Hard to believe we’re already nudging up to the halfway mark of 2025. The days are getting shorter, and with more time indoors, it’s the perfect moment to pause, reset, and take stock of where things are headed and how we want the rest of the year to look and feel.
At TLS, we’ve been catching up with our talent and speakers about how they’re reflecting, recharging, and laying big plans for H2 of the year; from renewed brand partnerships to international race meets, keynote stages to pitlane commentary boxes. Here’s just a taste of what our talent have been up to and what’s coming up:
- Dr Preeya Alexander is back with NNT, giving scrubs a glow-up and proving fashion and frontline smarts can go hand in hand.
- Dr Michela Sorensen is continuing her partnership with Tommee Tippee, helping parents take the bottle-feeding leap – think expert support minus the overwhelm
- Dr Joanna McMillan will continue to fly the flag for fibre with Wise Wheat; and yes your gut will thank you.
- Dr Marny Lishman has teamed up with Samsung to explore how AI-powered appliances can help reduce mental load at home
In sport:
- Claudia Hollingsworth is prepping for a huge Euro season, with eyes firmly on the World Athletics Championships in September in Tokyo.
- Jemima Montag will also be on the start line in Tokyo, bringing the heat in racewalking.
- Ellie Cole (yes, the teenage diving phenom) just placed top five in Beijing’s World Cup Superfinals; won the Australian National title in the 10m platform over the weekend and has just casually announced she’s heading to Stanford to study aerospace engineering.
- Meanwhile, the OG Ellie Cole will be back at the pool and back on our screens, joining the Channel Nine commentary team for the 2025 Swimming Trials in Adelaide.
- Molly Taylor is trading her race suit for a mic at Darwin Supercars; and
- Aiva Anagnostiadis has been going full throttle – delivering a TEDx talk in Italy, walking the red carpet for Netflix’s F1 Academy series, and getting set to speak at Women in Automotive’s big event this month.
On the speaking circuit:
- Shelly Horton has been lighting up leadership events all over the country;
- Dr Gina Cleo is helping audiences rethink habits that actually stick, and
- Jemima Montag, Dr Joanna McMillan, and Molly Taylor have been busy bringing their stories to schools, summits and conferences across the region.
And if your brain needs a break from planning and a boost of inspiration instead, scroll down for our winter reading list featuring TLS talent-penned books we love, and a few we can’t wait to get our hands on.
Til next month,
TLS EXPERTS
Halfway through the year is a great moment to reflect on what’s working and for many of our TLS Experts, that’s meant continuing to build on strong partnerships with brands they genuinely align with.
We’re thrilled to see these collaborations grow, with several of our talent renewing their roles following successful campaigns; with even more renewals and exciting partnerships due to be announced next month.
- GP Dr Preeya Alexander is elevating the humble scrubs to high fashion, after renewing her partnership with NNT while also championing early detection through her partnership with the Get Behind it Roadshow helping to raise awareness and encourage lifesaving screenings with the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program .
- GP and mum Dr Michela Sorensen is gearing up for another round of activity working with Tommee Tippee to help parents and caregivers
- Nutrition scientist Dr Joanna McMillan is continuing her partnership with Wise Wheat, helping us get our essential fix of fibre
- Psychologist Dr Marny Lishman has partnered with Samsung, exploring how AI-powered appliances can ease household overwhelm and support mental wellbeing at home.
TLS SPORT
It’s summer in Europe and that means athletics season is heating up. Middle distance runnner Claudia Hollingsworth has a huge season of race meets ahead in the northern hemisphere, to hone her skills and show the world what she’s capable of in the build up to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. Competing alongside her – albeit in a different field – will be Jemima Montag, champion racewalker and Olympic bronze medallist. The only thing better than watching one TLS Sports queen kicking goals? Watching two. Bring it on!
Last month, we shared an update on diver Ellie Cole’s momentum at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup. We’re thrilled to report she qualified for the superfinals in Beijing, finishing fifth in the women’s 10m individual event and fourth in the 10m synchro and just this weekend, firmly cemented her name in Australia’s platform diving history books taking out the National Open Title in the 10m springboard. These are fantastic results for the 18-year-old talent who is looking more and more like a strong medal prospect as we head into LA & Brisbane. If that weren’t impressive enough, Ellie has announced she’s heading to Stanford University later this year to study – wait for it – aerospace engineering. That’s right – propelling her body through the air isn’t all Ellie’s capable of… she’s also a STEM superstar, who continues to prove that her ambition goes far beyond sport.
