I talk about the thing most conferences are still too nervous to touch — and I do it with the intelligence, warmth, and precision that leaves audiences genuinely changed.
Featured in NZ Herald · Capsule NZ · Woman's Day
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
A Speaker Unlike Anyone Else on this Topic
Rachel Strevens is a New Zealand Sexologist, Intimacy & Sexual Confidence Coach, and the founder of The Passion Project — a female-led movement redefining pleasure as power.
After more than twenty years in wealth, investments, and banking, Rachel walked away from a career built on performance and into a purpose built on truth. Her own experience of disconnection, divorce, and unexpected sexual awakening in her late thirties became the foundation for a body of work that has already changed hundreds of lives across New Zealand.
She is the author of In Pursuit of Pleasure — a memoir of sexual awakening, body confidence, and living unapologetically. She holds formal qualifications as a Sexologist through the Sexual Health Alliance (USA) and is an ANZCAL-accredited coach.
On stage, Rachel does what most speakers in this space cannot. She takes a subject that has long been considered too personal or too provocative for professional settings — and delivers it with intelligence, warmth, and precision that leaves audiences educated, seen, and genuinely changed.
Sexologist · Sex Coach & Educator · Sexual Health Alliance USA · ANZCAL Accredited · Bachelor of Business, AUT · Author, In Pursuit of Pleasure
THE KEYNOTE
Reclaimed
What becomes possible when a woman finally decides she matters.
Most women are exceptional performers.
At work. At home. In relationships. In every room they walk into. They show up, deliver, and make it look effortless — while quietly putting themselves last on every list that matters.
At some point, something goes offline. The desire. The joy. The sense that they are a full human being with wants of their own. Most women don't even notice it happening. They call it being busy. Being a good mum. Being responsible.
Rachel Strevens noticed. And she has the rare credential, the lived experience, and the courage to say what nobody else on the keynote circuit is saying out loud.
This talk uses the most intimate mirror available — a woman's relationship with her own pleasure — to reveal a much bigger truth: when a woman gives herself permission in that space, something unlocks in every other part of her life. Her confidence. Her voice. Her presence. Her power.
This is not a talk about sex. It is a talk about what happens when a woman finally decides that she matters.
This is the talk people are still talking about at dinner.
What your audience will leave with:
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Permission to stop pretending everything is fine
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An honest framework for understanding why desire disappears — and how to find it again
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Practical tools for reconnecting with themselves, their relationships, and their own power
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Language to have conversations they didn't know how to start
Reclaimed is available as a 45-minute keynote, 60-minute keynote with Q&A, or 90-minute keynote and workshop. Fully customised to your audience and event.
Ideal for leadership conferences, corporate wellbeing events, HR and people & culture summits, health and wellness conferences, menopause and midlife programmes, and women's networking gatherings.
EXPERIENCE & CREDIBILITY
Rachel Has Been in the Room.
Before founding The Passion Project, Rachel spent more than twenty years presenting to professional audiences across financial services, investments, and corporate environments — from intimate boardrooms to industry events of 500 or more.
She knows how professional rooms work. She knows how to hold them.
Speaking highlights:
IGNITE Conference, Auckland 2025 Keynote speaker · 130 women · women's leadership and empowerment
FinTech NZ Panel speaker · multiple occasions · 50–100 professional attendees
BNZ Regular staff presenter · 50+ staff · corporate training and development
Corporate & Industry Events Workplace presenter across financial services, investments, and corporate sectors · audiences of 10–500
Mythical Creatures Masquerade Ball Event host and MC · 100+ guests · large-scale event facilitation
Workshops & Group Education Facilitator across The Passion Project programmes · intimate to mid-size groups
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
The Room Never Forgets This Talk.
WORKING WITH RACHEL
Simple. Professional. Genuinely Collaborative.
Every engagement begins with a conversation. Rachel works with event organisers to understand their audience, their event context, and what they most need their people to leave with — then builds the keynote around those specific outcomes.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Everything You Need to Know Before You Enquire
Is this topic appropriate for a corporate audience? Absolutely. Rachel has spent over twenty years in corporate environments and understands exactly how to hold this topic with the intelligence and precision a professional audience requires. Bold, yes. Inappropriate, never.
Can Rachel customise her talk for our specific audience? Always. Every keynote is built around the specific audience, industry, event theme, and outcomes the organiser needs. No two keynotes are identical.
How does Rachel handle a reserved or reluctant audience? With skill developed over years of facilitating conversations on the most personal of subjects. Rachel creates psychological safety quickly — through humour, honesty, and the immediate signal that there is no pressure and no judgment in the room.
What does Rachel charge? Rachel's fees reflect the preparation, customisation, and genuine transformation her keynotes deliver. Reach out directly to discuss what works for your event and budget — the conversation is always straightforward and never uncomfortable.
Can we book Rachel for a workshop rather than a keynote? Yes. A keynote-plus-workshop format is often the most powerful combination. Rachel is happy to discuss the right structure for your specific event.
How do we know Rachel will be reliable and professional on the day? Rachel brings more than twenty years of corporate professionalism to every engagement. She arrives prepared, communicates clearly in the lead-up to every event, and delivers what she promises. Working with Rachel is designed to make your job easier, not harder.
Your Audience is Ready for This Conversation.
The only question is whether your event will be the one to start it.
Rachel works with a select number of event clients each year. If you are building a programme that takes your audience seriously — reach out. The first conversation is free, informal, and genuinely useful regardless of outcome.
Or email : info@thepassionproject.co.nz