Meet Karen Perks
I've spent over two decades in rooms most people never want to enter — and that's exactly where this work comes from. My daughter Mikayla was misdiagnosed 30 times. While fighting for her, I faced my own life-threatening crisis, financial collapse, and the quiet dismantling of my identity.
Not theory. Life.
My experience with technology began in 1993, and I've long been fascinated by what happens when powerful systems empower people or leave them behind. MiKare Health was born directly from Mikayla's illness, and built on the biopsychosocial framework - connecting biology, psychology, and social experience to create something practical for caregivers, leaders, and anyone navigating systems under pressure. I am the author of Mum, Please Help Me - the book I wish someone had handed me at the start. When I step onto a stage, I'm not there simply to inspire. I'm there to give people something they can actually use when life gets hard.
My Why
I speak because I know the real cost of a life falling apart - not a rough patch, but the systemic collapse that happens when a health crisis dismantles your health, identity, financial security, and sense of the future.
I know the exhaustion of standing between my child and a system that was never built to catch either of us - becoming advocate, strategist, and interpreter while being told it was "just stress." I know the fear of watching a lifetime of work disappear inside fragmented systems that offer complexity where they should offer care.
Resilience is expensive. That is why I do this.
What I learned inside crisis is this: the skills built in survival are not exclusive to healthcare. Navigating broken systems, leading under pressure, making decisions amid uncertainty, and rebuilding identity after loss - these are the same capabilities leaders and organisations need today.
Crisis doesn't only arrive in hospitals. It appears in boardrooms, businesses, and in the lives of people holding everything together while quietly falling apart.
I built MiKare Health not as a tech product, but as a response to a gap I lived inside. I write and speak to offer the map I had to draw in the dark.
I don't speak simply to inspire. I speak to equip.
My Accomplishments
Award-Winning Innovator (Stevie Awards for Women in Business 2025): Founder of Mikare Health, recognised as the Bronze Winner for Best Health Technology for Women. This international accolade solidifies my position as a leader in empathy-driven, gender-specific health innovation.
International Keynote Speaker: Delivered high-stakes presentations in New York and Ireland, translating the "Architecture of Resilience" for global audiences and navigating diverse cultural approaches to health and advocacy.
Three-Time Published Author: Author of the poignant memoir "Mum, Please Help Me!" and two additional works in Hear Us Roar and Courage and Confidence.
Champion Water Ski Racer: An elite-level athlete who has mastered the mental and physical discipline required to "hold the line" at breakneck speeds.
Fun facts
Love anything futuristic - and can't wait until The Jetsons becomes a reality!!!!
I was a champion water ski racer in my youth and winner of many events. Have lived in 3 states of Australia and worked in remote Australia with amazing Traditional Owners..
How I can help
I help you and your team stop being processed by broken systems and start directing your own outcome.
Learn how AI and automation are transforming every industry and what you and your organisation need to do now to stay ahead.
Turn loss into a launching point with the tools and blueprint to rebuild stability and move forward with clarity.
When crisis hits, lead yourself and your team with clarity and resilience - building decision-making strength and inner infrastructure to navigate uncertainty without losing ground.
Transform lived experience into leadership — using your story as a tool for credibility, advocacy, and influence.
Profile information supplied through Cuppa’s talent directory. Availability and suitability are confirmed on enquiry.