Book with me
MC · Keynote speaker · Brand ambassador

Warm, Expert and at Home on Any Stage

MC, keynote speaker and brand ambassador in the UAE

For six years I've hosted, presented and spoken at family events across the UAE, from hotel brunches and mall festivals to school summer parties, expos and live radio.

I can host your event, interview a panel or deliver a keynote. With 35+ years working with children from birth to five, I bring real expertise, a warm presence and a community of families who come with me.

Principal Lisa hosting an event
On stage

Hosting & Speaking Highlights

Happy Families at The Westin
The Westin DubaiFamily brunches and seasonal events I hosted for three years.
Baby and Kids Expo stage
Baby & Kids Expo DubaiMC for two years, and guest speaker and moderator every year.
Summer party at BC Academy
Happy Families Summer Party, BC AcademyA free family party I organised and hosted, with 1,000+ footfall.
Hosting the main stage at Wiyana
WiyanaHosted the main stage for a full day, 10am to 6pm.
Speaking at Tish Tash
Tish TashParenting talks and live Q&As, and hosting Tish Tash Tots.
Dubai Eye studio
Dubai Eye 103.8Regular guest with Helen Farmer on 0 to 5 parenting.
How I can help at your event

Host, MC, Keynote, Panel or Workshop

1

Host & MC

Festivals, mall days, school events, brand launches and expos. I keep the programme moving and the audience with me.

2

Keynotes & Talks

Practical, warm talks for parent evenings, staff days, conferences and community events, anywhere in the UAE or online.

3

Panels & Interviews

I can moderate a panel or interview experts, asking the questions parents really want answered.

4

Workshops & Training

Parent workshops and staff training for nurseries and schools.

Topics I Speak On

I can speak on almost any subject about families and children from birth to five. These are some of them:

  • Sleep
  • Eating and fussy eating
  • Routines and rhythms
  • Behaviour
  • Boundaries and consequences
  • Potty learning
  • Child development
  • RIE® (Resources for Infant Educarers) and Pikler-informed practice
  • Independence and capability
  • Play
  • The first 1,000 days
  • Preparing children for nursery
  • Preparing families for school
  • Choosing a nursery or school
  • Separation and settling
  • Working well with nannies
  • Family life in the UAE
  • Parenting in an expat community
  • Early years education
  • School readiness
  • The missing years, birth to three
  • Family engagement with schools and nurseries

This isn't a complete list. I have a large library of talks and presentations, and I'm happy to create a talk or discussion around the theme of your event.

Signature Talks

The Potty Training Readiness Myth · The Big Parenting Reset (run at SAFA British School) · From Beige Food to Brave Eating · School Readiness: 10 Things Teachers Wish You Knew. 45 to 60 minutes, in person or online.

Bespoke Talks

Tell me about your audience and your theme, and I'll shape a talk, Q&A or panel discussion around it.

More than a speaker

I Bring a Community With Me

As well as speaking or hosting, I can help families hear about your event. I share events with my own community through Instagram, email and WhatsApp, which helps build awareness and conversation before the day.

For organisers, that means an experienced host and a warm, engaged audience who already trust the person on stage.

21KInstagram followers
588,000+monthly views
5,000+parents on my email list
3,000WhatsApp connections
Case study

Happy Families Summer Party at BC Academy, June 2026

I organised and hosted a free family summer party at BC Academy, with brands, mini entrepreneurs, shows and activities for children. The aim was to bring new families into the school and give them a joyful first experience of it.

This wasn't just an event. It was a four-to-six-week family marketing campaign for the school, with posts, emails, WhatsApp, the magazine and personal follow-ups, that ended in a packed summer party.

Families didn't come alone. They brought children, dads, grannies, aunties, uncles and nannies, and the hall was packed all day.

Principal Lisa hosting the BC Academy Summer Party
410families booked
Around 1,000people came through across the day, counted on the gate with a clicker, because almost every family brought a mother, a grandmother, an auntie or a nanny
55exhibiting brands
10Mini Entrepreneurs
218parents messaged me directly to ask about the event

How Families Found It

205registrations from Instagram, over half of all bookings
77from friends and word of mouth
5,000+families reached by each of 6 emails

Also promoted through WhatsApp, Facebook and community partners.

Campaign Results

31,000social media views
531comments
280shares
403likes
156website clicks
99WhatsApp chats from one advert

Built with 9 Instagram posts, WhatsApp broadcasts and community partners.

What the School Gained

  • All 410 registered families went through the BC Academy website before the day
  • Every family who messaged me received the school's details, website and directions
  • Hundreds of new families saw the school, met the staff and enjoyed a day there
  • Strong online visibility and community awareness for BC Academy
Principal Lisa with a family
Principal Lisa with families and BC Academy staff
"You understand how to engage children, make them feel confident and, most importantly, have fun. You have a real knack for bringing children, parents and the wider community together and making an event feel really special."BC Academy
Media & podcasts

Listen to Me on Air

Dubai Eye 103.8

Regular guest on Afternoons with Helen Farmer, talking about the hot topics in 0 to 5 parenting.

