the Waikato Business Awards in 2019. Miraka is a delightfully entertaining and wickedly funny presenter with a zest for life that captivates audiences, making her an unforgettable speaker and entertainer.
Talking Points:
Lessons in Badassery
When people started asking Miraka Davies “How did you become THIS you?” she realised she had learned some simple yet powerful lessons that have served her well. Those lessons have helped her have a stronger voice, a bolder brand, better boundaries, and all in all, the strength to tackle the challenges of life. She shares some of those lessons and the hardships they arose from. Audience members will leave feeling inspired to take bold steps in their work and in their life.
How to be Happier
For decades, the Science of Happiness and Positive Psychology have gained more and more insight into what helps us be happier. But unless it’s connected to the research, we might think it’s just the ramblings of social media influencers and wellness gurus. Miraka Davies will talk about the small and simple things we can do to rewire our brains for happiness, and the research that backs it up. Audience members will leave understanding that through small and simple actions, they can live a significantly happier life.
It’s a Sh*t Show out there (but you don’t have to be)
Pandemics, politics, job losses, wars, the list goes on. We can’t wait for the current crisis or hardship to pass so that we can be well and happy. If we do, we’ll wake up one day and realise it’s too late. Miraka Davies speaks about how to refocus ourselves in the now to reclaim our own wellness and strength instead of waiting for life to get easier. Audience members will leave with more faith in their ability to be resilient using Miraka’s tools for managing stress, uncertainty, and change.
What does wellbeing actually look like?
Mindset, mindfulness, wellbeing, resilience - we hear these words thrown around, but what do they actually look like in action? There’s no woowoo in these discussions when Miraka Davies is onstage - just real, raw, honest truths about the realities of life, and how we can each find our own flavour of wellness within it. Audience members will leave with more clarity about what wellbeing looks like for them individually, and tangible steps they can take each day to be more well and stay that way.
We can do hard things
There’s not much that Miraka Davies hasn’t either lived or parented through. Serious mental health conditions and suicide, obesity and weight loss surgery, addiction, neurodiversity, being widowed, and single parenting. And then there’s walking away from 38 years in a conservative christian religion. Borrowing these powerful words from Glennon Doyle, Miraka Davies shares her own powerful stories of how she’s done hard things, in the hope that you’ll know you can, too. Audience members will leave with more self-confidence that they are equipped to handle the challenges life throws at them. They’ll also leave feeling less alone in their struggles.
Neurodiversity - it’s not about labels or disorders
Everyone seems to be jumping on the ADHD and ‘neurospicy’ bandwagon these days. Is it a fad? Miraka Davies speaks from lived experience and the latest research to help us understand what neurodiversity is and isn’t. Whether we’re talking about ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia or other neurotypes, understanding what that means for ourselves and for others gives us the ability to thrive and to use our superpowers. Audience members will leave with a deeper understanding of what neurodiversity means in their world, both personally and professionally, and with less fear or judgement around what we used to see as “labels”.
Communicating for clarity, efficiency, and influence
What really makes me sound professional when I’m writing and speaking? What type of language increases trust? How can I communicate in ways that will change minds, get buy-in, and motivate people to action? Miraka Davies shares what research tells us about all these things, and provides very simple approaches we can use every day to communicate more effectively. Audience members will leave with an understanding of plain language, what it is, where it came from, and most importantly, how they can use it to influence and deliver hard messages.
Demystifying te reo Māori
So many of us want to be using more Māori language in our day to day lives, but let’s face it, it can be scary. We’re worried about getting it wrong, sounding bad, or really putting our foot in it and causing offence. It can feel easier to just stay away from it completely. As a linguist, language teacher, and as someone who grew up with one foot in the Pākehā world and one in te ao Māori, Miraka Davies is perfectly positioned to help you understand the basics of pronunciation and more. Audience members will have been able to ask some of the questions they thought they couldn’t, and get those answered. They will leave feeling more confident to use te reo Māori, and reassured that they can give it a go.
