FRAN AYALA | KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Possibility doesn't ask permission.
Neither should you.
I'm Fran Ayala, a brand strategist, stand-up comedian and founder of Bitches in Stitches.I believe the stories we tell shape what we believe is possible. And sometimes, changing the story means challenging the people who get to tell it.I'm interested in the rules we inherit, the stories that keep them alive and what happens when we take up space unapologetically.These are the questions I bring to the stage, preferably with some PowerPoint sorcery and a few punchlines sprinkled in.
CAREER REBEL, SERIAL STORYTELLER
I've never been particularly good at staying in my lane.
I've spent my career telling stories, asking questions... and occasionally getting myself into trouble for doing both.Journalism taught me to investigate the stories we're told. Brand strategy taught me how those stories shape perception and behaviour. Stand-up taught me what happens when you challenge them in a room full of people who aren't obliged to laugh.Founding Bitches in Stitches taught me what happens when you stop trying to change people's minds and start building something that challenges what they believe.My 20-year career as a storyteller (in different fonts) has given me distinct perspectives on the same big questions: Who gets heard? Who gets to make the rules? And what becomes possible when we start questioning them?My talks are a mashup of brand strategy, comedy and challenging the status quo. Because the most interesting conversations rarely stay in their lanes either.
Signature Talks
An Outsider's Advantage
I speak about challenging expectations, creating opportunities and turning shared beliefs into something bigger.
Being an outsider isn't easy. But it does make you think: “If the rules weren't written by people like me, do they even apply to me?”I've learned that looking at things differently can be a bloody useful advantage, especially in business. It's how we spot opportunities others overlook, challenge assumptions that have gone unquestioned for too long and find new ways to connect with people.My talks draw on what I've learned from building brands, making people laugh and finding my own community, to show what becomes possible when we stop treating different perspectives as something to overcome and start recognising what they have to offer.
POWER, VISIBILITY & RESISTANCE
Dare to Be Disliked
What if backlash isn't proof you've gone too far, but a reaction to the balance of power shifting?
AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS:
Recognise backlash for what it is
Reclaim your authority
Pursue your ambitions without waiting for everyone else's approval
Women are encouraged to be ambitious, outspoken and unapologetic. Until they actually are.
Drawing on my experience challenging entrenched power structures in comedy, I explore why resistance often accompanies progress, and how to stop letting other people's discomfort dictate your next move.For: Leadership conferences, women's networks, workplace culture and inclusion events.
Delivering Dare to Be Disliked: How to Build Your Own Table When They Won't Give You a Seat at SISTALAND Festival, July 2026.
Bringing women/femme/them/queer/overlooked comedians together at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a photocall I organised. Photo by Solen Collet.
COURAGE & COLLECTIVE ACTION
You Can't Buy Bravery.
So Borrow It.
What if the courage to change something doesn't have to come from you alone?
AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS:
Recognise potential allies instead of automatic rivals
Find courage in shared conviction
Create opportunities that wouldn't exist without collaboration
We're taught to compete for opportunities, prove ourselves and find the confidence to take risks on our own. But what happens when people who share a belief decide to act on it together?Through the unprecedented rise of Bitches in Stitches, I explore how shared conviction, solidarity and collaboration can turn individual ambition into collective possibility.For: Entrepreneurship, leadership, community-building and creative industry events.
BRANDING, BELONGING & IMPACT
No More Female Comedians.
The World Needs Bitches.
Being seen is step one. Belief makes a brand endure.
AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS:
Look beyond attention to build lasting belief.
Identify what makes your brand worth believing in
Inspire people to become active participants in its success
Attention can make a brand famous. But what makes people care enough to champion it?
Combining my experience in brand strategy with the story of building Bitches in Stitches, I explore how a brand becomes more than a name, and why shared beliefs can turn audiences into advocates.For: Marketing and brand conferences, founders, entrepreneurs and creative industry events.
THE ROOMS I SPEAK IN
I take my ideas seriously.
Myself? Not so much.
I've taken the mic in some pretty different rooms.These include gala dinners for 500 executives at multinational companies, corporate training sessions, international development summits... and even a sofa in the middle of a field at a festival for women creatives.
Different rooms. Different formats. Same heart.
All warmth, no fuzz. Zero BS.
I bring humour, curiosity and real experiences to conversations that matter. I'm not afraid to talk about the uncomfortable stuff, including my own mistakes, because I think there's too much shame around things we should be able to discuss openly.I don't share stories to make myself the hero. I share them because I believe communication should create connection. And sometimes, all it takes is one person saying the thing everyone else has been afraid to say.
MAKE AN ENQUIRY
Know a Room?
Got an audience who could use a different perspective?
Tell me what you're planning.
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