About

About

The human side of leadership
and wellbeing.

Amanda Halfpenny helps organisations build cultures where people can communicate openly, lead with intention and work in ways that support both performance and wellbeing.

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Experience that understands people, systems and change.

Amanda Halfpenny has almost 30 years of experience in social work, with deep expertise across human services, disability, health and community services.

Her career has taken her through rural communities across Queensland and metropolitan Perth, where she has spent more than 25 years contributing to the disability sector. She founded Connect Case Management and led the business for a decade, building a strong allied health team before selling the company and continuing her involvement as a Board Advisor.

Amanda’s work today is focused on helping leaders and teams develop the awareness, language and practical strategies needed to create healthier workplaces.

She believes effective leadership, open communication and continuous improvement are essential to sustainable wellbeing.

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Where Change Begins

It all starts with
awareness.

Amanda’s approach is built on a simple but powerful belief: before people can change how they lead, communicate or respond to pressure, they need to understand how they show up.

This is where awareness becomes practical.

Through reflective facilitation, evidence-based tools and meaningful conversation, Amanda helps people identify behavioural patterns, recognise strengths and understand what may be getting in the way.

From there, the work becomes clear.

  • Build emotional literacy.
  • Create psychological safety.
  • Support better conversations.
  • Develop healthier responses to pressure.
  • Strengthen the systems that support people.
  • Lead with confidence and clarity
About

Amanda’s work draws on

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Years In Social Work

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Years In The Disability Sector

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Years Founding & Leading
Connect Case Management

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Sectors Served

What I offer

  • One-to-one coaching
  • Workplace wellbeing program design and delivery
  • Leadership development & team facilitation
  • Life Styles Inventory & Group Styles Inventory facilitation
  • Board Advisor experience

Credentials & training

  • Bachelor of Social Work
  • Human Synergistics accreditation
  • Be Well Co certified trainer
  • Training as a Nature & Forest Therapy Guide (ANFT)
Sectors
Human Services
Health
Disability
Mining
Community
A Practical Approach

Workplace wellbeing that delivers measurable results.

The evidence is clear: for every dollar your organisation invests in employee wellbeing, the average return is $6. But that return only materialises when the investment is structured, grounded in science — and properly measured.

As a certified Be Well Co trainer, Amanda delivers evidence-based wellbeing programs built on positive psychology and the latest workplace wellbeing research. Every program includes Be Well Co’s scientifically validated measurement tool that tracks individual and team wellbeing outcomes over time — giving you data you can act on and results you can stand behind with your leadership.

Sessions are interactive and grounded in real workplace experience. Participants explore the topics that matter most to sustainable, healthy teams:

Stress & resilienceEmotional intelligenceCommunicationSelf-awarenessPsychosocial safety

Work With Amanda
✓
Certified Be Well Co Trainer
Science-backed · Accredited · Outcome-focused
$6 return
for every $1 invested in structured employee wellbeing programs
Workplace wellbeing research
93%+
of people who complete the Be Well Plan report improved mental health outcomes
Be Well Co program data
Outcomes tracking included

Every program uses Be Well Co’s scientifically validated measurement tool — so you can see what’s shifting, demonstrate impact, and make informed decisions about your team’s needs.

A Practical Approach

Warm, direct and deeply practical.

Amanda brings a calm, thoughtful and grounded presence to her work.

She is not there to deliver a generic wellbeing presentation and leave. She works with people to understand what is happening, what needs attention and what practical steps can support meaningful change.

Her style is reflective, evidence-informed and human.

The goal is not perfection.

The goal is awareness, growth and a healthier way of working.

Beyond the work.

Amanda’s approach to wellbeing has never been just professional. It’s personal.

She has recently returned from walking the Camino in Spain — a journey that reignited a long love of hiking and the particular kind of clarity that comes from moving slowly through the world. She is also currently training as a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) — a practice rooted in the Japanese tradition of shinrin yoku, or forest bathing. Forest therapy is not hiking. It is slow, sensory and relational — a practice built on the belief that meaningful connection with the natural world has real, measurable benefits for human health and wellbeing.

Earlier this year I walked the Portuguese Camino to Santiago de Compostela. It’s the kind of experience that doesn’t fully make sense in words — parts of me came alive out there that I didn’t know were still waiting to. Walking a path that hundreds of thousands of people have walked before me, and that hundreds of thousands more will walk after, put something into perspective I didn’t know needed it. I’ve come back with a clearer, more embodied sense of what presence and awareness actually feel like — and that’s shaping how I show up with clients. My next walk is the Bibbulmun Track, 1,000 kilometres, in July 2027

For Amanda, this certification is where everything converges. Nature. Movement. Mindfulness. And a deep belief in the healing power of reconnecting with the natural world — and the privilege of opening that door for others.

It is the same work, in a different setting.

In July 2027, she will walk the Bibbulmun Track — one of Australia’s great long-distance trails, stretching 1,000 kilometres through the southwest of Western Australia. It’s the kind of undertaking that reflects how she approaches everything: with intention, preparation, and a willingness to go the distance.

