Book IWD Speaker: Cici Coleman

Cici Coleman is a presenter, actress, and dating confidence coach, best known as the beloved waitress on Channel 4’s BAFTA award-winning series, First Dates, where she has spent over 12 years witnessing thousands of real first encounters unfold.

However, the woman behind the UK’s most famous waitress has led a life marked by resilience, reinvention, and radical self-honesty.

At 14, Cici faced a devastating loss that triggered several turbulent years of grief, risk-taking, and a quest for meaning. She made a bold and unconventional leap into banking at HSBC, working four jobs to fund her move to New York at 23, where she earned a full scholarship to the New York Film Academy and began pursuing her passion for acting.

What followed were dramatic highs and lows: life in New York, a toxic relationship, declining mental health, visa struggles, and ultimately moving back home to rebuild from scratch. She even worked as a builder with her father before returning to waitressing in London, serving some of her former banking clients.

Then came the opportunity that would change everything: First Dates. Over the next decade, Cici became a familiar and comforting presence on British television while quietly developing a profound understanding of human behavior, confidence, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence.

These insights, combined with her own personal journey, inspired her to create The Dating Reset: a series of women’s confidence workshops focused on self-worth, boundaries, and empowered decision-making. Cici’s resilience workshops emphasize that rock bottom isn’t the end of the story; often, it’s simply the place where rebuilding begins.

Today, Cici speaks passionately about empowerment, resilience, and reinvention, showing audiences how emotional awareness, clear boundaries, and courageous decision-making can transform not only relationships but also leadership, careers, and the way we live our lives.

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