Karlie Thompson
Specialisms: Disability Advocate, Speaker, and Founder of Suck It Up, Princess
Kindness, courage and connection with so many: Karlie is the kind of speaker who makes you laugh, cry, and rethink everything - sometimes all in the same sentence.
An NHS Director of Communications turned full-time disability advocate, she’s survived sepsis, stroke, multiple organ failure, and a double amputation below the knee.
But don’t expect pity - Karlie’s platform, Suck It Up, Princess, is built on radical honesty, sass, and the refusal to be underestimated.
She speaks with unapologetic wit about disability, visibility, trauma, parenting, and the power of choosing joy when life throws you the unthinkable. Her story has reached over a million people and counting, amplified by NHS England and a growing community of people who are tired of sugar-coating survival.
Whether she’s on stage, online, or in a hospital bed with a ring light and a punchline, Karlie brings emotional intelligence, strategic comms, and a whole lot of heart.
She’s here to challenge norms, build community, and make sure you want to question how and what you do because life is too short!“I don’t do ‘inspirational', I do positivity - it's a choice. A very hard choice sometimes but it takes us all to a better place."