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Testimonials

5.0

Rating For All Clients

“Amanda has a unique ability to dream big whilst also being able to do the daily work to actually practically make the dreams happen.  Amanda is pragmatic, realistic and practical with real lived experience of building fantastic businesses. She knows how to create profitable business that remains aligned with personal values.”

Melissa Hitchcock

“As a new business owner, seeking advice and guidance on how to navigate the many challenges of leading a team of professionals was a priority for me. Amanda has been nothing short of incredible. Her professionalism, passion, and knowledge have been instrumental in helping me develop leadership skills that have contributed to a positive team culture and the continued growth of my business. Thank you for everything, Amanda!”

Evan Bromley

Director, Connect Case Management

“I have had the pleasure of working with Amanda for nearly twenty years, and I have been consistently impressed with her professionalism, warmth and genuine commitment to support people and organisations thrive. Her expertise in leadership and wellbeing, combined with her work as an accredited Human Synergistics practitioner and Be Well Co. certified trainer, gives her a unique holistic approach. Amanda has an authentic capacity to connect with people, create insight and inspire positive, lasting change. I look forward to working with Amanda to ensure that together we forge a culture of wellbeing, compassion and strength.”

Jill Mason

Consultant – Human Services Sector at Disability Awareness Training

“As a former employee of Amanda's, I can firmly attest to the drive and energy she brought as a leader, and how that translated into forward momentum for the whole organisation. Day after day, she showed up with a passion and enthusiasm that lifted the entire team. She was always generous with her time, and her presence was appreciated by those around her. Amanda has a unique gift for helping people reframe a situation and walk away feeling uplifted, empowered, and equipped with a plan of action. I highly recommend Amanda to anyone seeking business mentoring and or coaching.”

Rachel Selwood

Team Lead | Specialist Support Coordinator & Case Manager (BA Social Sci.)

Words From Serena

Serena’s Endorsement

I have had the privilege of coaching Amanda for the past three years, during a significant chapter in both her leadership and her life. Over that time, I have watched her successfully own, lead and ultimately sell a thriving business.  I have seen first-hand the depth of character, capability and courage she brings to everything she does. 

Amanda is quite simply one of the most sincere, genuine and professional people I have had the pleasure of working with.  She is highly intelligent, strategic and thoughtful, but equally grounded, humble and deeply human. When you are with Amanda, you have her full attention. She is completely present, she listens carefully, asks insightful questions and has a genuine curiosity about people, what matters to them and what helps them thrive. 

One of the things I admire most about Amanda is her commitment to her own growth. Despite everything she has achieved, she has never assumed she has all the answers.  She actively seeks feedback, reflects deeply and importantly is prepared to do the work required to continue developing as a leader and as a person. Over the course of our work together, I have seen her become increasingly clear and confident in who she is, what she stands for and the kind of impact she wants to have. 

Amanda combines compassion with strength in a way that is rare. She genuinely wants the best for people, but that doesn’t mean she will simply tell you what you want to hear.  She will challenge your thinking, hold you accountable and question the status quo when it needs questioning. When things become difficult, she is exactly the person you would want in your corner,  not because she will rescue you, but because she has a remarkable ability to support you in finding your own strength, perspective and way forward. 

She is also someone who bridges strategy and action exceptionally well.  Amanda can step back, see the bigger picture and think deeply about what is required, while also being completely willing to roll up her sleeves and do whatever it takes to achieve an outcome. She is dedicated, disciplined and enormously committed. When Amanda says she is going to do something, there is a quiet determination behind it that inspires confidence. 

There is also a wonderful depth to Amanda beyond her professional capability. Her love of the outdoors, nature, wellbeing and art, together with her appetite for reading and learning, reflects the curiosity and thoughtfulness she brings to her work.  She notices things, she thinks deeply and has an appreciation for both the practical realities of leadership and the very human experience that sits underneath them. 

As Amanda now moves into consulting in the leadership and wellbeing space, it feels like a natural evolution of everything she has built, learned and embodied throughout her career. She brings not only considerable business and leadership experience, but credibility that comes from having actually led through complexity, made difficult decisions, grown a successful  organisation and navigated significant change herself. 

For anyone considering working with Amanda, I would recommend her without hesitation. You will be working with someone who will care deeply about you and your outcomes, who will listen before offering a view, who will challenge you when it matters and who will bring intelligence, warmth, integrity and practical wisdom to the relationship. 

Amanda doesn’t simply understand leadership intellectually — she understands what it asks of you as a human being. I believe the combination of commercial experience, emotional intelligence, curiosity and genuine care will make her an exceptional partner to the leaders and organisations fortunate enough to work with her. 

Ready to create a healthier way of working?

Whether you are looking to support leaders, strengthen team culture or build a more sustainable approach to wellbeing, Amanda can help you start with clarity.

Let's Talk

Lead with intention. Build stronger teams. Sustain positive change.