Keynote speakers have now been announced for the first Scottish Women’s Wellbeing Summit in November.
Bringing together two hundred women, a committed and highly engaged mix of leading female professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners, and corporate business leaders, the summit will provide an opportunity to network, collaborate, and inspire, with exhibitor stalls from Scotland’s leading wellness and leadership industries, along with networking sessions and workshops to attend.
The summit will provide an opportunity for those attending to mentally and physically renew, with a series of immersive experiences, including ice bathing, yoga, and even fire walking. For delegates who chose to stay overnight, they will have access to the hotel’s swimming pool, hot tub and sauna.
Fittingly described by organiser, Lesley Canis, as “game changers”, with whom she “cannot wait to get into the room”, the speakers include Britain’s first female Fighter-Jet Pilot, Dr Jo Salter, Kate Muir, leading Scottish writer, women’s health campaigner and documentary maker, and Lee Donald, the seventh Scottish woman ever to summit Mount Everest. The owner and director of Lee Donald Personal Training, she is a multi award winning fitness entrepreneur who has represented Scotland at European and World Championship obstacle course racing.
Voted into the BBC’s 50 most inspiring women in the world, Dr Jo Salter is a PWC Global Transformational Leadership and Director of People & Organisation, overseeing 240,000 people in 157 territories.
Rejected twice by the RAF, as women weren’t allowed to fly, she was instrumental in changing the test policies for allowing new recruits into the air force – creating a stronger more modern RAF as the first female lead of an all-male squadron. An inspiration for the recent Top Gun Maverick film Jo was personally invited by Tom Cruise to its UK premiere.
Kate Muir’s book, How to Have a Magnificent Midlife Crisis was published in 2025, following Everything You Need to Know About the Menopause (But Were Too Afraid to Ask), and Everything You Need to Know About the Pill (But Were Too Afraid to Ask). She is the creator and producer of two documentaries on the menopause including Davina McCall’s: Sex, Myths and the Menopause for Channel 4, and the Pill Revolution documentary. She was chief film critic for The Times for seven years, and is the author of three novels.
Additionally, Liberal Democrat councillor, Sally Pattle will speak at SWWS. Cllr Pattle represents the Linlithgow Ward on West Lothian Council and is the party’s Mental Health spokesperson. Sally was the first Liberal Democrat to be elected at any level in West Lothian for more than thirty years. Away from politics, she owns the Far From The Madding Crowd Bookshop.
Sharon Miller, the founder of innovative, holistic team building & training business, Joyworks! which specialises in fully accredited laughter yoga leadership training is also one of the keynote speakers.
Lesley said:” I am thrilled beyond words to unveil, what I can only describe, as five truly inspirational women to speak to us at this keynote summit. I am confident that delegates interested in coming along to the summit will agree with me that the achievements and remit of these five women is jaw dropping. There can be seldom opportunities in life to engage with women at this level, all in the one location. They have the ability to take us to another level.
“I’d like to thank all my speakers for taking time out of their incredibly busy schedules to come along,” continued Lesley. “Lee Donald, particularly, is now in training to summit K2 in 2026, the steepest and hardest mountain in the world. When she reaches the summit, she will the first Scottish woman ever to do it, and one of only three women ever to have submitted K2 and Everest. Having beat a fifteen year eating disorder, as well as depression and alcohol addiction, Lee is now a pioneer for mental health awareness.
“I’m sure she, and my other speakers, will get a rapturous reception.
“I am delighted with how things are going so far with the Summit, with strong numbers on my ticket waitlist. I am taking applications for exhibitors now. We have Biomel UK, a prestigious gut health brand, on board as a sponsor. Fife based Vivimus Water are supplying the water for the event.”
Delegates can gain exclusive access to a networking Drinks Reception, and a Leadership Dinner afterwards.
Designed to be an empowering experience which might become a regular fixture in influential women’s yearly calendars, facilitating and staging the summit is the realisation of Lesley’s idea to present an event that combines wellbeing with leadership for women.
