Vivian McKinnon – The Magic is Within You
Vivian McKinnon is a multi-award-winning public speaker, author, filmmaker, and entrepreneur having founded Hydro-ease, Northern Ireland’s only dedicated floatation Centre. Her journey to starting and owning her own business has been far from typical, having almost 3 decades of lived experience of adverse childhood experiences, homelessness, trauma, a criminal record and drug/alcohol addiction. This culminated with her being on a life support machine in her late 20s. It was shortly after that she devoted time to developing her own skills and specialisms and ultimately founding Hydro-ease. Working with everyone from business leaders to vulnerable and disengaged individuals throughout the Charity, Voluntary, Public and Private sectors, Vivian has brought her exclusive and highly effective brand of human reconnection to those who are brave enough to dare greatly and transform their experiences of the past. She will share her extraordinary personal story of triumph over adversity and how she transformed a breakdown into a breakthrough: securing the belief of “The Magic Is Within You”.

Heather Carr – Create Your Perfect Business Idea
Heather is the enterprise programme manager at Women in Business. With a background in advertising at agencies Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA, and McCann Erickson Belfast, and business development experience at Arts & Business NI, Heather boasts a diverse skill set encompassing project management, content creation, and a range of other vital enterprise skills. Heather proudly wears the label of a serial entrepreneur, having successfully launched three businesses, including her current venture, “Kill It with Quizzes.” She is an enthusiastic advocate for supporting women fulfil their business dreams, drawing inspiration from the rollercoaster of her own entrepreneurial journey! Heather’s mission is clear: to empower women from all walks of life to create a better future for themselves by starting their own businesses. During this session, Heather will facilitate an interactive exercise where participants will engage in a guided activity aimed at sparking creative thinking and generating potential business ideas. Individuals will explore their passions, skills, problems, market trends, and opportunities, encouraging attendees to discover connections between their personal interests and abilities, to generate potential business ideas. The session concludes with exploring what is stopping you and how to make it happen along with guidance on next steps for support.