Sheryl Monk’s speaking is rooted in a rare and powerful professional journey: from the courtroom to the ceremony space, from barrister to celebrant , without ever leaving behind the skills that matter most.

For over 30 years, Sheryl built her career as a criminal barrister and advocacy leader, working daily with grief, trauma, conflict, and high emotion. In courtrooms, she learned how to listen deeply, choose words with care, read a room, and speak with clarity when the stakes are high. She learned how to hold authority while remaining human and how to guide people through moments they never expected to face.

That experience now underpins her work as an independent celebrant, where she leads funerals, weddings, and life-transition ceremonies. Standing with families at their most vulnerable moments, Sheryl brings structure to chaos, calm to uncertainty, and meaning to moments of loss. Her funerals are known for being deeply personal, grounded, and honest — never generic, and always led with care.

Sheryl speaks openly about the transferable skills that carried her from law into celebrancy: advocacy as storytelling, courtroom presence as emotional leadership, and legal precision as compassionate clarity. She explores how professional reinvention is not about starting again, but about reclaiming and reshaping what you already know.

Her talks draw on lived experience and cover themes including:

From barrister to celebrant: navigating professional reinvention

Holding space in grief — what funerals teach us about leadership and care

Transferable skills and trusting your professional instincts

Speaking when it matters most — in court, in ceremony, and in life

Confidence, presence, and calm under emotional pressure

Sheryl’s speaking style is warm, grounded, and quietly powerful. She combines authority with empathy, honesty with humour, and structure with heart. Audiences describe her talks as reassuring, insightful, and deeply human.

At the centre of Sheryl’s work is a simple truth learned across two professions:

People don’t always remember what you say — but they always remember how you made them feel, especially in moments of loss.