Meet Emily Toner
How do we stay expansive in a world that feels like it's contracting?
I am a clinical psychologist, wellbeing consultant and speaker working to unlock human potential at the intersection of behavioural science and regenerative psychology.
I have spent the past 13+ years designing leadership and wellbeing programs for global giants like Deloitte, ANZ, and Seek, and creating organisation-wide psychological interventions that stand out for being practical, tool-focused and evidence-based.
I share science-based tools to help people and organisations move from "contractive" states (fear, stress, and isolation) into "expansive" ones (creativity, agency, and connection) for greater impact.
My ‘Climate Courage’ podcast is jam-packed with practical psychological tools to comfort, empower and sustain people protecting planet. It bridges the gap between individual anxiety and collective agency, helping listeners build the inner stability needed for long-term climate work.
My ‘Climate Courage for Teams’ program translates these insights into a professional framework, equipping organisations with the psychological safety and relational practices required to lead through environmental uncertainty without burnout.
My Why
My journey has taken me from the neuroscience labs at the University of Melbourne to the boardrooms of corporate Australia and out onto the water, paddling into the ocean on the frontlines of activist movements to stop new oil and gas expansion.
I believe that the greatest challenges of our time—from burnout in the workplace to the global climate crisis—cannot be solved with the same disconnected mindset that created them. They require a neurological and relational shift.
Rooted in neuroscience and relational leadership, my work centers on the power of self-compassion and collective agency. I teach that taking care of self and planet is a regenerative force and that hope is physiologically generated when we move out of contraction and into embodied action on behalf of the things we love.
My Accomplishments
Qualifications: — BSc(Hons) and MPsych(Clinical) from the University of Melbourne — Published papers in positive psychology and behavioural neuroscience
Global Content Creation: — Featured teacher on Insight Timer with 200,000+ listeners — Creator and host of the Climate Courage podcast
Organisational Wellbeing — Creator of organisation-wide psychological tools and interventions including 'The Deloitte Meditation Series' and 'The Medibank Mental Fitness Program'. — Content creator for workplace wellbeing apps i.e. Smiling Mind (Australia) and The WellNurse (U.S.), a resilience program for American healthcare workers.
Partnerships — Medibank’s Live Better Ambassador (2020-23), fronting large-scale campaigns and live events to support mental fitness at a national level.
Media Expert — Featured writer for Peppermint Magazine — Regular expert contributor to The Age, Body+Soul and News Limited Media — Featured on podcasts such as Body&Soul’s Healthy-ish, Seize The Yay and Ruined by the Internet
Fun facts
— I am blessed to work and live between Byron Bay and Melbourne. — I have a degree in music production and I get expansive through writing and performing music. — I am happiest when I am creating things to help humans. — I don't read books, I devour them!
How I can help
Move beyond wellbeing as a support function: Position wellbeing as a leadership capability that lifts culture, performance and outcomes.
Identify where contraction is shaping decisions: See how stress, fear and burnout quietly narrow thinking, risk-taking and strategic choices.
Expand leadership capacity, not just performance: Build the stability and self-regulation needed for clear thinking, courageous leadership and long-term decisions.
Lead with agency instead of anxiety: Shift from reactive overwhelm to grounded action that rebuilds momentum, trust and confidence.
Think more expansively about organisational impact: Help organisations expand their impact through braver decisions and culture, without burning people out.
More from Emily Toner
Expert in Residence (A case study with Medibank) ↗
I value enduring partnerships and love being a trusted, integrated part of your team.
My work with Medibank reflects this approach. Our relationship began when I was a content creator and'Mind Expert' for Medibank's School of Better, and grew into a three-year role as Live Better Ambassador. During that time, I co-hosted the monthly Work Better, Live Better webinar series for Medibank's 350+ corporate clients, and led livestream meditations for 5k+ people daily during the pandemic. In 2025 I partnered with the P&C team to develop the Medibank Mental Fitness Series, a suite of 15 psychological tools that was rolled out an an integral part of their wellbeing strategy across Medibank's entire healthcare, retail, and corporate workforce.
Cuppa's Expert in Residence 30-Day Immersion is a way to explore ways in which I can provide your organisation with practical culture and behaviour change strategy and tools. Book a chat with me if you'd like to explore what we could achieve together in 2026.
Profile information supplied through Cuppa’s talent directory. Availability and suitability are confirmed on enquiry.