We’re excited to announce our first keynote speaker for the #FIGT2019 conference – Jo Parfitt. 

Jo has been a friend and stalwart supporter of FIGT for many years. She is the operational half of the Parfitt Pascoe Writing Residency Program, which has nurtured writers at Families in Global Transition Conferences from 2014 to 2018.

Jo knows and understands global transitions from many years of personal experience.  Over 31 years she has lived in seven different countries. She has spent much of that time writing and helping others to write their global stories. Personally, Jo has written 32 books and as a mentor and publisher she has worked with over 200 authors to help them write and publish their own stories.

We asked Jo about her upcoming keynote in Bangkok and she shared that it was the theme this year that spoke to her.

“The moment I learned of the conference theme – Connect. Lead. Change. - I just knew I had to attend. My three decades abroad in seven countries, during which I have been determined to create, maintain and grow my portable career as a writer, publisher and author's mentor, have been characterized by all elements of Connect, Lead, Change.” 

Jo told us she was delighted to be offered the chance to present a keynote focusing on Connect. 

“Connecting is about so much more than the obvious – networking; building a tribe. To me it is about 'joining the dots', finding links between the disparate parts of our lives, personalities and stories and not only making sense of who we were, are and will become but how best to communicate that.

As a writer, of course my chosen medium for expression is the written word and I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas with the FIGT community in a plenary session."

We are thrilled that Jo will be presenting and are very much looking forward to this keynote.

For those who may not be familiar with Jo’s work here are some of her books and websites you might like to explore further.

https://joparfitt.com/

https://mondaymorningemails.com/

https://www.summertimepublishing.com/

https://careerinyoursuitcase.com/about/