Lawrence Akers Speaking at the Heart Mind Body Collective Conference 2026
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be presenting at the Heart Mind Body Collective Conference this October in Sydney.
It’s been several years since I’ve spoken at an in-person conference, and I’m genuinely looking forward to reconnecting with practitioners, therapists, coaches, hypnotherapists, and helping professionals from across Australia who share a passion for personal growth, wellbeing, and creating meaningful change in people’s lives.
Heart Mind Body Collective Conference 2026 Details
The conference will be held on 17–18 October 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Sydney Airport, bringing together 13 speakers from a range of backgrounds and disciplines, all united by a common interest in helping people create positive change across the heart, mind, and body.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with conference organiser Rebecca Fischer on the Heart Mind Body Collective Podcast to discuss my background, my approach to hypnotherapy, and what attendees can expect from my presentation.
A Journey Through Music, Recruitment and Hypnotherapy
Many people are surprised to learn that I didn’t begin my career in therapy.
My first decade in the workforce was spent in the music industry, including a period working with Mushroom Records and Festival Mushroom Records. After that, I found myself unexpectedly moving into recruitment, specialising in the creative industries.
Looking back, recruitment taught me something incredibly valuable. Every day I sat across from people navigating uncertainty, self-doubt, career transitions, workplace conflict, and questions of identity. The longer I spent doing that work, the more I realised that the conversations I enjoyed most weren’t the sales conversations. They were the coaching conversations.
That curiosity eventually led me to study hypnotherapy, counselling, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, NLP, and a range of other approaches that continue to shape my work today.
Eleven years later, I still find myself learning every day.
One of the themes Rebecca and I discussed during the interview was the importance of remaining curious. The longer I work with people, the more convinced I become that effective therapy isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being willing to stay curious enough to discover what this particular person needs in this particular moment.
The Power of Creativity in Therapy
One thing that often surprises new therapists is just how creative therapeutic work can be.
When we’re training, we learn models, frameworks, techniques, and processes. Those are important. They provide structure and direction.
However, no client ever arrives as a textbook example.
Every person brings a unique history, personality, belief system, and way of experiencing the world. The real skill lies in adapting what we know to fit the person sitting in front of us.
Whether I’m working with anxiety, compulsive behaviours, addictions, confidence issues, or personal development, I see therapy as a collaborative process. My role is not to do hypnosis to somebody. My role is to work with them to help create the conditions for change.
That mindset has become a foundation of my work over the years.
Working With Addiction, Compulsive Behaviours and Self-Compassion
The conversation also touched on one of the areas that has become a major focus of my practice in recent years: helping people overcome addictions and compulsive behaviours.
Many people expect addiction work to focus solely on stopping a behaviour. In reality, the work often goes much deeper than that.
Behind many compulsive behaviours are attempts to manage stress, loneliness, shame, anxiety, uncertainty, or emotional pain. When we only focus on removing the behaviour, we often miss the underlying need that behaviour was attempting to meet.
This is one reason why I frequently draw on parts-based approaches and Internal Family Systems concepts in my work. Rather than treating a behaviour as an enemy, I encourage people to become curious about the part of themselves that developed that strategy in the first place.
That shift can create profound changes.
Instead of fighting themselves, people begin developing self-awareness, self-compassion, and a healthier relationship with the parts of themselves that are struggling.
In many ways, self-compassion becomes one of the most important skills in recovery.
What I’ll Be Speaking About at the Heart Mind Body Collective Conference
While the podcast explored a wide range of topics, my presentation at the conference will focus on something very practical.
My session is called: Recording for Hypnotherapists
Over the years I’ve trained hundreds of hypnotherapists to create their own hypnosis recordings, guided meditations, podcasts, lead magnets, online programmes, and client resources.
One thing I’ve noticed repeatedly is that many therapists assume creating recordings is far more complicated than it actually is.
I’ve seen incredibly skilled practitioners become anxious the moment microphones, editing software, or recording technology enter the conversation.
My goal with this presentation is simple.
I want to show therapists that creating professional recordings is not only achievable, but often far easier than they imagine.
More importantly, I want them to leave feeling confident enough to actually give it a go.
