YMCA Norfolk are partnering with Proclaimers Church to host the Global Leadership Summit (GLS), bringing one of the world’s most influential leadership events to the heart of Norfolk.
GLS Norwich will take place on Thursday 5th November at The Space, offering a one-day experience designed to inspire, equip, and empower leaders from all walks of life. The event features world-class content originally filmed at the global gathering in Chicago, streamed locally to create a space for reflection, discussion, and practical application among local leaders.
“Lead where you are” has always been the mantra of GLS. In a world overloaded with information, GLS offers a rare opportunity to pause, reflect, and re-energise your leadership. Whether you lead in business, education, church, your local community, or at home – GLS is designed to inspire and empower you.
It is a highlight of the year for many. We know that other leaders in Norwich feel similarly and we want to facilitate an opportunity for you to either come by yourself to be inspired, or bring a team with you to process the content and consider how to apply it to your organisation together.
If you’re wondering whether GLS is for you – Megan Saunders, Chaplain at YMCA Norfolk, put it clearly: “I would recommend it to anybody who’s got any level of influence, which, to be honest, is all of us.”
We encourage anyone interested in leadership – whether in ministry, business, education, or the community – to attend.
Featured Speakers for GLS Norwich 2026
This year’s programme includes insights from globally respected leaders and experts, including:
Craig Groeschel – Founding and Senior Pastor, Life.Church The Invisible Language of Leadership: Craig explores how the behaviours leaders repeatedly tolerate, reward and reinforce ultimately shape culture. His keynote will help you identify what’s really driving outcomes in your organisation and learn how to create healthier, more effective leadership rhythms.
Vanessa Van Edwards – Behavioural Researcher & Instructor, Harvard The Surprising Micro Habits of High-Impact Leaders: Drawing on two decades of research, Vanessa reveals the small habits and behaviours that consistently produce exceptional leadership results. You will gain practical ways to increase your influence and maximise your impact.
Ryan Leak – CEO of The Ryan Leak Group Building a Culture They Never Want to Leave: Ryan examines why people often disengage long before they resign and shares practical strategies for creating workplaces where individuals thrive, grow and do their best work.
Alison Levine – Confronting Uncontrollable Environments
Whether navigating a crisis, a setback or an unexpected change, leaders are required to move forward in difficult situations before they know how things will unfold. Leadership rarely affords the luxury of bluebird days or clear trails. Drawing from her experience serving as the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, Alison Levine draws authentic parallels between the mountains and the unpredictable realities leaders face every day. She shares hard-earned lessons about navigating ambiguity, managing fear and leading when circumstances are constantly changing. Explore practical strategies for how resilience is built one decision at a time, why clarity of intent matters more than certainty of outcome and why the right path forward isn’t always the fastest — it’s the one that keeps you moving in the right direction.
Arthur C. Brooks – Finding Purpose in the Age of Emptiness
Recent research shows people invest more deeply in their work when it feels meaningful, yet only about one-third of U.S. employees are engaged at work. At the same time, global trends point to a growing hunger for meaning in life itself. That tension makes the challenge especially personal for leaders, who are trying to help others find meaning in their work while asking many of the same questions about their own lives. Join Arthur C. Brooks as he names the forces making meaning harder to find — and offers a way forward. Drawing on research in behavioral science, psychology and human flourishing, Brooks reveals how modern life has reshaped the way we think about purpose, fulfillment and significance. Walk away with practical, evidence-based wisdom to pursue a more meaningful life and a clearer vocabulary for your desires. Learn to rewire your mind for deeper reflection and find greater purpose even in life’s hardest places — while helping the people you lead do the same.
Kwame Christian – Why Being Right Isn’t Enough
Every leader has moments when the conversation doesn’t go how they hoped. The facts are solid. The logic is sound. And still — the room goes quiet, resistance rises or alignment slips away. When influence breaks down, the issue is often relational, not informational. Drawing from his experience as a lawyer, mediator and negotiation expert, Kwame Christian helps leaders rethink how they approach high-stake conversations. You’ll discover how everyday interactions become micro-negotiations that either build trust or create distance. Using Christian’s Compassionate Curiosity™ framework, you’ll walk away with practical tools to overcome emotional and psychological barriers, reduce defensiveness and move people toward agreement
.
Global Leadership Summit 2025 Highlights
GLS 2025 featured speakers from a wide range of backgrounds and careers.
Church Pastor and Summit Champion, Craig Groeschel, opened the event and demonstrated the power of consistent, intentional actions which drive progress. Sales & Leadership Expert, Stephanie Chung, outlined how the rules of work are changing and provided ways to lead people who are not like you, leveraging the God-given potential of every individual.
Juliet Funt, High Performance Expert, encouraged leaders to embrace a ‘reductive mindset’ by strategically cutting down the work to bring clarity and focus. Best-selling author Jon Acuff concluded the day with a hilarious presentation on how to become procrastination proof.
The event also included breakout discussions and opportunities to connect with other local leaders from churches, charities, education, and business.
John Lee, CEO of YMCA Norfolk, said:
“Everyone wins when the leader gets better. There’s been content today for everyone, no matter what stage of the leadership journey you’re at. Whether you’re working in a church, within a charity or running your own business, the content has been so inspiring and practical. I’ve loved the breakout sessions where I can really unpack it with my team as well.”
Attendees also shared that “It’s been amazing to be around such a great community of like-minded individuals who are just looking to further their leadership and some incredible content from world class speakers that you just don’t get every day.” And “I really like the opportunity to gather in a room full of people, hearing from these world class communicators, and to think about how I can take my leadership forward, and also how I can do a better job of leading the people that I lead.”
