Ife Thomas is a dynamic and widely respected neurodiversity speaker, leadership expert, storytelling coach, and inclusion advocate. Placed in foster care at just six weeks old, Ife found her first stage as a professional dancer, performing alongside Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Leona Lewis, rising to fame on The X Factor. From performing in girl bands and appearing on the BBC to starring in music videos and commercials, Ife’s early career was filled with fast-paced excitement and the spotlight. Ife continued to gain national attention on Big Brother in 2010. Her confidence and charisma won the hearts of audiences, setting the stage for her next chapter as an author, speaker, and entrepreneur.
Transitioning from entertainment to business, Ife has since become an empowering force in multiple industries. She went on to serve as Executive Director of The Ladder Agency before stepping into the role of Managing Director at The National Accountancy Network, where she nurtured a deep interest in business leadership. Under her stewardship, the organisation flourished. She later founded the National Network of Chartered Accountants and the mental well-being company MindWorkOut. Alongside these ventures, Ife created The Confidence Star, a unique wellbeing and confidence-building tool now used in schools, workplaces and healthcare settings. A mother of two boys, one of whom is autistic, Ife regularly delivers talks on resilience, confidence, self-esteem, and parenting neurodivergent children.
As an autistic individual herself and mother to two autistic sons, Ife brings a deeply personal and authentic perspective to her advocacy. She believes connection is a shared responsibility - often saying she’s like “a PC in a world full of Macs” - and is on a mission to help people find the connector that enables true collaboration. Her TEDx talk, 'Own Your Shine', and viral LinkedIn post, 'We Are All on the Spectrum… No, We’re Not', which has had over 250,000 views, has sparked widespread conversation about neurodiversity and inclusion. Her bestselling book, 'PowerLift Your Career: Everything You Need to Succeed', offers practical tools for personal and professional growth. Ife has recently released her third book, “The Three Mirrors of Radical Honesty”, a powerful exploration of personal truth, accountability and self-clarity designed to help readers build stronger relationships, healthier identities and more confident decision-making.
Throughout her career, Ife has delivered talks to leading companies, including Sony, eBay, BP, ClearScore, Snapchat, ITV Embrace, NatWest, LabTech, Starbucks, Specsavers, Mind, and the NHS. She also worked with Starbucks to feature The Confidence Star in selected stores and is co-host of the successful podcast 'Everything You Need to Succeed', with over 50,000 downloads. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she supported mental health by founding online communities such as Lockdown Motivation: Powerlift Your Life, and launched her radio show, Feel Good Friday.
Social Media
Books
PowerLift Your Career: Everything You Need to Succeed
Finding The Light Five Lessons from a Motivational Speaker Ife Thomas
The Three Mirrors of Radical Honesty
Ife Thomas's official speaker topics are listed below:
- The Three Mirrors of Radical Honesty
- The Power of Sitting in the Dark
- The Power of Connection
- The Power of Positivity
- The Power of Change
- The Power of Community
- The Psychology of Success
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"We were delighted to have Ife Thomas as our keynote speaker at this year's Warwick Inclusion Conference. Her session was incredibly inspiring and left our audience energised, motivated and engaged. Ife’s ability to connect with the audience and ignite a sense of purpose was truly remarkable. Beyond the fantastic presentation, Ife was also incredibly easy to work with. Ife was professional, approachable and went above and beyond to ensure the success of our event. From initial communication to the day of the event, Ife and her team made the entire process seamless. I would highly recommend Ife for any speaking engagement and hope to work with her again in the future." - Megan, Senior Projects Officer, University of Warwick
"We really enjoyed her time with us and thank you. We did a feedback survey after the meeting... on the whole, it was very positive feedback." - Linda, St.James Place
"Yes, the event went really well. I thought Ife was great and we received really positive feedback." - CMS
"Just wanted to send a huge THANK YOU to Ife for her time today. Her presentation was so inspiring - she made it so personal by talking about her own story and I think we all walked away with the inspiration to work better together as a team and grow ourselves as individuals. Please do pass along our appreciation." - Julia, We-Worldwide
"Ife as usual, is full of hard facts and home truths. It will stab many parents in the chest (it did me) for those things they have done that have affected their children in ways that, on reflection, they would rather not have. But at the same time it provides the solutions for accepting these errors, learning and moving on."- Richard
"Ife was great - very passionate and informative about her subject and it fitted well with celebrating World Mental Health Day. We would love her to come back again in the future." - Tina, Molsoncoors
"Ife brought so much energy to an afternoon call that got everyone truly pumped and was inspirational with her approach to life." - Lee, Light Source BP
"The sessions were great, two really interesting speakers and offered some interesting experiences. They complemented each other quite well too with their different approaches." - Jonathon, Light Source BP
"Ife an infectious energy, and a real passion about helping others. Her inspirational way with words, along with the ways in which she explains things is mesmerising. Knowing that she studied her profession but also lives it in real life means she gives practical advice and can be empathetic with the parents she works with. Would highly recommend taking a listen to what this lovely lady has to say."
"Ife’s talk went down well, she had a lot of comments of thanks, they thought she was very inspiring and had great energy." - Melissa, Stephan George & Partners LLP
- 2025 - Director of Revolution Radio
- 2025 - Director of MindWorkout Global
- 2025 - Focul Point Coach at Brain Tracy FocalPoint
- 2023 - Managing Director of Unleash Training Limited
- 2014 - Managing Director of the National Accountancy Network
How to hire Ife Thomas
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Ife Thomas for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
