A raw, creative wellbeing talk for secondary students

By award-winning cabaret artist, poet & performer Amy Bodossian

Hi. I’m Amy. I’m a 46-year-old cabaret weirdo, poet, and performing artist. I have OCD and ADHD. I was bullied. Sensitive. Wildly imaginative. Too loud, too deep, too different. Now, I take all of that — the strangeness, the overwhelm, the loud thoughts and quiet pain — and I turn it into something beautiful, hilarious, moving, and alive.

And I want to share that with your students.

💥 What I Offer:

A one-hour talk/performance/experience that’s raw, vulnerable, funny, and deeply human. I tell my story — the messy bits, the magic bits, the bits I used to hide. I perform original poems and songs that spark laughter, reflection, and courage. I speak directly to the weird ones, the quiet ones, the overthinkers, the outsiders — and remind them that their “too-muchness” is actually their magic.

This isn’t a TED Talk. This is real life.
Delivered with rhythm, soul, and a touch of glitter.

💫 What Makes This Different:

• I don’t pretend to have it all figured out — and that’s the point.
• I offer lived experience, not theory.
• I model authenticity, vulnerability, and resilience in real time.
• I create a safe, inclusive space where students can breathe out and feel seen.

“We can’t fix the world in a day. But we can be real with each other.
We can speak. We can write. We can feel a little less alone.
And that, sometimes, is everything.”

🎯 Why Schools Book This:

In a world that feels like it’s burning — with climate anxiety, identity struggles, war, politics, pressure and overwhelm — young people need more than just coping strategies.

They need:

✔ Permission to feel
✔ Creative ways to process emotion
✔ Connection that cuts through the noise
✔ Reassurance that who they are is enough

Students leave these sessions feeling:

• Less alone
• More understood
• More creative, curious, and courageous

📘 Curriculum Connections

This talk directly supports the Victorian Curriculum for Years 9 & 10, integrating:

English

Students explore rich themes of the human experience through original poetry, storytelling, and dramatic performance — engaging with complex emotional material drawn from lived experience. Topics include neurodivergence, bullying, identity, creativity, and resilience — all delivered in a powerful and authentic voice.

Personal and Social Capability

This session encourages self-reflection, emotional literacy, and the development of respectful relationships through empathy and diversity. Students analyse emotional responses and coping strategies through performance, and consider how creativity and vulnerability can foster resilience and connection in a rapidly changing world.

🌱 Key Themes:

• Mental health & emotional safety
• Neurodivergence (ADHD, OCD)
• Turning pain into art
• Bullying, belonging & bravery
• The pressure to cope and conform
• Creative resilience in a chaotic world
• Being unusual as a superpower
• Storytelling, song & spoken word

👩🏫 For Teachers:

You’re doing the best you can to support students through overwhelming times. This talk makes your job easier — because it opens up emotional conversation, builds trust, and shows young people that there is strength in softness, and safety in sharing.

“Amy reminded my students that their stories matter — and gave them the courage to speak.”
— Year 11 English teacher

Perfect for:

• Wellbeing & Mental Health Programs
• Creative Writing / English Extension
• Inclusion & Diversity Initiatives
• Middle and Senior Students (Years 9–12)

🔥 Let’s make magic. Let’s help students feel a little more human — and a little less alone.

💸 Session Details & Pricing

• Length: 1 hour
• Format: Talk/performance with poetry, storytelling, music, Q&A
• Cost : $750