Dr Pretty Basra is a TEDx speaker, award-winning optometrist, entrepreneur and mental fitness specialist who helps professionals and healthcare leaders build resilience, strengthen their mindset and create high-performing teams. With more than 20 years of experience in eye care and over a decade as a business owner, Pretty combines clinical expertise with first-hand experience of entrepreneurship and leadership. She is the CEO and Consultant Optometrist of Edwards & Walker Opticians and has been recognised as one of the UK's leading optometrists on four occasions. Alongside her clinical career, Pretty has developed businesses and initiatives spanning aesthetics, education, mentoring and professional development, with her speaking focused on mental fitness, resilience, leadership and purposeful performance.
After studying Optometry at Aston University, Pretty developed her clinical experience through roles in hospital, university, and independent optometry settings, including University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Nottingham University Hospitals, Chesterfield Royal Hospital, and the University of Bradford. She also contributed internationally as a Team Leader with Vision Aid Overseas. In January 2015, Pretty took over Edwards & Walker Opticians in Doncaster with her husband, transforming an initially challenging introduction to practice ownership into a successful independent business. She subsequently expanded her entrepreneurial portfolio into aesthetics through Skin Medicine, while continuing to contribute to the profession through roles including the General Optical Council's Fitness to Practise Panel, the NHS optometry forum and as a WOPEC assessor.
Pretty's work has earned significant recognition within the optical profession. She has been named an Optometrist of the Year finalist at the national Optician Awards four times, receiving recognition in 2018, 2020, 2024 and 2025. In 2025, she also received a Global Recognition Award for her leadership and impact. Additionally, Pretty founded The SheSees Network to create a supportive professional community for women working across optics, while developing the Mental Fitness Academy and programmes focused on optical business growth. She also hosts The Women Money Business Podcast and has extended her work into mentoring, leadership development and female entrepreneurship. More recently, she founded the Ocular Wellness Institute, bringing her interests in preventative healthcare, clinical optometry and whole-body wellness together.
As a keynote speaker, Pretty brings together science, business strategy and lived leadership experience to provide audiences with practical approaches to performing under pressure. In 2025, she delivered her TEDx talk, "Why Mental Fitness Beats Perfection", exploring resilience, failure and the mindset required to navigate demanding professional environments. Her speaking has taken her across the UK and onto international platforms, while her industry leadership includes serving as Head of Events for the Optical Women's Association. Drawing on her experience of building businesses, leading healthcare teams and balancing entrepreneurship with life as a mother of three, Pretty speaks with authority on mental fitness, burnout, confidence, authentic leadership, female leadership and creating successful careers without sacrificing purpose.
Dr. Pretty Basra's official speaking topics are listed below:
The Female Advantage
Why empathy, adaptability and intuition are the leadership superpowers the world needs more of, and how to own them unapologetically.
Mental Fitness Over Perfection
How to break free from perfectionism, build emotional resilience and train your mind to perform under pressure without burning out.
Burnout to Breakthrough
A raw, honest and practical session on recognising burnout early, rebuilding from it and creating a sustainable path to high performance.
The Person Behind the Profession
For healthcare and professional audiences, how to protect your identity, strengthen your mental fitness and lead with purpose beyond your job title.
Official Testimonials From In-Person & Virtual Events
“First thing is I thought you did a great job , and I have heard good feedback from others – thank you. I felt presentation had good combination of specific content , practical examples , and a good dose of humour which I always find important in presenting." - A Fitzgerald, Chief Executive
"I just wanted to say thank you for a really interesting talk on Thursday. It was great to hear your story and how you've overcome challenges and others opinions to build your business." - T Breese, Founder
"I really liked your point about only needing to be 70% ready to take action, I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I know that can hold me back. I also found the 3 point weekly action plan you outlined incredibly helpful." - J Baxter, Marketing Manager
"Pretty is an inspirational human! She is tenacious, innovative and collaborative in her approach to business and healthcare. She can help you build your confidence in a relatable way. You only have to look down at her list of achievements over the last decade going from rock-bottom to the top of her game to realise that, if she can bring the best out in herself and her team, she can do the same for you and your teams." - J Wogin, Dispensing Optician
"I’ve known Pretty since our university days. As a female business owner I've followed her LinkedIn content as a passionate advocate for women in business, using her platform as a successful optometrist to inspire and empower others. I particularly enjoy her genuine, direct and candid approach to delivering her message." - I Hawthorne, Portfolio Optimetrist
"Since knowing Pretty I have observed her to be an extremely knowledgeable and skilful practitioner and leader within our profession. She has a humility that belies her talent and determination to make a huge contribution to each situation she is in, whether as a practitioner, CEO of the business she founded, a podcast host, GOC panel member and Chair of South Yorkshire Optometry Forum." - P Greedy, Coach & Consultant
- 2026 - Facilitated the Optical Women's Association global event 'Owning Your Path: Leadership & Resilience'
- 2026 - Developed the Ocular Wellness Institute
- 2025 - Head of Events with the International Expansion Committee at the Optical Women's Association
- 2025 - Founding Member of Coaches and Mentors in Optics
- 2025 - Founder of The Collective Yorkshire - where women build
- 2025 - Doncaster Mayoral Business Advisory Group Member
- 2025 - Delivered a TEDxDoncaster talk focused on mental fitness
- 2025 - Received a Global Recognition Award
- 2025 - Named a finalist for Optometrist of the Year at the Optician Awards
- 2025 - Became a four-time Optometrist of the Year finalist
- 2025 - Launched her Optical Mastery Programmes and Mental Fitness Academy for optometrists
- 2025 - Joined the TEDxDoncaster team as a TEDx alumni member
- 2024 - Founder of The SheSees Network
- 2024 - Named an Optometrist of the Year finalist at the Optician Awards
- 2024 - Podcast host and producer of The Women Money Business Podcast
- 2022 - Founder and Clinical Director of Skin Medicine
- 2022 - Chair of the Community Optometry Forum South Yorkshire for the NHS
- 2021 - Was serving as a General Optical Council panel member and Fitness to Practise Committee member
- 2021 - Recognised as a literacy champion for the National Literacy Trust
- 2020 - Named among the finalists for Optometrist of the Year
- 2020 - Founder of Pretty's Sweets
- 2019 - Hearing Panel Member at the General Optical Council
- 2019 - WOPEC MECS Assessor
- 2018 - Received her first documented Optometrist of the Year finalist recognition
- 2015 - CEO and Consultant Optometrist at Edwards and Walker Opticians
- 2014 - Team Leader at Vision Aid Overseas
- 2014 - Optometrist at Walters Opticians Limited
- 2011 - Research Optometrist at the University of Bradford
- 2011 - Worked as a Clinical Demonstrator at the University of Bradford
- 2010 - Optometrist at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- 2009 - Optometrist at Nottingham University Hospital
- 2008 - Pre-registration Optometrist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
How to hire Dr. Pretty Basra
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Dr. Pretty Basra 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.
