Book IWD Speaker: Ellie Hughes

What happens when the career you’ve built, the life you’ve created and the person you’ve become no longer quite fit the future you want?

For Ellie Hughes, the answer has been to find the courage to change direction — not once, but several times.

Ellie’s story is one of reinvention, resilience and the courage to back yourself, even when the next chapter is uncertain.

Her career began in British policing, where she spent 15 years navigating some of life’s most challenging situations. From frontline response to investigations and leadership, she developed an instinct for people, an ability to build trust and a deep understanding of what it means to lead with empathy, integrity and courage.

But becoming a mother in 2010 changed her perspective. Ellie began questioning what success looked like, what mattered most and where she wanted to invest her time and energy. Walking away from a career she had dedicated 15 years to was her first major pivot — and one of the biggest decisions of her life.

She went on to reinvent herself in the corporate world, building a successful career in financial services and commercial leadership, before taking another leap in 2022. This time, the change was bigger than a new job. Ellie and her family left the UK and moved to Canada, stepping away from everything familiar to build an entirely new life.

New country. New networks. New opportunities. New challenges.

Starting again meant rebuilding her professional identity, finding her place in unfamiliar environments and learning that sometimes the hardest part of change isn’t taking the leap — it’s navigating everything that comes afterwards.

Through career reinvention, international relocation, leadership and motherhood, Ellie has learned that courage doesn’t always look like a dramatic leap of faith. Sometimes it looks like asking yourself difficult questions, letting go of what no longer serves you, starting again, or simply choosing a different definition of success.

Today, Ellie brings her experiences, honesty and infectious energy to conversations about change, identity, leadership and personal growth. She challenges audiences to recognise when it’s time to pivot, gives them the confidence to question the status quo and reminds them that they don’t need to have the entire journey mapped out before taking the first step.

Her message is simple, but powerful:

You don’t have to wait for life to force you to change. You can choose to change it yourself.

Because it takes courage to leave behind the familiar, courage to start again, and sometimes the greatest courage of all is to believe that there’s more waiting for you on the other side.

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