Why Recordings Matter More Than Ever
We live in a time when people are consuming more audio content than ever before.
Podcasts, guided meditations, hypnosis recordings, online courses, and digital resources have become a normal part of how people learn and grow.
For therapists, recordings can provide enormous value.
They can help reinforce learning between sessions. They can provide clients with ongoing support. They can help build confidence and familiarity before a first appointment. They can become valuable lead magnets, educational resources, and additional revenue streams.
Most importantly, they allow practitioners to extend their impact beyond the therapy room.
A client may spend one hour a week with you.
A well-designed recording allows them to continue practising and reinforcing positive change throughout the week.
Technology Doesn’t Have to Be Intimidating
One of the topics Rebecca and I discussed was the role of technology and artificial intelligence.
For a while, I wondered whether advances in AI would eventually make recording skills obsolete.
What I’ve discovered instead is that authentic human communication still matters.
Technology can certainly assist us. It can speed up workflows and create new opportunities. However, the warmth, personality, creativity, humour, and therapeutic understanding that practitioners bring remains incredibly valuable.
People don’t just connect with information.
They connect with people.
That’s why I believe there has never been a better time for therapists to find their voice and share it more widely.
Join Us in Sydney for the Heart Mind Body Collection Conference 2026
The Heart Mind Body Collective Conference promises to be an inspiring weekend filled with learning, connection, personal growth, and professional development.
With 13 speakers presenting across two days, attendees will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of approaches and perspectives while connecting with like-minded practitioners from around the country.
The event includes morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and a gala dinner on Saturday evening, creating plenty of opportunities for networking and meaningful conversations.
If you’re a hypnotherapist, coach, counsellor, healer, educator, or simply someone passionate about personal development, I’d love to see you there.
Heart Mind Body Collective Conference
Date: 17–18 October 2026
Time: 9:00am – 6:00pm daily
Venue: Crowne Plaza Sydney Airport, Sydney NSW
You can register here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/heart-mind-body-collective-conference-tickets-1990621146435
I look forward to meeting many of you in person and sharing practical ways to use recordings to expand your impact, support your clients, and build confidence with technology.
And if you’ve been telling yourself that you’re “not technical enough” to create recordings, this presentation may be exactly what you need.
Release Hypnosis Melbourne Hypnotherapy
Since 2015, Lawrence Akers has been working under the name Release Hypnosis offering Hypnotherapy and ACT based work to the people of Melbourne or an online service. Based on St Kilda Rd, Release Hypnosis is an easy and convenient location to get to and accessible by the ANZAC station train and tram stop. Release Hypnosis can help with a wide range of presenting issues, and I offer a free 30 minute no obligation discovery call for those who are unsure if hypnotherapy is the right way forward for them.
Book Your FREE 30 Minute Consultation With Release Hypnosis NOW!
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Release Hypnosis Melbourne Hypnotherapy is accessible for people in: Abbotsford, Armadale, Albert Park, Balwyn, Bentleigh, Black Rock, Box Hill, Brighton, Brunswick, Bulleen, Bundoora, Camberwell, Canterbury, Carnegie, Caulfield, Chadstone, Cheltenham, Clayton, Coburg, Collingwood, Deer Park, Doncaster, Elsternwick, Eltham, Elwood, Epping, Essendon, Fairfield, Fitzroy, Footscray, Glen Iris, Glen Waverley, Glenhuntly, Greensborough, Hampton, Hawthorn, Heidelberg, Highet, Ivanhoe, Kew, Kooyong, Lalor, Laverton, Lower, Plenty, Macleod, Malvern, Middle Park, Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Moorabbin, Mount Waverley, Murrumbeena, Northcote, Oakleigh, Ormond, Parkville, Pascoe Vale, Port Melbourne, Prahran, Preston, Richmond, Rosana, Sandringham, South Yarra, South Melbourne, Spotswood, St Albans, St Kilda, Surrey Hills, Templestowe, Thornbury, Toorak, Tullamarine, Williamstown, Yarraville, North Melbourne, Windsor, East Melbourne, Melbourne, Melbourne CBD, Melbourne 3004