Meanwhile, Ellie Cole (the OG) will be bringing her warmth and insight to the 2025 Australian Swimming Trials in Adelaide next week (9th- 14th June) as part of the Channel Nine commentary team.
In motorsport news, rally driver Molly Taylor will be swapping her steering wheel for a microphone on June 20-22, fronting up as pitlane reporter at the Darwin Supercars. And proving she’s becoming every bit the global superstar, F1 Academy driver Aiva Anagnostiadis took to the world stage at the TEDxModena Disruption Event last month in Italy, enthralling the audience with her story of overcoming barriers to excel on the racetrack then backed it up by walking the purple carpet for the London premiere of the F1: The Academy Netflix series on May 27.
Aiva will head to Montreal for Round 4 of F1 Academy (13-15 June) before returning to Australia for a series of media and events, including the Women in Automotive Signature Series event – ‘Change Makers – Leading with Vision and Purpose’ being held in Sydney on 26 June. Aiva will answer questions from the WinA community in a Q&A hosted by our very own Kate Peck (also one of the Women in Automotive directors). You won’t want to miss it – snap up your tickets here. And if you prefer motivation delivered directly to your ears, check out The Motor Dream podcast to hear more about Aiva’s story.
TLS SPEAKERS
MC maven Shelly Horton fronted the annual Chempro Leadership Conference for a second time, and hosted the Meat Business Women event where she also gave a keynote on speaking with impact. Everyone’s favourite habit change expert Dr Gina Cleo joined a webinar for a Sarah Rusbatch course, sharing tips on creating sustainable habits.
Racewalker Jemima Montag is equally passionate about inspiring young people as she is about inspiring professionals so she was a natural fit to speak at both the Mount Waverley Secondary College Year 11 Presentation, and Australia Post Leadership event; while dietitian Dr Joanna McMillan brought her warmth and MC expertise to the annual Dietitians Unite conference for the second time.
Finally, Molly Taylor flew to Bali to speak at the NTT APAC Conference, where she wowed the audience with her incredible story of grit and determination, and before she could even unpack her suitcase, she was off to Brisbane for the Australian Energy Producers Conference.
TLS SUITE READS
Sick of Netflix indecision? Put down the remote and pick up a book instead. Here’s our (somewhat biased) list of the best books for 2025:
- For food inspo: Full Plate by Dr Preeya Alexander
- For motivation: The Habit Revolution by Dr Gina Cleo
- For resilience: Lost and Found by Dr Tim Sharp
- For women’s health: The Peri Diet by Jaime Rose Chambers
- For kids’ bedtime: Felix and his Fantastic Friends by Ellie Cole
- For wisdom: Crisis to Contentment by Dr Marny Lishman.
- For menopause: The M Word by Dr Ginni Mansberg
And these are the upcoming releases we’re leaving space on our bookshelf for:
- I’m Your Peri Godmother by Shelly Horton (out July)
- Next of Kin by Casey Beros (out August)
- Ultimate Fishing: Australia by Indy Thompson (out September).
HEALTH CALENDAR
Awareness campaigns offer a powerful way to connect your brand with causes that make a positive impact on the community. Our talent are renowned for bringing prestige and smarts to any event, panel or media campaign. For June, we have talent booked for events and campaigns relating to:
- All June – Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
- 5 June – World Environment Day
- 8 June – World Oceans Day
We’re also taking bookings for July, with these dates worth highlighting on the calendar:
All month – Disability Pride Month
Paralympian Ellie Cole and wheelchair-rugby trailblazer Shae Graham are passionate about amplifying the voices of people with disability.
30 July – International Day of Friendship
Science confirms the importance of staying socially connected for mental and physical wellbeing. Our psychologists Dr Tim Sharp, Dr Leanne Hall and Dr Kieran Kennedy are across the latest research and have plenty of tips.