Listen: preparing children for schoolAll Helen Farmer episodes

The Playground Podcast

From the UK to Dubai: the journey of Principal Lisa, Dubai's Godmother. My journey with children, toilet training and helping little ones talk.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Mother Tongue

The Dubai parenting podcast, also heard on Emirates flights. I share how to move little ones from nappies to the potty.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Decluttr Me

Potty training with guest Principal Lisa, The Potty Queen.

Read and listen

Gulf News

Featured in August 2023 for the Bounty Beets Meets Happy Families mornings.

Happy Families Magazine

I produce and edit the Happy Families Magazine for UAE parents.

Read the magazine
More of my work across the UAE

Six Years of Events, Partnerships and Media

Keynotes, events, story times and brand partnerships with families, schools and nurseries across the UAE.

Marriott Stokke Jumeirah International Nurseries Mumstore

Highlights

Bounty Beets
3 years

Bounty Beets Family Mornings

The Westin Dubai
3 years

The Westin Dubai

Baby and Kids Expo
MC, 2 years

Baby & Kids Expo

Festival of Learning
15 Nov 2026

Festival of Learning, Times Square Center

Ribambelle launch
Launch

Ribambelle Restaurant

Events & Hosting

  • The Westin Dubai
  • Baby & Kids Expo Dubai
  • Wiyana main stage
  • Bounty Beets, Le Méridien Mina Seyahi
  • Summer Party, BC Academy
  • Festival of Learning, Times Square Center
  • Ribambelle launch
  • Tish Tash Tots

Brand Ambassador

  • Stokke
  • Skip Hop
  • Kim & Kimmy
  • Vice Keeper
  • Bumblebee
  • Mumstore
  • EZPZ
  • Hoopla

Schools & Nurseries

  • BC Academy
  • SAFA British School
  • Victory Heights
  • Brighton College Dubai
  • Kent College
  • Jumeirah International Nurseries
  • Blossom Al Barsha
  • Willow Children's Nursery
  • Chubby Cheeks
  • Step by Step Jumeirah
  • Early Explorers Sharjah
  • Kids Kingdom

Media

  • Dubai Eye 103.8
  • Gulf News
  • The Playground Podcast
  • Mother Tongue
  • Decluttr Me
  • Happy Families Magazine
What organisers say

In Their Words

"You understand how to engage children, make them feel confident and, most importantly, have fun. You have a real knack for bringing children, parents and the wider community together and making an event feel really special."

bcacademy.ae logo
BC AcademySummer Party host schoolbcacademy.ae

"The event was exceptionally well planned and thoughtfully executed. The flow was smooth and intuitive, allowing families to move comfortably between activities while remaining fully engaged."

"It was so lovely to see how quickly you connected with our families. You created such a warm and welcoming atmosphere and made it really easy for parents and children to get involved."

vhprimary.com logo
The Team, Victory HeightsWorkshops and webinars, 2026vhprimary.com

"It was lovely to see the community you have created. You have such a natural way of bringing people together and making everyone feel welcome."

"The professionalism, care and thoughtful planning demonstrated by Principal Lisa were evident in every aspect of the event."

"Lisa is energetic, full of life and ideas, no task is too big. Her dedication to the projects she works on is immense."

marriott.com logo
Maria GoldDirector of Marketing, Marriott Groupmarriott.com
Principal Lisa
About me

35+ Years With Babies, Children and Families

I've worked as a British nanny, special needs teacher, child and family officer, nursery school principal and maternity nurse. Many know me as Principal Lisa from leading a nursery school in Dubai, others as The Potty Queen.

I founded Happy Families, created The Potty Queen Method™ and produce the Happy Families Magazine.

How Principal Lisa Began

Happy Families with Principal Lisa on Pearl FM

It started quite by accident.

I had been talking a lot on Instagram, helping families within my nursery. Somebody reached out, and I went for a meeting at the Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children. I was offered the chance to have a radio show at 6pm, twice a week, recorded on a Sunday. I thought, what a fun idea. I want to give that a go! I went into a studio, and everybody did everything for me.

Then COVID hit, and I was asked to come back into the studio and do a daily radio show to help families. He said, "Do you have an Instagram?" I said, "No, no, no, I've only got the nursery." He said, "You'd better have one." What should we call the show? He decided: "Well, you are a principal at the moment, so let's call it Happy Families with Principal Lisa."

That is how both of my brands were formed.

Recording through COVID was extremely difficult. For part of it, I came into an empty studio with no one there, and I had to control the buttons myself. Then things got harder, and I was recording the show from home. We were all doing the best we could.

As things got better, I went in every day and recorded for an hour, with four guests every hour to help families. It was really popular. The show was sponsored by Mumzworld, and it ran until 2021, when the Al Jalila Cultural Centre closed Pearl FM down.

Principal Lisa in the Pearl FM studio Principal Lisa with a guest on Pearl FM A guest on Happy Families with Principal Lisa Principal Lisa with guests at Pearl FM Principal Lisa at a Mumzworld event A little guest at the Pearl FM microphone with Principal Lisa Story time in the Pearl FM studio Happy Families with Principal Lisa show poster for Pearl FM The Pearl FM studio sign Pearl FM show sponsored by Mumzworld

Guests, families and friends who joined me on air

Tell Me About Your Event

Share a few details and I'll come back with ideas and a quote.

Prefer WhatsApp?

Message me on WhatsApp, +971 52 760 4482.

Get in touch with Lisa