Former Essendon and Carlton footballer, Whitelion co-founder and mental health advocate.
Glenn Manton played 178 games of AFL football — 21 for Essendon from his 1992 debut and 157 for Carlton between 1995 and 2003, including the club's 1995 premiership team and the 1999 Grand Final. The work that has defined his life since sits well outside football. In 1999, after completing a degree in education, he co-founded Whitelion, a not-for-profit assisting young people in crisis within the juvenile justice system, and he works with Red Dust, which supports Indigenous communities.
Glenn's storytelling is unusually open. He does not sanitise his own experience or that of the young people he has worked with, and that honesty is what makes his sessions land. He is also an author — his books include Dead Bolt, Mongrel Punts and Hard Ball Gets, Tattoo Urself, Authentic and Put Your Damn Phone Down — and he has represented Australia in bobsleigh. His keynotes carry a thoughtfulness that lifts a room rather than drains it.
He works with schools, not-for-profit conferences and corporate audiences on mental health, resilience and inclusion, and takes on MC duties as well as keynotes. He is a strong fit for any event on those themes that needs more than a polished slide deck.
Glenn Manton is a keynote speaker based in Victoria who speaks on diversity & inclusion, mental health & wellbeing and motivation. Book through Executive Speakers Australia.
From elite sport to community work, Glenn’s journey is proof that resilience comes from connection and responsibility. He inspires audiences to look beyond themselves and take meaningful action.
Key Takeaways:
- How resilience is built through responsibility, not avoidance
- Why strong connections are essential for performance and wellbeing
- Actions to foster a culture of accountability and care
Drawing on his AFL career and leadership in education and community advocacy, Glenn shares what great leaders and teams get right and what they often get wrong.
Key Takeaways:
- Lessons from elite sport that apply to business and leadership
- The impact of culture on performance and trust
- Strategies to align teams around shared purpose and values
Mental health challenges affect every workplace, yet stigma and silence often prevent honest conversations. Glenn uses his lived experience, candid storytelling, and background as a youth advocate to create a safe space for dialogue. He shows how openness, vulnerability, and humour can normalise the conversation and strengthen wellbeing across teams.
Key Takeaways:
- How storytelling can open up difficult conversations on mental health
- Recognising the role of vulnerability in leadership and culture
- Practical steps to support personal wellbeing and collective resilience
Glenn Manton is a creative storyteller weaving fragments of a jigsaw puzzle about life, hope, and regrets. I feel he reached the much-needed disengaged students. He spoke honestly and encouraged authenticity and to delve deeper into their responses and questions. For many students, it's the first time I have heard them be vulnerable. It was very moving and empowering.Marymede Catholic College
Glenn Manton was engaging with all age groups and the message he provided was "spot on". The presentation to the Year 9 group was well received and the students loved it. Such a lovely person - very accommodating and insightful. One student's feedback "engaging, funny relatable."St Joseph's College
We have engaged Glenn Manton twice to facilitate motivational sessions with our leadership group. On both occasions, pre and post the COVID pandemic, the feedback from attendees was unprecedent and enormously positive. Participants were grateful for the opportunity to step outside their normal routines, challenge their thinking and share more of themselves with their peers and management groups. Having worked with Glenn for many years, he has an uncanny ability to gently steer conversation to achieve our objectives, but with equal importance endears himself to the group in a way that encourages safe, open and honest communication. His style leaves you thinking, yet uplifted. Introspective, yet considerate and mindful of others. Over the course of a few short hours, we cultivated a greater value for connection, communication, empathy, respect and responsibility. We laughed, we cried, we shared stories, we learnt and we grew both professionally and personally – there’s not much more you could ask from a corporate facilitatorHead of Strategic Partners, IKON Services
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