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Dr Jo Prendergast - speaker, author, psychiatrist, comedian

@drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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Keynote speaker, psychiatrist, comedian - author of When Life Sucks @drjoprendergastcomedy

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Gala dinner and awards night for PSANZ - professional speakers association of NZ #psanz #trailblazers26 #trailblazers2026 taken in Novotel Auckland Ellerslie by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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9 days ago

Professional speakers association New Zealand convention In beautiful Tāmaki Auckland #psanz #trailblazers #trailblazers26 @psa_professionalspeakersaust taken in Auckland, New Zealand by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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10 days ago

Thanks so much for the mention Ovations International.
Mental health is such an important factor in staff retention, productivity and a business’s bottom line!
I love bringing 30 years as a psychiatrist, personal stories and many years as a touring standup comedian to the mental health conversation! #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #mentalhealth #mentalwellbeing #keynotespeaker #psychiatrist by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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19 days ago

Calm is contagious.

In this scene from Ted Lasso, Alice is distressed, and Ted sits beside her and slowly exhales.

That’s co-regulation.

Our nervous systems pick up on each other, so a settled person sitting next to an unsettled one can help to calm them, often more than anything they say.

Next time someone you care about is distressed, settle your own nervous system before you try to comfort them.

A simple way to do this is by doing exactly what Ted did. Long, slow exhalations are one of the fastest ways to signal our nervous system to become calm.

#keynotespeaker #burnout #mentalhealth #wellbeing #tedlasso by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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23 days ago

I’m delighted to have been invited to speak at the Professional Speakers Association of New Zealand (PSANZ) Trailblazers Convention in Auckland next month. Speaking to my own peers is an honour, and it means a lot.

I’ll be talking about the hidden behaviours driving burnout in professional speakers, and what actually helps.

Looking forward to three days with people who understand the work plus welcome drinks on the Thursday evening, a gala awards night and an All Blacks rugby game!

Trailblazers Convention, Novotel Ellerslie, Auckland, 8 to 11 October.

Speakers - there may be a couple of tickets left - the program looks amazing!!

#PSANZ #Trailblazers2026 #ProfessionalSpeakers #Burnout #KeynoteSpeaker taken in Auckland, New Zealand by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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a month ago

Speaking business course graduation @ovationsinternational @standingovationswithleanne #keynotespeaker #burnout #graduation #wellbeing #speaking taken in Sydney by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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a month ago

New city, new time zone, and a body clock still running on home time. Morning daylight in your eyes is the strongest signal that clock gets. More light in the morning means more melatonin at night, and it anchors the whole thing to where you actually are.

Twenty minutes outside, sunglasses off, is the fastest way to help it catch up.

The trees and the water do their own bit too. Time in green space lowers stress and lets tired attention recover. Time near water does the same again.

Small, unglamorous, free. Most of what actually helps is.

#morninglight #keynotespeaker #melatonin #sleep #mentalhealth taken in Sydney Botanic Garden by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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a month ago

Dr Jo Prendergast was invited onto The Project to talk about the boomerang generation: adult children moving back into the family home. A light-hearted interview with a serious message underneath, about looking out for the signs that a young adult may be struggling with their mental health. #mentalhealth #psychiatrist #wellbeing #parenting #youthmentalhealth by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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2 months ago

Your most reliable team member might be your biggest burnout risk.

Leaders notice the people who push back and say when it is too much. Harder to see are the quiet high performers.

Calm on the surface. Paddling hard underneath.

And because they never complain, they get more work, more responsibility, more pressure.

Do not wait for them to tell you they are struggling. Look at whose plate keeps filling.

Because the people who look like they are coping best are often the ones closest to not coping at all.

#burnout #leadership #wellbeingatwork #mentalhealth #keynotespeaker by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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2 months ago

Thanks to the Paediatrics Society of NZ for inviting me to be their guest keynote speaker at their November conference - ✨ We’re especially excited to welcome guest speaker Dr Jo Prendergast | psychiatrist, comedian and author, for a session that’s a little different from the usual conference fare. Jo will speak candidly (and with plenty of humour) about burnout in high-pressure roles, the hidden behaviours that drive it, and what it takes to build resilience and cope with the demands of a career (and life) in the thick of it. #keynote #keynotespeaker #burnout #wellbeing #comedy taken in Wellington, New Zealand by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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2 months ago

Four coffees, no lunch, inbox on fire, but yep, I’m fine.

Saying it does not reduce stress. It hides it. Like a lid on a boiling pot: the pressure does not leave, it builds, and then it boils over.

The problem is not the boiling pot. It is the lid.

One emotionally accurate sentence does more. “I’m feeling a bit stretched. This is a lot.” Not oversharing. Just accurate.

Because “I’m fine” is not a long-term strategy.

#burnout #workplacewellbeing #mentalhealth #leadership keynotespeaker by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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2 months ago

Burnout is a huge problem. But what actually helps?

Three take home messages from my keynote Beyond Heroics.

Speak one emotionally accurate sentence each day. Real resilience does not come from pushing through, it comes from processing through.

Support by starting the workplace conversation about workload.

Settle. Add the big sigh into your day, because calm is contagious.

Which of these three could you focus on next week?

#burnout #workplacewellbeing #leadership #mentalhealthatwork #keynotespeaker by @drjoprendergast.keynotespeaker

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2 months ago