story-teller

artist

change-maker

Are you looking for a show-stopping keynote speech to start or end your event?

Melanie inspires people to do the work - both inner and outer - to create lives that they love. Starting with her upbringing in a country town in Western Australia, she walks audiences through her story of early success as a model and multiple franchisee owner, to finding herself in the lowest places of financial ruin and in a domestically violent relationship.

Melanie has folded origami cranes for most of her life, and always found comfort in the structure, beauty, and meditative practice of that. When forced to start her life over, Melanie went back to this practice and soon found herself creating massive paper installations. Melanie went on to create 22folds, an ecommerce business that sells a range of products created from origami cranes, which are designed to empower, acknowledge, and ignite something within others.

Melanie also creates contemporary abstract art pieces on canvas made from “UNFOLDED” origami cranes. These pieces are inspired by Melanie’s passion for creating daily reminders, again sparked by her own journey. A reminder to always remember to see the beauty in the blueprint and the journey.

After listening to Melanie audiences walk away questioning their own thought patterns about success and failure, reviewing their assumptions about others in difficult situations, and excited to intentionally create the life that they long for.

Keynotes

Clipped Wings to Flying Free

A confronting and raw insight to how an ongoing experience of Domestic Violence shaped the way Melanie looks at life.
She challenges the societal views of Domestic Violence in Australia and explains some of the reasons why this is a systemic crisis in our society and how we all need change our existing thoughts and assumptions about who this affects and why.
Melanie highlights what we can all do to make a difference today, in order to create the change that is so drastically needed in this area.

Broken Wings to Full Flight

A detailed keynote describing the raw and vulnerable story of Mel’s life.
Starting life in a small wheatbelt town in WA, Melanie inspires as she talks through the success she has created both personally and in business along her journey, but with no holding back, also shares some of the hardest, most confronting obstacles and experiences that see her look deep into who she is and what she is made of.
Listen as Melanie tells you how she found the courage to not only survive but allow her to draw on her strengths and find the ongoing ability to reflect and reset, to continually create a life of fulfilment and joy.

Testimonials

"Melanie Gray is a storyteller, artist and change maker. She will take you on a journey that is so powerful, heart warming, raw and honest, that will invite you to reflect on your own stories, challenge your perspectives and call you to action to practice forgiveness, vulnerability, commit to living and leading as your best selves, and remind you that the path to enlightenment and self awareness is rarely a straight one. As an experienced international speaker and advocate, as well as Melanie's mentor and one of her greatest fans, I highly recommend Mel if you are looking for a speaker and storyteller with heart, soul and authenticity who can shine a light on the all important themes of resilience, self leadership, the power of vulnerability and daring to dream."
Rabia Siddique, International keynote speaker
“Mel brings together wisdom, experience and heart when she speaks. You can be forgiven for thinking that her stories of success and achievement came easy until you hear the battles she’s faced and overcome. Mel has a way of disarming her audience with humour and authenticity to speak about topics and themes impacting every woman. She’s a delight!”
Kelley Chisholm - Business Station | Kinwomen | Foxglove Project
“Mel’s journey is a story of strength and resilience mixed in with heart break and ultimately triumph. It is not about winning, but how you can overcome and be the best person, the best companion and the best parent that you can be.
Mel’s signature is the inner strength that allows her to share the story of her journey with you. The journey that will make you cry. The journey that uplifts you. The journey that will inspire you. It will help you to realise that no matter how low that you may find yourself, there is always hope. There is always a better place for you to arrive at. The destination that is worth fighting for. Mel has found that place and her story will help you find yours.”
Dean McAullay - McAullay & Associates Pty Ltd
“It is not the responsibility of victim/survivors to end family and domestic violence - it is all of ours. When victim/survivors share their experiences publicly it breaks down preconceived bias, barriers, and educates people on the realness of the significance and severity of the abuse being perpetrated. Hearing Mel speak and share her experiences is a privilege. Her strength and courage to survive and go on to thrive and heal will inspire and provide hope for so many. I know the power of Mel’s experiences and her conviction will make a difference and foster the drive we need from the community to create change.
Kelda Opperman, CEO of Zonta House

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Unfolded

After folding countless origami cranes over her lifetime, Melanie discovered the beauty in them when unfolded. Connected to the messaging, she began creating new works made with unfolded origami cranes, falling in love with their texture and symbolism.

Discover Melanie’s recent artworks derived from Unfolded Origami Cranes

Discover Unfolded

Paper Projects

Miracle Flock

Melanie was asked to create an installation to shine a light on the 25,000 families affected every year in Australia by premature birth. She created 2,500 origami “storks” to represent the safe delivery of babies. This was installed on World Prematurity Day in November 2017 at Parliament House in New South Wales.

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Aim for the Stars

The team at Layne Beachley foundation asked Melanie to create a social media wall of glittery origami stars for their gala dinner event. Each star had the name of one of the 400+ recipients of the aim for the stars grants.

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Coogee Takes Flight

This was a community art project that was installed at Coogee live. Leading up to the event Melanie worked with students from schools in the City of Cockburn. Children were taught to fold origami cranes and write their hopes and wishes on the wings of the cranes. The thousands of origami cranes were installed in flight formation over a 2 day period of the event.

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Chandelier Crane Piece

This piece was created to compliment the award-winning modular couch “origami”, and hung above the couch at the Ultimo Interiors Showroom.

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Cattelan Italia

Melanie was commissioned to create clothing and accessories from the packaging material used to protect the wardrobe before installation. She created jackets, pants and tie, shoes, umbrellas, and handbags, which were used to fill the wardrobe on display at Ultimo Interiors showroom.

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Flock

Melanie’s 2007 Southwest survey entry, “Flock” was the winner of the Young and Emerging Artist 2007 and People’s Choice Awards.
It features 500 white origami cranes with 500 origami cranes on their sleeves arranged in a flight formation.

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Cherry Blossom Tree

Melanie’s 2008 Southwest survey entry “Cherry Blossom Tree” featured 1000 paper cranes arranged into cherry blossom flowers, hand painted and attached to a tree.

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Sunday Times Advertisement

Melanie created small origami modes for a Sunday Times advertisement in conjunction with Neil Whittaker. The models were animated into a television commercial for a competition.

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